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.
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Earl Stafford is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically.
There have been two creations of Earl Stafford:
1st. 1351. Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford. Forfeit. 17th May 1521. Trial and Execution of the Duke of Buckingham.
2nd. 5th October 1688. Mary Stafford Countess Stafford. Extinct. 1st April 1762.
Earl Stafford is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Forfeit Earldoms of England.
Summary
1351. Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 49] created. See 1351 Creation of Peers.
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 1351 Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 41] was created 1st Duke Lancaster by King Edward III of England [aged 38]. Isabel Beaumont Duchess Lancaster [aged 31] by marriage Duchess Lancaster.
Lionel of Antwerp 1st Duke of Clarence [aged 12] was created 1st Earl of Ulster.
John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 10] was created 1st Earl Richmond.
Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 49] was created 1st Earl Stafford.
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.
Around 1390 Thomas Stafford 3rd Earl Stafford [aged 22] and Anne of Gloucester Plantagenet Countess Eu and Stafford [aged 7] were married. She by marriage Countess Stafford. She would, eight years later marry his younger brother Edmund Stafford 5th Earl Stafford [aged 11]; an example of a Married to Two Siblings. She the daughter of Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester [aged 34] and Eleanor Bohun Duchess Gloucester [aged 24]. He the son of Hugh Stafford 2nd Earl Stafford and Philippa Beauchamp Countess Stafford [aged 56]. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
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 28th June 1398 Edmund Stafford 5th Earl Stafford [aged 20] and Anne of Gloucester Plantagenet Countess Eu and Stafford [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Countess Stafford. She had, around eight years previously, married his brother Thomas Stafford 3rd Earl Stafford who had died in 1392; an example of Married to Two Siblings. She the daughter of Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester and Eleanor Bohun Duchess Gloucester [aged 32]. He the son of Hugh Stafford 2nd Earl Stafford and Philippa Beauchamp Countess Stafford [aged 64]. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
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.
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Before 18th October 1424 Humphrey Stafford 6th Earl Stafford [aged 22] and Anne Neville Duchess Buckingham [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Countess Stafford. She the daughter of Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland [aged 60] and Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland [aged 45]. He the son of Edmund Stafford 5th Earl Stafford and Anne of Gloucester Plantagenet Countess Eu and Stafford [aged 41]. They were second cousins. He a great grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
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.
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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].
Earl Stafford is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Created Countesses of England, Extinct Earldoms of England.
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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Summary
5th October 1688. Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 68] created.
1719. Grandson 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. John Paul Stafford-Howard 4th Earl Stafford extinct.
In 5th October 1688 Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 68] was created 1st Countess Stafford for life. Her former husband William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford had been executed in 1680.
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.
