![Willelmus Worcestre Itinerarium p](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Willelmus_Worcestre_Itinerarium_p._196.jpg)
William Worcester, also called William of Worcester, William Worcestre or William Botoner (1415) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
topographer
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scie ...
,
antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
and
chronicle
A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
r.
Life
He was a son of another William of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
, a
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
whittawer (worker in white leather), and his wife Elizabeth, Botoner. His mother was a daughter of
Thomas Botoner from
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
, and he sometimes used the surname Botoner.
[Orme 2006.]
He was educated at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and became secretary to
Sir John Fastolf
Sir John Fastolf (6 November 1380 – 5 November 1459) was a late medieval English landowner and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He has enjoyed a more lasting reputation as the prototype, in some part, of Shakespeare's charact ...
. When Fastolf died in 1459, Worcester discovered that he had bequeathed him nothing, despite his being one of Fastolf's executors, and, with one of his colleagues
Sir William Yelverton
Sir William Yelverton KB (1400 – 1470s) was a judge in Norfolk, England and twice a member of parliament for Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Biography
Yelverton was born in Norfolk to John Yelverton of Rackheath, Norfolk, and Elizabeth, the daughte ...
, Worcester disputed the validity of the will. However, an amicable arrangement was made and Worcester obtained some lands near
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
and in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
. He died about 1482.
Writings
Worcester made several journeys through England, and his notes (now known as his "Itineraries") contain much information. His survey of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, which he appears to have devised as a self-contained work, is particularly detailed, and of great value to historians and antiquaries. Portions of his notes were printed by
James Nasmith
James Nasmith (1740–1808) was an English clergyman, academic and antiquary.
Life
The son of a carrier who came from Scotland, and plied between Norwich and London, he was born at Norwich late in 1740. He was sent by his father to Amsterdam fo ...
in 1778; and the description of Bristol was published by
James Dallaway
The Rev. Prebendary James Dallaway FSA (20 February 1763 – 6 June 1834) was an English antiquary, topographer, and miscellaneous writer. He is known for his account of Constantinople and the Greek islands, published in 1797; and his county h ...
under the title ''William Wyrcestre Redivivus'' in 1823, and reprinted in his ''Antiquities of Bristowe'' in 1834. Modern scholarly editions and translations have been published as the ''Itineraries of William Worcestre'' in 1969, edited by
John Harvey John Harvey may refer to:
People Academics
* John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician
* John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...
; and as ''The Topography of Medieval Bristol'' in 2000, edited by Frances Neale.
The ''Boke of Noblesse'', written some time in the 1450s, was produced in the wake of disastrous English losses in France and was later revised with the apparent intention of encouraging King
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
to renew his claim on the French throne.
Worcester also wrote ''Annales rerum Anglicarum'', a work of some value for the history of England under
Henry VI. This was published by
Thomas Hearne in 1728, and by
Joseph Stevenson
Joseph Stevenson (27 November 1806 – 8 February 1895) was an English Catholic priest, archivist and editor of historical texts.
Early life
Joseph Stevenson was born on 27 November 1806 in Berwick-on-Tweed, the eldest son of Robert Stevenson, ...
for the
Rolls Series
''The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages'' ( la, Rerum Britannicarum medii aevi scriptores), widely known as the is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources publish ...
with his ''Letters and Papers illustrative of the Wars of the English in France during the Reign of Henry VI'' (1864). Stevenson also printed here collections of papers made by Worcester respecting the wars of the English in France and
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
Worcester's other writings include the last ''Acta domini Johannis Fastolf''. See the ''Paston Letters'' edited by
James Gairdner
James Gairdner (22 March 1828 – 4 November 1912) was a British historian. He specialised in 15th-century and early Tudor history, and among other tasks edited the ''Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII'' series.
Son of John Gairdner, ...
(1904); and
F. A. Gasquet, ''An Old English Bible and other Essays'' (1897).
Modern editions
*
*
References
Bibliography
*
*
Attribution:
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worcester, William
1415 births
1482 deaths
15th-century English historians
Writers from Bristol
English chroniclers
English antiquarians
15th-century antiquarians
15th-century Latin writers