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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Paternal Family Tree: Yorke
In or before 1716 William Lygon and [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke were married.
On 16th May 1719 [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 28) and [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke were married.
On 30th December 1722 Charles Yorke was born to [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 32) and [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
In 1736 [his brother] Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke (age 15) was appointed Teller of the Exchequer.
In 1740 [his brother] Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke (age 19) and [his sister-in-law] Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey (age 16) were married. She being the heiress of Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent (age 69). She the daughter of John Campbell 3rd Earl Breadalbaine and Holland (age 43) and Amabel Grey. He the son of [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 49) and [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
In 1746 [his brother] John Yorke (age 17) was appointed Clerk of the Chancery worth £1200 a year by his father [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 55).
Around 1747 [his brother] Joseph Yorke 1st Baron Dover (age 22) was appointed Aide-de-Camp to William Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Cumberland (age 25).
On 1st November 1749 [his brother] Joseph Yorke 1st Baron Dover (age 25) was appointed Aide-de-Camp to King George II of Great Britain and Ireland (age 66).
In 1754 [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 63) was created 1st Earl Hardwicke, 1st Viscount Royston. [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke by marriage Countess Hardwicke.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 18th March 1755 [his brother] Joseph Yorke 1st Baron Dover (age 30) was appointed Colonel of the 9th Regiment of Foot Guards.
On 19th May 1755 Charles Yorke (age 32) and Catherine Blount Freeman (age 18) were married. He the son of Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 64) and Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
In 1756 Thomas Hudson (age 55). Portrait of Charles Yorke (age 33).
In 1757 [his brother] Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke (age 36) was appointed Lord Lieutenant Cambridgeshire.
On 31st May 1757 [his son] Philip Yorke 3rd Earl of Hardwicke was born to Charles Yorke (age 34) and [his wife] Catherine Blount Freeman (age 20). He married 24th July 1782 Elizabeth Lindsay Countess Hardwicke, daughter of James Lindsay 5th Earl Balcarres and Anne Dalrymple Countess Balcarres, and had issue.
On 10th July 1759 [his wife] Catherine Blount Freeman (age 22) died of a malignant fever. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map]. Armorial 
Yorke Arms differenced with a crescent to indicate son of the current holder; her husband Charles Yorke (age 36) with an inescutcheon of Freeman Arms quartered with unknown arms two lions passant guardant with a bordure engrailed.
Stylised sarcophagus in white veined marble, bearing a white inscription panel; above is an urn in brown marble against a grey background standing on a base of three steps around which are grouped three putti: two garlanding the urn while the third stands by in dejection with reversed torch; in front of the steps is a portrait medallion and at the base of the sarcophagus is an achievement of arms; signed 'JAMES STUART (age 46), INVT. PR. SCHEEMAKERS (age 68), SCULP. MDCCLXI'.
Catherine Blount Freeman: Around 1737 she was born to William Freeman of Hamels in Hertfordshire and Catherine Blount. On 19th May 1755 Charles Yorke and she were married. He the son of Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke and Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
In 1761 [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke died.
Before 5th May 1762 [his brother] Bishop James Yorke (age 32) and [his sister-in-law] Mary Maddox were married. Some sources describe the date as 29 Jun 1762 which is inconsistent with the date of birth of their first child [his nephew] Charles Yorke, 5th May 1762, as described on his gravestone at St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map]. She the daughter of Bishop Isaac Maddox. He the son of [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 71) and [his mother] Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
On 30th December 1762 Charles Yorke (age 40) and Agneta Johnson (age 22) were married. He the son of Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 72) and Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
On 6th March 1764 [his father] Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke (age 73) died. His son [his brother] Philip (age 43) succeeded 2nd Earl Hardwicke, 2nd Viscount Royston. [his sister-in-law] Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey (age 40) by marriage Countess Hardwicke.
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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On 12th March 1764 [his son] Charles Philip Yorke was born to Charles Yorke (age 41) and [his wife] Agneta Johnson (age 23). He married 1st July 1790 Harriet Manningham.
On 29th August 1765 [his daughter] Caroline Yorke Countess St Germans was born to Charles Yorke (age 42) and [his wife] Agneta Johnson (age 24). She married 9th September 1790 John Eliot 1st Earl St Germans, son of Edward Craggs Eliot 1st Baron Eliot and Catherine Elliston Baroness Eliott.
On 6th June 1768 [his son] Admiral Joseph Sydney Yorke was born to Charles Yorke (age 45) and [his wife] Agneta Johnson (age 27) at Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He married (1) 29th March 1798 Elizabeth Weake Rattray and had issue (2) 22nd May 1813 Urania Paulet Marchioness Clanricarde, daughter of George Paulett 12th Marquess Winchester and Martha Ingoldsby Marchioness Winchester.
On 17th January 1770 Charles Yorke (age 47) was appointed Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.
On 20th January 1770 Charles Yorke (age 47) died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map]. Grey marble obelisk on break-front pedestal of white marble with inscription tablet flanked by festoons and frieze carved with emblems of the Chancellor's office; at the base of the obelisk two putti unveil a portrait medallion and at the apex is an achievement of arms; signed 'P. SCHEEMAKER (age 79) FaT'.
On 30th December 1820 [his former wife] Agneta Johnson (age 80) died. Buried at St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map].
Inscription tablet flanked by pilasters with figures of her husband in robes of state and of two sons, and with medallion portrait at the head, all in white marble, signed 'J. FLAXMAN (age 65), R.A. Sculptor'
Agneta Johnson: On 11th November 1740 she was born to Henry Johnson of Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire. On 30th December 1762 Charles Yorke and she were married. He the son of Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke and Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
Great x 1 Grandfather: Simon Yorke of Dover
GrandFather: Philip Yorke
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Cocks of Castleditch Herefordshire
GrandFather: Charles Cocks
Mother: Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Somers
GrandMother: Mary Somers