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All About History Books

The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

Biography of Cuthred King of Wessex -756

740 York Fire

752 Battle of Burford

754 Canterbury Fire

740 York Fire

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 740. This year died King Ethelhard; and Cuthred, his relative, succeeded to the West-Saxon kingdom, which he held fourteen winters, during which time he fought many hard battles with Ethelbald, king of the Mercians. On the death of Archbishop Nothelm, Cuthbert was consecrated archbishop, and Dunn, Bishop of Rochester. This year York [Map] was on fire.

In 740 Æthelheard King of Wessex died. Cuthred King of Wessex succeeded King Wessex.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 743. This year Ethelbald, king of Mercia, and Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons, fought with the Welsh.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 750. This year Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons, fought with the proud chief Ethelhun.

752 Battle of Burford

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 752. This year, the twelfth of his reign, Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons, fought at Burford [Map]27 with Ethelbald, king of the Mercians, and put him to flight.

Note 27. Beorgforda, Ethelw.; Beorhtforda, Flor.; Hereford and Bereford, H. Hunt; Beorford, M. West. This battle of Burford has been considerably amplified by Henry of Huntingdon, and after him by Matthew of Westminster. The former, among other absurdities, talks of "Amazonian" battle-axes. They both mention the banner of the "golden dragon" etc.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 753. This year Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons, fought against the Welsh.

754 Canterbury Fire

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 754. This year died Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons; and Sebright, his relative, succeeded to the kingdom, which he held one year; Cyneard succeeded Humferth in the see of Winchester; and Canterbury, Kent [Map] was this year on fire.

In 756 Cuthred King of Wessex died. Sigeberht King of Wessex succeeded King Wessex.