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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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Extinct Marquessates of England

Extinct Marquessates of England is in Marquessates of England.

On 14th February 1492 William Berkeley 1st Marquess Berkeley (age 66) died. Marquess Berkeley, Earl Nottingham, Viscount Berkeley extinct.

Baron Berkeley Feudal retained by the King.

Maurice Berkeley 3rd Baron Berkeley (age 57) succeeded 3rd Baron Berkeley. Isabel Meade 3rd Baroness Berkeley by marriage Baroness Berkeley.

Execution of Anne Boleyn

On 19th May 1536 Queen Anne Boleyn of England (age 35) was beheaded at Tower Green, Tower of London [Map]. Unusually a sword was used. Her execution was witnessed by Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk (age 52), Catherine Carey (age 12) and Henry Fitzroy 1st Duke Richmond and Somerset (age 16). Marquess Pembroke extinct.

She was buried at St Peter ad Vincula Church, Tower of London [Map]. There is myth that her corpse was subsequently removed for burial at the Boleyn family church Church of St Peter and St Paul, Salle [Map] as described in Agnes Strickland's 1852 Lives of the Queens of England Volume 4. Page 212.

On 28th October 1571 William Parr 1st Marquess Northampton (age 59) died at Warwick Priory, Warwickshire [Map]. He was buried in the Chancel of St Mary's Church, Warwick [Map]. His funeral was paid for by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 38). Marquess Northampton and Earl Essex, Baron Parr of Kendal extinct.

On 31st August 1700 William Savile 2nd Marquess Halifax (age 35) died without male issue. Marquess Halifax, Earl Halifax, Viscount Halifax and Baron Savile of Elland extinct. His first cousin twice removed John (age 50) succeeded 6th Baronet Savile of Thornhill

On 1st February 1718 Charles Talbot 1st Duke Shrewsbury (age 57) died. Duke Shrewsbury and Marquess Alton extinct. His first cousin Gilbert (age 45) succeeded 13th Earl of Shrewsbury, 14th Earl Waterford.

The History of William Marshal, Earl of Chepstow and Pembroke, Regent of England. Book 1 of 2, Lines 1-10152.

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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On 5th June 1740 Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent (age 69) died without surviving male issue. Duke Kent, Marquess Kent, Earl Kent and Viscount Gooderich extinct. His granddaughter Jemima (age 16) succeeded 2nd Marchioness Grey.

Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] sculpted by Edward Shepherd.

On 22nd September 1773 Evelyn Pierrepont 2nd Duke Kingston upon Hull (age 62) died without issue at Holme Pierrepoint Hall, Nottinghamshire. He was buried at the Church of St Edmund, Holme Pierrepoint [Map]. Duke Kingston upon Hull and Marquess Dorchester, Earl Kingston upon Hull, Viscount Newark, Baron Pierrepont of Holme Pierrepoint extinct. He left all his wealth and property to his wife Elizabeth Chudleigh Duchess Kingston upon Hull (age 52) on the condition she remain a widow.

On 29th September 1789 James Brydges 3rd Duke Chandos (age 57) died without male issue. Duke Chandos, Marquess Carnarvon, Earl Carnarvon, Viscount Wilton, Baron Chandos of Sudeley and Baronet Brydges of Wilton in Herefordshire extinct. His wife Anne Eliza Gamon Duchess Chandos (age 52) had pulled away a chair, whether inadvertently or deliberately is unknown, he was about to sit in causing him injuries from which he ultimately died. She was, thereafter, declared a lunatic and confined to their London home, 2 Queen Anne Street aka Chandos House Marylebone.

On 11th January 1797 Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey (age 73) died at the family's London House, 4 Saint James' Square. Marquess Grey extinct. Her daughter Amabel (age 45) succeeded 5th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell. She was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] on 21st January 1797. Her will stated that she was to be buried in the vault "in as private a manner as may be consistent with proper decency. A Hearse with six horses, without any Ornament or Escutcheons and two Coaches with six horses each will be sufficient, without any Family Coach or Livery Servant. I would not have the Church hung with black or any Escutcheons to be used there nor any mourning rings given". It went on to give £50 to the poor of Flitton with Silsoe and of Clophill. She also gave her servant Jane Band an annuity of £40 per annum. She also stated: "It is my intention to erect a Monument in the Church at Flitton to the memory of my late Lord. If it shall happen that I do not carry this my intention into execution I then direct that one shall be placed there to his memory and mine plain and neat in the design but not magnificent or expensive and that the same be placed in the Division now empty on the right hand side of the Duke of Kent's Monument". In fact she did raise Hardwicke's monument in his lifetime as it states that she did so and 'waits to follow him'. The eulogy on the monument reads: "Her excellent & cultivated understanding, her serene & benevolent temper, her polished manners, her domestic virtues and exemplary piety will ever be revered and regretted by her children, relations and friends". In a codicil to her will she wrote: "I desire my Body to be kept as long as is proper and then buried with Lime in the Coffin to promote a speedier dissolution". She also willed "If any letters or papers are found in my handwriting which have been returned to me from Friends I correspond with not burnt (which it is my intention to do) I desire my Executrix will burn them".

Amabel Yorke Countess Grey: On 22nd February 1751 she was born to Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey. In 1816 Amabel Yorke Countess Grey was created 1st Countess de Grey with a special remainder to her sister Mary Jemima Yorke Baroness Grantham and her sister's male heirs.

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On 8th February 1809 Brownlow Bertie 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 79) died without male issue at Grimsthorpe, South Kesteven. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Swinstead [Map] on 17th February 1809. Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, Marquess Lindsay extinct. His third cousin Albermarle (age 64) succeeded 9th Earl Lindsey.

Sculpted by Richard Westmacott (age 33). A handsome white marble wall tablet in Grecian style depicting deceased and wife on a catafalque with mourning female figure, flanked by mother, children and angel. Above a scrolled cornice with Ducal coronet and palm. Beneath a rectangular inscription panel, flanked by scrolled brackets.

On 9th August 1823 Charles Cornwallis 2nd Marquess Cornwallis (age 48) died. Marquess Cornwallis extinct. His uncle James (age 80) succeeded 4th Earl Cornwallis, 8th Baron Cornwallis.

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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