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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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Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso was born to [her father] Geoffrey Chamber of Stanmore in Middlesex.
Before 1500 [her future husband] Walter Stonor (age 22) and Anne Foliot were married.
Before 1533 Walter Stonor (age 55) and Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso were married.
On 2nd May 1536 Queen Anne Boleyn (age 35) was charged with treason and accused of 'despising her marriage and entertaining malice against the King, and following daily her frail and carnal lust'. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London [Map]. Five ladies were appointed to serve Anne whilst in prison:
Margaret Dymoke (age 36),
her aunt Anne Boleyn (age 60),
Mary Scrope (age 60), wife of the Lieutenant of the Tower of London William Kingston (age 60),
her aunt by marriage Elizabeth Wood aka Wode, wife of her uncle James Boleyn (age 43), and
Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso, wife of Serjeant-at-Arms [her husband] Walter Stonor (age 59).
Letters and Papers. Around 5th May 1536. Otho, C. x. 222. B. M. Singer's Cavendish, ii. 220. Ellis, I. Ser. ii. 56. 798. Sir William Kyngston (age 60) to Cromwell.
"After your departynge yesterday Greneway, gentelman yssher, cam to .... Mr. Caro and Master Bryan commaunded hym in the Kynges name to my .... Ratchfort (age 33) from my Lady hys wyf (age 31) and the message was now more .... se how he dyd and also she wold humly sut unto the Kynges hy[nes] .... for hyr husband, and so he gaf hyr thankes and desyred me to kno .... tyme he shuld cum affore the Kynges consell, for I thynk I .... cum forthe tylle I cum to my jogement, wepynge very .... I departed from hym, and when I cam to the chambre the .... of me and sent for me, and sayd, I here say my Lord my .... here; it ys trowth, sayd I. I am very glad, sayd s[he] .... bothe be so ny to gether, and I showed hyr here was .... Weston (age 25) and Brerton, and she made very gud contenans .... I also sayd Mr. Page and Wyet (age 15) wase mo then she sayd he ha .... one hys fyst tother day and ys here now bot ma .... I shalle desyre you to bayre a letter from me .... [to Master] Secretory. And then I sayd, Madam, telle it me by [word of mouth, and I] wille do it. And so gaf me thankes, sayinge I ha[ve much marvel] that the Kynges conselle commes not to me and thys .... [she] sayd we shuld have now rayne tyll she ware [delivered out] of the Towre. I pray you it may be shortly, by [cause, said I, of the] fayre wether; you know what I mayne. The Que[ne said unto me that same] nyght that the Kyng wyst what he dyd w[hen he put such] ij. abowt hyr as my Lady Boleyn and Mestres [Cofyn; for] [Margaret Dymoke aka Mistress Coffin (age 36)] thay cowd tell her now thynge of my [Lord her father (age 59), nor] nothynge ellys, bot she defyed them alle. [But then upon this my Lady Boleyn (age 35)] sayd to hyr, Seche desyre as you have h[ad to such tales] hase browthe you to thys, and then sayd [Mrs. Stoner, Mark (age 24)] ys the worst cherysshe of hony m[an in the house, for he w]ayres yernes. She sayd that was [because he was no gen]telman; bot he wase never in [my chamber but at Winchester, and there] she sent for hym to pl[ay on the virginals, for there my] logynge wa[s above the King's] .... for I never spake with hym syns bot upon Saterday before Mayday; and then I fond hym standyng in the ronde wyndo in my chambre of presens. And I asked why he wase so sad, and he ansured and sayd it was now mater; and then she sayd, You may not loke to have me speke to you as I shuld do to a nobulle man by cause you be an inferor [pe]rson. No, no, madam, a loke sufficed me, and thus fare you welle. [Sh]e hathe asked my wyf whether hony body makes thayr beddes, [and m]y wyf (age 60) ansured and sayd, Nay, I warant you; then she say[d tha]y myght make balettes well now, bot ther ys non bot .... de that can do it. Yese, sayd my wyf, Master Wyett by .... sayd trew .... my Lorde my broder wille dy .... ne I am sure thys was as .... tt downe to dener thys day.
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Before 8th February 1542 [her future husband] Oliver St John 1st Baron St John (age 20) and Agnes Fisher Baroness St John Bletso (age 16) were married.
On 29th September 1546 [her husband] Walter Stonor (age 69) was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London.
Before 1551 [her future husband] Edward Griffin (age 50) and Anne Smith were married.
In 1551 [her husband] Walter Stonor (age 74) died.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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In 1552 [her future husband] Edward Griffin (age 52) was appointed Attorney General.
In or before 1560 Reginald Conyers and Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso were married.
In 1560 [her husband] Reginald Conyers died.
After 1560 Edward Griffin (age 60) and Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso were married.
On 16th December 1569 [her husband] Edward Griffin (age 69) died.
Before 28th August 1572 Oliver St John 1st Baron St John (age 50) and Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso were married. She by marriage Baroness St John of Bletso.
In 1575 [her step-son] John St John 2nd Baron St John (age 40) and Katherine Dormer Baroness St John Bletso were married.
In or before 1580 [her step-son] Oliver St John 3rd Baron St John (age 39) and Dorothy Reid Baroness St John Bletso were married. She by marriage Baroness St John of Bletso.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 21st April 1582 [her husband] Oliver St John 1st Baron St John (age 60) died. His son [her step-son] John (age 47) succeeded 2nd Baron St John of Bletso. Katherine Dormer Baroness St John Bletso by marriage Baroness St John of Bletso.
After 8th December 1602 Elizabeth Chamber Baroness St John Bletso died.
Edward Griffin and Elizabeth Palmer were married. The difference in their ages was 40 years.