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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Chicago Tribune is in Newspapers.
Left Waterloo in 1932 to Assume Title.
By John Steele. (Picture on back page.) [Chicago Tribune Press Serviee.]
LONDON, July 10.—The "elevator boy baronet," Sir Reginald Beatty Wolseley — known as "Dick" to the folks back in Waterloo, la.—is dead. His death occurred at Capel cottage, Berrynarbor, North Devon, it was announced today. He was 61 years old. Sir Reginald, the son of Dr. Cadwallader Brooke Wolseley of Dublin and a cousin of Admiral Earl Beatty, lived a fantastic, "fairy story" life. In 1897, at the age of 25. he left England for the United States and after years of wandering wound up in Waterloo as an elevator operator in a hotel. He worked there 14 years.
Keeps Title Secret.
He acquired his title in 1923 on the death of his cousin, Sir Capel Charles Wolseley, but liked his job in Iowa s0 well that be stayed there and kept his title a secret. - He preferred to be known as "Dick." He attributed his failure to get a better paying position to fallen arches: "I might have been a go-getter." he sald, "but my poor feet wouldn't stand any rushing about."
In May. 1930, however, his secret came out. Miss Marion Elizabeth Baker, a Devon nurse, went to Waterloo as a messenger from Sir Reginald's mother, who had just died. Miss Baker revealed that she was fulfilling a death-bed wish made by his mother to bring Sir Reginald back to England. The day after her arrival she married Sir Reginald. He was 58. She was 40.
Wife Bothered Him.
The bride found, however, that getting Dick to England was not such an easy task. She herself left the day after their marriage with the understanding that Sir Reginald would follow as soon as he could straighten up his elevator affairs. The baronet though, was too much attached to his it. He refused to budge. Furthermore, that fall he obtained a divorce. He said his wife harassed him by sending so many cablegrams coaxing him to come home. Undaunted, Lady Wolseley that December once again traveled to Waterloo and used all her powers of persuasion. She won her point. The divorce was set aside in January. 1932, and that time both Sir Reginald and his wife sailed for England.
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