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 format.
Duke Gloucester is in Dukedoms of England Alphabetically.
1385 Richard II Creates his Two Uncles as Dukes
1397 Murder of Thomas of Woodstock
1414 Henry V awards his brothers Dukedoms
1447 Death of Humphrey of Lancaster
1472 Marriage of Richard Duke of Gloucester and Anne Neville
There have been five creations of Duke Gloucester:
1st. 6th August 1385. Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester. Forfeit. 8th September 1397. Murder of Thomas of Woodstock.
2nd. 16th May 1414. Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester. Extinct. 23rd February 1447. Death of Humphrey of Lancaster.
3rd. 31st October 1461. King Richard III of England. Forfeit. 6th July 1483. Coronation of King Richard III.
4th. 13th May 1659. Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester. Extinct. 13th September 1660.
5th. 31st March 1928. Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester. Extant.
Duke Gloucester is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Forfeit Dukedoms of England.
Summary
6th August 1385. Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester [aged 30] created. See Richard II Creates his Two Uncles as Dukes.
8th September 1397. Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester forfeit. See Murder of Thomas of Woodstock.
On 6th August 1385 Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York [aged 44] was created 1st Duke York by King Richard II of England [aged 18]. Isabella of Castile Duchess York [aged 30] by marriage Duchess York.
Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester [aged 30] was created 1st Duke Albemarle, and around the same time, 1st Duke Gloucester. Eleanor Bohun Duchess Gloucester [aged 19] by marriage Duchess Albemarle and Duchess Gloucester.
Around 8th September 1397 Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester [aged 42] was murdered in Calais [Map] for his role as leader of the Lords Appellant. Duke Albemarle, Duke Gloucester, Earl Essex forfeit. His son Humphrey [aged 16] succeeded 2nd Earl Buckingham.
Walter Clopton was part of the inquiry into his death the outcome of which is not known. A John Hall was executed for the murder.
Duke Gloucester is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Dukedoms of England.
Summary
16th May 1414. Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 23] created. See Henry V awards his brothers Dukedoms.
23rd February 1447. Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester extinct. See Death of Humphrey of Lancaster.
On 16th May 1414 King Henry V of England [aged 27] created Dukedoms for his two brothers:
Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 23] was created 1st Duke Gloucester, 1st Earl Pembroke.
John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 24] was created 1st Duke Bedford, 1st Earl Kendal.
In 1428 Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 37] and Eleanor Cobham Duchess of Gloucester [aged 28] were married. She by marriage Duchess Gloucester. He the son of King Henry IV of England and Mary Bohun. They were sixth cousins.
On 23rd February 1447 Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 56] died at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk [Map]. He was possibly poisoned although more likely he died from a stroke. Duke Gloucester, Earl Pembroke extinct. His death left England with no heir to the throne in a direct line. Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 35] became heir presumptive until the birth of Edward of Westminster Prince of Wales six years later.
Duke Gloucester is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Forfeit Dukedoms of England.
Summary
31st October 1461. King Richard III of England [aged 9] created. See Coronation of Edward IV.
6th July 1483. Anne Neville Queen Consort England [aged 27] forfeit. See Coronation of King Richard III.
On 31st October 1461 King Edward IV of England [aged 19] created his brother Richard [aged 9] 1st Duke Gloucester. Henry Bourchier [aged 57] was created 1st Earl Essex. Isabel of York [aged 52] by marriage Countess Essex. William Neville [aged 56] was created 1st Earl Kent. Joan Fauconberg [aged 55] by marriage Countess Kent.
On 12th July 1472 Richard Duke of Gloucester [aged 19] and Anne Neville [aged 16] were married at St Stephen's Chapel, Westminster Palace [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Gloucester. She the daughter of Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury and Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess Warwick [aged 45]. He the son of Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York [aged 57]. They were first cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 6th July 1483 King Richard III of England [aged 30] and his wife Anne Neville [aged 27] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Duke Gloucester, Earl Richmond forfeit merged with the Crown. Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 65] officiated. Anne Neville Queen Consort England by marriage Queen Consort England.
John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk [aged 58] was appointed Lord High Steward. William Brandon [aged 58], Thomas Fitzalan 10th or 17th Earl of Arundel [aged 33], Thomas St Leger [aged 43], Richard Hastings Baron Willoughby [aged 50], Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 46], Elizabeth York Duchess Suffolk [aged 39], Giles Daubeney 1st Baron Daubeney [aged 32] and Humphrey Dacre 1st Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 59] attended.
Robert Dymoke [aged 22] attended as the Kings' Champion.
Edmund Grey 1st Earl Kent [aged 66] carried The Pointed Sword of Justice. Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 40] carried the Crown. Francis Lovell 1st Viscount Lovell [aged 27] carried the Third Sword of State. John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk [aged 40] carried the Sceptre. John de la Pole Earl Lincoln 1st [aged 21] carried the Cross and Ball. Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham [aged 28] carried the king's train. Edward Stafford 2nd Earl Wiltshire [aged 13] bore the Queen's Crown.
Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 48] carried the Lord High Constable's Mace. Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 40] held Queen Anne's train. Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland [aged 34] carried The Blunt Sword of Mercy. Christopher Willoughby 10th Baron Willoughby [aged 30] was appointed Knight of the Bath.
Humphrey Dacre 1st Baron Dacre Gilsland attended.
Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York [aged 68] refused to attend the Coronation of King Richard III. History doesn't record her reason.
Duke Gloucester is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Dukedoms of England.
Summary
13th May 1659. Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 18] created.
13th September 1660. Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester extinct.
On 13th May 1659 Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 18] was created 1st Duke Gloucester, 1st Earl Cambridge by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.
On 13th September 1660 Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 20] died of smallpox. Duke Gloucester and Earl Cambridge extinct. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] in the same vault as Mary Queen of Scots.
Duke Gloucester is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extant Dukedoms of England.
Summary
31st March 1928. Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 28] created.
10th June 1974. Son Richard Alexander Walter Windsor 2nd Duke Gloucester [aged 29] succeeded.
On 31st March 1928 Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 28] was created 1st Duke Gloucester.
On 6th November 1935 Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 35] and Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott Duchess Gloucester [aged 33] were married at Buckingham Palace [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Gloucester. She the daughter of John Scott 7th Duke Buccleuch 9th Duke Queensberry [deceased] and Margaret Alice "Molly" Bridgeman Duchess Buccleuch Duchess Queensbury [aged 63]. He the son of King George V of the United Kingdom [aged 70] and Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [aged 68].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 10th June 1974 Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 74] died. His son Richard [aged 29] succeeded 2nd Duke Gloucester. Memorials at St Andrews Church, Barnwell [Map] to Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester who lived nearby and worshipped at the church.
Richard Alexander Walter Windsor 2nd Duke Gloucester: On 26th August 1944 he was born to Henry Windsor 1st Duke Gloucester and Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott Duchess Gloucester. He a grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom.
