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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In 1712 John Thomas was born to John Thomas and Ann Kelsick in Carlisle, Cumberland [Map].
In or before 1721 Charles Blackwell 2nd Baronet [aged 20] and [his future wife] Anne Clayton Lady Blackwell were married.
On 27th October 1727 Lambert Blackwell 1st Baronet died. His son Charles [aged 27] succeeded 2nd Baronet Blackwell of Sprowston Hall in Norfolk. [his future wife] Anne Clayton Lady Blackwell by marriage Lady Blackwell of Sprowston Hall in Norfolk.
On 27th March 1737 John Thomas [aged 25] was ordained
On 27th January 1738 John Thomas [aged 26] became Rector of Bletchingley in Surrey, a living in the gift of William Clayton of Hambledon in Buckinghamshire whose daughter [his future wife] Anne Clayton Lady Blackwell he would subsequently marry.
On 19th August 1742 John Thomas [aged 30] and Anne Clayton Lady Blackwell were married at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall Palace. There was no issue. She the sister of his former pupil William Clayton 1st Baronet.
In 1747 [his father] John Thomas died.
In 1768 John Thomas [aged 56] was appointed Dean of Westminster Abbey.
On 7th July 1772 [his wife] Anne Clayton Lady Blackwell died.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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In 1774 John Thomas [aged 62] was appointed Bishop of Rochester.
Archaeologia Volume 3 Section XLIII. In the year 1770, our worthy and truly respectable member the Honourable Daines Barrington [aged 47], whose incessant literary pursuits are confessedly employed for the emolument as well as the edification of the public, stated to the Society the above circumstances, together with his sentiments thereon. At the same time, he expressed his ardent wishies, that the corpse of Edward the First, as entombed in the collegiate church of St. Peter at Westminster, might be inspected, in order to examine the state of preservation in which it then was; and whether any remains of the composition, supposed to have been used to prevent its decay, were discoverabled. His zeal for obtaining such inspection did not however rest satisfied with having barely propounded his wishes to the Society, he frequently applied to the Reverend Dr. John Thomas [aged 62], the dean of Westminstere by means of his learned friend Dr. Blair, one of the prebendaries of that church, for leave to open the royal tomb.
Note d. In three letters read at the Society of Antiquaries on the 25th of January, and 1st of February, 1770.
Note e. Now bishop of Rochester.
Before 12th January 1775 Unknown Baldwin and [his future wife] Elizabeth Baldwin were married.
On 12th January 1775 John Thomas [aged 63] and Elizabeth Baldwin were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. There was no issue.
On 22nd August 1793 John Thomas [aged 81] died. He has a memorial in the South Aisle of the Nave of Westminster Abbey. A grey and white marble with a bust and relief of the Holy Lamb, with a mitre and crozier behind. On either side are a chalice and paten and other emblems of the Eucharist made by John "The Elder" Bacon [aged 52]. The inscription reads .... Sacred to the memory of the Right Reverend John THOMAS, Doctor of Laws, Bishop of Rochester, Dean of this Collegiate Church, and of the most honourable Order of the Bath. Having passed a well spent boyhood at Carlisle School, he gathered the riper fruits of learning at Oxford, whence, by reason of his intellect, his character, his humane and profound scholarship, he emerged as an ornament to the legal profession. His fame thereafter growing and duly spreading abroad, he adorned his offices by his worthiness, increased his riches by his bounty, governed this church with his wisdom, protected it by his authority, and instructed it by his example. Unweared in his labours, indefatigable in his studies, his constant principle was edification: until, having virtuously fulfilled all life obligations, and for long sore pressed by a cruel disease, which was borne however with indomitable patience, he resigned his soul to God on 20th August 1793 in his 81st year. It fell to the lot of his relative, G.A.T., A.M. [Master of Arts] to offer this vain tribute, this token of sorrow, mean though it be.