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: Smithson
On 19th December 1715 Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland was born to [his father] Langdale Smithson (age 35).
On 22nd March 1729 [his grandfather] Hugh Smithson 3rd Baronet (age 72) died. His grandson Hugh (age 13) succeeded 4th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire. Monument in Church of St John the Baptist, Stanwick, North Yorkshire [Map].
Hugh Smithson 3rd Baronet: In 1657 he was born to Jerome Smithson 2nd Baronet. In 1684 Jerome Smithson 2nd Baronet died. His son Hugh succeeded 3rd Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire.
On 6th July 1740 Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 24) and Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 23) were married. She the daughter of Algernon Seymour 7th Duke of Somerset (age 55) and Frances Thynne Duchess Somerset (age 41).
On 14th August 1742 [his son] Hugh Percy 2nd Duke Northumberland was born to Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 26) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 25). He married (1) 2nd July 1764 his fourth cousin once removed Anne Stuart, daughter of John Stuart 3rd Earl Bute and Mary Wortley-Montagu Countess Bute (2) 23rd May 1779 Frances Julia Burrell Duchess Northumberland and had issue.
On 21st January 1750 [his son] Algernon Percy 1st Earl Beverley was born to Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 34) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 33). He married 8th June 1775 Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley and had issue.
On 7th February 1750 [his father-in-law] Algernon Seymour 7th Duke of Somerset (age 65) died. He was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey. Earl Hertford, Baron Beauchamp of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset and Baron Seymour of Trowbridge extinct. His half fifth cousin once removed Edward (age 55) succeeded 8th Duke Somerset. Mary Webb Duchess Somerset (age 53) by marriage Duchess Somerset. His daughter [his wife] Elizabeth (age 33) succeeded 2nd Baroness Percy. His nephew Charles (age 39) succeeded 2nd Earl Egremont.
In 1756 King George II of Great Britain and Ireland (age 72) created new Garter Knights as follows:
572nd William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire (age 35),
573rd Henry Howard 4th Earl Carlisle (age 61),
574th Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 40),
575th Francis Seymour-Conway 1st Marquess Hertford (age 37).
In 1761 [his father] Langdale Smithson (age 81) died.
In 1762 Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 46) was appointed Privy Council.
On 2nd July 1764 Hugh Percy 2nd Duke Northumberland (age 21) and Anne Stuart (age 19) were married. She the daughter of John Stuart 3rd Earl Bute (age 51) and Mary Wortley-Montagu Countess Bute (age 46). He the son of Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 48) and Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 47). They were fourth cousin once removed.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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In 1766 Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 50) was created 1st Duke Northumberland. [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 49) by marriage Duchess Northumberland.
On 8th June 1775 Algernon Percy 1st Earl Beverley (age 25) and Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley (age 24) were married at Syon House [Map]. He the son of Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 59) and Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 58).
Before 5th December 1776 [his daughter] Elizabeth Anne Frances Percy was born to Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 60) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 60).
On 5th December 1776 [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland (age 60) died. Her son Hugh (age 34) succeeded 3rd Baron Percy
Before 23rd May 1779 [his son] Hugh Percy 2nd Duke Northumberland (age 36) and [his daughter-in-law] Anne Stuart (age 34) were divorced.
On 23rd May 1779 Hugh Percy 2nd Duke Northumberland (age 36) and Frances Julia Burrell Duchess Northumberland (age 26) were married. He the son of Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 63) and Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland.
On 28th June 1784 Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 68) was created 1st Baron Lovain.
On 6th June 1786 Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland (age 70) died. His son Hugh (age 43) succeeded 2nd Duke Northumberland, 2nd Baron Lovain, 5th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire. Frances Julia Burrell Duchess Northumberland (age 33) by marriage Duchess Northumberland.
Before 2nd August 1788 Thomas Gainsborough (age 61). Portrait of Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland.
Great x 3 Grandfather: Antony Smithson
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh Smithson 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Jerome Smithson 2nd Baronet
GrandFather: Hugh Smithson 3rd Baronet
Father: Langdale Smithson
