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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: Head
Anna Gabriella Head was born to [her father] Francis Head 4th Baronet.
In May 1721 [her uncle] Richard Head 3rd Baronet (age 28) died unmarried. His brother [her father] Francis (age 27) succeeded 4th Baronet Head of Hermitage in Kent.
In 1753 Moses Mendes and Anna Gabriella Head were married.
On 2nd June 1753 [her future brother-in-law] Henry Roper 11th Baron Teynham (age 20) and [her sister] Maria Wilhelmina Head were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Anna Gabriella Head would subsequently marry his brother [her future husband] John Roper (age 18). Further, their two younger brothers [her future brother-in-law] Francis Roper (age 15) and [her future brother-in-law] Philip Roper Roper (age 13) also married siblings Mary Lyttelton (age 19) and Barbara Lyttelton respectively.
In 1755 [her son] Francis Head was born to [her husband] Moses Mendes and Anna Gabriella Head.
In 1757 [her son] James Roper Head was born to [her husband] Moses Mendes and Anna Gabriella Head.
On 21st March 1760 John Roper (age 25) and Anna Gabriella Head were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Maria Wilhelmina Head had previously married his brother Henry Roper 11th Baron Teynham (age 26). Further, their two younger brothers Francis Roper (age 22) and Philip Roper Roper (age 20) also married siblings Mary Lyttelton (age 26) and Barbara Lyttelton respectively.
On 21st March 1766 [her brother-in-law] Philip Roper Roper (age 26) and Barbara Lyttelton were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Mary Lyttelton (age 32) was previously married to his brother [her brother-in-law] Francis Roper (age 28). Further, their two older brothers [her husband] John Roper (age 31) and [her brother-in-law] Henry Roper 11th Baron Teynham (age 32) also married siblings Anna Gabriella Head and [her sister] Maria Wilhelmina Head respectively.
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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On 27th November 1768 [her father] Francis Head 4th Baronet (age 74) died. His brother [her uncle] John (age 66) succeeded 5th Baronet Head of Hermitage in Kent.
In 1771 Anna Gabriella Head died.
In 1780 [her former husband] John Roper (age 45) died without issue.
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Head 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Head
GrandFather: Francis Head 2nd Baronet
Father: Francis Head 4th Baronet