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The 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. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.
Chronicle of the Kings of England by Richard Baker is in Late Medieval Books.
1st December 1135. King Henry surfeiteth of eating of Lamprey
A discontent of minde upon some differences between him and his son-in-law, the Earl of Anjou, brought upon him a distemper which encreased by eating against his Physicians advice, of a Lamprey, a meat alwayes pleasing to him, but never agreeing with him, cast him into a Feaver, which in few dayes put a period to his life: So certain it is, that one intemperate action is enough to overthrow the temperance of a whole life; as of this King Henry it is said, that he feldom did eat but when he was hungry never did drink but when he was a thirst: yet this but once yieldiing to his sensual appetite, made him forfeit all benefit of his former abstinence, though some write he took his death by a fall off his Horse. He dyed upon the first of December at night, in the year 1155. when he had reigned five and thirty years, lived threescore and seven.
26th December 1135 ... and so upon St. Stephen's day, in Anno 1135, he [King Stephen I England (age 41)] was Crowned at Westminster, in the presence of but three Bishops, few of the Nobility, and not one Abbit, by William Archbishop of Canterbury, with great solemnity.
19th March 1330. For another Parliament being holden at Winchester, Edmund Earl of Kent (age 28), the Kings Uncle, is there accused, and condemned upon his confession, for intending to restore his Brother, the late King Edward; an intention only without any fact, yet condemned he was, and brought to the Scaffold: but generally so beloved of the people, that he stood on the Scaffold from one a Clock till five, before any Executioner could be found that would do the Office; till at last a silly wretch of the Marshalsey [Map] was gotten to cut off his head.
But the Authors of his death escaped not long themselves, for in the third year of the Kings Reign, another Parliament is holden at Nottingham, wherein the Queen hath all her great Joynture taken from her, and is put to her Pension of a thousand pounds a year, and her self confined to a Castle, where she remained the rest of her dayes, no fewer then thirty years. A time long enough to finde that her being the Daughter of a King, the Sister of a King, the Wife of a King, and the Mother of a King, were glorious Titles, but all not worth the liberty of a mean Estate.
[19th October 1330] And as for Mortimer, (lying then in the Castle of Nottingham and lately created Earl of the Marches of Wales) he was seised on in this manner; the King taking with him William Montacute (age 29), Robert Holland, and others, go secretly one night by Torch-light, through a privy way under ground, till they come to the Queens (age 35) Chamber; where leaving the King without, they entred and found the Queen with Mortimer (age 43), ready to go to bed: then laying hands on him, they led him forth, after whom the Queen followed, crying, Bel fits, ayes pitie du gentil Mortimer; good fon, good fon, take pity upon the gentle Mortimer, suspecting that her son had been among them. This course was taken to apprehend him for avoiding of tumult, he having no fewer then ninescore Knights and Gentlemen, besides other meaner servants continually about him.
29th November 1330. But thus seised on, he is committed presently to the Tower, accused of divers great crimes, whereof these were chief; That he had procured the late Kings death; That he had been the Author of the Scots safe escaping st Stanhope Park, corrupted with the gift of thirty thousand pounds; That he had procured the late Marriage and Peace with Scotland, so dishononrable to the King and Kingdom; That he had been too familiar with the Queen, as by whom she was thought to be with Childe. Of which Articles he was found guilty and condemned; and thereupon is drawn and hanged upon the common Gallows at.the Elms, now called Tyburn, where his body remained two dayes as an opprobrious spectacle for all beholders.