The Battle of St Albans
- Medieval Family Life
- Title
- The Battle of St Albans
- Reference
- C 47/37/3/4-11
- Date
- 21-22 May 1455
- Library / Archive
-
- The National Archives, UK
- Transcript location(s) in printed volume(s)
- Carpenter, 'Kingsford's Stonor Letters', item 59; Kingsford, Vol I, item 59
- Transcript from Christine Carpenter, 'Kingsford's Stonor Letters and Papers, 1290-1483'
-
59. THE BATTLE OF ST. ALBANS
21-22 MAY, 1455
Amongst the Ch. Misc., 37, iii, 4-11 there is an English narrative of the
Battle of St. Albans, which seems to have been written and circulated in the
interest of the Yorkist party. It was communicated to Archaeologia (vol. xx,
pp. 519-22) in 1822 by John Bayley, keeper of the Records in the Tower, who
attributed it to Sir William Stonor, misled as it would seem by the fact that
Sir William Stonor was 24 years afterwards steward of St. Albans Abbey at
Wallingford (see No. 244). The presence of the document amongst the
Stonor MSS. seems to be accidental. Dr. Gairdner reprinted the text from
Archaeologia in the Paston Letters, No. 283. There is thus no need to re-
print it here, though it seems right to record the source whence it was derived.
Apart from some slight variations in spelling the printed text is accurate, ex-
cept at two points. The name of the place in St. Peter's Street, where the
King's banner was pitched, should be "Goslawe" not "Boslawe". In the
list of Lords who were hurt there should be inserted between Buckingham and
Stafford: "the lord of Dudle with an arowe in the vysage". The original
is on a large sheet of paper folded to make 16 pages; the narrative is written
on the first 6½ pages. - Transcript from Charles Lethbridge Kingsford, 'The Stonor Letters and Papers 1290-1483, Volume I'
-
59. THE BATTLE OF ST. ALBANS
21-22 MAY, 1455
Amongst the Ch. Misc., 37, iii, 4-11, there is an English narrative of the
Battle of St. Albans, which seems to have been written and circulated in the
interest of the Yorkist party. It was communicated to Archaeologia (vol. xx,
pp. 519-22) in 1822 by John Bayley, keeper of the Records in the Tower, who
attributed it to Sir William Stonor, misled as it would seem by the fact that
Sir William Stonor was 24 years afterwards steward of St. Albans Abbey at
Wallingford (see No. 244). The presence of the document amongst the
Stonor MSS. seems to be accidental. Dr. Gairdner reprinted the text from
Archaeologia in the Paston Letters, No. 283. There is thus no need to re-
print it here, though it seems right to record the source whence it was derived.
Apart from some slight variations in spelling the printed text is accurate, ex-
cept at two points. The name of the place in St. Peter’s Street, where the
King’s banner was pitched, should be “Goslawe” not “Boslawe”. In the
list of Lords who were hurt there should be inserted between Buckingham and
Stafford: “the lord of Dudle with an arowe in the vysage”. The original
is on a large sheet of paper folded to make 16 pages; the narrative is written
on the first 6½ pages.