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: Byron
Around 1412 Margaret Byron was born to [her father] John Byron (age 41).
In 1429 [her son] William Atherton was born to William Atherton (age 24) and Margaret Byron (age 17) at Atherton, Lancashire.
Around 1438 [her son] Nicholas Atherton was born to William Atherton (age 33) and Margaret Byron (age 26) at Atherton, Lancashire.
Before 1440 Robert Harcourt (age 29) and Margaret Byron (age 27) were married.
Around 1440 [her son] John Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 29) and Margaret Byron (age 28) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map]. He married Anne Norreys and had issue.
Before 1442 [her brother-in-law] Walter Blount 1st Baron Mountjoy (age 25) and [her sister] Helena Byron Baroness Mountjoy (age 25) were married.
Around 1443 [her son] Robert Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 32) and Margaret Byron (age 31) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
Around 1445 [her son] Thomas Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 34) and Margaret Byron (age 33) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
Around 1447 [her son] George Harcourt was born to [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 36) and Margaret Byron (age 35) at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
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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In 1465 [her father] John Byron (age 94) died at Clayton.
On 20th June 1465 [her brother-in-law] Walter Blount 1st Baron Mountjoy (age 49) was created 1st Baron Mountjoy. [her sister] Helena Byron Baroness Mountjoy (age 49) by marriage Baroness Mountjoy.
In 1468 [her sister] Helena Byron Baroness Mountjoy (age 52) died.
On 14th November 1470 [her husband] Robert Harcourt (age 60) was killed by an adherent of the Staffords with whom he had a long running feud for Robert having murdered Robert Stafford in 1448 at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
Monumental Effigies. [her former husband] Sir Robert Harcourt KG (died 1471) and Margaret (Byron) (age 59) his wife in Stanton Harcourt Church, Oxfordshire.
Robert Harcourt: On 20th September 1410 he was born to Thomas Harcourt at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map]. Before 1440 Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron were married. On 14th November 1470 Robert Harcourt was killed by an adherent of the Staffords with whom he had a long running feud for Robert having murdered Robert Stafford in 1448 at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
On 26th June 1485 [her son] John Harcourt (age 45) died.
On 25th May 1486 Margaret Byron (age 74) died at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map]. She was buried at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire [Map].
[her daughter] Joan Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron.
[her daughter] Agnes Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron. She married William Cope.
[her daughter] Elizabeth Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron.
[her daughter] Margaret Harcourt was born to Robert Harcourt and Margaret Byron.
William Atherton and Margaret Byron were married.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Maurice Berkeley and Margaret Byron were married. The difference in their ages was 28 years; she, unusually, being older than him.
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Byron 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Byron of Clayton
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Byron
GrandFather: Richard Byron
Father: John Byron