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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Archaeologia Cambrensis 1853 Page 155 is in Archaeologia Cambrensis 1853.
Fall of Part of Denbigh Castle.
Much alarm has been occasioned in Denbigh by the fall of a large portion of the solid old masonry of its ancient castle. Nearly forty yards of wall fell with a crash that was heard at an immense distance. A row of cottages built just below, with one exception, happily escaped without injury, but they were in great danger of being overwhelmed. It appears that the western side of the edifice is built upon a precipitous bank, and it is thought that the long continued rains, succeeded by the recent frosts, have loosened the soil on which the walls stood, and caused the unexpected downfall. We understand that the crown surveyor has received directions to inspect the ruins.