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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Around 1643 Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk was born to [her father] Robert Bickerton.
Around 1652 [her future husband] Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk [aged 23] and Anne Somerset Countess Norfolk [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of Henry Somerset 1st Marquess Worcester and Anne Russell Countess Worcester. He the son of Henry Howard 15th or 22nd Earl of Arundel 5th Earl of Surrey 2nd Earl Norfolk [aged 43] and Elizabeth Stewart Countess Arundel and Norfolk [aged 42]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th October 1671. My [her future husband] Lord Henry Howard [aged 43] coming this night to visit my Lord Chamberlain, and staying a day, would needs have me go with him to Norwich, Norfolk [Map], promising to convey me back, after a day or two; this, as I could not refuse, I was not hard to be pursuaded to, having a desire to see that famous scholar and physician, Dr. T. Browne [aged 65], author of the Religio Medici and Vulgar Errors, now lately knighted. Thither, then, went my Lord and I alone, in his flying chariot with six horses; and by the way, discoursing with me of several of his concerns, he acquainted me of his going to marry his eldest son to one of the King's [aged 41] natural daughters [Note. Either Anne Fitzroy Countess Sussex [aged 10] or Charlotte Fitzroy Countess Lichfield [aged 7].], by the Duchess of Cleveland [aged 30]; by which he reckoned he should come into mighty favor. He also told me that, though he kept that idle creature, Mrs. B-- [Note. Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk [aged 28]], and would leave £200 a year to the son [Note. Henry Howard and Jane Bickerton had three sons; not clear which is being referred to since the eldest may have died and the reference may be to a surviving son.] he had by her, he would never marry her, and that the King himself had cautioned him against it. All the world knows how he kept his promise [Note. meaning he didn't keep his promise since Henry Howard did marry Jane Bickerton - this a case of John Evelyn writing his diary retrospectively?], and I was sorry at heart to hear what now he confessed to me; and that a person and a family which I so much honored for the sake of that noble and illustrious friend of mine, his grandfather, should dishonor and pollute them both with those base and vicious courses he of late had taken since the death of Sir Samuel Tuke [aged 56], and that of his own virtuous lady (my Lady Anne Somerset, sister to the Marquis); who, while they lived, preserved this gentleman by their example and advice from those many extravagances that impaired both his fortune and reputation.
Around 1675 Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk [aged 46] and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk [aged 32] were married. He the son of Henry Howard 15th or 22nd Earl of Arundel 5th Earl of Surrey 2nd Earl Norfolk and Elizabeth Stewart Countess Arundel and Norfolk.
In 1675 [her brother-in-law] Cardinal Philip Howard [aged 46] was appointed Cardinal by Pope Clement X [aged 84].
Around 1675 Mary Beale aka Cradock [aged 41]. Portrait of Lady Norwich. Probably Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk [aged 32] who married the Duke around 1675 being his mistress prior to their marriage.
In October 1676 [her son-in-law] George Gordon 1st Duke Gordon [aged 33] and Elizabeth Howard Duchess Gordon were married. She by marriage Marchioness Huntly. She the daughter of Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk [aged 48] and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk [aged 33]. He the son of Lewis Gordon 3rd Marquess Huntly. They were third cousins.
On 8th August 1677 [her step-son] Henry Howard 7th Duke of Norfolk [aged 22] and Mary Mordaunt Duchess Norfolk [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of Henry Mordaunt 2nd Earl Peterborough [aged 55] and Penelope O'Brien Countess Peterborough [aged 55]. He the son of [her husband] Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk [aged 49] and Anne Somerset Countess Norfolk. They were third cousin twice removed.
On 13th December 1677 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 5th Duke of Norfolk [aged 50] died in Padua unmarried. He had suffered mental disabilities all his life. His brother [her husband] Henry [aged 49] succeeded 6th Duke Norfolk, 17th or 24th Earl Arundel, 7th Earl Surrey, 4th Earl Norfolk, 18th Baron Segrave, 19th Baron Strange Blackmere, 17th Baron Mowbray, 16th Baron Talbot, 15th Baron Furnivall, 14th Baron Maltravers, 14th Baron Arundel. Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk [aged 34] by marriage Duchess Norfolk. The marriage being so unpopular with his family they went abroad for some time.
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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John Evelyn's Diary. 23rd January 1678. Dined with the [her husband] Duke of Norfolk [aged 49], being the first time I had seen him since the death of his [her brother-in-law] elder brother, who died at Padua in Italy, where he had resided above thirty years. The Duke had now newly declared his marriage to his concubine [aged 35], whom he promised me he never would marry. I went with him to see the Duke of Buckingham [aged 49], thence to my Lord Sunderland [aged 36], now Secretary of State, to show him that rare piece of Vosterman's (son of old Vosterman), which was a view, or landscape of my Lord's palace, etc., at Althorpe [Map] in Northamptonshire.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th August 1678. There was at Weybridge the Duchess of Norfolk [aged 35], [her step-son] Lord Thomas Howard [aged 21] (a worthy and virtuous gentleman, with whom my son [aged 23] was sometime bred in Arundel House [Map]), who was newly come from Rome, where he had been some time; also one of the Duke's daughters, by his first lady. My [her husband] Lord [aged 50] leading me about the house made no scruple of showing me all the hiding places for the Popish priests, and where they said mass, for he was no bigoted Papist. He told me he never trusted them with any secret, and used Protestants only in all businesses of importance.
On 13th January 1684 [her husband] Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk [aged 55] died. His son [her step-son] Henry [aged 29] succeeded 7th Duke Norfolk, 18th or 25th Earl Arundel, 8th Earl Surrey, 5th Earl Norfolk, 2nd Earl Norwich, 18th Baron Mowbray, 19th Baron Segrave, 16th Baron Furnivall, 20th Baron Strange Blackmere, 17th Baron Talbot, 15th Baron Maltravers, 15th Baron Arundel, 2nd Baron Howard of Castle Rising, Earl Marshal. Mary Mordaunt Duchess Norfolk [aged 25] by marriage Duchess Norfolk.
On 28th August 1693 Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk [aged 50] died.
[her son] James Howard was born to Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk.
[her son] Frederick Henry Howard was born to Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk.
[her daughter] Catherine Howard was born to Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk.
[her son] George Howard was born to Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk. He married before 1721 Arabella Allen, daughter of Edmund Alleyn 2nd Baronet and Frances Gent Lady Allen.
[her daughter] Philippa Howard was born to Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk.
[her daughter] Elizabeth Howard Duchess Gordon was born to Henry Howard 6th Duke of Norfolk and Jane Bickerton Duchess Norfolk. She married October 1676 her third cousin George Gordon 1st Duke Gordon, son of Lewis Gordon 3rd Marquess Huntly, and had issue.