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: Skipwith
In 1314 William Skipwith was born to William Skipwith (age 23).
After 1340 William Skipwith (deceased) died.
Around 1351 [his son] John Skipwith was born to William Skipwith (age 37) and [his future wife] Alice Hiltoft (age 18). He married in or before 1380 Alice Tilney and had issue.
In or before 1355 William Skipwith (age 40) and Alice Hiltoft (age 21) were married.
Around 1355 [his daughter] Alice Skipwith was born to William Skipwith (age 41) and [his wife] Alice Hiltoft (age 22).
In 1365 William Skipwith (age 51) and Lord Chief Justice, Henry Green, were removed from office for having acted "contrary to law and justice", and having unlawfully obtained large sums of money. Green never held office again, but Skipwith was only in temporary disgrace.
In 1370 [his wife] Alice Hiltoft (age 37) died.
In 1370 William Skipwith (age 56) was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
In 1372 William Skipwith (age 58) was on an assize in Kilkenny, hearing a complex inheritance dispute.
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 or before 1380 [his son] John Skipwith (age 28) and [his daughter-in-law] Alice Tilney (age 19) were married.
In 1398 William Skipwith (age 84) died.