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: Smithson
In 1845 [his father] Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland (age 34) and [his mother] Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland were married. He the son of [his grandfather] George Percy 5th Duke Northumberland (age 66) and [his grandmother] Louisa Harcourt Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie (age 63).
On 2nd October 1851 Algernon Percy was born to [his father] Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland (age 41) and [his mother] Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland.
On 22nd August 1867 [his grandfather] George Percy 5th Duke Northumberland (age 89) died. His son [his father] Algernon (age 57) succeeded 6th Duke Northumberland, 3rd Earl Beverley, 9th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire. [his mother] Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland by marriage Duchess Northumberland.
On 23rd December 1868 [his brother] Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland (age 22) and [his sister-in-law] Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland (age 19) were married. She the daughter of George Douglas Campbell 8th Duke Argyll (age 45) and Elizabeth Georgiana Leveson-Gower Duchess Argyll. He the son of [his father] Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland (age 58) and [his mother] Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland. They were fifth cousins.
On 3rd August 1880 Algernon Percy (age 28) and Victoria Frederica Edgcumbe (age 21) were married. She the daughter of William Henry Edgecumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (age 46) and Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Mount Edgcumbe. He the son of Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland (age 70) and Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
In 1882 [his daughter] Katharine Louisa Victoria Percy was born to Algernon Percy (age 30) and [his wife] Victoria Frederica Edgcumbe (age 23). She married 15th September 1904 her third cousin Josceline Reginald Heber-Percy.
In 1882 Algernon Percy (age 30) was elected MP Westminster which seat he held until 1885 when the seat was divided.
In 1884 [his son] Algernon William Percy was born to Algernon Percy (age 32) and [his wife] Victoria Frederica Edgcumbe (age 25).
In 1885 Algernon Percy (age 33) was elected MP St George's, Hanover Square which seat he resigned in 1887.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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In 1886 [his father] Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland (age 75) was appointed 787th Knight of the Garter by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 66).
In December 1890 [his mother] Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland died.
In 1899 [his brother] Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland (age 52) was appointed 811th Knight of the Garter by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 79).
On 2nd January 1899 [his father] Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland (age 88) died. He was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey. His son [his brother] Henry (age 52) succeeded 7th Duke Northumberland, 4th Earl Beverley, 10th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire. [his sister-in-law] Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland (age 49) by marriage Duchess Northumberland.
On 15th September 1904 [his son-in-law] Josceline Reginald Heber-Percy (age 24) and [his daughter] Katharine Louisa Victoria Percy (age 22) were married at St Mary's Church, Warwick [Map]. They were third cousins.
In 1910 Algernon Percy (age 58) was appointed High Sheriff of Warwickshire.
In 1916 [his son] Algernon William Percy (age 32) was killed during the Battle of Jutland.
On 14th May 1918 [his brother] Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland (age 71) died. He was buried at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Lesbury [Map]. His son [his nephew] Alan (age 38) succeeded 8th Duke Northumberland, 5th Earl Beverley, 11th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire. Helen Gordon-Lennox Duchess Northumberland (age 31) by marriage Duchess Northumberland.
In 1920 [his wife] Victoria Frederica Edgcumbe (age 61) died.
On 28th December 1933 Algernon Percy (age 82) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 20 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 21 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 20 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 14 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 28 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Smithson 3rd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Langdale Smithson
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Algernon Percy 1st Earl Beverley 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Seymour 6th Duke of Somerset 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Algernon Seymour 7th Duke of Somerset 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Percy Duchess Somerset 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Thynne 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Thynne Duchess Somerset 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Grace Strode 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: George Percy 5th Duke Northumberland 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Peter Burrell
Great x 2 Grandfather: Peter Burrell
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Raymond
Great x 3 Grandmother: Amy Raymond
Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Lewis 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Lewis
Father: Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Stuart 1st Earl Bute 
13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Stuart 2nd Earl Bute 14 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Stuart 3rd Earl Bute 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Archibald Campbell 1st Duke Argyll 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Campbell Countess Bute 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tollemache Duchess Argyll 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Sidney Wortley-Montagu 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Wortley-Montagu 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Wortley-Montagu Countess Bute 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke Kingston upon Hull 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Wortley-Montagu née Pierrepont 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Fielding Countess Kingston upon Hull 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Louisa Harcourt Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandfather: David Cunynghame 3rd Baronet
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Cunynghame
Algernon Percy 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
GrandFather: Henry Drummond
Mother: Louisa Drummond Duchess Northumberland 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Hay 7th Earl Kinnoull 
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Henry Hay 8th Earl Kinnoull
Great x 2 Grandfather: Archbishop Robert Hay-Drummond 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Harley 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Abigail Harley Countess Kinnoul 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Foley Countess of Oxford and Mortimer
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Hay-Drummond 10th Earl Kinnoul 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Peter d'Auriol
Great x 2 Grandmother: Henrietta d'Auriol
GrandMother: Henrietta Hay-Drummond 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Harley 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Harley 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sarah Foley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Harley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Morgan of Tredegar 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Martha Morgan Countess of Oxford and Mortimer 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Martha Vaughan 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sarah Harley Countess Kinnoul 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Bangham
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Bangham