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: Coventry
Before 1764 [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [age 5] and Catherine Henley were married. She the daughter of Robert Henley 1st Earl Northington [age 55] and Jane Huband. He the son of [his grandfather] George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [age 41] and [his grandmother] Maria Gunning Countess Coventry.
On 10th January 1783 [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [age 24] and [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [age 23] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. He the son of [his grandfather] George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [age 60] and [his grandmother] Maria Gunning Countess Coventry.
On 16th October 1784 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry was born to [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [age 26] and [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [age 24].
On 16th January 1808 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 23] and Emma Susanna Lygon were married. She the daughter of William Lygon 1st Earl Beauchamp [age 60] and Catherine Denn Countess Beauchamp. He the son of George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [age 49] and Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [age 48].
Around December 1808 [his son] George William Coventry was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 24] and [his wife] Emma Susanna Lygon. He married 15th March 1836 Harriet Anne Cockerell, daughter of Charles Cockerell 1st Baronet and Harriet Rushout.
On 3rd September 1809 [his grandfather] George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [age 87] died. His son [his father] George [age 51] succeeded 7th Earl Coventry. [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [age 49] by marriage Countess Coventry.
In 1810 [his wife] Emma Susanna Lygon died.
On 6th November 1811 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 27] and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 20] were married. She the daughter of Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [age 46] and Jane Moses. He the son of George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [age 53] and Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [age 51].
In 1812 [his daughter] Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 27] and [his wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 20]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. She married 9th May 1833 her fifth cousin Henry Fox 4th Baron Holland, son of Henry Vassal-Fox 3rd Baron Holland.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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Before 8th February 1812 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 27] and Sophia Dubochet [age 17] eloped together. Discovered after only one night both claimed nothing untoward had happened.
On 12th August 1815 [his father-in-law] Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [age 49] died. His son [his brother-in-law] Aubrey succeeded 7th Duke St Albans, 7th Earl Burford, 7th Baron Heddington, 4th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. He was four months old.
On 15th October 1815 [his son] Henry Amelius Beauclerk Coventry was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 30] and [his wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 24]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. He married 2nd August 1837 Caroline Stirling Dundas and had issue.
On 19th February 1816 Louisa Grace Manners Duchess St Albans [age 39] died. The same day her son [his brother-in-law] Aubrey Beauclerk 7th Duke St Albans died. His uncle William [age 49] succeeded 8th Duke St Albans, 8th Earl Burford, 8th Baron Heddington, 5th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. Maria Janetta Nelthorpe Duchess St Albans by marriage Duchess St Albans. Both at the home of her sister Laura Manners Countess Stair and her husband John Dalrymple 7th Earl of Stair [age 31] at Portman Square Marylebone.
On 26th March 1831 [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [age 72] died at Coventry House, Piccadilly [Map]. His son George [age 46] succeeded 8th Earl Coventry. [his wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 39] by marriage Countess Coventry.
On 9th May 1833 [his son-in-law] Henry Fox 4th Baron Holland [age 31] and Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox [age 21] were married. She the daughter of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 48] and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 42]. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 15th March 1836 George William Coventry [age 27] and Harriet Anne Cockerell [age 23] were married. He the son of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 51] and Emma Susanna Lygon.
On 2nd August 1837 Henry Amelius Beauclerk Coventry [age 21] and Caroline Stirling Dundas [age 22] were married. He the son of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 52] and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 46].
On 5th November 1838 [his son] George William Coventry [age 29] died.
On 15th January 1840 [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [age 80] died.
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.
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On 15th May 1843 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [age 58] died. His grandson George [age 5] succeeded 9th Earl Coventry.
On 11th September 1845 [his former wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [age 54] died.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Coventry 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Coventry
Great x 2 Grandfather: Walter Coventry of St Peter-le-Poor in London
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Coventry 5th Earl Coventry
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Holcombe of St Andrew's in Holborn
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Holcombe
GrandFather: George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Allen of Westminster
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Allen Countess Coventry
Father: George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Barnaby Gunning
GrandMother: Maria Gunning Countess Coventry
Great x 2 Grandfather: Theobald Bourke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Bridget Bourke
George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry
Mother: Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry