Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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Southwark, Surrey
Saint Leodegarius Church, Ashby St Ledgers
Soho Square
Coade's Artificial Stone Works
Cathedral Church St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne
St Bartholemew's Church, Tong
St Mary's Church, Rostherne, Tatton
St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton
St Andrew's Church, Wimpole
St Leonard's Church, Wollaton
Whitfield Chapel, Tottenham Court Road
John "The Elder" Bacon is in Sculptors.
On 24th November 1740 John "The Elder" Bacon was born to [his father] Thomas Bacon in Southwark, Surrey [Map].
On 21st September 1761 John Bentley Ashley [aged 59] died. Monument to John Bentley Ashley in Saint Leodegarius Church, Ashby St Ledgers [Map]. Sculpted by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 20]. Standing wall monument with two large allegorical figures flanking the inscription. Above them is a Sarcophagus on which is a Roman lamp on front of a black Obelisk. Also to James Ashley -1798. Simple Wall Monument with Urn and Obelisk. Also to Jane Pocock [aged 51] and by whose will the. Monument was erected.
John Bentley Ashley: he and Jane Pocock were married. Around 1702 he was born to Joseph Ashley of Great Broughton.
Jane Pocock: In 1710 she was born. On 13th June 1784 she died.
Around 1763 John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 22] attempted his first work in marble when he resided in George Yard on Oxford Road near Soho Square [Map].
On 2nd March 1767 John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 26] and Elizabeth Wade [aged 27] were married at St Saviour's Church, Southwark. They had three sons, one of which died in infancy, and three daughters.
In 1769 John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 28] was working at Coade's Artificial Stone Works [Map]. In 1771, Ms Coade appointed John "The Elder" Bacon works supervisor at her manufactory [Map]: he directed both model-making and design there until his death.
In 1774 John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 33] was gifted 17 Newman Street, Marylebone by a builder named Johson who much admired his work.
In 1777 [his son] John "The Younger" Bacon was born to John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 36] and [his wife] Elizabeth Wade [aged 37] at 17 Newman Street, Marylebone. He married 8th September 1801 Susanna Sophia Taylor and had issue.
On 6th April 1778 Matthew Ridley [aged 66] died. Monument at the Cathedral Church St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne [Map] sculpted by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 37].
After 1780. St Bartholemew's Church, Tong [Map]. The Durant Monument to George Durant of Tong Castle [aged 46] and others. The monument has been attributed to John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 39], Francis Leggatt Chantrey and Richard Westmacott [aged 4].
George Durant of Tong Castle: Around 1734 he was born. Before 25th April 1776 he and Maria Beaufoy were married. On 4th August 1780 he died. He was buried at St Bartholemew's Church, Tong [Map].
On 10th February 1780 Samuel Egerton [aged 68] died. On 19th February 1780 he was buried at St Mary's Church, Rostherne, Tatton [Map]. Monument sculpted by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 39]. Figures representing Hope and Patience.
The monument inscription describes those also buried in the vault: John Egerton, his wife Elizabeth Barbour buried 10th February 1743, her mother Elizabeth Hill [aged 85] buried 17th April 1713 and John and Elizabeth's daughter-in-law Beatrix Copley [aged 22] buried 1st May 1755.
On 1st February 1782 [his wife] Elizabeth Wade [aged 42] died.
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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In October 1782 John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 41] and Marthe Holland [aged 26] were married at Marylebone Church. They had five sons and one daughter.
On 7th December 1788 Anne Cust [aged 17] died. Monument in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Sculpted by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 48] in 1793.
Anne Cust: In 1771 she was born to Brownlow Cust 1st Baron Brownlow and Jocosa Drury Lady Cust.
On 2nd December 1792 Joseph Yorke 1st Baron Dover [aged 68] died without issue. Baron Dover extinct. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map].
Inscription panel surmounted by a sarcophagus with flanking trophies and small medallions of arms in the apron; signed 'J. Bacon Sculptor [aged 52]: London 1798'
On 22nd August 1793 John Thomas [aged 81] died. He has a memorial in the South Aisle of the Nave of Westminster Abbey. A grey and white marble with a bust and relief of the Holy Lamb, with a mitre and crozier behind. On either side are a chalice and paten and other emblems of the Eucharist made by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 52]. The inscription reads .... Sacred to the memory of the Right Reverend John THOMAS, Doctor of Laws, Bishop of Rochester, Dean of this Collegiate Church, and of the most honourable Order of the Bath. Having passed a well spent boyhood at Carlisle School, he gathered the riper fruits of learning at Oxford, whence, by reason of his intellect, his character, his humane and profound scholarship, he emerged as an ornament to the legal profession. His fame thereafter growing and duly spreading abroad, he adorned his offices by his worthiness, increased his riches by his bounty, governed this church with his wisdom, protected it by his authority, and instructed it by his example. Unweared in his labours, indefatigable in his studies, his constant principle was edification: until, having virtuously fulfilled all life obligations, and for long sore pressed by a cruel disease, which was borne however with indomitable patience, he resigned his soul to God on 20th August 1793 in his 81st year. It fell to the lot of his relative, G.A.T., A.M. [Master of Arts] to offer this vain tribute, this token of sorrow, mean though it be.
Before 1799 Joseph Theakston [aged 26] was a pupil of John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 58]. He also studied under John Flaxman [aged 43].
Before 4th August 1799. Monument to Francis Willoughby 3rd Baron Middleton, Thomas Willoughby 4th Baron Middleton, Henry Willoughby 5th Baron Middleton [aged 72] and Dorothy Cartright Baroness Middleton in St Leonard's Church, Wollaton [Map] sculpted by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 58]. The names of Henry Willoughby 5th Baron Middleton and Dorothy Cartright Baroness Middleton were either added later, or the monument completed by the workshop of John "The Elder" Bacon after his death on 4th August 1799.
Dorothy Cartright Baroness Middleton: In 1756 Henry Willoughby 5th Baron Middleton and she were married. On 2nd November 1781 Thomas Willoughby 4th Baron Middleton died. His first cousin Henry succeeded 5th Baron Middleton, 6th Baronet Willoughby of Wollaton. She by marriage Baroness Middleton. On 18th September 1808 she died.
On 7th August 1799 John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 58] died from inflammation of the bowels at his house in 17 Newman Street, Marylebone. His son John "The Younger" Bacon [aged 22] inherited his workshop and business, and completed his father's unfinished commissions: the statue of William Jones in St Paul's Cathedral, William Mason in Westminster Abbey, and a relief for East India House.
Cansisk's Monumental Inscriptions Volume 1 Whitefield's Chapel. Whitfield Chapel, Tottenham Court Road [Map]. Near this Place lies John Bacon [deceased], R.A.1, Sculptor; Who Died Aug. 7th 1799; aged 59 years; and left The Following Inscription For this Tablet: "What I was as an Artist seemed to me of some Importance While I lived; But What I really was, as a Believer in Christ Jesus, is the Only Thing of Importance to me now!"
Note 1. Bacon was born in Southwark, November 24, 1740, he was apprenticed to Mr. Crispe, a manufacturer of china, at Lambeth [Map], where he was employed in painting on porcelain. While here he had an opportunity of seeing the models sent by different sculptors to be burnt, and by them was inspired with a strong desire for his future profession. He was unremitting in his diligence, and his progress was so rapid that he obtained nine of the first premiums of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. The first of these was for a figure of Peace, in 1758, when he was only eighteen years of age. He was the first person to bring to perfection statues in artificial stone and cement, which has since been brought to great perfection. In 1769 he began to work in marble; and having invented an instrument for transfering the form of the model to marble, he saved a great deal of his time, and brought his instrument to be adopted by other sculptors. In 1769, he obtained from the Royal Academy the first gold medal given by that society, and the year following he was chosen an associate. While modelling the bust of George III. for the hall of Christ Church, Oxford, the King asked him if he had ever been out of the kingdom; and on being answered in the negative, "I'm glad of it," said his Majesty, "you will be the greater honour to it." His execution of this bust gained him the royal patronage, and he was employed in forming another for the university of Gottingen. Among his many works were the statue of Mars, Lord Chatham's monument in Guildhall, a beautiful monument in Bristol Cathedral, to Mrs. Draper, Lord Chatham, in Westminster Abbey, Howard, and Dr. Johnson's in St. Paul's Cathedral, besides a large number of others..
On 30th March 1802 [his former wife] Marthe Holland [aged 46] died.