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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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Marcus Gheeraerts is in Painters.
Around 1583 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 21). Portrait of Henry Lee of Ditchley (age 49).
After 1585 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 23) (attributed). Portrait of William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley (age 64). His right-hand is holding the Lord Treasurer Staff of Office.
Around 1590 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 28). Portrait of Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth (age 29).
Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth: In 1561 she was born to Owen Hopton and Anne Echingham. In 1585 Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth and she were married. She by marriage Baroness Wentworth. They were fourth cousins. In 1595 William Pope 1st Earl Downe and she were married. On 10th May 1625 Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth died.
Around 1592 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 30). The Ditchley Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 58).
In 1594 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 32). Portrait of Thomas Lee (age 43).
Thomas Lee: Around 1551 he was born to Benedict Lee and Margaret Pakington. Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts. This death of his was the more hastened by that bloody practice of Thom Lea, who, not four days after the Earl's apprehension, dealt with Sir Henry Nevill, son-in-law to the Lord Treasurer, and with Sir Robert Crosse, assuring them that he would deal also with some four other gentlemen of resolution, who, at supper time, when the Queen should have been in the privy chamber, should have taken her, locked the doors, and, as he sillily pretended, only have pinned her up there till he had forced her to sign a warrant for the Earl's delivery out of the Tower. Which vile purpose being discovered by those two gentlemen and avowed to his face, he being that very night watching at the privy cliamber door to discover bow he might the next day have had access, he was seized on, and being examined, confessed thus much, only vo-wing that he would not have hurt her royal person, whom God bless, except others would liave forced in upon her to hinder that course which he pretended for their delivery; but within four days [14th February 1601] he received the due reward of a traitor at Tyborne. On 14th February 1601 Thomas Lee was hanged at Tyburn [Map]. Annales of England by John Stow. The xvii [7th] of February [1601] Captaine Thomas Lee, was drawne fo Tiborne, and there hanged, bowelled and quartered, being before condemned, for consspiracie against the Quéene, about deliverance of the Earle of Essex out of the Tower, he tooke his death constantly, confessing he had divers wayes deserved it, but to be innocent of that he was condemned for, &c.
Around 1595 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 33). Portrait believed to be of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester (age 51).
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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Around 1596 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 34). Portrait of Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex (age 30).
Around 1597 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 35). Portrait of Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex (age 31).
1599. Marcus Gheeraerts (age 37). Portrait of Johnathan Trelawny (age 30).
Johnathan Trelawny: On 17th December 1568 he was born to John Trelawny and Anne Reskymer posthumously. Before 24th April 1592 Johnathan Trelawny and Elizabeth Killigrew were married. In 1595 he was appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall. On 21 or 22nd June 1604 Johnathan Trelawny died, while Parliament was in session. The Journal of the House of Commons records that the House was informed of his death the following day: he "being suddenly suffocated with a flux of blood, which came by breaking a vein with vehement coughing, and was said to found sick and dead within quarter of an hour"; the House of Commons voted to attend his funeral at St Clement Danes Church, Westminster [Map], an unusual mark of respect.
In 1611 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 49). Portrait of Frances Howard Duchess Lennox.
In 1611 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 49). Portrait of Catherine Killigrew (age 32).
Catherine Killigrew: Thomas Jermyn and she were married. In 1579 she was born to William Killigrew and Margery Saunders.
In 1611 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 49). Portrait of George Savile 1st Baronet (age 61).
Before 1613. Attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts (age 50). Portrait of Frances Cavendish (age 19).
Frances Cavendish: Around 1593 she was born to William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire and Anne Keighley. In 1608 William Maynard 1st Baron Maynard and she were married. Their 3 children predeceased him. She the daughter of William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire and Anne Keighley. In 1613 Frances Cavendish died.
1624. Marcus Gheeraerts (age 62). Portrait of Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton (age 50).
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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Before 1628 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 65). Portrait of Anne Alington (age 20).
Anne Alington: In 1607 she was born to Giles Alington and Dorothy Cecil. In 1627 Thomas Fanshawe 1st Viscount Fanshawe and she were married. They were fourth cousin once removed. In 1628 Anne Alington died.
Before 1636 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 73). Portrait of Frances Howard Duchess Lennox and Richmond (age 57).
On 19th January 1636 Marcus Gheeraerts (age 74) died.