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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Earl Bessborough is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
1739. Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough [aged 60] created.
4th July 1758. Son William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 54] succeeded.
11th March 1793. Son Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 35] succeeded.
3rd February 1844. Son John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 62] succeeded.
16th May 1847. Son John George Brabazon Ponsonby 5th Earl Bessborough [aged 37] succeeded.
28th January 1880. Brother Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby 6th Earl Bessborough [aged 64] succeeded.
11th March 1895. Brother Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby 7th Earl Bessborough [aged 73] succeeded.
24th February 1906. Son Edward Ponsonby 8th Earl Bessborough [aged 54] succeeded.
1st December 1920. Son Vere Brabazon Ponsonby 9th Earl Bessborough [aged 40] succeeded.
1956. Son Frederick Edward Neuflize Ponsonby 10th Earl Bessborough [aged 42] succeeded.
5th December 1993. First Cousin Arthur Mountifort Longfield Ponsonby 11th Earl Bessborough [aged 80] succeeded.
5th April 2002. Son Myles Fitzhugh Ponsonby 12th Earl Bessborough [aged 61] succeeded.
In 1739 Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough [aged 60] was created 1st Earl Bessborough.
On 4th July 1758 Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough [aged 79] died. His son William [aged 54] succeeded 2nd Earl Bessborough, 3rd Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 3rd Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny. Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough [aged 39] by marriage Countess Bessborough.
On 27th November 1780 Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 22] and Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Bessborough. She the daughter of John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 45] and Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 43]. He the son of William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 76] and Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough. They were fifth cousins.
On 11th March 1793 William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 89] died. His son Frederick [aged 35] succeeded 3rd Earl Bessborough, 4th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 4th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 3rd February 1844 Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 86] died. His son John [aged 62] succeeded 4th Earl Bessborough, 5th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 5th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 16th May 1847 John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 65] died. His son John [aged 37] succeeded 5th Earl Bessborough, 6th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 6th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 4th October 1849 John George Brabazon Ponsonby 5th Earl Bessborough [aged 39] and Caroline Amelia Gordon-Lennox Countess Bessborough [aged 30] were married. She by marriage Countess Bessborough. She the daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox 5th Duke Richmond [aged 58] and Caroline Paget Duchess Richmond [aged 53]. He the son of John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough and Maria Fane. They were fifth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 28th January 1880 John George Brabazon Ponsonby 5th Earl Bessborough [aged 70] died. His brother Frederick [aged 64] succeeded 6th Earl Bessborough, 7th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 7th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 11th March 1895 Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby 6th Earl Bessborough [aged 79] died. His brother Walter [aged 73] succeeded 7th Earl Bessborough, 8th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 8th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny. Louisa Susan Cornwallis Eliot Countess Bessborough [aged 69] by marriage Countess Bessborough.
On 24th February 1906 Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby 7th Earl Bessborough [aged 84] died. His son Edward [aged 54] succeeded 8th Earl Bessborough, 9th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 9th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny. Blanche Vere Guest Countess Bessborough [aged 59] by marriage Countess Bessborough.
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.
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On 1st December 1920 Edward Ponsonby 8th Earl Bessborough [aged 69] died. His son Vere [aged 40] succeeded 9th Earl Bessborough, 10th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 10th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
In 1956 Vere Brabazon Ponsonby 9th Earl Bessborough [aged 76] died. His son Frederick [aged 42] succeeded 10th Earl Bessborough, 11th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 11th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 5th December 1993 Frederick Edward Neuflize Ponsonby 10th Earl Bessborough [aged 80] died. His first cousin Arthur [aged 80] succeeded 11th Earl Bessborough, 12th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 12th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 5th April 2002 Arthur Mountifort Longfield Ponsonby 11th Earl Bessborough [aged 89] died. His son Myles [aged 61] succeeded 12th Earl Bessborough, 13th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 13th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.