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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: Byron
Around 1412 Margaret Byron was born to [her father] John Byron (age 41).
In 1429 [her son] William Atherton was born to William Atherton (age 24) and Margaret Byron (age 17) at Atherton, Lancashire.
Around 1438 [her son] Nicholas Atherton was born to William Atherton (age 33) and Margaret Byron (age 26) at Atherton, Lancashire.
Before 1440 Robert Harcourt (age 29) and Margaret Byron (age 27) were married.
Around 1440 [her son] John Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 29) and Margaret Byron (age 28) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map]. He married Anne Norreys and had issue.
Before 1442 [her brother-in-law] Walter Blount 1st Baron Mountjoy (age 25) and [her sister] Helena Byron Baroness Mountjoy (age 25) were married.
Around 1443 [her son] Robert Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 32) and Margaret Byron (age 31) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
Around 1445 [her son] Thomas Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 34) and Margaret Byron (age 33) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
Around 1447 [her son] George Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 36) and Margaret Byron (age 35) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
In 1465 [her father] John Byron (age 94) died at Clayton.
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 20th June 1465 [her brother-in-law] Walter Blount 1st Baron Mountjoy (age 49) was created 1st Baron Mountjoy. [her sister] Helena Byron Baroness Mountjoy (age 49) by marriage Baroness Mountjoy.
In 1468 [her sister] Helena Byron Baroness Mountjoy (age 52) died.
On 14th November 1470 [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 60) was killed by an adherent of the Staffords with whom he had a long running feud for Robert having murdered Robert Stafford in 1448 at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
Monumental Effigies. [her former husband] Sir Robert Harcourt KG (died 1471) and Margaret (Byron) (age 59) his wife in Stanton Harcourt Church, Oxfordshire.
Robert Harcourt: On 20th September 1410 he was born to Thomas Harcourt at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map]. Before 1440 Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron were married. On 14th November 1470 Robert Harcourt was killed by an adherent of the Staffords with whom he had a long running feud for Robert having murdered Robert Stafford in 1448 at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
On 26th June 1485 [her son] John Harcourt (age 45) died.
On 25th May 1486 Margaret Byron (age 74) died at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map]. She was buried at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
[her daughter] Joan Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron.
[her daughter] Agnes Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron. She married William Cope.
[her daughter] Elizabeth Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron.
[her daughter] Margaret Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
William Atherton and Margaret Byron were married.
Maurice Berkeley and Margaret Byron were married. The difference in their ages was 28 years; she, unusually, being older than him.
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Byron 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Byron of Clayton
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Byron
GrandFather: Richard Byron
Father: John Byron