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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 format.
Paternal Family Tree: Beckett
On 3rd March 1774 [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 30) and [his mother] Mary Wilson (age 25) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Bishop Christopher Wilson (age 60) and [his grandmother] Anne Gibson (age 47).
In 1785 Anne Smithson died. Her estates and those of her late husband passed to her great-niece Mary Harrison, then to her daughter Mary Midgeley (age 10) and then to her daughter [his future wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett and her husband Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet who adopted the surname Denison.
On 29th January 1787 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet was born to [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 43) and [his mother] Mary Wilson Lady Beckett (age 38).
On 2nd November 1813 [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 70) was created 1st Baronet Beckett of Leeds. [his mother] Mary Wilson (age 64) by marriage Lady Beckett of Leeds.
On 14th December 1814 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 27) and Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 19) were married.
In 1816 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 28) took the additional surname Denison in 1816 in accordance with the terms of the will of his wife's great-great-aunt, but reverted to Beckett only by royal licence when he succeeded his elder brother as 4th baronet in 1872.
On 12th May 1816 [his son] Edmund Beckett 1st Baron Grimthorpe was born to Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 29) and [his wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 21) at Carlton Hall, Newark on Trent. He married 7th October 1845 Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett, daughter of Bishop John Lonsdale and Sophia Bolland.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1823 [his mother] Mary Wilson Lady Beckett (age 74) died.
In 1826 [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 82) died. His son [his brother] John (age 50) succeeded 2nd Baronet Beckett of Leeds. Anne Lowther Lady Beckett by marriage Lady Beckett of Leeds.
On 10th September 1826 [his son] William Beckett-Denison was born to Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 39) and [his wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 31). He married 1855 Helen Duncombe, daughter of William Duncombe 2nd Baron Feversham and Louisa Stewart Baroness Feversham Duncombe Park, and had issue.
In 1841 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 53) was elected MP West Riding of Yorkshire which seat he held until 1847.
On 7th October 1845 [his son] Edmund Beckett 1st Baron Grimthorpe (age 29) and [his daughter-in-law] Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett (age 22) were married. She the daughter of Bishop John Lonsdale (age 57) and Sophia Bolland.
In 1848 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 60) was elected MP West Riding of Yorkshire which seat he held until 1859.
In 1855 [his son] William Beckett-Denison (age 28) and [his daughter-in-law] Helen Duncombe (age 23) were married.
On 17th November 1872 [his brother] Thomas Beckett 3rd Baronet (age 93) died. He was buried at Corringham, Lincolnshire, 22nd November 1872. His brother Edmund (age 85) succeeded 4th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 27th March 1874 [his wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 78) died.
On 24th May 1874 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 87) died. His son Edmund (age 58) succeeded 5th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gervase Beckett of Barnsley
GrandFather: John Beckett
Great x 2 Grandfather: Jonas Clarke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Clarke
Father: John Beckett 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Joseph wilson of Monk Bretton
GrandMother: Elizabeth Wilkson
Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Wilson
GrandFather: Bishop Christopher Wilson
Mother: Mary Wilson Lady Beckett
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bishop Edmund Gibson
GrandMother: Anne Gibson