Annals of Kings Richard II and Henry IV 1393-1406
The Annals of Kings Richard II and Henry IV offers a vivid contemporary account of one of the most turbulent periods in late medieval England. Covering the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, the chronicle records royal ceremonies, political conflict, rebellion, war, taxation, religious controversy, executions, popular unrest and remarkable portents. Its pages include a detailed description of Richard II’s coronation, the fall and deposition of the king, Henry IV’s seizure of the throne, the Percy rebellion, the execution of Archbishop Richard Scrope, the campaigns of Owain Glyndŵr, and England’s relations with Scotland, France, Portugal and Scandinavia. Alongside affairs of state, the annalist preserves reports of miracles, eclipses, prophecies, supernatural events and the experiences of ordinary townspeople, clergy, soldiers and travellers. Written from a monastic perspective, the work combines political observation with moral judgement, presenting victories and disasters as evidence of divine favour or punishment. At once a historical record and a reflection of medieval belief, the Annals provides an invaluable window into the challenges, ceremonies and conflicts of England at the turn of the fifteenth century.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 8th March 1869 George Spencer Watson was born to William Spencer Burton Watson [aged 33].
From 1889 George Spencer Watson [aged 19] studied at the Royal Academy Schools. He exhibited from 1891 winning a Silver Medal in 1889 and 1891, and the Landseer Scholarship in 1892.
In 1900 George Spencer Watson [aged 30] was elected to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1904, Associate of the Royal Academy in 1923, and a Member of the Royal Academy in 1932.
On 17th September 1906 [his father] William Spencer Burton Watson [aged 70] died.
In 1909 George Spencer Watson [aged 39] and Hilda Mary Gardiner were married.
1911. George Spencer Watson [aged 41]. "Hilda and Maggie". Portrait of [his wife] Hilda Mary Gardiner.
Hilda Mary Gardiner: In 1909 George Spencer Watson and she were married.
On 7th May 1913 [his daughter] Mary Spencer Watson was born to George Spencer Watson [aged 44] and [his wife] Hilda Mary Gardiner.
1917. George Spencer Watson [aged 47]. Portrait of the artist's brother Lieutenant-Colonel Oliver Cyril Spencer Watson [aged 40].
Lieutenant-Colonel Oliver Cyril Spencer Watson: On 7th September 1876 he was born to William Spencer Burton Watson. On 28th March 1918 Lieutenant-Colonel Oliver Cyril Spencer Watson was killed in action. He was awarded the Victoria Cross - see The Gazette.
1922. George Spencer Watson [aged 52]. "A Lady in Black" aka "Miss Mullock".
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 format.
1922. George Spencer Watson [aged 52]. "Four Loves I found, a Woman, a Child, a Horse and a Hound". George Spencer Watson, [his wife] Hilda Mary Gardiner and [his daughter] Mary Spencer Watson [aged 8].
Mary Spencer Watson: On 7th May 1913 she was born to George Spencer Watson and Hilda Mary Gardiner. On 7th March 2006 she died. She bequeathed Dunshay Manor [Map] to the Landmark Trust.
In 1923 George Spencer Watson [aged 53] puchased Dunshay Manor [Map] in the hills of the Isle of Purbeck.
1924. George Spencer Watson [aged 54]. Portrait of 2nd Lieutenant William Gilbert Houldsworth (1891-1914) of the 1st Batallion, Scots Guard.
1924. George Spencer Watson [aged 54]. Portrait of Marcelle Azra Hincks, Countess Morphy, wearing a Spanish mantilla.
Around 1925. George Spencer Watson [aged 55]. "Sunlight Nude".
1926. George Spencer Watson [aged 56]. "Marishka".
1926. George Spencer Watson [aged 56]. "The Orange Dress".
1927. George Spencer Watson [aged 57]. "Nude".
1928. George Spencer Watson [aged 58]. "A Study from Life".
1929. George Spencer Watson [aged 59]. Portrait of a lady holding a parasol.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1929. George Spencer Watson [aged 59]. Portrait of Miss Dewitt wearing a leopard stole.
1929. George Spencer Watson [aged 59]. "Dorothy, daughter of F.J. Elliott Esq."
1932. George Spencer Watson [aged 62]. "Cynthia".
1932. George Spencer Watson [aged 62]. "Mary". Portrait of the artist's daughter Mary Spencer Watson [aged 18].
Before 1934. George Spencer Watson [aged 64]. Self-portrait.
Before 1934. George Spencer Watson [aged 64]. "'Baba' Beaton, Mrs. Alec Hambro". Portrait of Barbara "Baba" Beaton [aged 21].
Before 1934. George Spencer Watson [aged 64]. Portrait of the artist's wife Hilda Mary Gardiner.
On 11th April 1934 George Spencer Watson [aged 65] died.