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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Paternal Family Tree: Asquith
On 12th September 1852 Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith was born.
In 1877 Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 24] and Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 23] were married.
On 16th November 1878 [his son] Raymond Herbert Asquith was born to Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 26] and [his wife] Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 24].
On 11th March 1881 [his son] Herbert Dixon Asquith was born to Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 28] and [his wife] Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 27]. He married 28th July 1910 Cynthia Mary Evelyn Charteris, daughter of Hugo Charteris 11th Earl of Wemyss and Mary Constance Wyndham Countess Wemyss.
On 24th April 1883 [his son] Commander Arthur Asquith was born to Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 30] and [his wife] Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 29]. He married 30th April 1918 Betty Constance Manners, daughter of John Manners-Sutton 3rd Baron Manners and Constance Hamlyn-Fane Baroness Manners, and had issue.
On 15th April 1887 [his daughter] Violet Asquith was born to Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 34] and [his wife] Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 33]. She married 30th November 1915 Maurice Bonham-Carter.
On 5th February 1890 [his son] Cyril Asquith 1st Baron Asquith was born to Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 37] and [his wife] Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 36].
In 1891 [his wife] Helen Kelsall Melland [aged 37] died.
On 10th May 1894 Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 41] and Emma Margaret "Margot" Tennant [aged 30] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 26th February 1897 [his daughter] Princess Elizabeth Bibesco nee Asquith was born to Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 44] and [his wife] Emma Margaret "Margot" Tennant [aged 33].
On 29th April 1908 Thomas Graham Smith died of his burn injuries when he fell while carrying a lighted candle and set his clothes on fire. Asquith [aged 55] attended the inquest at Easton Grey.
On 28th July 1910 Herbert Dixon Asquith [aged 29] and Cynthia Mary Evelyn Charteris [aged 23] were married at The Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity with Saint Jude, Sloane Street. She the daughter of Hugo Charteris 11th Earl of Wemyss [aged 52] and Mary Constance Wyndham Countess Wemyss [aged 47]. He the son of Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 57] and Helen Kelsall Melland.
On 30th November 1915 [his son-in-law] Maurice Bonham-Carter [aged 35] and Violet Asquith [aged 28] were married. She the daughter of Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 63] and Helen Kelsall Melland.
The Times. 28th January 1916. MARRIAGE OF LORD GRANBY.
The marriage of the Marquess of Granby [aged 29], only son of the Duke [aged 63] and Duchess of Rutland [aged 59], to Miss Kathleen Tennant [aged 21], youngest daughter of [his brother-in-law] Mr. [aged 54] and Mrs. Frank Tennant [aged 52], of Innes House, took place yesterday at St. Margaret's [Map]. There was a very large attendance, and a number of those present brought young children with them.
The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a Venetian gown of white satin with a gold, brocade train four yards long and a short mantlet of old Venetian family lace; the sleeves were long and close-fitting, and she had a long white net veil with a wreath of orange blossoms. She carried a copy of the marriage service embroidered in seed pearl and coloured silks, worked by her mother after an old design in the British Museum.
Lady Diane Manners [aged 24], who was one of the bridesmaids, designed the bridesmaids' gowns in the medieval manner; they were of white chiffon belted in silver worn with flowing veils of blue tulle held by silver bands. Each of the bridesmaids carried a tail branch of almond blossom; the others were Miss Elizabeth Asquith [aged 18], Miss Mary Lyttelton, and Miss Violet Warrender. The Hon. Stephen Tennant [aged 9], who wore a Romeo suit with a jewelleed belt, was the page. Captain Charles Lindsay, Grenadier Guards, was best man. Canon Sheppard [aged 35], Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal, and the Rev. F. W. Knox, the Duke of Rutland's chaplain, performed the ceremony.
SOME OF THE GOWNS. The Duke of Rutland was among the first to come to the church, and most of the guests were there early. The Prime Minister [aged 63] arrived with Mr. [aged 35] and Mrs. Bonham-Carter [aged 28], and Mr. Balfour with a party which included Mr. and Mrs. William Balfour. The Duchess on Rutland wore gold charmeuse with gold tissue in her hat and a rose pink velvet cloak bordered with fur. The Marchioness of Anglesey [aged 32], in white box-cloth, brought her little daughter, Lady Carolinie Paget [aged 2], in a little Ermine coat and hat. Mrs. Asquith [aged 51], who was with Mrs. Graham Smith [aged 56], wore a black charmeuse gown made with a ruched cape and trimmed with chinchilla; her hat was black with emerald feathers.
Mrs. Tennant wore black and white embroidered taffetas; Lady Robert Manners had a long muauve coat trimmed with skunk; and the Countess of Wemyss [aged 53] was in black and white. Lady Tree had a pervenche panne long coat made tight-fitting and a plain black sailor hat. The Countess of Drogheda [aged 29] wore black and gold, Lady D'Abernon [aged 50] grey chinchilla furs with a black coat and skirt, and Lady Arthur Paget a musquash coat bordered with skunk. Mrs. Guy Charteris [aged 28] brought her baby, and the Hon. Mrs. George Keppel [aged 45], in black and white, was accomapanied by her two daughters, and Mrs. McKenna by her two sons. Mrs. Hwfa Williams and Lady Randolph Churchill [aged 62] (who was with Mrs. Churchill [aged 30]) both were black velvet.
The Guests. Among those present were:
The Italian Ambassador, the Spanish Ambassador, the Duchess of Buccleuch [aged 44], and Lady Margaret Scott, etc.
A small reception was held after the ceremony at Lord [aged 56] and Lady Glenconner's [aged 45] house in Queen Anne's gate, and the bride and bridegroom subsequently left for Belvoir Castle [Map], where the honeymoon will be spent.
On 15th September 1916 [his son] Raymond Herbert Asquith [aged 37] was killed in action while leading the first half of 4 Company in an attack near Ginchy on 15 September 1916, at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette; he was shot in the chest.
On 30th April 1918 Commander Arthur Asquith [aged 35] and Betty Constance Manners [aged 28] were married. He the son of Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 65] and Helen Kelsall Melland.
In 1925 Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 72] was appointed 870th Knight of the Garter.
In January 1925 Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 72] was created 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith.
On 15th February 1928 Herbert Henry Asquith 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith [aged 75] died. His grandson Julian [aged 11] succeeded 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith.
On 28th July 1945 [his former wife] Emma Margaret "Margot" Tennant [aged 81] died.