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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Biography of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1833-1917

Paternal Family Tree: Edgecombe

On 5th November 1833 William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe was born to [his father] Ernest Augustus Edgecumbe 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 36].

On 26th September 1839 [his grandfather] Richard Edgecumbe 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 75] died. His son [his father] Ernest [aged 42] succeeded 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, 4th Baron Edgcumbe.

On 26th October 1858 William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 24] and Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn [aged 47] and Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn [aged 46]. He the son of Ernest Augustus Edgecumbe 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 61].

In 1859 [his daughter] Victoria Frederica Edgcumbe was born to William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 25] and [his wife] Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 19]. She married 3rd August 1880 her fifth cousin once removed Algernon Percy, son of Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland and Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland, and had issue.

On 22nd November 1859 William Scott 6th Duke Buccleuch 8th Duke Queensberry [aged 28] and [his sister-in-law] Louisa Jane Hamilton Duchess Buccleuch and Queensbury [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn [aged 48] and [his mother-in-law] Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn [aged 47]. He the son of Walter Scott 5th Duke Buccleuch 7th Duke Queensberry and Charlotte Anne Thynne Duchess Buccleuch Duchess Queensbury [aged 48]. They were fifth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

In 1861 [his daughter] Alberta Louise Edgcumbe Baroness Roborough was born to William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 27] and [his wife] Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 21]. She married 1891 her fifth cousin Henry Lopes 1st Baron Roborough, son of Massey Lopes 3rd Baronet and Bertha Yarde-Buller Lady Lopes, and had issue.

On 3rd September 1861 [his father] Ernest Augustus Edgecumbe 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 64] died. His son William [aged 27] succeeded 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, 5th Baron Edgcumbe. [his wife] Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 21] by marriage Countess of Mount Edgcumbe.

In 1862 [his daughter] Edith Hilaria Edgecumbe was born to William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 28] and [his wife] Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 22]. She married 1892 her sixth cousin John Townshend St Aubyn 2nd Baron St Levan, son of John St Aubyn 1st Baron St Levan and Elizabeth Clementina Townshend Baroness St Levan, and had issue.

In 1865 [his son] Piers Edgcumbe 5th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe was born to William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 31] and [his wife] Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 25]. He married 1911 his fourth cousin once removed Edith Villiers Countess Mount Edgecumbe, daughter of Edward Villiers 5th Earl Clarendon and Caroline Elizabeth Agar Countess Clarendon.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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On 9th October 1866 Atholl Liddell 3rd Earl of Ravensworth [aged 33] and [his future wife] Caroline Cecelia Edgecumbe Countess Revensworth and Mount Edgecumbe [aged 27] were married. He the son of Henry Thomas Liddell 1st Earl Ravensworth [aged 69] and Isabella Horatia Seymour.

In 1869 Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne [aged 23] and [his sister-in-law] Maud Evelyn Hamilton Marchioness Lansdowne [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Lansdowne. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn [aged 57] and [his mother-in-law] Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn [aged 56]. He the son of Henry Thomas Petty-Fitzmaurice 4th Marquess Lansdowne and Emily Jane de Flahaut Marchioness Lansdowne [aged 49]. They were fourth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

In 1869 [his brother-in-law] James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn [aged 30] and Mary Anna Curzon Howe Duchess Abercorn [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Duchess Abercorn. She the daughter of Richard William Penn Curzon Howe 1st Earl Howe [aged 72] and Anne Gore Countess Howe. He the son of [his father-in-law] James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn [aged 57] and [his mother-in-law] Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn [aged 56].

In 1869 George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough [aged 24] and [his sister-in-law] Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn [aged 57] and [his mother-in-law] Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn [aged 56]. He the son of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 46] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 46]. They were third cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

In 1871 [his sister-in-law] Beatrix Frances Hamilton Countess Durham [aged 36] died.

In 1874 [his wife] Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 34] died.

On 3rd August 1880 [his son-in-law] Algernon Percy [aged 28] and Victoria Frederica Edgcumbe [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 46] and Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe. He the son of Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland [aged 70] and Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

In 1891 [his son-in-law] Henry Lopes 1st Baron Roborough [aged 31] and Alberta Louise Edgcumbe Baroness Roborough [aged 30] were married. She the daughter of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 57] and Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe. They were fifth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

In 1892 [his son-in-law] John Townshend St Aubyn 2nd Baron St Levan [aged 34] and Edith Hilaria Edgecumbe [aged 30] were married. She the daughter of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 58] and Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe. They were sixth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

1903. Stanhope Forbes [aged 45]. Portrait of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 69].

On 21st April 1906 William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 72] and Caroline Cecelia Edgecumbe Countess Revensworth and Mount Edgecumbe [aged 67] were married. She by marriage Countess of Mount Edgcumbe. He the son of Ernest Augustus Edgecumbe 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. They were first cousins.

On 23rd February 1909 [his wife] Caroline Cecelia Edgecumbe Countess Revensworth and Mount Edgecumbe [aged 70] died.

In 1911 Piers Edgcumbe 5th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 46] and Edith Villiers Countess Mount Edgecumbe [aged 33] were married. There was no issue from the marriage. She the daughter of Edward Villiers 5th Earl Clarendon [aged 64] and Caroline Elizabeth Agar Countess Clarendon. He the son of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 77] and Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

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On 25th September 1917 William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 83] died. His son Piers [aged 52] succeeded 5th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, 6th Baron Edgcumbe. Edith Villiers Countess Mount Edgecumbe [aged 39] by marriage Countess of Mount Edgcumbe.

Royal Ancestors of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1833-1917

Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 14 Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 30 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Kings France: Great x 23 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1833-1917

Great x 4 Grandfather: Colonel Piers Edgecumbe 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Edgecumbe 14 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Glanville

Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Edgecumbe 1st Baron Edgcumbe 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Montagu 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jemima Crew Countess Sandwich 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: George Edgecumbe 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Furnese 1st Baronet

Great x 2 Grandmother: Matilda Furnese

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Brough of St Lawrence Jewry

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Brough

GrandFather: Richard Edgecumbe 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Archbishop George Gilbert

Great x 1 Grandmother: Emma Gilbert Countess Mount Edgcumbe 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Sherard

Great x 3 Grandfather: Bennet Sherard of Whissendine

Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Sherard 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Fairfax 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothy Fairfax 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Father: Ernest Augustus Edgecumbe 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Hobart 3rd Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Hobart 4th Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hampden

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Hobart 1st Earl Buckinghamshire 14 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Joseph Maynard

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Maynard Lady Hobart

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Hobart 2nd Earl Buckinghamshire 15 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Britiffe

Great x 2 Grandmother: Judith Britiffe

GrandMother: Sophia Hobart Countess Mount Edgcumbe 16 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Drury 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Drury 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Drury 1st Baronet 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Anne Drury Countess Buckinghamshire 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Tyrrell 2nd Baronet 14 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Tyrrell 3rd Baronet 15 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Martha Tyrrell Lady Drury 16 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England

William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England