Annales of England – John Stow

The following are extracts from a book published in 1605, the year of John Stow’s death. The book is introduced as “A BRIEFE DESCRIPTION OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES AND CORNWALL”, set out in chronological order and running to 1437 pages, abruptly ending in July 1605.

Page 966
“1536
Henry, Duke of Richmond
The 22 of July, Henry Duke of Richmond and Somerset, earle of Nottingham, a bastard son of K. Henry, borne at Blakamore in Essex, of the lady Tailboise, that time called Elizabeth Blunt, died at St James, and was buried at Thetford in Norfolke.”

Page 1112
“1563
Tempest at London.
The 8 of July, in the morning, hapned a great tempest of lightning & thunder, wherethrough a woman and three kine were slaine in the Covent garden neere to Charing crosse. At the same time in Essex a man was torne to peeces as he was carrying hay, his barne being borne downe, and his hay brent: both stones and trees were rent in many places.”

Page 1115
“1565
Tempest at Chelmsford
The 16 of July, about nine of the clocke at night began a tempest of lightning and thunder, with showers of haile, which continued till three of the clock the next morning so terrible that at Chelmsford in Essex 500 acres of corne were destroyed, the glass windows on the east side of the tower, and the west & south sides of the church were beaten downe, with also the tiles of their houses, beside diverse barnes, chimneies, and the battlements of the church which were overthrown. The like harme was done in many other places, as at Leedes, Cranelnooke, Dover & c.”

Page 1135
“1572
Sir William Peter deceased.
The thirteenth of January deceased William Peter knight, who for his judgement and pregnant wit, had bene Secretary and of privy counsell to foure kings and queenes of this realme, and seven times lord ambassador abroad in foraine lands: he augmented Exeter colledge in Oxford with lands to the paine of an hundred pound by yeare: and also builded ten almes houses in the parish of Ingerstone for twenty poore people, ten within the house, and ten without the house, having every one two pence the day, a winter gowne, and two loade of wood, and among them feeding for six kine winter and sommer, and a chaplaine to say them service daily.”

Page 1166
“1581
Mice devour the grasse at Danesey.
About Hallowtide last past, in the marshes of the Danesey Hundred in a place called Southminster in the countie of Essex, a strange thing hapned: there sodainlie appeared an infinite multitude of mice, which overwhelmed the whole earth in the said marshes, did sheare and gnaw the grasse by the rootes, spoyling and tainting the same with their verimous teeth, in such sort, that the cattell which grazed thereon were smitten with a murerine, and died thereof, which vermine by policie of man could not be destroyed, till, at the last it came to passe that there flocked together all about the same marshes, such a number of owles as all the shire was not able to yield: whereby the marsh-holders were shortly delivered from the veration of the said mice.”

Page 1169
“1582
John Paine executed at Chelmeford
John Paine priest, being indicted of high treason for words by him spoken to one Eliot, was attained and condemned at Chelmesford on the last of March, and was there executed on the second day of Aprill.”