Leonard Chamberlain 1504-1561

Before 1504 [his father] Edward Chamberlayne [aged 19] and Cecily Verney [aged 18] were married.

Before 1504 Leonard Chamberlain was born to Edward Chamberlayne [aged 19].

Before 1520 Francis Conyers [aged 29] and [his future wife] Anne Blount [aged 19] were married.

In 1532 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 28] was appointed Esquire of the Body.

Before 1533 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 29] and Dorothy Newdigate [aged 27] were married.

Around 1543 [his father] Edward Chamberlayne [aged 59] died.

Before 1545 Henry Brinklow and [his future wife] Margery Unknown were married.

After 20th January 1546 Stephen Vaughan Merchant [aged 44] and [his future wife] Margery Unknown were married at Calais [Map].

Before 23rd June 1551 George Rolle [aged 56] and [his future wife] Margery Unknown were married.

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.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Before 20th November 1552 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 48] and Margery Unknown were married.

In October 1553 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 49] was elected MP Scarborough.

In April 1554 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 50] was elected MP Oxfordshire.

In November 1554 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 50] was elected MP Oxfordshire.

Before 29th November 1554 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 50] and Dorothy Andrews of Woodstock were married.

Before 5th May 1557 [his wife] Margery Unknown died.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 5th May 1557. The v day of May a-for non was bered my [his wife] lade Chamburlayne, the wyff of ser Lenard Chamburlayne [aged 53] of Oxffordshyre, with ij whyt branchys and a fayr [herse] of wax, and v dosen penselles and skochyons and ij dosen of [staff-torches]; xxiiij powre men and women dyd bere them, and they [had] gownes of fyne brode cottun of blake; and iiij baners borne abowte her; and with prestes and clarkes, a grett compene of mornars; and ther dyd pryche att the masse docthur Chadsay, and he mad a godly sermon; and after a grett dener; and master Longkaster was the harold; and ther was a grett dolle of money at the cherche.

After 5th May 1557 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 53] and Anne Blount [aged 57] were married.

After 1560 [his former wife] Anne Blount [deceased] died.

Before 22nd May 1560 [his wife] Dorothy Newdigate [aged 54] died.

Around August 1561 Leonard Chamberlain [aged 57] died at Guernsey [Map].

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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Henry Machyn's Diary. 30th October 1561. The xxx day of October was mad for the berehyng of ser Reynold Chamburlayn knyght and capten of Garnsey [Map] a standard and a pennon and a cote armur and a target, sword, and mantyll, helmet and crest, and a (blank) dosen of skochyons of armes, the wyche he had iiij wyffes and (unfinished)