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: Brodrick
Before 1656 [his father] St John Brodrick of Ballyannan in Cork and [his mother] Alice Clayton were married.
Around 1656 Alan Brodrick was born to [his father] St John Brodrick of Ballyannan in Cork and [his mother] Alice Clayton.
In or before 1685 Alan Brodrick [aged 28] and Catherine Barry were married.
Around 1685 [his son] St John Brodrick was born to Alan Brodrick 1st Viscount Midleton [aged 29] and [his wife] Catherine Barry. He married before 1724 Anne Hill, daughter of Michael Hill and Anne Trevor, and had issue.
In 1690 Michael Hill [aged 17] and [his future wife] Anne Trevor [aged 18] were married.
In 1696 [his mother] Alice Clayton died.
Before 31st January 1702 Alan Brodrick [aged 46] and Lucy Courthorpe were married.
On 31st January 1702 [his son] Alan Brodrick was born to Alan Brodrick 1st Viscount Midleton [aged 46] and [his wife] Lucy Courthorpe. He married 7th May 1729 Mary Capell Viscountess Midleton, daughter of Algernon Capell 2nd Earl Essex and Mary Bentinck Countess Essex, and had issue.
In 1703 [his wife] Lucy Courthorpe died.
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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On 20th April 1710 Alan Brodrick 1st Viscount Midleton [aged 54] and Anne Trevor [aged 38] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Midleton of Midleton in Cork.
In 1715 Alan Brodrick [aged 59] was created 1st Baron Brodrick of Midleton in Cork.
In 1715 Alan Brodrick 1st Baron Brodrick [aged 59] was created 1st Viscount Midleton of Midleton in Cork.
In 1717 [his step-son] Trevor Hill 1st Viscount Hillsborough [aged 24] was created 1st Viscount Hillsborough.
Before 1724 [his son] St John Brodrick [aged 38] and [his daughter-in-law] Anne Hill were married. They had at least four daughters.
On 21st February 1728 [his son] St John Brodrick [aged 43] died.
On 29th August 1728 Alan Brodrick 1st Viscount Midleton [aged 72] died. His son Alan [aged 26] succeeded 2nd Viscount Midleton of Midleton in Cork, 2nd Baron Brodrick of Midleton in Cork.
On 5th January 1747 [his former wife] Anne Trevor [aged 75] died.
Alan Brodrick 1st Viscount Midleton
GrandFather: Laurence Clayton of Mallow in Cork
Mother: Alice Clayton