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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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Chronicle of Battle Abbey is in Late Medieval Books.
In the year of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ 1135, not long after the death of the noble King Henry, Stephen, count of Boulogne, his nephew, succeeded to the kingdom of England — his claims having the support of some of the chief men of the realm. He was anointed and crowned at Westminster, on the 11th of the calends of January [22nd December 1135], by William, archbishop of Canterbury. As soon as he was settled in the kingdom, there arose some deadly broils (of which however this is not the proper time to speak), and the nobles disagreed among themselves. When public affairs were at length set in order, the venerable abbot Warner, among others, was found, by some slight offence, to have incurred the royal displeasure, and certain other complaints having arisen, he thought it better to yield to circumstances. Not long afterwards therefore, before Christmas, being at Westminster, and taking the advice of certain persons (particularly that of Aubrey, the Pope's legate, then in England), he voluntarily resigned his abbacy, in the fourteenth year of his government. And thus, having only himself to care for, he retired to S. Pancras, a monastery greatly renowned for piety, lying near the castle of Lewes, where he remained in the exercise of religion until the day of his death.146
Note 146. It is pretty certain from this account, that the abbot's offence was, his adherence to the cause of Maud, against the usurpation of Stephen.