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.
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Paternal Family Tree: Wray
Christopher Wray and Anne Girlington were married.
Christopher Wray educated Magdalene College aka Buckingham.
In or before 1524 [his father] Thomas Wray and [his mother] Joan Jackson were married.
In 1524 Christopher Wray was born to [his father] Thomas Wray and [his mother] Joan Jackson at Bedale.
On 6th February 1545 Christopher Wray [aged 21] admitted at Lincoln's Inn.
Around January 1550 Christopher Wray [aged 26] called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn.
In 1555 [his son] William Wray 1st Baronet was born to Christopher Wray [aged 31] and Anne Girlington. He married (1) 6th April 1580 Lucy Montagu and had issue (2) before May 1601 Frances Drury Lady Glentworth and had issue.
In 1562 Christopher Wray [aged 38] was appointed Reader at Lincoln's Inn at Lincoln's Inn.
In 1566 Christopher Wray [aged 42] was appointed Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn at Lincoln's Inn.
Around March 1567 Christopher Wray [aged 43] was appointed Reader at Lincoln's Inn at Lincoln's Inn.
On 18th June 1567 Christopher Wray [aged 43] was appointed Serjeant at Law at Lincoln's Inn.
In 1571 Christopher Wray [aged 47] was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 8th November 1574 Christopher Wray [aged 50] was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
On 6th April 1580 [his son] William Wray 1st Baronet [aged 25] and [his daughter-in-law] Lucy Montagu were married.
In 1582 Seventtenth Century copy.Unknown Painter. Portrait of Christopher Wray [aged 58].
In 1583 [his son-in-law] George St Paul 1st Baronet [aged 21] and [his daughter] Frances Wray Countess Warwick were married.
On 20th December 1583 Edward Arden [aged 50] was hanged, drawn and quartered at Smithfield [Map] for having plotted against Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 50] with his son-in-law John Somerville [deceased] who had implicated him during torture. He was tried by Christopher Wray [aged 59].
On 19th December 1583 John Somerville committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell.
The heads of John Somerville and Edward Arden were set on London Bridge [Map] next to the head of the Gerald Fitzgerald 14th Earl Desmond [deceased].
After 4th August 1586 Christopher Wray [aged 62] passed sentence of death on those implicated.
On 14th October 1586 Henry Compton 1st Baron Compton [aged 42], Lewis Mordaunt 3rd Baron Mordaunt [aged 48], Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth [aged 28], Christopher Wray [aged 62], John Stourton 9th Baron Stourton [aged 33] and Edward Zouche 11th Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 30] sat in judgement on Mary Queen of Scots [aged 43] in the Presence Chamber of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu [aged 57], George Clifford 3rd Earl of Cumberland [aged 28], Henry Clinton 2nd Earl Lincoln [aged 45], Henry Grey 6th Earl Kent [aged 45], Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 37], Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby [aged 55], Ambrose Dudley 3rd Earl Warwick [aged 56], George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 58], Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford [aged 36], William Somerset 3rd Earl of Worcester [aged 60], William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 66], Henry Herbert 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 48] and Thomas Bromley [aged 56] were present on the side of the Presence Chamber of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
John St John 2nd Baron St John [aged 51] was present on the left side of the Presence Chamber of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
John Stourton 9th Baron Stourton was a juror.
Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland was a commissioner.
On 14th April 1589 Philip Howard 13th or 20th Earl of Arundel [aged 31] was condemned to death and attainted. Earl Arundel, Baron Arundel forfeit. Elizabeth I never signed the death warrant; Howard was never told. Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby [aged 57] was present. Christopher Wray [aged 65] was one of the judges.
On 7th May 1592 Christopher Wray [aged 68] died. He was buried in St Michael's Church, Glentworth [Map]. Monument to Sir Chistopher and his wife Anne Girlington. Elizabethan Period. Elephant and Castle Crest. Pink, white and blue-grey marble. Two recumbent effigies, Sir Christopher above and a little behind his wife, he in red robes, black cap and thick ruff; she in black robes, large ruff and hood. Four kneeling white marble daughters below. Ornate tomb recess above with flanking pink marble columns with white and gold Corinthian Capitals. Undersurface of Recess decorated with white and gold bay leaves. Plaque inscribed above with raised plaque above with Sir Christopher's son at prayer flanked by coats of arms and obelisks.
Anne Girlington: she was born to Nicholas Girlington. Christopher Wray and she were married. After 7th May 1592 Anne Girlington was buried at St Michael's Church, Glentworth [Map]. Before 18th October 1602 John Darcy 2nd Baron Darcy Aston and Anne Babington were married. She by marriage Baroness Darcy of Aston. They were sixth cousins.
[his daughter] Isabel Wray Baroness Darcy was born to Christopher Wray and Anne Girlington. She married (1) Godfrey Foljambe (2) after 14th June 1595 William Bowes (3) 7th May 1617 John Darcy 3rd Baron Darcy Aston.
[his daughter] Frances Wray Countess Warwick was born to Christopher Wray and Anne Girlington. She married (1) 1583 George St Paul 1st Baronet and had issue (2) 1616 Robert Rich 1st Earl Warwick, son of Robert Rich 2nd Baron Rich of Leez and Elizabeth Baldry Baroness Rich Leez.