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.
Maternal Family Tree: Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey 1700-1768
Around 1700 Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey was born to [her father] Nicholas Wedig Lepell.
On 25th October 1720 John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 24] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 20] were married. He the son of John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol [aged 55] and Elizabeth Felton Countess Bristol [aged 43].
In 1721 [her son] George William Hervey 2nd Earl Bristol was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 24] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 21].
On 15th April 1723 [her daughter] Lepell Hervey Baroness Mulgrave was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 26] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 23]. She married 26th February 1743 Constantine Phipps 1st Baron Mulgrave and had issue.
On 19th May 1724 [her son] Augustus John Hervey 3rd Earl Bristol was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 27] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 24]. He married 4th August 1744 Elizabeth Chudleigh Duchess Kingston upon Hull.
In 1726 [her daughter] Mary Hervey was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 29] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 26]. She married 31st October 1745 George Fitzgerald and had issue.
Around 1728. John Fayram. Portrait of Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 28].
On 1st August 1730 [her son] Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl Bristol was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 33] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 30]. He married before 1753 his half fourth cousin once removed Elizabeth Davers Countess Bristol, daughter of Jermyn Davers 4th Baronet and Margaretta Green, and had issue.
On 13th May 1732 [her son] General William Hervey was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 35] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 32].
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.
In 1733 [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 36] by writ of acceleration 2nd Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk. Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 33] by marriage Baroness Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.
In 1734 [her son] Amelia Caroline Nassau Hervey was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 37] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 34].
In 1736 [her son] Caroline Hervey was born to [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 39] and Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 36].
On 26th February 1743 [her son-in-law] Constantine Phipps 1st Baron Mulgrave [aged 20] and [her daughter] Lepell Hervey Baroness Mulgrave [aged 19] were married.
On 5th August 1743 [her husband] John Hervey 2nd Baron Hervey [aged 46] died. His son George [aged 22] succeeded 3rd Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.
On 4th August 1744 [her son] Augustus John Hervey 3rd Earl Bristol [aged 20] and [her daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Chudleigh Duchess Kingston upon Hull [aged 23] were married privately at Lainston House Winchester. There marriage remained a secret until she wanted to marry Evelyn Pierrepont 2nd Duke Kingston upon Hull [aged 33] in 1769 at which time she initiated a suit of jactitation1 against him requiring him to prove they were married. The court found in her favour.
On 31st October 1745 [her son-in-law] George Fitzgerald and [her daughter] Mary Hervey [aged 19] were married. They were separated in 1754.
Before 1753 [her son] Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl Bristol [aged 22] and [her daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Davers Countess Bristol [aged 19] were married. They were half fourth cousin once removed.
Around 1762. Allan Ramsay [aged 48]. Portrait of Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 62].
Around 1765 Johan Joseph Zoffany [aged 31]. Portrait of Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 65].
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 2nd September 1768 Mary Lepell Baroness Hervey [aged 68] died.