Wriothesley's Chronicle 1485-1509

Wriothesley's Chronicle 1485-1509 is in Wriothesley's Chronicle.

1485 Sweating Sickness Outbreak

1486 Birth and Christening of Arthur Prince of Wales

1487 Battle of Stoke Field

25 November 1487-Coronation of Elizabeth of York

1489 Yorkshire Rebellion

1491 Birth and Christening of Henry VIII

1495 Perkin Warbreck Plot

1497 Battle of Blackheath aka Deptford Bridge

1497 Perkin Warbreck Rebellion

1499 Trial and Execution of Perkin Warbreck and Edward Earl of Warwick

1501 Marriage of Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon

1502 Death of Prince Arthur

1509 Death of Henry VII

1875 Marriage and Coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

1485 Sweating Sickness Outbreak

1485. This yeare^a was great death of the sicknesse called the sweatinge sicknesse;^b and the crosse in Cheepe new made; and a great taske and disme^c grawnted to the Kinge.

Note a. Henry VII's regnal years counted from 22nd Aug. 1485, the day of the Battle of Bosworth. The year in the text, howerer, are computed from Lord Mayor's day.

Note b. This disease, unknown to any other age or nation, appeared first in London about the middle of September, and by the end of October had decimated the population. Two mayors and six aldermen died of it within one week.— See "Hall's Chronicle."

Note c. This expression is copied from Arnold, signifying "tax and tenth." In Jean Falsgrare's "L'Eclaircissement de la Langue Franyaise" the word "taske" is rendered by the French "taux."

Birth and Christening of Arthur Prince of Wales

1486. This yeare^d Prince Arthure was borne at Windsore [Map].^e

Note d. This paragraph is wrongly placed both in Arnold and our MS. after the next entry, but I hare restored it to its proper date.

Note e. A clerical error for Winchester [Map].

25 November 1487-Coronation of Elizabeth of York

25th November 1487. This yeare the Queene was crowned.^f

Note f. At Westminster on the 25th November, 1487.

Battle of Stoke Field

16th June 1487. The Earle of Lincolne [aged 25]¹, the Lord Lovell [aged 31], and one Martin Swarte, a straunger, slayne all in a feild that they made againste the Kinge.²

Note 1. John Earl of Lincoln was son of John de la Pole [aged 44], Duke of Suffolk, and of Elizabeth [aged 43], eldest sister of Edward IV.

Note 2. This battle was fought at the village of Stoke [Map], near Newark [Map], 16th June, 1487, when Lambert Simnel [aged 10] was made prisoner.

1489. This yeare the Kinge sent manye knightes with seaven thowsand^b men into Brytane.

Note b. Eight thousand according to Stow.

Yorkshire Rebellion

28th April 1489. Th' Earle of Northumberlande [aged 40] slayne in the Northe.^c.

Note c. By the rebels, April 28th, 1489.

1489. A capp of mayntenance brought from Rome to the Kinge.^d

Note d. This agrees with Arnold and Bernard André, but Stow places it in 1505.

1490. This yeare Creplegate [Map] was new made, and E. Francke^e and other put to death.

Note e. Edward Franke in Arnold.

Birth and Christening of Henry VIII

28th June 1491. This yeare, in June,^f Kinge Henrie the Eight^g was borne at Greenewich [Map], which was second sonne to King Henry the VIIth [aged 34], named Duke of Yorke.

Note f. June 28th, 1491.

Note g. This expression shows that this portion of the Chronicle was written after the accession of Henry VIII.

12th March 1491. Sir Robert Chamberlayne [aged 53] was beheaded. A conduict begon at Christ Churche.^h

Note h. Christ Church probably refers to Christ Church, Greyfriars [Map].

1492. This yeare the Kinge [aged 34] went to Calis [Map] with a great armieⁱ againste France, but the peace was made without battell.^k.

Note i. 25,000 foot and 1,600 horse.

Note k. By the terms of this treaty, known as the Peace of Estaples, the French King engaged to pay 745,000 crowns down and 52,000 crowns yearly under the name of pension.

8th June 1492. The Queenes [aged 26] mother [aged 55]^l deceased, and the Lowers^m set upon Guylde Hall [Map].

Note l. Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Edward IV.

Note m. Towers.

1493. This yeare was a risinge of yonge men againste the Stiliarde [Map].^a

Note a. The Hanseatic or Easterling merchants had their repository, "Goyhalda Tentonicorum" in the Still-yard [Map] in Thames Street, from which circumstance they received the sobriquet of Merchants of the Steelyard.

Perkin Warbreck Plot

1495. This yeare was beheaded Sir William Stanley [aged 60], Lord Chamberlayne, Sir Symon Monforde and his sonne, and manye other that landed in the Downes,^b to the number of viii^xx, that came from Perkin Werbeck [aged 21],^c callinge himselfe King Edwardes sonne.^d

Note b. Near Deal [Map].

Note c. Other authorities say Warbeck's followers, to the number of 169, were on this occasion made captives and gibbeted; but our author has copied Arnold, who has "viii skore."

Note d. Warbeck pretended to be Richard Duke of York, son of Edward lV.

Battle of Blackheath aka Deptford Bridge

17th June 1497. This yeare was Blackheath [Map] feild in June.^e The Lord Awdley [aged 34] chiefe capteyn with 30,000 Cornishe men. The capteynes put to death,^f.

Note e. June 22nd. [This is a mistake. The battle was fought on the 17th June 1497]

Note f. Lord Audley was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]; Flammock, an attorney, and Michel Joseph, a blacksmith, were hanged at Tyburn [Map]; all the rest were pardoned by proclamation.

Perkin Warbreck Rebellion

August 1497... and in August Perkin Warbeck [aged 23] landed in Cornewale,^g and by pursuit fledd to Bowdley St. Marie [Map],^h but by appoyntment he came to the Kinge, followinge the Courte.ⁱ

Note g. In Whitsand Bay; and, having sent his wife, the Lady Catherine Gordon, for safety to Mount St Michael, assumed the title of Richard IV.

Note h. The Sanctuary of Beaulieu [Map] in the New Forest, written in Arnold "Bewdeley sent wary," which has been erroneously transcribed in our MS. "St. Marie."

Note i. In Arnold this passage is, "and so remained following the Court."

December 1498. This yeare, in December, was the weathercock of Paules, the crosse [Map], and the bowle,^k taken downe, and all new made. And in May after were solemnlye hallowed, and sett up agayne.

Note k. ball.

22nd February 1499. This yeare was borne the third sonne of King Henry the VII [aged 42] named Edmunde Duke of Somersett, at Greenwich [Map], the 22nd of Februarie.

19th June 1500. This yeare, in June, deceased the third sonne [aged 1] of the Kinge [aged 43], named Duke of Somersett, and was buried at Westminster [Map].^a

Note a. Our author follows Arnold, but others say that the infant Prince Edmond did not die till the fifth year of his age.

Trial and Execution of Perkin Warbreck and Edward Earl of Warwick

23rd November 1499. Perkin Werbeck [aged 25] putt to death at Tyburne [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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28th November 1499 ... and the Earle of Warwyke [aged 24],^b sonne to the Duke of Clarence, who had bene kept in the Tower [Map] from the age of 11 years unto the end of 14 yeares, was beheaded at the Tower Hill [Map].^c A great pestilence throughout all England.

Note b. Edward Earl of Warwick was the last remaining male of the house of Plantagenet. He bore the title of Earl of Warwick, though it does not appear that his father's attainder had been reversed.

Note c. Warbeck [deceased] was executed at Tyburn [Map] on the 23rd Norember, together with O'Water, Mayor of C!ork, and the Earl of Warwick on the following day, or, according to some anthorities, on the 28th.

Note. "though it does not appear that his father's attainder had been reversed." Edward's claim to the Earldom of Waewick was from his mother Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence, daughter of Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury and Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess Warwick, whose claim had come from her mother Anne Beauchamp, so his father's attainder was irrelevant.

1501. This yeare the Kinge [aged 43] buylded new his manner at Sheene,^d and chaunged the name and named it Richmonde [Map];^e and buylded new his place, called the Baynards Castle [Map], in London; and repayred his place in Greenewich [Map], with muche new buyldinge.^f

Note d. Stow has placed this paragraph under the year 1507, being the twenty-second year of Henry's reign.

Note e. After his own title.

Note f. Greenwich [Map] has much favoured by Henry VII and here his son, afterwards Henry VIII [aged 9] was born.

Marriage of Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon

14th November 1501. This yeare, the 14th day of November, Prince Arthure [aged 15] was married^g at Paules Churche [Map], in London, to the Kinge of Spaynes [aged 49] third daughter, named Katheryne [aged 15].^a

Note g. At the age of fifteen, his bride being seventeen. The commission and marriage articles may be seen in MS. Harleian. Cod. 6, 220, Art. 1.

Death of Prince Arthur

2nd April 1502. And in Easter weeke followinge the saide Prince Arthure [aged 15] deceased at Ludlowe [Map], in Wales, and was buried at Worcester [Map].^b

Note b. Prince Arthur died on the Saturday following Easter Sunday in 1503, being April 2nd, and was buried in Worcester cathedral on the 27th April.

11th February 1503. This yeare, in Februarie, died Queene Elizabeth [aged 37] at the Towre of London [Map], lyeinge in childebedd of a daughter named Katherine (the 8th day after her birth), and was buried at Westminster [Map];^c

Note c. Elizabeth, the eldest child of Edward IV by Elizabeth Woodville his wife, was heiress of the house of York. She was born at Westminster [Map] on the 11th February, 1466, and died on her thirty-seventh birthday in the Tower of London [Map], having been delivered of a daughter on the second of the same month, who died soon after its mother.

8th March 1503... and on Passion Sundaye a peace made betwene the Emperoure and the Kinge [aged 46] duringe their lyves, solemnized upon a great oathe at the highe aulter in Paules queere [Map].

1504. This yeare the Taylors sued to the Kinge [aged 46] to be called Marchant taylors.^d

Note d. This Society, anciently denominated "Taylors and Linen-Armorers," was incorporated by letters patent of 6 Edward IV 1466. But many of the members being great merchants, and Henry VII a member thereof, he for their greater honour reincorporated the same in 1503, by the name of "The Master and Wardens of the Merchant Taylors of the Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London." — Maitland's "History of London."

1504. And this yeare was a great fier at the ende of London Bridge next to St. Magnus [Map].

1505. This yeare was a great strife for th' election of the sheriffs in the Guylde Hall [Map]. One parte woulde have William Fitz-Williams, marchante taylor, and another Boger Grove, grocer, who at length was admitted for one of the sheriffes.^a

Note a. The two sheriffs chosen for the yetr 1606 were Richard Shore and Roger Grore.

1506. This yeare a great parte of the cittie of Norwich [Map] was burnt, and the towne of Berkwaye^b more then halfe burnt. Also a great fier in London betwene the Custome Howsse and Billinsgate, that did great hurte.

Note b. Berkwey in Arnold, probably Berkeley in Gloucestershire.

1506. This yeare, about the latter ende of Januarye, the Kinge of Castell [aged 27] and his wife [aged 27]^c were driven into Englande,^d and had here great cheare. The King was made Knight of the Garter at Windsore [Map].^e

c. Archduke Philip and his wife Juana, who, by the death of her mother lsabella, was now Queen of Castille.

Note d. For a full account of the arrival of the Archduke Philip, and his entertainment whilst in England, see MS. Harleian. Cod. 640, fol. 60-66, and Cod. 643, fol. 140.

Note e. The English monarch invested Philip with the order of the Garter at Windsor, and the latter made him and Prince Henry Knights of the Golden Fleece.

Death of Henry VII

21st April 1509. This yeare, in Aprill, died King Henry the Vllth [aged 52] at Richmond [Map] and his Sonne King Henry the VIII [aged 17] was proclaymed Kinge on St Georges daye^g 1508 [1509], in the same moneth.

Note g. We should here read St George's Eve, 22nd April, 1509, from which day Henry Vlll reckoned his regnal years. Stow, however, says that Henry was not proclaimed till the 24th.

Marriage and Coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

03 Jun 1509. And in June followinge the King was married to Queene Katherin, late wife of his brother^h Prince Arthure,

Note h. At Greenwich, on Trinity Sunday, June the 3rd.[Note. Other sources say at 11 Jun 1509?]

Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

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24th June 1509... and were both [King Henry VIII of England and Ireland [aged 17] and Catherine of Aragon Queen Consort England [aged 23]] crowned on Midsommer day.ⁱ

Note i. For the account of Henry's coronation with his queen, Kadiarine, see MS. Harleian. 169, Art 7.

24th June 1509. The coronation^a of Kinge Henrie the Eight [aged 17], which was the 24th of June, A.D. 1509.

Note a. In consequence of the erroneous idea that the Kings of England always ascended the throne immediately on the decease of the preceding sovereign, some authorities make the regnal years of Henry VIII. to commence on the 21st April, 1509, the day of his father's decease, but it is clearly established, as shown by Sir Harris Nicolas, that they ought to be computed from the day following, viz. April 22. The years in the text, howerer, are computed from Lord Mayor's day.