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.
Paternal Family Tree: Hastings
On 11th June 1892 [his father] Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon [aged 23] and [his mother] Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon [aged 24] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. He the son of [his grandfather] Francis Power Plantagenet Hastings 14th Earl Huntingdon and [his grandmother] Mary Anne Westenra Countess Huntingdon [aged 44].
On 30th January 1901 Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon was born to [his father] Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon [aged 32] and [his mother] Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon [aged 33].
In 1925 Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [aged 23] and Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon [aged 24] were married. He the son of Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon [aged 56] and Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon [aged 57].
On 4th March 1928 [his daughter] Moorea Hastings was born to Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [aged 27] and [his wife] Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon [aged 27]. She married (1) 22nd June 1957 Woodrow Lyle Wyatt Baron Wyatt of Weeford (2) 11th January 1967 Brinsley Graham Black.
On 5th April 1939 [his father] Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon [aged 70] died. He was buried at Hasting's Chapel, St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch [Map]. His son Francis [aged 38] succeeded 16th Earl Huntingdon. [his wife] Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon [aged 38] by marriage Countess Huntingdon.
In 1944 Wogan Philips 2nd Baron Milford [aged 41] and [his wife] Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon [aged 43] were married.
On 14th February 1944 Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [aged 43] and Margaret Lane Countess Huntingdon [aged 36] were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. He the son of Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon and Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon [aged 76].
On 26th December 1952 [his mother] Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon [aged 84] died.
In 1953 [his wife] Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon [aged 52] died.
On 22nd June 1957 [his son-in-law] Woodrow Lyle Wyatt Baron Wyatt of Weeford [aged 38] and Moorea Hastings [aged 29] were married They were divorced in 1966. She married again on 11th January 1967. She the daughter of Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [aged 56] and Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 11th January 1967 [his son-in-law] Brinsley Graham Black [aged 39] and Moorea Hastings [aged 38] were married. She the daughter of Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [aged 65] and Cristina Casati Stampa di Soncino Countess Huntingdon.
On 24th August 1990 Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [aged 89] died. He was buried at Hasting's Chapel, St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch [Map]. His first cousin once removed William [aged 42] succeeded 17th Earl Huntingdon.
After 24th August 1990. Hasting's Chapel, St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch [Map]. Monument to Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon [deceased] and his wife Margaret Lane Countess Huntingdon [aged 83].
Margaret Lane Countess Huntingdon: On 23rd June 1907 she was born. On 14th February 1944 Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon and she were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. He the son of Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon and Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon. On 14th February 1994 she died.
On 14th February 1994 [his former wife] Margaret Lane Countess Huntingdon [aged 86] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 26 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 32 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 26 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 30 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Hastings 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Hastings 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hudson
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hans Francis Hastings 12th Earl Huntingdon 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Fowler
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sarah Fowler
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Theophilus Henry Hastings 13th Earl Huntingdon 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Chaloner Cobbe
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Cobbe Countess Huntingdon
GrandFather: Francis Power Plantagenet Hastings 14th Earl Huntingdon 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Father: Warner Hastings 15th Earl Huntingdon 15 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Mary Anne Westenra Countess Huntingdon
Francis Hastings 16th Earl Huntingdon 16 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Samuel Wilson
Mother: Maud Margaret Wilson Countess Huntingdon