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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Wem, Shropshire is in Shropshire.
Around 1289 Isabel Boteler was born to William Boteler 1st Baron Wem and Oversley (age 14) and Beatrice Unknown at Wem, Shropshire.
In or before 1309 Ankaret Boteler Baroness Strange Blackmere was born to William Boteler 1st Baron Wem and Oversley (age 34) and Ela Herdeburgh Baroness Wem and Oversley at Wem, Shropshire. She married before 1320 her fifth cousin John Strange 2nd Baron Strange Blackmere, son of Fulk Strange 1st Baron Strange Blackmere and Eleanor Giffard Baroness Strange Blackmere, and had issue.
On 14th September 1335 William Boteler 1st Baron Wem and Oversley (age 61) died at Wem, Shropshire. His son William (age 39) succeeded 2nd Baron Wem and Oversley. Margaret Fitzalan Baroness Wem and Oversley (age 47) by marriage Baroness Wem and Oversley.
In 1340 Alice Boteler was born to William Boteler 3rd Baron Wem and Oversley (age 30) at Wem, Shropshire.
In 1345 Elizabeth Boteler Baroness Ferrers Wem was born to William Boteler 3rd Baron Wem and Oversley (age 35) at Wem, Shropshire. She married (1) her fifth cousin once removed John Saye, son of Geoffrey Saye 2nd Baron Say and Maud Beauchamp Baroness Say, and had issue (2) before 1373 her fourth cousin once removed Robert Ferrers Baron Wem and Oversley, son of Robert Ferrers 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley and Joan Mote Baroness Ferrers Chartley, and had issue.
In 1375 Alice Boteler (age 35) died at Wem, Shropshire. Her sister Elizabeth (age 30) abeyance terminated 4th Baroness Wem and Oversley. Robert Ferrers Baron Wem and Oversley (age 34) by marriage Baron Wem and Oversley. Some sources suggest her husband was created Baron Ferrers of Wem and Oversley in this own right. Since his son Robert Ferrers (age 2) didn't succeed to a title when his father died it appears Robert Ferrers was summoned to Parliament in right of his wife ie jure uxoris, rather than being created a Baron in his won right.
Around 1385 John Boteler 5th Baron Sudeley was born to Thomas Boteler 4th Baron Sudeley (age 26) and Alice Beauchamp Baroness Sudeley (age 19) at Wem, Shropshire.
In 1389 Ralph Boteler 6th and 1st Baron Sudeley was born to Thomas Boteler 4th Baron Sudeley (age 30) and Alice Beauchamp Baroness Sudeley (age 23) at Wem, Shropshire. He married (1) 1418 Elizabeth Norbury Baroness Sudeley and had issue (2) 1463 his fifth cousin once removed Alice Deincourt 6th Baroness Deincourt and Grey, Baroness Lovel and Sudeley, daughter of John Deincourt 5th Baron Deincourt and Joan Grey 5th Baroness Grey.
On 10th August 1643 Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle (age 57) reached Nantwich, Cheshire [Map] where he was joined by William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 38). The proceeded on 4th September 1643 to Market Drayton, Shropshire, Wem, Shropshire on 11th September 1643, which they seized, garrisoned and made their Shropshire headquarters.
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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On 24th June 1724 John Astley was born at Wem, Shropshire. He married (1) 7th December 1759 Penelope Vernon (2) 1777 Mary Wagstaffe.