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: Cooper
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Sheppard 1617
In 1796 [his father] Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 27] and [his mother] Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] George Spencer 4th Duke of Marlborough [aged 56] and [his grandmother] Caroline Russell Duchess of Marlborough [aged 52]. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury and Mary Bouverie Countess Shaftesbury [aged 65]. They were third cousin twice removed.
On 28th April 1801 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury was born to [his father] Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 32] and [his mother] Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury [aged 28].
On 14th May 1811 [his uncle] Anthony Ashley-Cooper 5th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 49] died. His brother [his father] Cropley [aged 42] succeeded 6th Earl Shaftesbury, 6th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 7th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. [his mother] Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury [aged 38] by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 10th June 1830 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 29] and Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury were married. She the daughter of Peter Nassau Clavering-Cowper 5th Earl Cowper [aged 52] and Emily Lamb Countess Cowper [aged 43]. He the son of Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 61] and Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury [aged 57].
On 27th June 1831 [his son] Anthony Ashley-Cooper 8th Earl Shaftesbury was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 30] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury. He married 22nd August 1857 Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester Countess Shaftesbury, daughter of George Chichester 3rd Marquess Donegal and Harriet Anne Butler Marchioness Donegal, and had issue.
In 1833 [his brother-in-law] George Augustus Frederick Cowper 6th Earl Cowper [aged 26] and Ann Florence Robinson Countess Cowper [aged 27] were married. She by marriage Countess Cowper. She the daughter of Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey [aged 51] and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey [aged 48]. He the son of [his father-in-law] Peter Nassau Clavering-Cowper 5th Earl Cowper [aged 54] and [his mother-in-law] Emily Lamb Countess Cowper [aged 45].
On 13th March 1833 [his son] Anthony Francis Henry Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 31] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 22nd July 1835 [his son] Anthony Maurice William Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 34] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 24th July 1836 [his son] Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 35] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury. He married (1) 28th July 1866 his third cousin once removed Sybella Charlotte Farquhar, daughter of Walter Rockliffe Farquhar 3rd Baronet and Mary Octavia Somerset Lady Farquhar, and had issue (2) 30th June 1891 Alice Elizabeth Cole, daughter of William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen and Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen.
On 21st June 1837 [his father-in-law] Peter Nassau Clavering-Cowper 5th Earl Cowper [aged 59] died. His son [his brother-in-law] George [aged 30] succeeded 6th Earl Cowper, 5th Baron Cowper of Wingham in Kent, 7th Baronet Cowper of Ratling Court in Kent.
On 23rd September 1837 [his daughter] Victoria Elizabeth Ashley-Cooper Baroness Templemore was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 36] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury. She married 8th January 1873 her fifth cousin Harry Chichester 2nd Baron Templemore, son of Arthur Chichester 1st Baron Templemore and Augusta Paget Baroness Templemore, and had issue.
On 7th September 1838 [his son] Anthony Lionel George Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 37] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
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 25th July 1842 [his daughter] Mary Charlotte Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 41] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 29th November 1845 [his daughter] Constance Emily Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 44] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 1st February 1847 [his daughter] Edith Florence Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 45] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 13th May 1849 [his son] Anthony Francis Henry Ashley-Cooper [aged 16] died.
On 8th August 1849 [his son] Anthony Cecil Ashley-Cooper was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 48] and [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 2nd June 1851 [his father] Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 82] died. His son Anthony [aged 50] succeeded 7th Earl Shaftesbury, 7th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 8th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 19th August 1855 [his son] Anthony Maurice William Ashley-Cooper [aged 20] died.
On 15th April 1856 [his brother-in-law] George Augustus Frederick Cowper 6th Earl Cowper [aged 49] died. His son Francis [aged 21] succeeded 7th Earl Cowper, 6th Baron Cowper of Wingham in Kent, 8th Baronet Cowper of Ratling Court in Kent.
On 22nd August 1857 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 8th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 26] and Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester Countess Shaftesbury were married. She the daughter of George Chichester 3rd Marquess Donegal [aged 60] and Harriet Anne Butler Marchioness Donegal [aged 58]. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 56] and Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 3rd September 1861 [his daughter] Mary Charlotte Ashley-Cooper [aged 19] died.
In 1862 Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [aged 42] appointed seven Knights of the Garter:
729th Charles Canning 1st Earl Canning [aged 49]. He died a month later.
730th Edward Adolphus Seymour 12th Duke of Somerset [aged 57].
731st. John Russell 1st Earl Russell [aged 69].
732nd Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 60].
733rd William Thomas Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 6th and 4th Earl Fitzwilliam [aged 46].
734th Prince Louis Hesse Darmstadt IV Grand Duke [aged 24].
735th Grand Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz [aged 42].
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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 1865 [his mother] Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury [aged 92] died.
On 28th July 1866 Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley-Cooper [aged 30] and Sybella Charlotte Farquhar [aged 20] were married. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 65] and Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury. They were third cousin once removed.
On 16th September 1872 [his daughter] Constance Emily Ashley-Cooper [aged 26] died.
On 15th October 1872 [his wife] Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury died.
On 8th January 1873 [his son-in-law] Harry Chichester 2nd Baron Templemore [aged 51] and Victoria Elizabeth Ashley-Cooper Baroness Templemore [aged 35] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She by marriage Baroness Templemore of Templemore in Donegal. She the daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 71] and Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury. They were fifth cousins.
Around 1877. John Collier [aged 26]. Portrait of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 75].
Before 5th October 1878 Francis Grant [aged 75]. Portrait of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 77].
On 1st October 1885 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury [aged 84] died. His son Anthony [aged 54] succeeded 8th Earl Shaftesbury, 8th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 9th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester Countess Shaftesbury by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 28 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 13 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cooper 1st Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury
Great x 2 Grandfather: Anthony Ashley-Cooper 2nd Earl Shaftesbury
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: David Cecil 3rd Earl Exeter
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Cecil
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Egerton Countess Exeter
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 1 Grandfather: Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Manners
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Grace Pierrepont
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Manners Countess Shaftesbury
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Montagu 1st Baron Montagu
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Montagu Countess Rutland
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Cotton 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Ewer of Bushey Hall in Hertfordshire
Great x 1 Grandmother: Jane Ewer Countess Shafetsbury 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Montagu 1st Earl Manchester
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Montagu
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Spencer
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Montagu
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Baynard
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Baynard
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ursula Stapleton
Father: Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury
9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward des Bouverie
Great x 2 Grandfather: William des Bouverie 1st Baronet
Great x 4 Grandfather: Jacob de la Forterie
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne de la Foterie
Great x 1 Grandfather: Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Urry of Mill Place, Isle of Wight
Great x 3 Grandfather: David Urry
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Urry Lady Bouverie
GrandMother: Mary Bouverie Countess Shaftesbury
Great x 2 Grandfather: Bartholemew Clarke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Clarke
Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury
10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Digby Countess Sunderland
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Russell Countess Bristol
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Charles Spencer 3rd Duke of Marlborough
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Winston Churchill
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough
14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Drake 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Churchill Countess Sunderland
15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Jennings
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Thornhurst
GrandFather: George Spencer 4th Duke of Marlborough
12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Trevor
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Trevor 1st Baron Trevor Bromham
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Trevor 2nd Baron Trevor Bromham
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Searle
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trevor Duchess of Marlborough
Mother: Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Russell 1st Duke Bedford
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Russell
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Carr Countess of Bedford
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford
9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Rachel Wriothesley
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Rachel Massue Countess Southampton
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Russell 4th Duke Bedford
10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Howland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Howland Duchess Bedford
Great x 4 Grandfather: Josiah Child
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Child
GrandMother: Caroline Russell Duchess of Marlborough
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Leveson-Gower 4th Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Baron Gower 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Granville Baroness Gower
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Gower 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Manners 1st Duke Rutland
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Manners Baroness Gower
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Noel Duchess Rutland
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Gertrude Leveson-Gower Duchess Bedford 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Pierrepont
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke Kingston upon Hull
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Evelyn
Great x 2 Grandmother: Evelyn Pierrepont Baroness Gower
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Feilding 2nd Earl Desmond 3rd Earl Denbigh
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Fielding Countess Kingston upon Hull
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Carey Countess Desmond and Denbigh
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England