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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Chief

Chief is in Charges.

See: Chief Argent, Chief Azure, Chief Gules, Chief Indented, Chief Or, Chief Sable.

Chief. The Chief is the uppermost part of the arms occupying around one third of the arms.

NO IMAGE. Argent, a chief vairy or and gules a bend sable. Source.

Kitson Arms. Sable three fishes hauriant in fess argent a chief or. Source.

Dormer Arms. Azure, ten billets or 4,3,2,1 issuant from a chief of the second a demi lion rampant sable langued gules.

Chichester Arms. Chequy or and gules, a chief vair. Source.

Mortimer Arms. Barry or and azure, on a chief of the first two pallets between two base esquires of the second over all an inescutcheon argent. Source.

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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Palmer Arms. Or, two bars gules each charged with three trefoils of the first in chief a greyhound currant sable. Source.

Berkeley Arms. Gules a chevron between ten crosses pattee six in chief and four in base argent.

Chief Argent

Bacon Arms. Gules, on a chief argent two mullets pierced sable. Source.

Chief Azure

Chaplin Arms. Ermine a chief azure three griffin's heads erased or.

Clinton Arms. Argent, six cross crosslets fitchée sable three two and one on a chief azure two mullets or pierced gules. Source.

NO IMAGE. Argent, on a chief azure three mullets of the first.

Saluzzo Arms. Argent, a chief azure. Source.

Weston Arms. Ermine, on a chief azure five bezants.

Chief Gules

Around 1577 George Gower (age 37). Portrait of Richard Drake (age 42). The heraldic escutcheon shows seven quarters as follows:

1: Drake of Ash Arms. Drake of Ash in the parish of Musbury, Devon.

2: Argent, on a chief gules three cinquefoils of the first; Billet of Ash.

3: Gules, on a fess argent two mullets sable; Hamton of Rockbere and Ash.

4: Ermine, on a chief indented sable three crosslets fitchee or; Orwey of Orwey and Ash.

5: Barry of seven argent and sable.

6: Azure, six lions rampant argent crowned Gules, 3, 2, 1; Forde of Forde.

7: Argent, two chevrons sable (Esse/Ash of Ash); Esse or Ash of Ash.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

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Manners Arms. Or, two fess azure a chief gules.

St John Arms. Argent, a chief gules two estoiles or. Source.

Tailboys Arms. Argent, a saltire gules in chief gules three escallops argent. Source.

Tennant Arms. Argent, two crescents in fess sable on a chief gules a boar's head couped of the first. Source.

Worsley Arms. Argent, a chief gules. Source.

Chief Indented

Around 1577 George Gower (age 37). Portrait of Richard Drake (age 42). The heraldic escutcheon shows seven quarters as follows:

1: Drake of Ash Arms. Drake of Ash in the parish of Musbury, Devon.

2: Argent, on a chief gules three cinquefoils of the first; Billet of Ash.

3: Gules, on a fess argent two mullets sable; Hamton of Rockbere and Ash.

4: Ermine, on a chief indented sable three crosslets fitchee or; Orwey of Orwey and Ash.

5: Barry of seven argent and sable.

6: Azure, six lions rampant argent crowned Gules, 3, 2, 1; Forde of Forde.

7: Argent, two chevrons sable (Esse/Ash of Ash); Esse or Ash of Ash.

Butler Arms. Or, a chief indented azure. Source.

NO IMAGE. Or, a chief indented azure, a crescent for difference. Source.

Harsick Arms. Or, a chief indented sable.

Lathom Arms. Or, on a chief indented azure three plates. Source.

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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Perceval Arms. Argent, a chief indented gules three crosses pattee of the field. Source.

Chief Or

Chief Sable

Preston Arms. Or, a chief sable three crescents or.