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: Bertie
In 1560 [his daughter] Anne Bertie died.
On 25th December 1577 [his father] Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby [aged 22] and [his mother] Mary Vere Baroness Willoughby of Eresby were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] John de Vere 16th Earl of Oxford and [his grandmother] Margery Golding Countess of Oxford. He the son of Richard Bertie Baron Willoughby [aged 61] and Catherine Willoughby Duchess Suffolk [aged 58].
On 16th December 1582 Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey was born to [his father] Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby [aged 27] and [his mother] Mary Vere Baroness Willoughby of Eresby. His Godmother was Queen Elizabeth I [aged 49].
On 25th June 1601 [his father] Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby [aged 45] died at Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland [Map] where he was Governor. His son Robert [aged 18] succeeded 14th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. He was buried at St James' Church, Spilsby [Map].
On 15th February 1610 [his sister] Catherine Bertie [aged 15] died in childbirth. She was buried at St James' Church, Spilsby [Map].
Monument Elizabethan Period. Tall Sideboard Tomb with reclining hooded figure of Lady Katherine, daughter of Peregrine, with Chrisom Child in the crib at her feet. Above a standing figure of Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby in a niche, with strapwork embellishments, all supported on composite columns with a dentilated cornice. Possibly the work of Samuel Baldwin.
Catherine Bertie: Around 1595 she was born to Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby and Mary Vere Baroness Willoughby of Eresby. Sources are confused about her birth year stating she was born in 1610 and that she married in 1609. Date adjusted to around 1595 on the assumption she was married around twenty years of age. Her son died at six days old on 09 Feb 1610. Her father died in 1601. Sources also refer to her as Baroness Rockingham whereas she died some eleven years before her husband was created Baron Rockingham. In 1609 Lewis Watson 1st Baron Rockingham and she were married.
In 1605 Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 22] and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey were married. She by marriage Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
In 1608 [his son] Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 25] and [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. He married (1) 18th April 1627 Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness, daughter of William Cockayne and Mary Morris Countess Dover, and had issue (2) 1648 his second cousin Bridget Wray Countess Lindsey, daughter of Edward Wray and Elizabeth Norreys 3rd Baroness Norreys Rycote, and had issue.
On 1st January 1619 [his son] Robert Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 36] and [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. He married (1) Elizabeth Bennett (2) Mary Halsey (3) Alice Barnard.
Around 24th June 1624 [his mother] Mary Vere Baroness Willoughby of Eresby died.
On 17th October 1624 [his son] Edward Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 41] and [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
On 22nd November 1626 Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 43] was created 1st Earl Lindsey. [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey by marriage Countess Lindsey.
On 18th April 1627 Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey [aged 19] and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of William Cockayne and Mary Morris Countess Dover [aged 62]. He the son of Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 44] and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Before 2nd June 1629 John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland [aged 24] and [his sister-in-law] Frances Montagu Countess Rutland [aged 15] were married.
In 1630 King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 29] created four Knights of the Garter..
428th Richard Weston 1st Earl of Portland [aged 52].
429th Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 47].
430th William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 64].
431st James Hamilton 1st Duke Hamilton [aged 23].
In 1631 [his son-in-law] William Paston 1st Baronet [aged 21] and Lady Katherine Bertie were married. She the daughter of Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 48] and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
In 1636 [his daughter] Lady Katherine Bertie died in childbirth. Memorial in the Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map]. Bust carved by Nicholas Stone [aged 49]. 
Paston Arms and 
Bertie Arms.
Lady Katherine Bertie: she was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. In 1631 William Paston 1st Baronet and she were married. She the daughter of Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
In 1641 [his son] Francis Bertie was killed at Ireland.
On 29th March 1641 George Manners 7th Earl of Rutland [aged 61] died. His second cousin John [aged 36] succeeded 8th Earl of Rutland. [his sister-in-law] Frances Montagu Countess Rutland [aged 27] by marriage Countess of Rutland. Monument sculpted by Grinling Gibbons at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map].
On 13th April 1641 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford [aged 48] was attainted by 204 votes to 59 ostensibly for his authoritarian rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland. Despite his promise not to King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 40] signed the death warrant on the 10th May 1641 in the light of increasing pressure from Parliament and the commons.
Wenceslaus Hollar [aged 33]. Engraving of the Trial of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford with the following marked:
A. King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.
C. Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 31].
D. King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 10].
E. Thomas Howard 14th or 21st Earl of Arundel 4th Earl of Surrey 1st Earl Norfolk [aged 55], Lord High Steward.
F. Henry Montagu 1st Earl Manchester [aged 78], Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.
G. John Paulet 5th Marquess Winchester [aged 43].
H. Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 58], Lord Chamberlain.
I. Philip Herbert 4th Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Montgomery [aged 56], Lord Chamberlain of the Household.
V. Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford.
Z. Alethea Talbot Countess Arundel, Surrey and Norfolk [aged 56].
Before 27th June 1641 Unknown Painter. Portrait of Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 58].
On 23rd October 1642 the Battle of Edge Hill was fought at Edge Hill [Map]. The Royal army was commanded by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 41] (with his son King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 12] present), Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 22] and Richard Spencer [aged 49] commanded the army that included Maurice Palatinate Simmern [aged 21], Richard Byron 2nd Baron Byron [aged 36], Lucius Carey 2nd Viscount Falkland [aged 32], Charles Cavendish [aged 22], Henry Newton aka Puckering 3rd Baronet [aged 24], Spencer Compton 2nd Earl of Northampton [aged 41], Thomas Salusbury 2nd Baronet [aged 30], John Byron 1st Baron Byron [aged 43] and William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh [aged 55].
George Stewart 9th Seigneur D'Aubigny [aged 24] was killed.
Of the Parliamentary army Basil Feilding 2nd Earl Denbigh [aged 34] and Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 51]. Oliver St John 5th Baron St John [aged 39] was wounded.
Samuel Sandes [aged 27] commanded a troop of horse.
Richard Sandes [aged 26] was killed.
Thomas Strickland [aged 20] was knighted on the field for his gallantry.
Henry Hunloke 1st Baronet [aged 24] was knighted by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.
William Dugdale [aged 37] witnessed the battle and subsequently surveyed the battlefield.
John Hinton [aged 38] was present.
Edward Verney [aged 52] was killed.
John Assheton [aged 29] was killed.
Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 59] was killed. His son Montagu [aged 34] succeeded 2nd Earl Lindsey, 15th Baron Willoughby de Eresby.
William Pennyman 1st Baronet [aged 35] commanded a regiment, of which he served as Colonel, which he led for the King.
Edward Stradling 2nd Baronet [aged 42] fought for the King, was captured imprisoned for seven months, and died a month after his release.
After 23rd October 1642 Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [deceased] was buried at Church of St Michael and All Angels, Edenham [Map].
On 30th November 1654 [his former wife] Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey died.
The Times. 26th December 1910. We regret to state that Lord Ancaster [deceased] died on Saturday night at his Grimsthorpe, Bourne, Lincolnshire seat, in his 81st year.
Gilbert Henry Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, created first Earl of Ancaster in 1892, was Joint Hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain of England. This dignity is held jointly by Lord Cholmondeley [aged 27], Lord Ancastor, and Lord Carrington [aged 67]. The late peer filled it during the reign of Queen Victoria, Lord Cholmondeley during that of King Edward, and Lord Carrington fills it during the present reign.
He was born on October 1, 1830, and succeeded his father [aged 12] as second Lord Aveland on September 6, 1807, and his mother as 24th Lord Willoughby de Eresby on November 13, 1888.
Few noblemen possessed a longer lineage, for the lordship of Erresby in Lincolnshire was acquired by the family of Bee or Belec bv the marriage of Walter dc Bec with Agnes, daughter and heiress of Hugh Fitz Pincheon, a 12th century magnate of Lincolnshire. A John Beeke received permission from Edward I to make a castle of his manor house at Eresby and was summoned to Parliament as one of the barons of the realm. By his wife, Sarah, daughter of Thomas, Lord Furnival, be had, among other children, Alice, who was married to Sir William de Willoughby, one of those who went with Prince Edward to the Holy Land. His son, Robert, became first Lord Willoughby de Eresby. Subsequent holders of that title played a prominent part in the country's history at home and abroad. The 13th baron was created Earl of Lindsey. The [his great grandson] fourth Earl of Lindsey was created Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven in 1713. That dukedom became extinct with the death of the fifth Duke in 1809. The barony of Willoughby de Eresby fell into abeyance between the sisters of the fourth duke until it was terminated by the Crown in 1780 in favour of the elder co-heir, Priscilla Barbara Elizabeth, whom the first Lord Gwydir married in 1779. Their eldest son Peter Robert, 21st Baron Willoughby de Eresby, married the daughter of the first Lord Perth, and one of their daughters became in 1840 the wife of the second Lord Carrington. Almeric, the 22nd Lord Willoughby do Eresby and third Baron Gwydyr of Gwydyr, County Carnarvon, Joint Hereditary Great Chamberlain of England, died in August, 1870. The barony of Willoughby do Eresby again fell into abeyance between his lordship's surviving sisters, and it was terminated in favour of the elder, the Dowager Baroness Aveland, who married in 1827 Sir Gilbert John Heathcote, created Baron Aveland in 1856. Their eldest son was the late Lord Ancaster, whose sister, Clementina Charlotte [aged 78], married in 1869 Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, who died in her Majesty's ship Victoria in June 1893.
The late Lord Ancaster married in 1863 Lady Evelyn Elizabeth Gordon [aged 64], second daughter of the tenth Marquis of Huntly, by whom be had four sons and six daughters. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge, and sat as Member of Parliament for Rutland from 1856 to 1867. He was a magistrate for Kesteven and chairman of Quarter Sessions, lord of the manor of Thurlbv Baston and Langtoft, as well as chairman of the Stamford Division Conservative and Unionist Association; and was Lord Chamberlain during Queen Victoria's reign and contested the right to continue on King Edward's succession.
He is succeeded in the title by Lord Willoughby de Eresby [aged 43],??? for the Hornecastle Division of Lincolnshire, who is a major and hon. lieutenant-colonel of the Lincolnshire Yeomanry and was formerly an officer of the Leicestershire Yeomanry Cavalry. He married in 1905 Eloise Laurence [aged 28], eldest daughter of the late Mr. W. L. Breese, of New York, and has a son, Gilbert James [aged 3], born in 1907, and two daughters.
The late earl's other children include Major Charles S. Heathcote-Drunmond-Willoughby [aged 40], who married Lady Muriel Erskine, daughter of Lord Buchan [aged 60]; Major Claud Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby [aged 38], who married Lady Florence Astley [aged 43], youngest daughter of the third Marquis Ponyngham; Lady Evelyn Clementina [aged 46], wife of Major-General Sir Henry Peter Ewart; the Hon. Margaret Mary [aged 44], who was married to the late Mr. Gideon Macpherson Rutherford; the Hon. Cecilie [aged 36], wife of Mr. T. C. E. Goff; and Lady Dalhousie [aged 32]. The late peer assumed by Royal licence in 1872 the additional surnames of Willoughby and Drummond. He was a large landowner, owning Drummond Castle Crieff, and extensive deer forests in Perthshire and land in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Recently, however, he sold considerable portion of his estates, in many instances to the tenants who had the option of purchase. He was a very generous landlord, and was highly respected. He used Normanton Castle as his chief country house till Lord Willoughby de Eresby was married; then Normanton became the latter's home, and Lord Ancester lived at Grimsthorpe. He was president of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
[his daughter] Mary Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. She married (1) Abraham Shipman (2) John Hewett.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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[his son] Vere Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
[his daughter] Anne Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
[his son] Roger Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. He married Ursula Lawley.
[his son] Francis Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
[his son] Peregrine Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. He married Anne Hardeby.
[his son] Henry Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Bertie Lady Stapleton was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. She married 1661 Miles Stapleton 1st Baronet.
The South Forty Foot Drain aka Black Sluice is a man-made drain starting at Guthram Gowt [Map] that drains a large area of the Lincolnshire fen-land known as the Black Sluice Area aka Lindsey Level. The drain, or an early version of it was first constructed around 1635 when the Earl of Lindsey agreed with the Commissioners of Sewers for Lincolnshire to carry out drainage works which would make 150 km2 of land available for agricultural use. The South Forty Foot Drain drains the area bounded by Great Hale, North Kesteven [Map], Bourne, South Kesteven [Map], Pinchbeck [Map] and Boston [Map].
[his daughter] Sophia Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. She married Richard Chaworth.
[his daughter] Lady Katherine Bertie was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. She married 1631 William Paston 1st Baronet and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 15 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Bertie
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Bertie
GrandFather: Richard Bertie Baron Willoughby
Father: Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Willoughby of Parham 
7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Willoughby 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fitzalan 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Christopher Willoughby 10th Baron Willoughby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Lionel Welles 6th Baron Welles 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Cecily Welles 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan or Cecily Waterton
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Willoughby 11th Baron Willoughby 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Jenney
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Jenney Baroness Willoughby of Eresby
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Cawse
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cawse
GrandMother: Catherine Willoughby Duchess Suffolk 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Martín de Salinas
Great x 1 Grandmother: Maria de Salinas Baroness Willoughby
Great x 2 Grandmother: Josefa González de Salas
Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard de Vere 11th Earl of Oxford 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert de Vere 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Sergeaux Countess Oxford
Great x 2 Grandfather: John de Vere 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Courtenay 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Colbroke
GrandFather: John de Vere 16th Earl of Oxford 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Trussell
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Trussell
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Trussell
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trussell Countess of Oxford 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Donne
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Donne 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Leonard Hastings 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hastings 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Camoys 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Mother: Mary Vere Baroness Willoughby of Eresby 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Golding
GrandMother: Margery Golding Countess of Oxford
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tonge