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: Samuel aka Montagu
Before 21st December 1832 [his father] Louis Samuel (age 38) and [his mother] Henrietta Israel were married.
On 21st December 1832 Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling was born to [his father] Louis Samuel (age 38) and [his mother] Henrietta Israel. Early in his life he appears to have changed his name from Montagu Samuel, to Samuel Montagu. This may have been an administrative error during education which he subsequently adopted.
In 1853 Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 20) founded the bank Samuel Montagu & Co.
In 1859 [his father] Louis Samuel (age 65) died.
In 1862 Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 29) and Ellen Cohen were married.
On 10th December 1869 [his son] Louis Montagu 2nd Baron Swaythling was born to Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 36) and [his wife] Ellen Cohen.
On 6th February 1879 [his son] Edwin Montagu was born to Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 46) and [his wife] Ellen Cohen. He married 26th July 1915 Beatrice Venetia Stanley, daughter of Edward Lyulph Stanley 4th Baron Stanley 3rd Baron Eddisbury and Mary Catherine Bell Baroness Stanley.
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 June 1894 Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 61) was created 1st Baronet Montagu of South Stoneham House in Hampshire and of Kensington Palace Gardens in London.
In 1907 Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 74) was created 1st Baron Swaythling of Swaythling in Hampshire.
On 12th January 1911 Montagu Samuel 1st Baron Swaythling (age 78) died. His son Louis (age 41) succeeded 2nd Baron Swaythling of Swaythling in Hampshire, 2nd Baronet Montagu of South Stoneham House in Hampshire and of Kensington Palace Gardens in London.