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: Russell of Chippenham
In 1575 William Russell 1st Baronet was born.
After 1605 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 30) and Elizabeth Cherry (age 16) were married.
Around 1610 [his daughter] Elizabeth Russell was born to William Russell 1st Baronet (age 35) and [his wife] Elizabeth Cherry (age 21). There is some confusion over as to whether her mother was Elizabeth Cherry or [his future wife] Elizabeth Gerard but if born in 1610 then her mother Elizabeth Cherry since she died in 1611. She married (1) before 22nd December 1634 Edward Lewknor of Denham (2) before 20th September 1660 Bishop John Gauden.
Around 1611 [his wife] Elizabeth Cherry (age 22) died.
On 1st March 1613 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 38) and Elizabeth Smallpage (age 13) were married. The difference in their ages was 25 years.
On 1st March 1613 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 38) and Elizabeth Gerard were married.
Around 1615 [his daughter] Sarah Russell was born to William Russell 1st Baronet (age 40) and [his wife] Elizabeth Gerard. She married 13th August 1635 Thomas Chicheley of Wimpole and had issue.
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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In 1616 [his son] Francis Russell 2nd Baronet was born to William Russell 1st Baronet (age 41) and [his wife] Elizabeth Gerard. He married 19th December 1631 Catherine Wheatley and had issue.
In January 1630 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 55) was created 1st Baronet Russell of Chippenham in Wiltshire.
On 19th December 1631 [his son] Francis Russell 2nd Baronet (age 15) and [his daughter-in-law] Catherine Wheatley (age 21) were married. Step-siblings. She the daughter of his father's third wife [his wife] Elizabeth Smallpage (age 31) by her first husband John Wheatley.
Before 22nd December 1634 [his son-in-law] Edward Lewknor of Denham (age 20) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Russell (age 24) were married.
On 13th August 1635 [his son-in-law] Thomas Chicheley of Wimpole (age 21) and [his daughter] Sarah Russell (age 20) were married.
Around 1654 Thomas Foley (age 37) bought Witley Court, Worcestershire from William Russell 1st Baronet (age 79). The Foley's remained at Witley Court for the next two hundred years, enlarging the original Jacobean house.
In 1654 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 79) died. His son Francis (age 38) succeeded 2nd Baronet Russell of Chippenham in Wiltshire.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 25th July 1663. By and by to dinner, and in comes Mr. Creed. I saluted Mr. Gauden's lady, and the young ladies, he having many pretty children, and his sister, the Bishop's [his daughter] widow (age 53); who was, it seems, Sir W. Russel's daughter, the Treasurer of the Navy; who by her discourse at dinner I find to be very well-bred, and a woman of excellent discourse, even so much as to have my attention all dinner with much more pleasure than I did give to Mr. Creed, whose discourse was mighty merry in inveighing at Mr. Gauden's victuals that they had at sea the last voyage that he prosecuted, till methought the woman began to take it seriously.
[his son] William Russell 1st Baronet was born to William Russell 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Smallpage. He married in or before 1669 Hester Rouse Lady Russell, daughter of Thomas Rouse 1st Baronet, and had issue.
John Wheatley and Elizabeth Smallpage were married.