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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Paternal Family Tree: Hastings
On 19th February 1672 [her father] Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon [aged 21] and [her mother] Elizabeth Lewis Countess Huntingdon [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. He the son of [her grandfather] Ferdinando Hastings 6th Earl Huntingdon and [her grandmother] Lucy Davies Countess Huntingdon [aged 59].
On 19th April 1682 Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings was born to [her father] Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon [aged 31] and [her mother] Elizabeth Lewis Countess Huntingdon [aged 28].
In 1688 [her mother] Elizabeth Lewis Countess Huntingdon [aged 34] died.
On 8th May 1690 [her father] Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon [aged 39] and [her step-mother] Mary Frances Fowler Countess Huntingdon [aged 26] were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. He the son of [her grandfather] Ferdinando Hastings 6th Earl Huntingdon and [her grandmother] Lucy Davies Countess Huntingdon.
On 30th May 1701 [her father] Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon [aged 50] died. His son [her brother] George [aged 24] succeeded 8th Earl Huntingdon, 13th Baron Botreaux, 12th Baron Hungerford, 10th Baron Moleyns and 10th Baron Hastings. Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings [aged 19] received, after a legal dispute, in 1703, Ledston Hall and £3000 per year.
In 1704 George Hastings 8th Earl Huntingdon [aged 27] died. His half brother Theophilus [aged 7] succeeded 9th Earl Huntingdon, 14th Baron Botreaux, 13th Baron Hungerford, 11th Baron Moleyns and 11th Baron Hastings. His sister Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings [aged 21] inherited the his share of her grandfather John Lewis 1st Baronet's estates.
Before 1710 Godfrey Kneller [aged 63]. Portrait of Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings [aged 27].
On 3rd June 1728 [her half-brother] Theophilus Hastings 9th Earl Huntingdon [aged 31] and [her sister-in-law] Selina Shirley Countess Huntingdon [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. The marriage was arranged by his half-sister Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings [aged 46]. She the daughter of Washington Shirley 2nd Earl Ferrers [aged 50] and Mary Levinge Countess Ferrers. He the son of [her father] Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon and [her step-mother] Mary Frances Fowler Countess Huntingdon.
Before 21st December 1739 Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings [aged 57] gave £1000 towards the building of Holy Trinity Church, Leeds and an endowment of £24 each year for the parish church. In her will she left the Whedale estate for the foundation of scholarships at Queen's College, Oxford University.
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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On 21st December 1739 Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings [aged 57] died unmarried. [her nephew] Francis Hastings 10th Earl Huntingdon [aged 10] inherited her estates including Ledston Hall.
On 2nd January 1740 Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings was buried at All Saints Church, Ledsham [Map]. Marble monument by Peter Scheemakers [aged 49] with statues of her half-sisters Anna Hastings and Frances Hastings either side representing Piety and Prudence.
Anna Hastings: she was born to Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon and Mary Frances Fowler Countess Huntingdon. On 4th July 1750 Anna Hastings died.
Frances Hastings: she was born to Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon and Mary Frances Fowler Countess Huntingdon. On 10th February 1750 Frances Hastings died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 6 Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Hastings 2nd Earl Huntingdon 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Hastings 4th Earl Huntingdon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Pole Countess Huntingdon 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Francis Hastings 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Port
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothy Port Countess Huntingdon
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Hastings 5th Earl Huntingdon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Alexander Harrington 
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Harrington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Moton
Great x 2 Grandmother: Sarah Harrington
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Sidney 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Lucy Sidney
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Pakenham
GrandFather: Ferdinando Hastings 6th Earl Huntingdon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Stanley 3rd Earl of Derby 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Howard Countess Derby 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Clifford 2nd Earl of Cumberland 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Clifford Countess Derby Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Brandon Countess Cumberland 
Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stanley Countess Huntingdon 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Spencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandmother: Susan Knightley 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Spencer Countess Derby
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Kitson 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Kitson
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath
Father: Theophilus Hastings 7th Earl Huntingdon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Davies of Chisgrove
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Davies
GrandMother: Lucy Davies Countess Huntingdon 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Tuchet 9th Baron Audley, 6th Baron Tuchet 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Tuchet 10th Baron Audley, 7th Baron Tuchet 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tuke Baroness Audley Heighley
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Tuchet 1st Earl Castlehaven 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Sneyd of Bradwell Cheshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Sneyd Baroness Audley Heighley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Tuchet 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Mervyn
Great x 2 Grandmother: Lucy Mervyn Baroness Audley and Tuchet
Elizabeth "Lady Betty" Hastings 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
GrandFather: John Lewis 1st Baronet 
Mother: Elizabeth Lewis Countess Huntingdon
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Foote of Royston
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Foote
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Foote 1st Baronet
GrandMother: Sarah Foote Lady Lewis