Roger Whitley's Diary. 3rd January 1690. Friday, went to Parliment; dined with G.Mainwaring [aged 47] & Kirby at the Bell; went with G.Mainwaring to his wine coopers in Roode Lane; had some sherry & other wine; then called on Mr Meade; stayd awhile; went then to the Sunne in Milk Streete; there was 2 Mainwarings, Hannibal Baskerville, Baroby, Herle, Minshall & another Manchester man; parted past 9.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 19th January 1690. Sonday, I took phisick; 2 Mainwarings brother Peter, Morgan, Roger, Baroby & his frind (a minister) dined with us; in the evening came Wood, his Lady, daughters & G.Mainwaring [aged 47] supt, parted past 9.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 29th January 1690. Wednesday, Mainwaring went to meete Crew at Dunstable; I dined at home with Biddolph, Roger, & Thomas; went in the evening to Woods, saw Lady & daughters; called on Biddolph in Holborne; went to Bishop of Chester; Kidder was with him; stayd awhile; called on Baroby, went to the printer; there was Biddolph, Baroby, Dashwood, G.Mainwaring [aged 47] Gerard & Wade; parted past 9, came home.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 26th June 1690. Thursday, Mainwaring went to Chester past 10; Joseph came to trimme me; his brother was here also; I advised them together to agree about theire deceased brother's estate;,&c. I dined at home; past one went to Chester with daughters, sister Anne & Bidolph;. lighted at Wrights, went to Jacksons, then to Hunts; then to G.Mainwaring [aged 47] there was Bidolph, Anderton, Captain Grenhylle, &c. then went to Jacksons; there was daughters & sister; then went (with Crosse) to almeshouse, saw the widows, gave them 2: 6 a piece to theire fairings; [fo. 120r] June. went to Johnson's house, saw him & his wife; the little smith came to us; I promised to renew his lease; then retorned (Crosse with me) to Jacksons; there was Bidolph, G.Mainwaring, Baroby, Bret, &c. parted about 8; Bidolph & I went home together; daughters & sister in the other coach; a man brought a letter from Mrs Owens about Roger's debt; Mr Tomkinsons brother came this night to serve me.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 1st July 1690. Tuesday, Jackson came from Chester past 9; Crew came about 10; I left them & Goldsmith there; they dined with my sonne [aged 39], Bidolph & Mainwaring; the 2 last went to Peover about 4; my daughters, sister Sydney & I went to Chester past 11; dined with Angell; I went to the Sunne with G.Mainwaring [aged 47]; there was Baroby & Gleg; I left them in ½ houer; went with daughters & sister about 4 towards Ruabon; met brother Robinson & cosen Lloyd at Wrexam; called on cosen Powell, saw her sister, &c. there, stayd ½ houer; went to Ruabon, found my sister indifferent well; Cos Loyd supt with us.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 5th July 1690. Satorday, Huson, Delves, & Tomkinson went to Chester about 9; Mainwaring, Bidolph & Baroby came from Peover about one; Mainwaring & my daughter went to Peover in the evening; Bidolph, Baroby & I went to Chester (past 2) we alighted at Jacksons; I went to Angells & Hunt; there was Taylor & Huson with us; we discoursed our businesse; I came past 6 to Jacksons; spoke with Gray, Crosse, &c. below; went up to Bidolph, Baroby, Streete, G.Mainwaring [aged 47], Jones, Parry, Farington, Warburton, &c. the Governor came to us & 2 or 3 with him; also Colonel St George, an Irish Lord, &c. they stayd not; Bidolph. Baroby & I went back, past 8, came to Peele about 10.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 6th July 1690. Sonday, I was not at church; dined with Baroby, Bidolph, sonne [aged 39], Morgan,&c. in the evening we heard great shooting at Highlake; & afterwards heard the Cannon at Chester, & saw a great many Bonfires; which made us hope there was good news from Ireland, & that the King had got Dublyn; soe we, & other neighbors made bonfyres.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 7th July 1690. Monday, Baroby & Morgan went away about 6; my sonne [aged 39] went to Chester, about 11; Bidolph took phisick; Angell came to see him, dined with us; Crew's man came after dinner to acquainte us that his mother would be buryed tomorrow;.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 24th September 1690. Wednesday, Mainwaring & I went to Chester (Robinson with us, & soe home) we alighted at Jacksons; went to G.Mainwaring's [aged 47] Farington with us; then G.Mainwaring & I went to the Penthouse; Mainwaring came after us; there we found the Mayor, Ince, Anderson, Edwards, Randle Batho, & the officers; I discoursed them about the Election of a new Mayor; & how inconvenient it would be to choose me, &c. then I went with Streete (who came to the Penthouse) to Angells; then to the Sunne; there we dined with 2 Mainwarings, 2 Andersons, Farington, Baroby, Comberbach, Kinaston, Deane, Murray, Randle Batho, &c. after dinner came Hannibal Baskerville, Crosse, &c. then Streete & I went to the almeshouses, Mercer with us; Cotton, Rummer Tavern & Thomas had 3 quarts of ale; then went to Jacksons; there was 2 Mainwarings, Baroby, Hannibal Baskerville, Herle, Cockaine, &c. we parted past 7, came home before 9.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Roger Whitley's Diary. 27th September 1690. Satorday, Mainwaring went early towards London; Huson retorned from Alrey; Lee & Morgan went to Chester; I & my sonne [aged 39] after them past 10; we alighted at the Talbot; met Streete & others at the doore; he went with me to Danold the barber, who trimmed me; G.Mainwaring [aged 47] came to us; I went & dined with him; my sonne & Streete & his wife, sister & daughter dined with us; neare 3 I went to Angells, did not stay, went with G.Mainwaring & Streete to meete the Judges; which we did at the Bridge; went after them to the Castle; there was the Sheriffe, Governor, Cotton, Crew, &c. I made the Governor a visit, there was Lord Chomly, Egerton, Warburton, Bell, &c. we drank a glasse of wine (standing) I & the 2 Aldermen left them; they went with me to Jackson's; there was Minshall, Baroby, Nat. Booth, Hannibal Baskerville, my sonne, Morgan,&c. Ned Morgan came thither as we were parting, my sonne & I went before 6, came home past 7.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 14th October 1690. Tuesday, Huson came from the Audit & Tomkinson went to the Audit at Middlewich; my sonne [aged 39] & I went to Chester (met Morgan at Tarvyn going to Middlewich) I, sonne, G.Mainwaring [aged 47] Baroby & Crosse dined at Jackson's; we went to the almeshouses; drank some ale at the Widdows with Mr Wright, Streete & some others; went then to Andersons, then to the new Mayor (there were the 2 Leavelookers) we dranck in both places; I went then to G.Mainwaring saw his wife & daughter & Mall: Ravenscroft in the Row; went thence (with G.Mainwaring) to Jacksons; there was my sonne, Streete, Wright, Baroby, 2 Kinastons, Mercer, Mainwaring of Wrexam, &c. we parted past 5; Taylor was with me at Jacksons before dinner; stayd not; I called on Bennet in the Forest streete; there was Ely with him; they came to the coach, had a tankerd, went home.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 29th November 1690. Satorday, dined at home; went in the afternoone to the Star in Colman streete; there was How, 2 Mainwarings Bellot, Baroby, Whitaker, &c. went then with 2 Mainwarings & Bellot to the Mermayd in Cornehill. Milington came to us; we parted at 10.