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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Baron Stafford is in Baronies of England Alphabetically.
1469 Murder of Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Devon
1521 Trial and Execution of the Duke of Buckingham
1680 Trial and Execution of William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford
There have been five creations of Baron Stafford:
1st. 1287. Edmund Stafford 1st Baron Stafford. Forfeit. 17th May 1521. Trial and Execution of the Duke of Buckingham.
2nd. 1411. Hugh Stafford Baron Bourchier, 1st Baron Stafford. Extant.
3rd. 24th April 1464. Humphrey Stafford 1st Earl Devon. Forfeit. 17th August 1469. Murder of Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Devon.
4th. 1547. Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford. Extinct. 1640.
5th. 12th September 1640. William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford. Extant.
Baron Stafford is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Forfeit Baronies of England.
Summary
1287. Edmund Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 14] created.
26th August 1308. Son Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 6] succeeded.
31st August 1372. Son Hugh Stafford 2nd Earl Stafford [aged 36] succeeded.
16th October 1386. Son Thomas Stafford 3rd Earl Stafford [aged 18] succeeded.
4th July 1392. Brother William Stafford 4th Earl Stafford [aged 16] succeeded.
6th April 1395. Brother Edmund Stafford 5th Earl Stafford [aged 17] succeeded.
21st July 1403. Son Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham succeeded. See Battle of Shrewsbury.
10th July 1460. Grandson Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham [aged 5] succeeded. See 1460 Battle of Northampton.
2nd November 1483. Son Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham [aged 5] succeeded. See Buckingham's Rebellion.
17th May 1521. Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham forfeit. See Trial and Execution of the Duke of Buckingham.
In 1287 Edmund Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 14] was created 1st Baron Stafford.
On 26th August 1308 Edmund Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 36] died. His son Ralph [aged 6] succeeded 2nd Baron Stafford.
Around 1326 Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 24] and Katherine Hastings Baroness Stafford [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford. She the daughter of John Hastings 2nd Baron Hastings 14th Baron Abergavenny and Juliana Leybourne Countess Huntingdon [aged 23]. They were fifth cousins.
Before 6th July 1336 Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 34] and Margaret Audley Countess Stafford [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford. She the daughter of Hugh Audley 1st Earl Gloucester [aged 45] and Margaret Clare Countess Gloucester. They were fifth cousins. She a great granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 31st August 1372 Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 70] died. His son Hugh [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Earl Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford. Philippa Beauchamp Countess Stafford [aged 38] by marriage Countess Stafford.
On 16th October 1386 Hugh Stafford 2nd Earl Stafford [aged 50] died returning from his Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. His son Thomas [aged 18] succeeded 3rd Earl Stafford, 4th Baron Stafford.
On 4th July 1392 Thomas Stafford 3rd Earl Stafford [aged 24] died at Westminster [Map]. His brother William [aged 16] succeeded 4th Earl Stafford, 5th Baron Stafford.
On 6th April 1395 William Stafford 4th Earl Stafford [aged 19] died at Pleshey Castle [Map]. He was buried at Tonbridge, Kent [Map]. His brother Edmund [aged 17] succeeded 5th Earl Stafford, 6th Baron Stafford.
On 21st July 1403 King Henry IV of England [aged 36], with his son the future King Henry V of England [aged 16], defeated the rebel army of Henry "Hotspur" Percy [aged 39] at the Battle of Shrewsbury at the site now known as Battlefield, Shrewsbury [Map]. King Henry V of England took an arrow to the side of his face. John Stanley [aged 53] was wounded in the throat. Thomas Strickland [aged 36] fought and was awarded £38 and two of the rebel Henry's horses. Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick [aged 21] fought for the King. Walter Blount [aged 55], the King's Standard Bearer, was killed by Archibald Douglas 1st Duke Touraine [aged 31].
Thomas Wendesley [aged 59], Edmund Cockayne [aged 47] and Robert Goushill were killed.
Edmund Stafford 5th Earl Stafford [aged 25] was killed. His son Humphrey Stafford succeeded 6th Earl Stafford, 7th Baron Stafford.
Hugh Shirley [aged 52] was killed; he was one of four knights dressed as King Henry IV of England.
Of the rebels, Henry "Hotspur" Percy, Madog Kynaston [aged 43] and John Clifton were killed.
Thomas Percy 1st Earl of Worcester [aged 60] was beheaded after the battle. Earl Worcester extinct.
Richard Vernon 11th Baron Shipbrook [aged 48] was hanged. Baron Shipbrook forfeit.
John Rossall was killed. His sister Eleanor Rossall [aged 26] inherited a half-share in the Rossall Shrewsbury [Map] estates.
John Massey [aged 65] was killed.
On 10th July 1460 the Yorkist army led by the future King Edward IV of England [aged 18] and including Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 31], Archbishop George Neville [aged 28], William Neville 1st Earl Kent [aged 55], Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 45] and John Scrope 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton [aged 22] defeated the Lancastrian army at the 1460 Battle of Northampton.
Edmund Grey 1st Earl Kent [aged 43] had started the day as part of the Lancastrian army but did nothing to prevent the Yorkist army attacking.
King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 38] was captured.
Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 57] was killed. His grandson Henry [aged 5] succeeded 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 7th Earl Stafford, 8th Baron Stafford.
John Talbot 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 42] was killed. His son John [aged 11] succeeded 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, 3rd Earl Waterford, 8th Baron Furnivall, 12th Baron Strange Blackmere, 9th Baron Talbot.
Thomas Percy 1st Baron Egremont [aged 37] was killed. [Baron Egremont of Egremont Castle in Cumberland extinct. Some authoirities state, however, that he left a son, Sir John Percy, who never assumed the title.]
John Beaumont 1st Viscount Beaumont [aged 50] was killed. His son William [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Viscount Beaumont, 7th Baron Beaumont.
William Lucy [aged 56] was killed apparently by servants of a member of the Stafford family who wanted his wife Margaret Fitzlewis [aged 21].
Thomas Tresham [aged 40] fought.
William Beaumont 2nd Viscount Beaumont and William Norreys [aged 19] were knighted.
Thomas "Bastard of Exeter" Holland was executed following the battle.
The battle was fought south of the River Nene [Map] in the grounds of Delapré Abbey.
On 2nd November 1483 Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham [aged 29] was beheaded in Salisbury Marketplace [Map] for his part in the rebellion. Duke of Buckingham forfeit. His son Edward [aged 5] succeeded 8th Earl Stafford, 9th Baron Stafford.
On 17th May 1521 Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham [aged 43] was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]. Duke of Buckingham, Earl Stafford and Baron Stafford forfeit.
He was executed for no specific reason other than his having a significant amount of Plantagenet blood and was, therefore, considered a threat by Henry VIII [aged 29]. He was posthumously attainted by Act of Parliament on 31 July 1523, disinheriting his children. He was buried at St Peter's Church, Britford [Map].
Baron Stafford is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Extant Baronies of England.
Summary
1411. Hugh Stafford Baron Bourchier, 1st Baron Stafford created.
In 1411 Hugh Stafford Baron Bourchier, 1st Baron Stafford was created 1st Baron Stafford. Elizabeth Bourchier 4th Baroness Bourchier Baroness Stafford [aged 12] by marriage Baroness Stafford.
Baron Stafford of Southwick is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Forfeit Baronies of England.
Summary
24th April 1464. Humphrey Stafford 1st Earl Devon [aged 25] created.
17th August 1469. Humphrey Stafford 1st Earl Devon forfeit. See Murder of Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Devon.
On 24th April 1464 Humphrey Stafford [aged 25] was created 1st Baron Stafford of Southwick. See Warkworth Note 4..
On 17th August 1469 Humphrey Stafford 1st Earl Devon [aged 30], having escaped after the Battle of Edgecote Moor, was captured and executed by a mob at Bridgwater, Somerset [Map]. He was buried at Glastonbury Abbey [Map]. Earl Devon, Baron Stafford of Southwick forfeit.
Baron Stafford is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Extinct Baronies of England.
Summary
1547. Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 45] created.
30th April 1563. Son Henry Stafford 2nd Baron Stafford succeeded.
1565. Brother Edward Stafford 3rd Baron Stafford [aged 29] succeeded.
18th October 1603. Son Edward Stafford 4th Baron Stafford [aged 31] succeeded.
1625. Grandson Henry Stafford 5th Baron Stafford [aged 3] succeeded.
4th August 1637. First Cousin Twice Removed Roger Stafford 6th Baron Stafford [aged 65] succeeded.
1640. Roger Stafford 6th Baron Stafford extinct.
In 1547 Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 45] was created 1st Baron Stafford.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 30th April 1563 Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 61] died at Caus Castle [Map]. His son Henry succeeded 2nd Baron Stafford. On 6th May 1563 Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford was buried at Church of All Saints Worthen, Shropshire.
In or before 1565 Henry Stafford 2nd Baron Stafford and Elizabeth Davy Baroness Stafford were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford.
In 1565 Henry Stafford 2nd Baron Stafford died. His brother Edward [aged 29] succeeded 3rd Baron Stafford.
In or before 1572 Edward Stafford 3rd Baron Stafford [aged 36] and Mary Stanley Baroness Stafford were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford. She the daughter of Edward Stanley 3rd Earl of Derby [aged 62] and Dorothy Howard Countess Derby [aged 60]. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
In or before 1602 Edward Stafford 4th Baron Stafford [aged 29] and Isabel Forster Baroness Stafford were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford.
On 18th October 1603 Edward Stafford 3rd Baron Stafford [aged 68] died. His son Edward [aged 31] succeeded 4th Baron Stafford.
In 1625 Edward Stafford 4th Baron Stafford [aged 53] died. His grandson Henry [aged 3] succeeded 5th Baron Stafford.
On 4th August 1637 Henry Stafford 5th Baron Stafford [aged 15] died. His first cousin twice removed Roger [aged 65] succeeded 6th Baron Stafford. His succession was disputed. Roger petitioned Parliament for the title, at the age of sixty-five. A commission was appointed to examine his claim, headed by Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester. Eventually, the claim reached King Charles I who denied it on grounds of Stafford's poverty. The judgment read "that the said Roger Stafford, having no part of the inheritance of the said Lord Stafford, nor any other lands or means whatsoever…should make a resignation of all claims and title to the said Barony of Stafford, for his majesty to dispose of as he should see fit". He surrendered the title by deed on 7 December 1639 for a sum of £800
In 1640 Roger Stafford 6th Baron Stafford [aged 68] died unmarried. Baron Stafford extinct. The title Baron Stafford was created again in 1640 for the husband of Roger's first-cousin twice-removed Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 20], sister of Henry Stafford 5th Baron Stafford.
Baron Stafford is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Succeeded Baronesses of England, Extant Baronies of England.
Summary
12th September 1640. William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford [aged 25] created.
13th January 1694. Son Henry Stafford-Howard 1st Earl Stafford [aged 46] succeeded.
1719. Nephew William Stafford-Howard 2nd Earl Stafford [aged 29] succeeded.
1734. Son William Mathias Stafford-Howard 3rd Earl Stafford [aged 16] succeeded.
1751. Uncle John Paul Stafford-Howard 4th Earl Stafford [aged 50] succeeded.
1st April 1762. Niece Anatasia Stafford-Howard 6th Baroness Stafford [aged 40] de jure.
1807. Half First Cousin Once Removed William Jerningham of Cossey Park 6th Baronet [aged 70] de jure.
1824. Son George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 52] attainder reversed.
4th October 1851. Son Henry Valentine Stafford-Jerningham 9th Baron Stafford [aged 49] succeeded.
1884. Nephew Augustus Frederick Stafford-Jerningham 10th Baron Stafford [aged 53] succeeded.
16th February 1892. Brother Fitzherbert Edward Stafford-Jerningham 11th Baron Stafford [aged 58] succeeded.
12th June 1913. Nephew Francis Fitzherbert Stafford 12th Baron Stafford [aged 53] succeeded.
18th September 1932. Brother Admiral Edward Fitzherbert 13th Baron Stafford [aged 68] succeeded.
28th September 1941. Nephew Basil Fitzherbert 14th Baron Stafford [aged 15] succeeded.
8th January 1986. Son Francis Fitzherbert 15th Baron Stafford [aged 31] succeeded.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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On 12th September 1640 William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford [aged 25] was created 1st Baron Stafford jointly with his wife Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 20].
On 29th December 1680 William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford [aged 66] was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]. He was attainted; Viscount Stafford forfeit. His wife Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 60], with whom he was jointly created Baron Stafford continued as Baroness.
On 13th January 1694 Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 74] died. She was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her son Henry [aged 46] succeeded 2nd Baron Stafford.
In 1719 Henry Stafford-Howard 1st Earl Stafford [aged 71] died. His nephew William [aged 29] succeeded 2nd Earl Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford. Anne Holman Countess Stafford by marriage Countess Stafford.
In 1734 William Stafford-Howard 2nd Earl Stafford [aged 44] died. His son William [aged 16] succeeded 3rd Earl Stafford, 4th Baron Stafford.
Before 1751 William Mathias Stafford-Howard 3rd Earl Stafford [aged 32] and Henrietta Cantillon Countess Stafford [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Countess Stafford, Baroness Stafford. He the son of William Stafford-Howard 2nd Earl Stafford and Anne Holman Countess Stafford.
In 1751 William Mathias Stafford-Howard 3rd Earl Stafford [aged 33] died. His uncle John [aged 50] succeeded 4th Earl Stafford, 5th Baron Stafford. Elizabeth Ewens Countess Stafford by marriage Countess Stafford.
On 1st April 1762 John Paul Stafford-Howard 4th Earl Stafford [aged 61] died without issue. Earl Stafford extinct.His niece Anatasia [aged 40] de jure 6th Baroness Stafford.
In 1807 Anatasia Stafford-Howard 6th Baroness Stafford [aged 85] died. Her half first cousin once removed William [aged 70] de jure 7th Baron Stafford
On 14th August 1809 William Jerningham of Cossey Park 6th Baronet [aged 73] died. George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 38] de jure 8th Baron Stafford. His son George succeeded 7th Baronet Jerningham of Cossey.
In 1824 George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 52] attainder reversed 8th Baron Stafford. He assumed the additional surname Stafford at the time.
On 26th May 1836 George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 65] and Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford [aged 46] were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford.
She one of the four Caton sisters, daughters of Richard Caton [aged 73], a merchant from Baltimore, the three eldest, known as the "The Three American Graces", married European husbands. Only the fourth daughter Emily Caton [aged 41] had children.
Marianne Caton Marchioness Wellesley [aged 48] married Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley [aged 75],
Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford married George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford,
Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds [aged 43] married firstly Felton Elwell Hervey-Bathurst 1st Baronet and secondly Francis Godolphin Osborne 7th Duke Leeds [aged 38].
Emily Caton married Consul John MacTavish [aged 49].
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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On 4th October 1851 George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 80] died. His son Henry [aged 49] succeeded 9th Baron Stafford, 8th Baronet Jerningham of Cossey.
In 1884 Henry Valentine Stafford-Jerningham 9th Baron Stafford [aged 82] died at Costessey Park. His nephew Augustus [aged 53] succeeded 10th Baron Stafford, 9th Baronet Jerningham of Cossey.
On 16th February 1892 Augustus Frederick Stafford-Jerningham 10th Baron Stafford [aged 61] died. His brother Fitzherbert [aged 58] succeeded 11th Baron Stafford, 10th Baronet Jerningham of Cossey.
On 12th June 1913 Fitzherbert Edward Stafford-Jerningham 11th Baron Stafford [aged 79] died. His nephew Francis [aged 53] succeeded 12th Baron Stafford. His second cousin once removed William [aged 46] succeeded 11th Baronet Jerningham of Cossey.
On 18th September 1932 Francis Fitzherbert Stafford 12th Baron Stafford [aged 73] died. His brother Edward [aged 68] succeeded 13th Baron Stafford.
On 28th September 1941 Admiral Edward Fitzherbert 13th Baron Stafford [aged 77] died unmarried. His nephew Basil [aged 15] succeeded 14th Baron Stafford.
On 8th January 1986 Basil Fitzherbert 14th Baron Stafford [aged 59] died. His son Francis [aged 31] succeeded 15th Baron Stafford.