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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On 10th June 1823 James Archer was born at Edinburgh.
1860. James Archer [aged 36]. "Le Mort D'Arthur" aka "The Death of Arthur".
1860. James Archer [aged 36]. "Summertime, Gloucestershire".
1866. James Archer [aged 42]. "How Sir Launcelot Carried Queen Guinivere to Her Tomb".
1866. James Archer [aged 42]. "Emelye".
1871. James Archer [aged 47]. Portrait of Caroline Philips Lady Trevelyan [aged 22].
Caroline Philips Lady Trevelyan: In 1849 she was born to Robert Needham Philips. In 1869 George Trevelyan 2nd Baronet and she were married. In 1928 she died.
1871. James Archer [aged 47]. Portrait of George Trevelyan 2nd Baronet [aged 32].
1889. James Archer [aged 65]. Portrait of John William Maule Ramsay 13th Earl Dalhousie painted posthumously.
John William Maule Ramsay 13th Earl Dalhousie: On 29th January 1847 he was born. In 1877 he and Ida Louise Bennet Countess Dalhousie were married. She the daughter of Charles Bennet 6th Earl Tankerville and Olivia Montagu Countess Tankerville. In July 1880 John William Maule Ramsay 13th Earl Dalhousie succeeded 13th Earl Dalhousie. Ida Louise Bennet Countess Dalhousie by marriage Countess Dalhousie. On 25th November 1887 he died. His son Arthur succeeded 14th Earl Dalhousie.
1890 to 1891. James Archer [aged 66]. Portrait of John Pettie [aged 50].
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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1890 to 1900. James Archer [aged 66]. Self-Portrait.
On 3rd September 1904 James Archer [aged 81] died.