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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Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire is in South Yorkshire.
Around 1298 John Fitzwilliam was born to William Fitzwilliam (age 23) and Isabel Deincourt (age 23) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire.
Around 1313 Elizabeth Fitzwilliam was born to William Fitzwilliam (age 38) and Isabel Deincourt (age 38) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire. She married (1) before 1325 her half second cousin once removed Reginald Mohun, son of John Mohun 1st Baron Dunster and Ada Tiptoft Baroness Dunster, and had issue (2) before 1409 Thomas Musgrave, son of Thomas Musgrave 1st Baron Musgrave and Margaret Ros Baroness Musgrave.
Around 11th April 1340 William Fitzwilliam (age 65) died at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire.
Around 1370 Edmund Fitzwilliam was born to John Fitzwilliam (age 41) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire. Date adjusted to 1370 to accommodate his son Edmund's birth date of 1386.
On 25th July 1377 John Fitzwilliam was born to William Fitzwilliam (age 31) and Maud Cromwell (age 11) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire.
On 22nd February 1384 Elizabeth Fitzwilliam (age 71) died at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire.
On 27th May 1397 John Fitzwilliam was born to John Fitzwilliam (age 19) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire. He married before 17th September 1474 Margaret Clarell Lady of the Garter and had issue.
In 1417 William Fitzwilliam was born to John Fitzwilliam (age 19) and Margaret Clarell Lady of the Garter (age 20) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire. He married before 1st December 1474 Elizabeth Chaworth and had issue.
In 1419 Eleanor Fitzwilliam was born to John Fitzwilliam (age 21) and Margaret Clarell Lady of the Garter (age 22) at Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire. She married in or before 1450 William Rhyther and had issue.
On 22nd September 1478 Richard Fitzwilliam (age 63) died in Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire.
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.
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On 19th October 1577 Philip Copley (age 51) died in Sprotbrough, South Yorkshire.
On 23rd June 1923 Brigadier-General Alington Bewicke-Copley (age 68) died of pneumonia at Sprotbrough Hall.