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 sc ...

, antiquary and chronicler.

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, Engla ...

, 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 in the 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 city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, 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, 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. 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

, 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 in 1778; and the description of Bristol was published by James Dallaway 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 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, s ...

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 Gairdn ...

(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