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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Master of Arts: Oxford University

Master of Arts: Oxford University is in Master of Arts.

Elizabeth I's visit to Oxford University

Around August 1566 Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 32) visited Oxford University. William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley (age 45) was created Master of Arts: Oxford University.

On 30th August 1605 George Chaworth 1st Viscount Chaworth (age 51) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University.

On 9th May 1618 Dean Thomas Turner (age 27) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University.

On 30th October 1633 Bishop Nicholas Monck (age 23) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Wadham College, Oxford University.

In 1638 Henry Killigrew (age 24) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

In 1643 George Joyliffe (age 22) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University from Pembroke College, Oxford University.

On 2nd June 1643 Hugh Wyndham Baron of the Exchequer (age 41) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University by Royal Warrant.

In 1658 Robert Reading 1st Baronet (age 18) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University by Christ Church College, Oxford University.

On 21st March 1667 Bishop William Moreton (age 26) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University.

In 1670 Richard Annesley 3rd Baron Altham (age 15) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

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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On 8th May 1707 John Digby (age 20) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

On 12th October 1711 Robert Digby (age 19) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

On 3rd November 1712 William Greville 7th Baron Brooke (age 17) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Wadham College, Oxford University.

On 31st January 1729 George Brudenell aka Montagu 1st Duke Montagu (age 16) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Queen's College, Oxford University.

In 1731 William Courtenay 7th Earl Devon (age 21) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

On 26th January 1741 Francis Scott (age 19) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

In 1751 Richard Grosvenor 1st Earl Grosvenor (age 19) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Oriel College, Oxford University.

In 1754 Bishop Frederick Keppel (age 25) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

In 1766 Bishop Reginald Courtenay (age 24) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

In July 1771 Thomas Frankland 6th Baronet (age 20) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at Merton College, Oxford University.

In 1781 Benjamin Hobhouse 1st Baronet (age 24) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Broadgates Hall, Oxford University.

On 30th May 1786 George Talbot Rice 3rd Baron Dynevor (age 20) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

In 1811 Spencer Rodney 5th Baron Rodney (age 25) was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University at All Souls College, Oxford University.

Memoires of Jacques du Clercq

This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.

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In 1824 Spencer Bulkeley Wynn 3rd Baron Newborough (age 20) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

In 1844 Edward Frederick Leveson-Gower (age 24) graduated Master of Arts: Oxford University at Christ Church College, Oxford University.

On 18th January 1870 John Reade 6th Baronet matriculated Magdalen College, Oxford University as a Gentleman Commoner. On 2nd July 1783 John Reade 6th Baronet was awarded Master of Arts: Oxford University.