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: Tufton
Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland was born to John Tufton 1st Baronet.
After 1574 [her future husband] Edward Hungerford and Jane Hungerford were married. They were fourth cousin once removed.
Before 10th December 1575 [her father] John Tufton 1st Baronet [aged 31] and Olympia Blore were married.
On 10th December 1575 [her father] John Tufton 1st Baronet [aged 31] and Christian Browne [aged 21] were married.
On 6th May 1602 [her future husband] Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 24] and Frances Knyvet Lady Bevill [aged 36] were married. He the son of John Manners 4th Earl of Rutland and Elizabeth Charlton Countess Rutland.
Before 3rd September 1602 [her half-brother] Nicholas Tufton 1st Earl of Thanet [aged 24] and [her sister-in-law] Frances Cecil Countess Isle Thanet [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 60] and Dorothy Neville Countess Exeter [aged 54]. They were fourth cousin once removed.
In or before 1607 Edward Hungerford and Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland were married.
On 5th December 1607 [her husband] Edward Hungerford died.
After 26th October 1608 Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 30] and Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland were married. He the son of John Manners 4th Earl of Rutland and Elizabeth Charlton Countess Rutland.
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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On 26th June 1612 [her brother-in-law] Roger Manners 5th Earl of Rutland [aged 35] died. He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map]. His brother [her husband] Francis [aged 34] succeeded 6th Earl of Rutland. Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland by marriage Countess of Rutland.
In 1613 [her son] Henry Manners died.
On 27th June 1618 William Cecil 16th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 28] died. His first cousin once removed [her husband] Francis [aged 40] succeeded 17th Baron Ros Helmsley. Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland by marriage Baroness Ros Helmsley.
On 5th March 1620 [her son] Francis Manners died.
On 16th May 1620 George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 27] and [her step-daughter] Katherine Manners Duchess Buckingham [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Buckingham. She the daughter of [her husband] Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 42] and Frances Knyvet Lady Bevill. He the son of George Villiers of Brokesby and Mary Beaumont 1st Countess Buckingham [aged 50].
On 18th May 1623 George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 30] was created 1st Duke of Buckingham by King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 56] for being his favourite; what favourite means is open to debate. [her step-daughter] Katherine Manners Duchess Buckingham [aged 21] by marriage Duchess of Buckingham.
On 2nd April 1624 [her father] John Tufton 1st Baronet [aged 80] died. His son [her half-brother] Nicholas [aged 46] succeeded 2nd Baronet Tufton of Hothfield. [her sister-in-law] Frances Cecil Countess Isle Thanet [aged 43] by marriage Lady Tufton of Hothfield.
On 1st November 1626 [her half-brother] Nicholas Tufton 1st Earl of Thanet [aged 48] was created 1st Baron Tufton. [her sister-in-law] Frances Cecil Countess Isle Thanet [aged 45] by marriage Baroness Tufton.
On 5th August 1628 [her half-brother] Nicholas Tufton 1st Earl of Thanet [aged 50] was created 1st Earl of Thanet. [her sister-in-law] Frances Cecil Countess Isle Thanet [aged 47] by marriage Countess of Thanet.
On 1st July 1631 [her half-brother] Nicholas Tufton 1st Earl of Thanet [aged 53] died at Sapcote, Leicestershire [Map]. His son [her nephew] John [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Earl of Thanet, 2nd Baron Tufton, 3rd Baronet Tufton of Hothfield. Margaret Sackville Countess Isle Thanet [aged 16] by marriage Countess of Thanet.
On 17th December 1632 [her husband] Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 54] died at Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire [Map]. On 20th February 1633 he was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map]. His daughter [her step-daughter] Katherine [aged 30] succeeded 18th Baroness Ros Helmsley. His brother [her brother-in-law] George [aged 52] succeeded 7th Earl of Rutland. Frances Carey Countess Rutland [aged 61] by marriage Countess of Rutland.
After 17th December 1642 Monument to [her former husband] Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland, Frances Knyvet Lady Bevill and Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map].
Detail of his Leg Garter.
Detail of the Manner's family Peacock in Pride.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1653 Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland died.
[her son] Francis Manners was born to Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland and Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland.
[her son] Henry Manners was born to Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland and Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland.