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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Paternal Family Tree: Parker of Devon
In 1842 [his father] Edmund Parker 2nd Earl Morley (age 31) and [his mother] Harriet Sophia Parker Countess Morley (age 33) were married. She by marriage Countess Morley. He the son of [his grandfather] John Parker 1st Earl Morley and [his grandmother] Frances Talbot Countess Morley (age 60). They were second cousins.
On 11th June 1843 Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley was born to [his father] Edmund Parker 2nd Earl Morley (age 33) and [his mother] Harriet Sophia Parker Countess Morley (age 34). Coefficient of inbreeding 1.56%.
On 28th August 1864 [his father] Edmund Parker 2nd Earl Morley (age 54) died. His son Albert (age 21) succeeded 3rd Earl Morley, 3rd Viscount Boringdon of North Malton in Devon, 4th Baron Boringdon.
The London Gazette 24071. 2nd March 1874. St. James's Palace, March 2, 1874.
The Queen (age 54) has been pleased to appoint to be Lords in Waiting in Ordinary to Her Majesty:-
Charles Adolphus, Earl of Dunmore (age 32), in the room of Gavin, Earl of Breadalbane (age 22), resigned.
Robert, Earl of Roden (age 27), in the room of Valentine Augustus, Earl of Kenmare (age 48), resigned.
Cornwallis, Viscount Hawarden (age 56), in the room of Albert Edmund, Earl of Morley (age 30), resigned.
William, Lord Bagot (age 62), in the room of Thomas, Lord Camoys (age 76), resigned.
Dudley Charles, Lord De Ros (age 46), in the room of Charles, Lord Lurgan, resigned.
William Buller Fullerton, Lord Elphinstone (age 45), in the room of Frederick Henry Paul, Lord Methuen (age 56), resigned.
Thomas, Lord Walsingham (age 30), in the room of Arthur, Lord Wrottesley (age 49), resigned.
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In 1876 Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley (age 32) and Margaret Holford Countess Morley (age 21) were married. She by marriage Countess Morley. He the son of Edmund Parker 2nd Earl Morley and Harriet Sophia Parker Countess Morley (age 67).
On 19th April 1877 [his son] Edmund Parker 4th Earl Morley was born to Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley (age 33) and [his wife] Margaret Holford Countess Morley (age 22).
On 9th June 1877 Albert Henry George Grey 4th Earl Grey (age 25) and [his sister-in-law] Alice Holford Countess Grey were married. She by marriage Countess Grey.
On 13th October 1878 [his son] Montagu Brownlow Parker 5th Earl Morley was born to Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley (age 35) and [his wife] Margaret Holford Countess Morley (age 23).
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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On 22nd June 1886 [his son] John Holford Parker was born to Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley (age 43) and [his wife] Margaret Holford Countess Morley (age 31). He married 1919 Marjory Katharine, daughter of John Townshend St Aubyn 2nd Baron St Levan and Edith Hilaria Edgecumbe, and had issue.
In 1897 [his mother] Harriet Sophia Parker Countess Morley (age 88) died.
Before 26th February 1905. Ellis William Roberts (age 44). Portrait of Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley (age 61).
On 26th February 1905 Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley (age 61) died. His son Edmund (age 27) succeeded 4th Earl Morley, 4th Viscount Boringdon of North Malton in Devon, 5th Baron Boringdon.
On 9th February 1908 [his former wife] Margaret Holford Countess Morley (age 53) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 21 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 26 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 19 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 23 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Parker 
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Parker of Boringdon
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Parker
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Parker 1st Baron Boringdon 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Paulett 3rd Baron Paulett 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Paulett 1st Earl Paulett 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Susan Herbert Baroness Poulett 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Paulett 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peregrine Bertie 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bridget Bertie Countess Paulett 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: John Parker 1st Earl Morley 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Robinson of York 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Robinson 1st Baronet
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tancred
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Robinson 1st Baron Grantham
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Aislabie of Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Aislabie
Great x 1 Grandmother: Theresa Robinson Baroness Boringdon
Father: Edmund Parker 2nd Earl Morley 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Talbot of Wymondham 
GrandMother: Frances Talbot Countess Morley
Albert Parker 3rd Earl Morley 15 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Parker
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Parker of Boringdon
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Parker
Great x 1 Grandfather: Montagu Edmund Parker 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Paulett 3rd Baron Paulett 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Paulett 1st Earl Paulett 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Susan Herbert Baroness Poulett 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Paulett 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peregrine Bertie 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bridget Bertie Countess Paulett 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Montagu Edmund Parker II 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Mother: Harriet Sophia Parker Countess Morley 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England