The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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MP Cockermouth is in Member Parliament.
In 1641 John Fenwick 1st Baronet (age 71) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1659 Wilfrid Lawson (age 23) was elected MP Cockermouth. He was re-elected in 1660.
In 1661 Wilfrid Lawson 1st Baronet (age 51) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1689 Henry Fletcher 3rd Baronet (age 27) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1690.
In 1690 Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet (age 25) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1695.
In 1698 George Fletcher (age 32) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1701.
In February 1702 Thomas Lamplugh (age 45) was elected MP Cockermouth at a by-election.
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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In 1705 Thomas Lamplugh (age 48) was elected MP Cockermouth at a by-election.
In 1717 Wilfrid Lawson 3rd Baronet (age 20) stood for the Cockermouth constituency after Nicholas Lechmere accepted a ministerial position and accordingly resigned the seat. However, the returning officer made a double return, returning both Lord Percy Seymour (age 20) and Sir Wilfrid Lawson. Both parties immediately petitioned against the result; Lord Percy, on the grounds that Lawson was a minor, (not having attained the age of 21), while Lawson based his petition on the grounds of bribery. Although both petitions were withdrawn, Sir Wilfrid did admit the charge and consequently, Lord Percy took the seat.
In 1722 Wilfrid Lawson 3rd Baronet (age 25) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until his death in 1737.
In 1754 Percy Wyndham O'Brien 1st Earl Thomond (age 41) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1800 Walter Spencer-Stanhope (age 49) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1818 John Beckett 2nd Baronet (age 42) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1821.
In 1830 Philip Pleydell-Bouverie (age 41) was elected MP Cockermouth.
In 1886 Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet (age 56) was elected MP Cockermouth which seat he held until 1900.