Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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Bishop of Bath and Wells is in Bishop. See Wells Cathedral [Map].
See: Bishop Wells.
In 973 or 974 Bishop Cyneweard was consecrated Bishop of Wells.
Around 998 Archbishop Ælfstan aka Lyfing was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 11th June 1033 Bishop Duduc was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1060 Bishop Giso was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1088 Bishop John of Tours was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 3rd June 1123. Henry, king of England, went over sea after the feast of Whitsuntide [3rd June]. William [aged 53], archbishop of Canterbury, having received the pallium from pope Calixtus, and Thurstan [aged 53], archbishop of York, with their companions, on their return from Rome, paid a visit to the king, who was still in Normandy: after a short stay, archbishop William came back to England, and, on the eleventh of the calends of August [22nd July], at Canterbury, consecrated Alexander as bishop of Lincoln; and, on the seventh of the calends of September [26th August], in the church of St. Paul the Apostle, at London, consecrated Godfrey, the queen's chancellor, to the bishopric of Bath.
Around March 1136 Bishop Robert of Lewes was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
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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In April 1173 Reginald Fitz Jocelin 1192 was appointed Bishop of Bath.
On 23rd June 1174 Reginald Fitz Jocelin 1192 was consecrated Bishop of Bath.
In December 1191 Savaric FitzGeldewin was elected Bishop of Bath and Glasstonbury.
On 22nd May 1264 Archbishop Walter Giffard [aged 39] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 4th January 1265 Archbishop Walter Giffard [aged 40] was consecrated as Bishop of Bath and Wells at Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral [Map].
On 23rd January 1275 Bishop Robert Burnell [aged 36] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 25th December 1308 King Edward II of England [aged 24] opposed Bishop John Droxford aka Drokensford for election as Bishop of Bath and Wells. He received the temporalities of the see on 15 May 1309.
On 12th May 1400 Bishop Richard Clifford was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells; he was never consecrated since he was instead translated to Worcester.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 18th December 1424 Archbishop John Stafford was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 27th May 1425 Archbishop John Stafford was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 13th October 1443 Bishop Thomas Beckington [aged 53] was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Patent Rolls. 20th January 1465. Grant to Master Robert Stillyngton [aged 45], king's clerk, keeper of the privy Westminster, seal, by mainprise of John Brewester of London, 'gentilman,' and Thomas Wode of Farnham, co. Essex, 'gentilman,' of the custody of all the temporalities of the Bishopric of Bath and Wells, in the king's hands by the death of Thomas, late bishop [deceased], so long as they remain in the king's hands, rendering as much as may be agreed upon between him and the treasurer before Midsummer and supporting all charges, and also all advowsons belonging to the king by reason of the said temporalities. By K.
On 30th October 1465 Bishop Robert Stillington [aged 45] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1492 Bishop Richard Foxe [aged 44] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 6th November 1495 Bishop Oliver King [aged 63] was translated to Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1523 Bishop John Clerk was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1548 Bishop William Barlow [aged 50] was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 1st April 1554 the Lord Chancellor Bishop Edmund "Bloody" Bonner of London [aged 54], assisted by Bishop Stephen Gardiner [aged 71], Bishop Nicholas Ridley [aged 54] and Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall [aged 80], consecrated seven bishops at Southwark Cathedral [Map]:
Bishop George Cotes was consecrated Bishop of Chester.
Bishop Gilbert Bourne was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Bishop James Brooks [aged 41] was consecrated Bishop of Gloucester.
Bishop Maurice Griffiths [aged 47] was consecrated Bishop of Rochester.
Bishop Henry Morgan was consecrated Bishop of St David's.
Bishop John White [aged 44] was consecrated Bishop of Lincoln.
Bishop Robert Parfew aka Warton was consecrated Bishop of Hereford.
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Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Henry Machyn's Diary. 1st April 1554. [The first day of April my lord chancellor [aged 54] did consecrate six new bishops at St. Mary Overy's [Map], before the high altar; and a goodly mass was said. And when all] was done thay yede unto my lord ch[ancellor's,] for ther was as grett a dener as youe ha[ve seen.] Thes be the bysshopes names that wher consecrated, [doctor] Whyt [aged 44], warden of Wynchastur, the bysshope of Ly[ncoln]; doctur Borne, bysshope of Bathe; doctur Morgan, bishop of sant Davys; doctur Brokes [aged 41], bysshope of Gloss [ter]; doctur Cottes, bysshope of Westtchastur; bysshope of sant Asse changyd to be bysshope of Arfford; master [Griffith] [aged 47] parsun of sant Magnus bysshope of Rochastur.
On 29th January 1560 Bishop Gilbert Berkeley [aged 59] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells. Royal assent was given on 20th March 1560.
On 24th March 1560 Bishop Gilbert Berkeley [aged 59] was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells at Lambeth Palace [Map].
In 1593 Bishop John Still [aged 59] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 29th March 1608 Bishop James Montagu [aged 40] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 14th May 1608 Bishop James Montagu [aged 40] was enthroned Bishop of Bath and Wells at Wells Cathedral [Map].
On 17th October 1616 Bishop Arthur Lake [aged 47] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 18th September 1626 Archbishop William Laud [aged 52] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
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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In 1660 Bishop William Piers [aged 80] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 25th May 1670 Bishop Robert Crichton [aged 77] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1672 Bishop Peter Mews [aged 52] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
After April 1684 Bishop Thomas Ken [aged 46] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 11th June 1691 Bishop Richard Kidder [aged 58] was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 30th August 1691 Bishop Richard Kidder [aged 58] was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1727 Bishop John Wynne [aged 60] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells which office he held until his death in 1743.
In 1744 Bishop Edward Willes [aged 50] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
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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In 1824 Bishop George Henry Law [aged 62] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1845 Bishop Richard Bagot [aged 62] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 2nd June 1854 Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland [aged 54] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 6th September 1869 Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland [aged 70] resigned his position as Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On 18th November 1869 Bishop Arthur Hervey [aged 61] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1943 Bishop John William Wand [aged 57] was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset [Map] is a village in Somerset. Episcopi, meaning Bishop, refers to it having been owned by the Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 909 Archbishop Athelm was appointed Bishop Wells. The first Bishop of Wells.