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All About History Books

The 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.

Battle of Prestonpans

Battle of Prestonpans is in 1714-1760 George I and George II.

On 21st September 1745 the army of Charles Edward "Bonnie Prince Charlie" Stewart (age 24) defeated the only government army in Scotland at the Battle of Prestonpans, led by General Sir John Cope (age 57).

Colonel James Gardiner (age 57) was killed in action. He was mortally wounded by the Highlanders after his dragoons had fled the field and he was attempting to rally some foot soldiers. He received a mortal blow whilst wounded on the ground and was stripped to the waist as his possessions were looted by the Highlanders. After the battle he was carried from the field by a servant to nearby Tranent where he soon died.

The 1745 Cairn [Map] marks the location of the Battle of Prestonpans fonght on 21st September 1745.

The Thorntree Monument [Map] marks the location of the last stand of Colonel James Gardiner (age 57) during the Battle of Prestonpans on 21st September 1745.

Colonel James Gardiner: On 11th January 1688 he was born to William Gardiner. 1726 he and Frances Erskine were married. She the daughter of David Erskine 9th Earl Buchan and Frances Fairfax Countess Buchan.