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.
MP City of London is in Member Parliament.
In October 1416 Thomas Knollys (age 66) was elected MP City of London.
In 1460 Thomas Cooke was elected MP City of London.
In 1470 Thomas Cooke was elected MP City of London.
In 1523 George Monoux (age 58) was elected MP City of London.
In 1539 Richard Gresham (age 54) was elected MP City of London.
In 1545 Robert Broke was elected MP City of London which seat he held until 1554.
In 1545 Richard Gresham (age 60) was elected MP City of London.
In 1563 John White was elected MP City of London.
In 1571 John White was elected MP City of London.
Before October 1601 John Croke (age 48) was elected MP City of London.
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.
In 1624 Heneage Finch (age 44) was elected MP City of London.
In April 1640 Isaac Penington (age 56) was elected MP City of London in the Short Parliament.
In November 1640 Isaac Penington (age 56) was elected MP City of London in the Long Parliament which seat he held until 1653.
In 1690 William Turner (age 74) was elected MP City of London.
In 1727 John Eyles 2nd Baronet (age 44) was elected MP City of London.
On 13th May 1741 Edward Bellamy unsuccessfully stood to become MP City of London receiving 1312 votes.
In June 1817 Matthew Wood 1st Baronet (age 48) was elected MP City of London unopposed at a by-election. He held the seat until his death.
In 1945 Ralph Assheton 1st Baron Clitheroe (age 43) was elected MP City of London which seat he held until 1950.