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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Short Parliament is in 1640-1649 Civil War and Regicide.
On 20th February 1640 Henry Berkeley of Bruton [aged 61] was elected MP Ilchester
John Glanville [aged 54] was elected Speaker of the House of Commons.
In April 1640 Samuel Sandes [aged 24] was elected MP Droitwich.
Thomas Jermyn [aged 67] was elected MP Cambridge University.
Thomas Jermyn [aged 23] was elected MP Corfe Castle, Dorset.
Henry Jermyn 1st Earl St Albans [aged 35] was elected MP Corfe Castle, Dorset.
John Jennings was elected MP St Albans.
Ambrose Browne 1st Baronet was elected MP Surrey.
John Curzon 1st Baronet [aged 41] was elected MP Derbyshire.
George Fane of Burston [aged 59] was elected MP Maidstone.
On 5th May 1640 King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 39] dissolved the Short Parliament.
In 1640 Thomas Lyttelton 1st Baronet [aged 47] was elected MP Worcestershire in the Short Parliament.
In 1640 Edward Phelips [aged 27] was elected MP Ilchester during the Short Parliament.
In 1640 Charles Berkeley 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge [aged 40] was elected MP Bath during the Short Parliament.
In 1640 Thomas Salusbury 2nd Baronet [aged 27] was elected MP Denbighshire during the Short Parliament.
In February 1640 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford [aged 19] was elected MP Shrewsbury during the Short Parliament.
In March 1640 Sidney Godolphin [aged 30] was elected MP Helston during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Edward Hussey 1st Baronet [aged 54] was elected MP Lincolnshire in the Short Parliament.
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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In April 1640 Anthony Hungerford [aged 32] was elected MP Malmesbury during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Gervase Holles [aged 33] was elected MP Grimsby in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 William Glynne was elected MP Caernarfonshire during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Dudley North 4th Baron North [aged 38] was elected MP Cambridgeshire in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 William Pierrepont of Thoresby [aged 32] was elected MP Shropshire during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Francis Pierrepont [aged 27] was elected MP East Retford during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Edward Rodney [aged 49] was elected MP Wells during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Philip Musgrave 2nd Baronet [aged 32] was elected MP Westmoreland in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 John Melbury Sampford Strangeways [aged 54] was elected MP Dorset during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Giles Strangeways [aged 24] was elected MP Weymouth and Melcombe Regis during the Short Parliament.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In April 1640 John Wray 2nd Baronet [aged 53] was elected MP Lincolnshire during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Christopher Wray [aged 39] was elected MP Grimsby during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Charles Cecil [aged 21] was elected MP Hertford during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Simon Archer [aged 58] was elected MP Tamworth during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 William Fitzwilliam 2nd Baron Fitzwilliam [aged 31] was elected MP Peterborough during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Henry Mildmay [aged 47] was elected MP Maldon during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 William Waller [aged 43] was elected MP Andover during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Edmund Waller [aged 34] was elected MP Amersham in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Thomas Tomkins [aged 35] was elected MP Weobley in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Henry Poole [aged 48] was elected MP Chichester during the Short Parliament.
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 April 1640 James Fiennes 2nd Viscount Saye and Sele [aged 38] was elected MP Oxfordshire in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 William Heveningham [aged 36] was elected MP Stockbridge during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Philip Sidney 3rd Earl of Leicester [aged 21] was elected MP Yarmouth Isle of Wight during the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Thomas Littleton 2nd Baronet [aged 19] was elected MP Much Wenlock in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Roger Twysden 2nd Baronet [aged 42] was elected MP Kent in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Framlingham Gawdy of West Harling [aged 50] was elected MP Thetford in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Thomas Godfrey [aged 54] was elected MP New Romney in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Thomas Liddell 1st Baronet [aged 62] was elected MP Newcastle upon Tyne in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Isaac Penington [aged 56] was elected MP City of London in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 John Glynne [aged 38] was elected MP Westminster during the Short Parliament.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In April 1640 Robert Bernard 1st Baronet [aged 39] was elected MP Huntingdon in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 Robert Crane 1st Baronet [aged 54] was elected MP Sudbury in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 William Jephson [aged 32] was elected MP Stockbridge in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 John Borlase 1st Baronet [aged 20] was elected MP Great Marlow in the Short Parliament.
John Evelyn's Diary. 11th April 1640. I went to London to see the solemnity of his Majesty's [aged 39] riding through the city in state to the Short Parliament, which began the 13th following,-a very glorious and magnificent sight, the King circled with his royal diadem and the affections of his people: but the day after I returned to Wotton, Surrey [Map] again, where I stayed, my father's [aged 53] indisposition suffering great intervals, till April 27th, when I was sent to London to be first resident at the Middle Temple: so as my being at the University, in regard of these avocations, was of very small benefit to me. Upon May the 5th following, was the Parliament unhappily dissolved; and, on the 20th I returned with my brother George to Wotton, Surrey [Map], who, on the 28th of the same month, was married at Albury to Mrs. Caldwell (an heiress of an ancient Leicestershire family1, where part of the nuptials were celebrated.
Note 1. A daughter of Daniel Caldwell, Esq., by Mary, daughter of George Duncomb, Esq., of Albury. She died 15th May, 1644, and he afterwards married the widow of Sir John Cotton.