Text this colour is a link for Members only. Support us by becoming a Member for only £3 a month by joining our 'Buy Me A Coffee page'; Membership gives you access to all content and removes ads.

Text this colour links to Pages. Text this colour links to Family Trees. Place the mouse over images to see a larger image. Click on paintings to see the painter's Biography Page. Mouse over links for a preview. Move the mouse off the painting or link to close the popup.



All About History Books

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.

Biography of Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton 1605-1670

Paternal Family Tree: Hatton

On 13th March 1602 [his father] Christopher Hatton of Clay Hall in Essex and [his mother] Alice Fanshawe were married.

On 28th June 1605 Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton was born to Christopher Hatton of Clay Hall in Essex and Alice Fanshawe.

On 10th September 1619 [his father] Christopher Hatton of Clay Hall in Essex died intestate. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

On 8th May 1630 Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Hatton were married in Hackney.

In 1632 [his son] Christopher Hatton 1st Viscount Hatton was born to Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton and [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Hatton.

On 11th November 1635 [his son] Charles Hatton was born to Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton and [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Hatton.

1640. Holy Trinity Church, Blatherwycke. Monument to Thomas Randolph commissioned by Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton. Sculpted by Nicholas Stone. Epitaph written by Peter Hausted.

Thomas Randolph: On 15th June 1605 he was born to William Randolph at Newnham, Northamptonshire. He was baptised on 18th June 1605. Before 17th March 1635 he died at Blatherwycke Hall whilst visiting there. On 17th March 1635 Thomas Randolph was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Blatherwycke.

Peter Hausted: Around 1605 he was born at Oundle, Northamptonshire. On 20th July 1644 he died at the Siege of Banbury Castle.

On 29th January 1643 Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton was created 1st Baron Hatton. [his wife] Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Hatton by marriage Baroness Hatton.

John Evelyn's Diary. 4th July 1649. Visited [his wife] Baroness Hatton, her lord sojourning at Paris with my father-in-law.

John Evelyn's Diary. 7th September 1649. Went with my wife and dear Cousin to St. Germains, and kissed the Queen-Mother's hand; dined with my Lord Keeper and Lord Hatton. Divers of the great men of France came to see the King. The next day, came the Prince of Condé. Returning to Paris, we went to see the President Maison's palace, built castle-wise, of a milk-white fine freestone; the house not vast, but well contrived, especially the staircase, and the ornaments of Putti, about it. It is environed in a dry moat, the offices under ground, the gardens very excellent with extraordinary long walks, set with elms, and a noble prospect toward the forest, and on the Seine toward Paris. Take it altogether, the meadows, walks, river, forest, corn-ground, and vineyards, I hardly saw anything in Italy to exceed it. The iron gates are very magnificent. He has pulled down a whole village to make room for his pleasure about it.

John Evelyn's Diary. 7th May 1650. I went with Sir Richard Browne's lady and my wife, together with the Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Ossory and his brother, to Vamber, a place near the city famous for butter; when, coming homeward, being on foot, a quarrel arose between Lord Ossory and a man in a garden, who thrust Lord Ossory from the gate with uncivil language; on which our young gallants struck the fellow on the pate, and bade him ask pardon, which he did with much submission, and so we parted. But we were not gone far before we heard a noise behind us, and saw people coming with guns, swords, staves, and forks, and who followed, flinging stones; on which, we turned, and were forced to engage, and with our swords, stones, and the help of our servants (one of whom had a pistol) made our retreat for near a quarter of a mile, when we took shelter in a house, where we were besieged, and at length forced to submit to be prisoners. Lord Hatton, with some others, were taken prisoners in the flight, and his lordship was confined under three locks and as many doors in this rude fellow's master's house, who pretended to be steward to Monsieur St. Germain, one of the presidents of the Grand Chambre du Parlement, and a Canon of Nôtre Dame. Several of us were much hurt. One of our lackeys escaping to Paris, caused the bailiff of St. Germain to come with his guard and rescue us. Immediately afterward, came Monsieur St. Germain himself, in great wrath, on hearing that his housekeeper was assaulted; but when he saw the King's officers, the gentlemen and noblemen, with his Majesty's Resident and understood the occasion, he was ashamed of the accident, requesting the fellow's pardon, and desiring the ladies to accept their submission and a supper at his house. It was ten o'clock at night ere we got to Paris, guarded by Prince Griffith (a Welsh hero going under that name, and well known in England for his extravagancies), together with the scholars of two academies, who came forth to assist and meet us on horseback, and would fain have alarmed the town we received the affront from: which, with much ado, we prevented.

Become a Member via our 'Buy Me a Coffee' page to read complete text.

John Evelyn's Diary. 1st November 1650. Took leave of my Lord Stanhope, going on his journey toward Italy; also visited my Lord Hatton, Comptroller of his Majesty's Household, the Countess of Morton, Governess to the Lady Henrietta, and Mrs. Gardner, one of the Queen's maids of honor.

John Evelyn's Diary. 25th August 1654. To see Kirby, a very noble house of my Lord Hatton's, in Northamptonshire, built à la moderne; the garden and stables agreeable, but the avenue ungraceful, and the seat naked: returned that evening.

John Evelyn's Diary. 21st April 1657. Came Sir Thomas Hanmer, of Hamner, in Wales, to see me. I then waited on my Lord Hatton, with whom I dined: at my return, I stepped into Bedlam, where I saw several poor, miserable creatures in chains; one of them was mad with making verses. I also visited the Charter House, formerly belonging to the Carthusians, now an old, neat, fresh, solitary college for decayed gentlemen. It has a grove, bowling green, garden, chapel, and a hall where they eat in common. I likewise saw Christ Church and Hospital, a very good Gothic building; the hall, school, and lodgings in great order for bringing up many hundreds of poor children of both sexes; it is an exemplary charity. There is a large picture at one end of the hall, representing the governors, founders, and the institution.

John Evelyn's Diary. 3rd August 1661. Came my Lord Hatton, Comptroller of his Majesty's household to visit me.

On 12th February 1667 [his son] Christopher Hatton 1st Viscount Hatton and [his daughter-in-law] Cicely Tufton Viscountess Hatton were married. She by marriage Viscountess Hatton. She the daughter of John Tufton 2nd Earl of Thanet and Margaret Sackville Countess Isle Thanet.

On 4th June 1670 Christopher Hatton 1st Baron Hatton died. [his son] Christopher Hatton 1st Viscount Hatton succeeded 2nd Baron Hatton.

In 1672 [his former wife] Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Hatton died at Castle Cornet, Guernsey after lightning struck a powder magazine.