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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Abbot Randulf -1229

On 24th December 1204 Abbot Randulf was appointed Prior of Worcester.

On 2nd December 1213 Abbot Randulf was elected Bishop of Worcester but his election was quashed by the papal legate for England, Niccolò de Romanis, cardinal bishop of Tusculumof Evesham.

Chronicle of the Abbey of Evesham. After these things had been done, the lord legate came to us on the feast of Saints Fabian and Sebastian [20th January 1214] and advised us to elect that same prior [Randulf], saying that nothing in our petition prevented us from having him as abbot, since many of those among us of sounder judgement had already chosen him in the first examination. We therefore elected him, and the lord legate confirmed his election. We requested him from the chapter of Worcester, and he came to us on the feast of St Vincent [22nd January]. He was then sent by the lord legate, as Prior of Worcester, to the lord Archbishop of Canterbury to seek from him confirmation of the Bishop-elect of Worcester, and he obtained it. There was some murmuring there at the time because he did not seek confirmation of his own election, but when the reason was heard why the lord legate had confirmed him, the murmuring and complaint ceased. Afterwards, by command of the lord legate, he proceeded to York, and there the lord legate blessed him. After the blessing he placed the mitre upon his head, on the second Sunday [9th] of March, in the church of St Mary [Map]. That monastery had been so closely united with the monastery of Evesham from its foundation that they were regarded almost as one body and one church.

Quibus ita peractis venit ad nos dominus legatus in die sanctorum Fabiani et Sebastiani, et consuluit nobis ut eundem priorem eligeremus, dicens nihil obstare de petitione nostra quin illum haberemus abbatem quum etiam plurimi ex nobis sanioris consilii in prima examinatione illum elegissemus. Et elegimus eum, et dominus legatus confirmavit electionem ejus, et petivimus eum a capitulo Wigorniæ, et venit ad nos in die sancti Vincentii. Tunc missus est a domino legato ut prior Wigorniæ ad dominum Cantuariensem ut peteret ab eo confirmationem electi Wigornensis, et obtinuit. Factum est autem tunc ibi murmur eo quod non peteret propriæ electionis confirmationem, sed audita ratione quare dominus legatus eum confirmasset, cessavit murmur et querimonia. Deinde ex præcepto domini legati processit Eboracum, et benedixit ei ibidem dominus legatus, et post benedictionem imposuit mitram capiti ejus Dominica secunda mensis Martii in ecclesize sanctæ Mariæ, quod monasterium a fundatione sua ita confœderatum est monasterio Eveshamensi ut quasi unum corpus et una ecclesia reputentur.

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On 22nd January 1214 Abbot Randulf was elected Abbot of Evesham.

On 9th March 1214 Abbot Randulf was blessed by the papal legate at St Mary's Abbey, York [Map].

On 17th December 1229 Abbot Randulf died.

Chronicle of the Abbey of Evesham. In those days there was a man of venerable life, the lord Randulf, Prior of Worcester, a native of Evesham and also a monk of the chapter of Evesham. At that time this was quite permissible, namely that a monk should have a place in chapter and a stall in choir in more than one monastery. When he had been elected Bishop of Worcester, at the persuasion of the lord king and the lord legate he renounced his election, and the lord king’s chancellor¹ was elected Bishop of Worcester.

In diebus illis fuit vir vitæ venerabilis dominus Rondulfus prior Wigorniæ, natione Eveshamensis et etiam monachus capituli Eveshamiæ, quod tunc temporis bene licuit, videlicet, quod monachus in pluribus monasteriis haberet locum in capitulo et stallum in choro. Iste quum esset electus in episcopum Wigorniæ, persuadentibus domino rege et domino legato remuntiavit electioni suæ, et electus est in episcopum Wigorniæ cancellarius domini regis.

Note 1. Walter de Grey. He was translated to the Archbishopric of York two years later and Sylvester became Bishop of Worcester.