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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MP Cockermouth is in Member Parliament.
In 1641 John Fenwick 1st Baronet (age 71) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1659 Wilfrid Lawson (age 23) was elected MP Cockermouth. He was re-elected in 1660.
In 1661 Wilfrid Lawson 1st Baronet (age 51) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1689 Henry Fletcher 3rd Baronet (age 27) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1690.
In 1690 Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet (age 25) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1695.
In 1698 George Fletcher (age 32) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1701.
In February 1702 Thomas Lamplugh (age 45) was elected MP Cockermouth at a by-election.
In 1705 Thomas Lamplugh (age 48) was elected MP Cockermouth at a by-election.
In 1717 Wilfrid Lawson 3rd Baronet (age 20) stood for the Cockermouth constituency after Nicholas Lechmere accepted a ministerial position and accordingly resigned the seat. However, the returning officer made a double return, returning both Lord Percy Seymour (age 20) and Sir Wilfrid Lawson. Both parties immediately petitioned against the result; Lord Percy, on the grounds that Lawson was a minor, (not having attained the age of 21), while Lawson based his petition on the grounds of bribery. Although both petitions were withdrawn, Sir Wilfrid did admit the charge and consequently, Lord Percy took the seat.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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In 1722 Wilfrid Lawson 3rd Baronet (age 25) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until his death in 1737.
In 1754 Percy Wyndham O'Brien 1st Earl Thomond (age 41) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1800 Walter Spencer-Stanhope (age 49) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1818 John Beckett 2nd Baronet (age 42) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1821.
In 1830 Philip Pleydell-Bouverie (age 41) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1886 Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet (age 56) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1900.