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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.

Books, Prehistory, Archaeologia Volume 20 Section 8

Archaeologia Volume 20 Section 8 is in Archaeologia Volume 20.

First Battle of St Albans

An Account of the First Battle of St. Albans from a contemporary Manuscript. Communicated by Joun Baytey, Esq. F.S.A. of His Majesty's Record Office in the Tower; in a Letter to Henry Ellis, Esq. F.R.S. Secretary.

Read 19th December 1822.

His Majesty's Record Office, December 12, 1822.

DEAR SIR,

I inclose a curious Account of the first Battle of St. Albans, which may prove interesting to the Society of Antiquaries: it is copied from a manuscript, in a co-eval hand, found in the Tower, among a large quantity of private letters and accompts of Sir William Stonor, Knt [William Stonor (age 5)?] who, from his correspondence, appears at that time to have been much about the Court, and was also a Steward of the Abbot of St. Albans. The original is written in a book consisting of a few leaves of a small quarto size, and, on comparing the writing with some of the other papers, it seems to be in the hand of Sir William himself.

I remain, dear Sir, your's very faithfully,

JOHN BAYLEY.

To Henry Ex is, Esq &c. &c. &c.

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BELLUM APUD SEYNT ALBONS.

Be yt knowen & hadde in mynde, that the xxj. day of May the xxxiij. zere of the Regne of Kyng Herry the sext, Oure Sov'eyne lord Kyng toke his jurnay from Westmynster toward Seynt Albones, and rested at Watford all nyght; And on the morwe, be tymes, he cam to Seynt Albones, and wyth him on his ptye, afsembled under his baner, the Duyke of Bockyngham, the Duke of Somersete, the Erle of Penbrok, the Erle of Northumburlond, the Erle of Devynsshyre, the Erle of Stafford, the Erle of Dorsete, the Erle of Wyltsshire, the lorde Clyfford, the lord Dudley, the lord Burneys, the lord Rose, wyth other dyverfse Knyghtes, Squyeres, and other gentilmen & yemen, to the Nounbr' of ij. M1 & moo. And upon the xxij. day of the seyde moneth above rehersed, afsembled the Duyk of Yorke, and wyth hym come yn companye the Erle of Salesbury, the Erle of Warrewyke, with diverse knyghtes & squyers unto thẽr ptye, into the ffelde called the Key ffeld [Map], besyde seynt Albones.

Fyrthermore oure seyde Sov'eyne lord the Kyng, heryng & knowyng of the seyde Dukes comyng wt other lordes afore seyde, pygth his baner at the place called Boslawe in Seynt Petrus strete [Map], whych place was called, afore tyme past, Sandeforde; and cofiaundeth the warde & barrers to be kepte in stronge wyse. The for seyde Duyk of York abydyng in the ffeld aforeseyde ffrome vij. of the clokke in the morn tyl yt was al most x. without ony stroke smetoñ on eyther ptye. The seyde Duke sende to the Kyng our sov'eyne lord, be the avyse of his councell, prayng & be sekyng hym to take him as his true man, and humble suget; and to cõfider and to tender at the rev'ence of Almyghty God, and in way of charite, the true entent of his comyng: to be good & gracyous sov'eyne lorde to his legemen, whech with al ther power & mygth wille be redy at alle tymes to leve and dye wt hym in his rigth. And to what thyng yt shoulde lyke his mageste ryall to cofiaunde hem yf yt be his Wortship kepyng right of the Croune, and wellffare of the londe: more over gracyous lord plese yt zour majeste ryall of zour grete goodnefse & ryghtwesnetse to enclyne zour wille to here & fele the ryghtwyse ptye of us zoure sugettes & legemen; ffyrst payng and besechyng to oure lord Jhc of his hye & myghty power to geve un to zou vertu & prudence; And that thorugh the medyacyon of the gloryous martyr seynt Alboñ to geve zou very knowleche to knowe the entent of oure afsembleng at this tyme, ffor God that is hevene knoweth than oure entent is rightfull & true. And ther fore we pay unto al myghty lord Jhc these wordes ... Domine sis clipeus defenconis ñre.

Wherefore, gracyus lord, plese it your hyghe mageste to delyvere fsuch as we wole accuse, and they to have lyke as they have deserved & doñ, and ze to be honorabled and worfshepyt as most ryghtffull kyng, and oure gov'nour; ffor & we shall now at this tyme be pmysed as afore this tyme ys not unknowen, of pmes broketi whech ful fayth fully hath ben pmysed, and there upon grete othes made. We wyll not now cefse for nooñ fsuch pmyfse, surete, ne other, tyl we have hem whych hav deserved deth or elles we to dye ther fore.

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And to that ansuered the Kyng our sov'eyne lord, and seyde: I Kyng Herry charge & comaund that no maner psone of what degre, or state, or cõdicyon that ev'e he be, abyde not, but voyde the ffelde, and not be so hardy to make ony resystens ageyne me in myn owne Realme: ffor I fshall knowe what traytor dar be so bolde to reyse apepull in myn owne lond, where thorugh I am in grete desese & hevynesse: And by the feyth that I owe to seynt Edward and to the Corone of Inglond, I sshall destrye them ev'y moder sone, and they be hanged, & drawen, & quartered, that may be taken afterward: of them to have ensample to alle such traytours to be war to make ony such rysyng of peple wtinne my lond. And so traytorly to abyde her kyng and gov'nour, and tor a cõclusyon rather then they shall have ony lorde her wt me at this tyme, I fshall this day for her sake, and in this quarrell, my sylff lyve or dye:

Wych ansuere come to the Duke of Yorke, the wheche duke, by the avyce of the lordes of hys conceill, seyde unto them thise wordes: The Kyng our sov'eyne lord will not be reformed at our besechyng ne payer, ne wylle not understonde the entent that we be comen heder & afsembled fore and gadered at this tyme, but only ys full prpose, and ther noon other wey. But that he wole wt all his power prsue us, and yf ben taken to geve us a fshameful deth, losyng our lyvelode & goodes, and our heyres fshamed for ev'e: and ther fore sythe yt wole be noon othere wyse, but that we shall ootterly dye, better yt ys for us to dye in the feld than cowardly to be put to a grete rebuke and a fshamefful deth: more ovr cõfederyng yn what pyle Inglonde stondes inne at thys owre. There fore ev'y man help to help power for the ryght there offe to redrefse the myscheff that now regneth and to quyte us lyke men in this querell. Preyng to that lord that ys kyng of glorye that regneth in the kyngdom celestyall to kepe us & save us this day in our right, and thorugh the helpe of his holy grace we may be made strong to wt stonde the grete abomynable & cruell malyse of them that prpose fully to destrye us wt shameful deth. We ther fore, lord, prey to the to be oure confort & defender, seyng the word afore seyde, Domine sis clipeus defenconis nostre.

And whanne this was seyde the seyde Duke of Yorke, and the seyd Erle of Salesbury, and the Erle of Warrewyk, betwene xj. & xij. of the clocke at noon, the broke into the toñ in thre diverfe places & severelle places of the fore seyd strete. The Kyng beyng then in the place of Edmõnd Westley hunderdere of the seyd toñ of Seynt Albones, comaundeth to sle alle maner men of lordes, knygthtes, & squyeres & zemen that myght be taken of the for seyde Duks of York.

Thys don the fore seyde lord Clyfford kept strongly the barrers that the seyde Duke of York myght not in ony wise, wt all the power that he hadde, entre ne breke into the toñ. The Erle of Warrewyk knowyng ther offe, toke and gadered his men to gedere and ferosly brake in by the gardeyne sydes, be tuene the signe of the Keye, and the sygne of the Chekkere in Holwell strete [Map]; and anooñ as they wer wyth inne the tooñ, sodeynly the blew up Trumpettes, and sette a cry wt alshout & a grete voyce, a Warrewe, a Warrewyk, a Warrewyk! and into that tyme the Duke of York mygth nev'e have entre into the toñ; and they with strong hond kept yt and myghttyly faught to gedere, and anooñ forth wt after the brekyng in, they sette on them manfully, and as of lordes of name were slayn, the lord Clyfford, the duke of Somersete, the Erle of Northhumberlond, fr Bartram Entuwyfselle, knynght; and of men of courte, Wyllyam Zouch, Jofin Batryaux, Raaff of Bapthorp, & hys sone, Wyllyam Corbyñ, squyers; Witt Cottoñ, receyver of the Ducherye of Lancastr; Gylbert Starbrok, squyer; Malmer Pagentoñ, William Botelore, yoman; Rog'e Mercroft, the Kyngs mefsanger; Halyii, the Kyng's porter; Raufe Wyllerby; and xxv. mo whych her names be not zet knoweñ. And of hem that ben slayñ ben beryed in Sent Albonos xlviii.

And at this same tyme were hurt lordes of name; the Kyng our sov'eyne lord in the neck with an arrowe, the Duke of Bukingham wt an arrowe in the vysage, the lord of Dudle wt an arowe in the vysage, the lord of Stafford in the hond wt an arowe, the lord of Dorsette sore hurt that he myght not go, but he was caryede hom in a cart, and Wenlok knyght, in lyke wyse in a carte sore hurt; and other div'se knyghtes & squyers sore hurt. The Erle of Wyldfshyre, Thorp, & many other, flede & left her harneys behynde he cowardly; and the substance of the Kyngs ptye were dyfpoyled of hors & harneys.

This doñ the seyde lordes, that ys to wote the Duke of Yorke, the Erle of Salesbury, the Erle of Warrewyk, come to the Kyng our sov'eyne lord, and on here knees be soughte hym of grace, and for yevenefse of that they hadde doon yn his p'sence: and be sought hym of hys heynefse to take hem as hys true legemen, seyng that they nev' attendyde hurt to his owne psone and ther fore [the] kyng oure sov'eyne lord toke hem to gace, and so desyred hem to cesse there peple and that there fshulde no more harme be doon; and they obeyde hys comaundement, and lote make a cry on the kyngs name that al maner of pepull shulde cefse and not so hardy to stryke ony stoke more after the pclamacyoñ of the Crye: & so cefsed the seyde Batayle. Deo gras. And on the morwe the kyng & the seyde Duke wt other certeyñ lordes come in to the Byshops of London, & there kept resydens with joye and solempnyte; concludyng to holde the parlement at Londoñ the ix day of July next comyng.