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: Morden aka Harbord
In 1809 [his father] Edward Harbord 3rd Baron Suffield [aged 27] and Georgiana Venables-Vernon Baroness Suffield [aged 22] were married.
In 12th September 1826 [his father] Edward Harbord 3rd Baron Suffield [aged 44] and [his mother] Emily Harriey Shirley Baroness Suffield were married. She by marriage Baroness Suffield.
On 2nd January 1830 Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield was born to Edward Harbord 3rd Baron Suffield [aged 48] and Emily Harriey Shirley Baroness Suffield.
In 1835 [his half-brother] Edward Harbord 4th Baron Suffield [aged 22] and [his sister-in-law] Charlotte Susannah Gardner [aged 24] were married.
In July 1835 [his father] Edward Harbord 3rd Baron Suffield [aged 53] died at Vernon House Park Place after a fall from his horse on Constitution Hill. His son [his half-brother] Edward [aged 22] succeeded 4th Baron Suffield, 5th Baronet Harbord of Suffield in Norfolk.
In 1853 [his half-brother] Edward Harbord 4th Baron Suffield [aged 40] died. His half brother Charles [aged 22] succeeded 5th Baron Suffield, 6th Baronet Harbord of Suffield in Norfolk.
On 4th May 1854 Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 24] and Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Baroness Suffield.
On 14th June 1855 [his son] Charles Harbord 6th Baron Suffield was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 25] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 21].
On 15th June 1856 [his daughter] Cecilia Margaret Harbord Marchioness was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 26] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 22]. She married 1878 Charles Robert Wynn-Carington 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire, son of Robert Carrington 2nd Baron Carrington and Charlotte Augusta Annabella Drummond Willoughby Baroness Carrington, and had issue.
On 23rd June 1857 [his daughter] Alice Marion Harbord Baroness Hillingdon was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 27] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 23]. She married 1886 her half fourth cousin once removed Charles Mills 2nd Baron Hillingdon, son of Charles Mills 1st Baron Hillingdon and Louisa Isabella Lascelles Baroness Hillingdon, and had issue.
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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On 21st November 1858 [his daughter] Mabel Harbord was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 28] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 24]. She died aged one in 1860.
On 11th February 1860 [his daughter] Mabel Harbord [aged 1] died.
On 23rd February 1860 [his daughter] Elizabeth Evelyn Harbord Baroness Hastings was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 30] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 26]. She married 17th April 1880 George Manners Astley 20th Baron Hastings, son of Delaval Loftus Astley 18th Baron Hastings and Frances Diana Manners-Sutton Baroness Hastings, and had issue.
On 20th January 1861 [his son] Assheton Edward Harbord was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 31] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 27] at Harleston, Northamptonshire.
On 12th June 1862 [his daughter] Judith Harbord was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 32] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 28] at Gunton, Norfolk.
On 31st December 1864 [his daughter] Winifred Harbord was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 34] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 30] at Gunton, Norfolk. She married 20th July 1889 Colonel Geoffrey Carr Glyn and had issue.
On 7th January 1868 [his daughter] Eleanor Harbord Lady Musgrave was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 38] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 34] at Gunton, Norfolk. She married before 1896 Richard George Musgrave 12th Baronet, son of Richard Courtenay Musgrave 11th Baronet and Adora Frances Olga Wells Lady Musgrave and Baroness Brougham, and had issue.
On 20th December 1870 [his daughter] Bridget Louisa Harbord was born to Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 40] and [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 36]. She married 20th June 1898 Derek William George Keppel, son of William Keppel 7th Earl Albermarle and Sophia Mary MacNab of Dundurn Castle.
On 28th June 1876 [his brother-in-law] Evelyn Baring 1st Earl Cromer [aged 35] and Ethel Errington [aged 31] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square.
In 1878 [his son-in-law] Charles Robert Wynn-Carington 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire [aged 34] and [his daughter] Cecilia Margaret Harbord Marchioness [aged 21] were married.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 17th April 1880 [his son-in-law] George Manners Astley 20th Baron Hastings [aged 23] and [his daughter] Elizabeth Evelyn Harbord Baroness Hastings [aged 20] were married at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall Palace. She by marriage Baroness Hastings.
On 3rd January 1881 [his mother] Emily Harriey Shirley Baroness Suffield died.
In 1886 [his son-in-law] Charles Mills 2nd Baron Hillingdon [aged 30] and [his daughter] Alice Marion Harbord Baroness Hillingdon [aged 28] were married. They were half fourth cousin once removed.
The London Gazette 25561. Master of the Horse's Office, Royal Mews, Pimlico, February 17, 1886, Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to appoint the Right Honourable Charles Harbord [aged 56] Baron Suffield, K.C.B., to be Master of Her Majesty's Buckhounds, in the room of the Right Honourable John Henry Delapoer [aged 41], Marquis of Waterford, K.P., resigned.
On 20th July 1889 [his son-in-law] Colonel Geoffrey Carr Glyn [aged 25] and [his daughter] Winifred Harbord [aged 24] were married.
Before 1896 [his son-in-law] Richard George Musgrave 12th Baronet [aged 23] and [his daughter] Eleanor Harbord Lady Musgrave [aged 27] were married. She by marriage Lady Musgrave of Hartley Castle in Westmoreland.
On 20th June 1898 [his son-in-law] Derek William George Keppel [aged 35] and [his daughter] Bridget Louisa Harbord [aged 27] were married. He the son of William Keppel 7th Earl Albermarle and Sophia Mary MacNab of Dundurn Castle [aged 65].
In August 1901 [his brother-in-law] Evelyn Baring 1st Earl Cromer [aged 60] was created 1st Earl Cromer. Katherine Georgina Louisa Thynne Countess Cromer [aged 36] by marriage Countess Cromer.
In August 1901 [his brother-in-law] Evelyn Baring 1st Earl Cromer [aged 60] was created 1st Viscount Errington Hexham Northumberland. Katherine Georgina Louisa Thynne Countess Cromer [aged 36] by marriage Viscountess Errington Hexham Northumberland.
On 22nd October 1901 [his brother-in-law] Evelyn Baring 1st Earl Cromer [aged 60] and Katherine Georgina Louisa Thynne Countess Cromer [aged 36] were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. She the daughter of John Alexander Thynne 4th Marquess of Bath and Frances Isabella Catherine Vesey Marchioness Bath. They were first cousin twice removed.
On 16th February 1911 [his wife] Cecilia Annetta Baring Baroness Suffield [aged 77] died.
On 9th April 1914 Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield [aged 84] died. His son Charles [aged 58] succeeded 6th Baron Suffield, 7th Baronet Harbord of Suffield in Norfolk.
The London Gazette 23128. Commission signed by the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk and of the City and County of the City of Norwich.
The Right Honourable Charles, Lord Suffield, to be Vice Lieutenant. Dated 14th June, 1866.
Kings Wessex: Great x 23 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 14 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Philip III of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 19 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Morden
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Morden aka Harbord 1st Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cropley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Judith Cropley
GrandFather: Harbord Morden aka Harbord 1st Baron Suffield
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Britiffe
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Britiffe Lady Harbord
Father: Edward Harbord 3rd Baron Suffield
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Assheton 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Assheton
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ralph Assheton 3rd Baronet
GrandMother: Mary Assheton Baroness Suffield
Charles Harbord 5th Baron Suffield 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Shirley 2nd Baronet 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Shirley 4th Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Devereux Lady Shirley 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Shirley 1st Earl Ferrers 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Okeover
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Okeover Lady Shirley
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Shirley 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Finch 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Selina Finch Countess Ferrers
GrandFather: Evelyn Shirley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Humphrey Sturt
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Sturt
Mother: Emily Harriey Shirley Baroness Suffield 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Charlton Wollaston
GrandMother: Phillis Byam Wollaston