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All About History Books

The 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. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

Common Pleas

Common Pleas is in Miscellaneous.

John Evelyn's Diary. 25th June 1696. A trial in the Common Pleas between the Lady Purbeck Temple and Mr. Temple, a nephew of Sir Purbeck, concerning a deed set up to take place of several wills. This deed was proved to be forged. The cause went on my lady's side. This concerning my son-in-law, Draper, I stayed almost all day at Court. A great supper was given to the jury, being persons of the best condition in Buckinghamshire.

Chief Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas

On 9th October 1591 Richard Brownlow (age 38) was appointed Chief Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas which office he held until heis death which made him a very wealthy.

Clerk to the Recognizances

In June 1668 Hugh May (age 46) was appointed Comptroller of the King's Works and Clerk to the Recognizances.

Judge of the Common Pleas

In 1514 Lewis Pollard (age 49) was appointed Judge of the Common Pleas which office he held until 1526.

In 1520 Richard Broke was appointed Judge of the Common Pleas.

On 5th November 1545 John Hynde (age 65) was appointed Judge of the Common Pleas.

On 10th May 1625 Henry Yelverton (age 58) was appointed the fifth Judge of the Common Pleas.

In 1686 John Powell (age 54) was appointed Judge of the Common Pleas.

Second Justice of the Common Pleas

On 10th November 1345 William de Shareshull (age 55) was appointed Second Justice of the Common Pleas.

In 1483 Roger Townshend (age 58) was appointed Third Justice of the Common Pleas followin the promotion of John Catesby (age 50) [presumably to Second Justice of the Common Pleas].

In 1484 Roger Townshend (age 59) was appointed Second Justice of the Common Pleas after the death of John Catesby (age 51).

Third Justice of the Common Pleas

In 1483 Roger Townshend (age 58) was appointed Third Justice of the Common Pleas followin the promotion of John Catesby (age 50) [presumably to Second Justice of the Common Pleas].