Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Paternal Family Tree: Stonhouse
On 28th August 1603 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet was born to [his father] William Stonhouse 1st Baronet [aged 47].
In 1632 [his father] William Stonhouse 1st Baronet [aged 76] died. His son [his brother] William [aged 31] succeeded 2nd Baronet Stonhouse of Radley.
On 14th June 1632 William Stonhouse 2nd Baronet [aged 31] died. His brother George [aged 28] succeeded 3rd Baronet Stonhouse of Radley.
On or after 22nd April 1633, the date of the licence, George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 29] and Margaret Lovelace [aged 18] were married.
Around 1638 [his son] George Stonhouse 4th Baronet was born to George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 34] and [his wife] Margaret Lovelace [aged 23].
In 1639 [his son] John Stonhouse 2nd Baronet was born to George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 35] and [his wife] Margaret Lovelace [aged 24]. He married on or after 10th October 1668 Martha Briggs and had issue.
In 1640 [his son] James Stonehouse was born to George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 36] and [his wife] Margaret Lovelace [aged 25].
In April 1640 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 36] was elected MP Abingdon.
In November 1640 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 37] was elected MP Abingdon which seat he held until 22 Jan 1644.
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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On 23rd May 1660 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 56] was elected MP Abingdon.
In 1661 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 57] was elected MP Abingdon which seat he held until his death on 31 Mar 1675.
In 1665 [his son] James Stonehouse [aged 25] died.
On or after 10th October 1668 [his son] John Stonhouse 2nd Baronet [aged 29] and [his daughter-in-law] Martha Briggs were married. The license was dated 10th October 1668.
In 1670 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 66] was created 1st Baronet Stonhouse of Radley. He was attempting to disinherit his eldest son George Stonhouse 4th Baronet [aged 32], for unknown reasons, by surrendering the original Baronetcy and creating a new one with remainder to his younger sons, and with the precedency of the original creation. The plan failed when his eldest son successfully claimed the original baronetcy, while his younger brother John succeeded in the baronetcy created by the new patent. The two Baronetcies were subsequently combined on the failure of the male line of George Stonhouse 4th Baronet.
On 31st March 1675 George Stonhouse 1st and 3rd Baronet [aged 71] died. His son George [aged 37] succeeded 4th Baronet Stonhouse of Radley. His son John [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Baronet Stonhouse of Radley.
Around 1693 [his former wife] Margaret Lovelace [aged 78] died.