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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Onslow
On 22nd May 1624 Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet was born to [his father] Richard Onslow (age 23).
Before 23rd June 1654 Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet (age 30) and Mary Foote (age 23) were married.
On 23rd June 1654 [his son] Richard Onslow 1st Baron Onslow was born to Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet (age 30) and [his wife] Mary Foote (age 23). He married 31st August 1676 Elizabeth Tulse and had issue.
On 2nd June 1655 [his son] Foot Onslow was born to Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet (age 31) and [his wife] Mary Foote (age 24).
In November 1660 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 30) rewarded of further tranche of those who supported his Restoration by awarding them Baronetcies...
On 8th November 1660 William Russell 1st Baronet was created 1st Baronet Russell of Laugherne in Carmarthenshire.
On 12th November 1660 John Cutler 1st Baronet (age 57) was created 1st Baronet Cutler of London.
On 21st November 1660 John Clotworthy 1st Viscount Massereene was created 1st Viscount Massereene, 1st Baron Lough Neagh, in the Irish peerage, with remainder in default of male heirs to his son-in-law. See Viscountcies of England Created with a Special Remainder.
On 21st November 1660 [his father-in-law] Thomas Foote 1st Baronet (age 62) was created 1st Baronet Foote of London with a special remainder for title to revert on his death to his son-in-law, Arthur Onslow of West Clandon (age 36).
On 29th November 1660 John Wroth 1st Baronet (age 33) was created 1st Baronet Wroth of Blenden Hall in Kent.
On 19th May 1664 [his father] Richard Onslow (age 63) died.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th September 1670. I went to visit Mr. Arthur Onslow (age 46), at West Clandon, a pretty dry seat on the Downs, where we dined in his great room.
On 8th May 1674 Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet (age 49) was created 1st Baronet Onslow of West Clandon in Surrey.
On 31st August 1676 [his son] Richard Onslow 1st Baron Onslow (age 22) and [his daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Tulse (age 15) were married.
On 12th October 1687 [his father-in-law] Thomas Foote 1st Baronet (age 89) died. He was buried at All Saints Church, West Ham. His son-in-law Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet (age 63) succeeded 2nd Baronet Foote of London according to the special remainder added to the creation.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 21st July 1688 Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet (age 64) died. His son Richard (age 34) succeeded 2nd Baronet Onslow of West Clandon in Surrey, 3rd Baronet Foote of London.
In 1706 [his former wife] Mary Foote (age 75) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 16 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 17 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 26 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Onslow 
GrandFather: Edward Onslow
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Harding
Father: Richard Onslow 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Shirley 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Shirley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Bellingham
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Shirley 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Shirley 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
GrandMother: Elizabeth aka Isabel Shirley 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Kempe
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Kempe
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Kempe 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Browne 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Browne 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Kempe 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cheney
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Cheney
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret aka Agnes Young
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Cheney
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Frowyk
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frideswide Frowyk
Arthur Onslow 1st and 2nd Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England