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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Massachusetts is in New England.
Around 9th March 1628 Edmund Quincy [aged 68] died in Massachusetts.
On 4th September 1633 Edmund "The Puritan" Quincy [aged 31] emigrated on a ship named Griffin at Massachusetts.
John Evelyn's Diary. 3rd August 1671. A full appearance at the Council. The matter in debate was, whether we should send a deputy to New England, requiring them of the Massachusetts to restore such to their limits and respective possessions, as had petitioned the Council; this to be the open commission only; but, in truth, with secret instructions to inform us of the condition of those Colonies, and whether they were of such power, as to be able to resist his Majesty [aged 41] and declare for themselves as independent of the Crown, which we were told, and which of late years made them refractory. Colonel Middleton [aged 63], being called in, assured us they might be curbed by a few of his Majesty's first-rate frigates, to spoil their trade with the islands; but, though my Lord President [aged 46] was not satisfied, the rest were, and we did resolve to advise his Majesty to send Commissioners with a formal commission for adjusting boundaries, etc., with some other instructions.
On 20th February 1920 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy [aged 31] and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald [aged 29] at Brookline Massachusetts. She married 6th May 1944 William Cavendish, son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire.
In 27th July 1660 Edward Whalley [aged 53] and his son-in-law, Major-General William Goffe [aged 55], another regicide, landed at Boston, Massachusetts. They lived, thereafter, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On 2nd March 1888 Mildred Carter Countess Gosford was born to John Ridgeley Carter [aged 24] and Alice Morgan [aged 23] in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On 20th October 1849 Frederick Strickland [aged 29] died in a mountain climbing accident. He had climbed Mount Washington, New Hampshire [Map]. During his descent he fell into a stream and died from hypothermia. His body was recovered and buried at the Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. His monument has the inscription: "Sacred to the memory of Frederick Strickland, an English traveller, who lost his life October 20, 1849, while walking upon the White Mountains. He was the second son of George Strickland [aged 66], Bart., a member of the Parliament of England."
In 1690 Paul Dudley [aged 14] graduated at Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1699 Jeremiah Dummer [aged 18] graduated at Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On 25th December 1632 Ann Clinton [aged 36] died in Charlestown Massachusetts.
Around 1643 Huldah Hussey was born to Christopher Hussey [aged 44] and Theodate Bachiler at Lynn, Essex County.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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In August 1630 Arabella Clinton [aged 35] died in Salem Massachusetts.
On 10th July 1686 Frances Howard Lady Downing [aged 53] died at Salem Massachusetts.
In 1820 Fitzwilliam Sargent was born to Winthrop Sargent [aged 27] at Gloucester. He married before 1854 Mary Newbold Singer and had issue.
Around 1675 Edward Whalley [aged 68] died at Hadley, Hampshire.
On 10th July 1834 James Abbott McNeill Whistler was born to George Washington Whistler [aged 34] and Anna McNeill [aged 29] at Lowell.
On 14th April 1754 Robert Temple [aged 60] died at Somerville, Middlesex County.
Before 1660 Christopher Hussey [aged 60] founded Nantucket Massachusetts.
In 1636 Stephen Bachiler [aged 74] moved to Newbury Massachusetts.
On 14th September 1645 Jeremiah Dummer was born to Richard Dummer [aged 56] and Frances Burr at Newbury Massachusetts. He married Anna Atwater and had issue.
On 14th December 1679 Richard Dummer [aged 90] died at Newbury Massachusetts.
On 16th December 1620 the Maylower landed at Plymouth Rock Massachusetts and went on to found Plymouth Colony. The first documented reference to the landing at Plyouth Rock was in 1741.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 15th August 1711 Reverend Nathaniel Walter was born at Roxbury, Suffolk.
On 29th March 1736 Sarah Walter Lady Haselrigge was born to Reverend Nathaniel Walter [aged 24] at Roxbury, Suffolk. She married before 16th February 1756 Robert Haselrigge 8th Baronet, son of Arthur Haselrigge 7th Baronet and Hannah Sturges, and had issue.