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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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Westbury, Wiltshire

Westbury Hundred, Wiltshire, South-West England, British Isles

Westbury Hundred, Wiltshire is in Wiltshire.

Westbury, Wiltshire, Westbury Hundred, South-West England, British Isles [Map]

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 15th April 1053. In this year was the king [aged 50] at Winchester, Hampshire [Map], at Easter; and Earl Godwin [aged 52] with him, and Earl Harold [aged 31] his son, and Tosty [aged 27]. On the day after Easter sat he with the king at table; when he suddenly sunk beneath against the foot-rail, deprived of speech and of all his strength. He was brought into the king's chamber; and they supposed that it would pass over: but it was not so. He continued thus speechless and helpless till the Thursday; when he resigned his life, on the seventeenth before the calends of May; and he was buried at Winchester in the old minster. Earl Harold, his son, took to the earldom that his father had before, and to all that his father possessed; whilst Earl Elgar took to the earldom that Harold had before. The Welshmen this year slew a great many of the warders of the English people at Westbury, Wiltshire [Map]. This year there was no archbishop in this land: but Bishop Stigand held the see of Canterbury at Christ church, and Kinsey that of York. Leofwine and Wulfwy went over sea, and had themselves consecrated bishops there. Wulfwy took to the bishopric which Ulf had whilst he was living and in exile.

The River Biss rises near Upton Scudamore, Wiltshire [Map] as the Biss Brook after which it flows past Westbury, Wiltshire [Map] to Yarnbrook, Wiltshire [Map] where it becomes the River Biss. Thereafter it continues north through Trowbridge, Wiltshire [Map] after which it joins the Gloucestershire River Avon.

Broke Westbury, Wiltshire, Westbury Hundred, South-West England, British Isles

Around 1452 Robert Willoughby 1st Baron Willoughby 9th Baron Latimer was born to John Willoughby 8th Baron Latimer of Corby [aged 31] and Anne Cheney [aged 23] at Broke Westbury, Wiltshire. He married 1472 Blanche Champernowne and had issue.

In 1491 Edward Willoughby was born to Robert Willoughby 2nd Baron Willoughby 10th Baron Latimer [aged 19] and Elizabeth Beauchamp Baroness Willoughby of Broke [aged 23] at Broke Westbury, Wiltshire. He married before 1512 his second cousin Margaret Neville, daughter of Richard Neville 2nd Baron Latimer of Snape and Anne Stafford Baroness Latimer, and had issue.