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: Bostock aka Rich
Around 1752 Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet was born.
In or before 1784 Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet [aged 31] and Mary Frances Rich [aged 28] were married.
On 19th April 1784 [his son] Charles Henry Rich 2nd Baronet was born to Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet [aged 32] and [his wife] Mary Frances Rich [aged 28]. He married before 12th December 1812 Francs-Maria Lethbridge Lady Rich, daughter of John Lethbridge 1st Baronet and Dorothea Buckler, and had issue.
In 1790 Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet [aged 38] adopted the surname Rich.
In 1791 Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet [aged 39] was created 1st Baronet Rich of Shirley House in Hampshire. He had married [his wife] Mary Frances Rich [aged 35] the daughter of the 5th Baronet Rich of Sonning in Berkshire and niece of the 6th Baronet Rich of Sonning in Berkshire.
On 8th January 1799 George Rich 6th Baronet [aged 70] died. Baronet Rich of London extinct. His niece, [his wife] Mary Frances Rich [aged 43], daughter of his brother [his father-in-law] Robert Rich 5th Baronet, had married Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet [aged 47] who would subsequently adopt the surname of Rich and be created 1st Baronet Rich of Shirley House in Hampshire.
Before 12th December 1812 [his son] Charles Henry Rich 2nd Baronet [aged 28] and [his daughter-in-law] Francs-Maria Lethbridge Lady Rich were married.
On 12th September 1824 Charles Bostock aka Rich 1st Baronet [aged 72] died. His son Charles [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Baronet Rich of Shirley House in Hampshire. Francs-Maria Lethbridge Lady Rich by marriage Lady Rich of Shirley House in Hampshire.
On 20th May 1833 [his former wife] Mary Frances Rich [aged 77] died.