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.

Biography of Edmund Isham 6th Baronet 1690-1772

Paternal Family Tree: Isham

On 16th July 1683 [his father] Justinian Isham 4th Baronet (age 24) and [his mother] Elizabeth Turnor Lady Isham (age 17) were married.

On 18th December 1690 Edmund Isham 6th Baronet was born to [his father] Justinian Isham 4th Baronet (age 32) and [his mother] Elizabeth Turnor Lady Isham (age 24).

In 1707 [his mother] Elizabeth Turnor Lady Isham (age 41) died.

On 13th May 1730 [his father] Justinian Isham 4th Baronet (age 71) died. His son [his brother] Justinian (age 42) succeeded 5th Baronet Isham of Lamport in Northamptonshire.

On 17th February 1735 Edmund Isham 6th Baronet (age 44) and Elizabeth Wood were married.

On 5th March 1737 [his brother] Justinian Isham 5th Baronet (age 49) died without issue. His brother Edmund (age 46) succeeded 6th Baronet Isham of Lamport in Northamptonshire.

On 19th July 1748 [his wife] Elizabeth Wood died.

On 4th May 1751 Edmund Isham 6th Baronet (age 60) and Philippa Gee were married.

1772. Thomas Hudson (age 71). Portrait of Edmund Isham 6th Baronet (age 81).

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 15th December 1772 Edmund Isham 6th Baronet (age 81) died without issue. His nephew Justinian (age 32) succeeded 7th Baronet Isham of Lamport in Northamptonshire.