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: Skeffington
On 16th March 1738 [his father] Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene [aged 23] and Anne Daniel were married.
On 25th November 1741 [his father] Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene [aged 26] and [his mother] Anne Eyre Countess Massereene [aged 24] were married.
On 28th January 1742 Clotworthy Skeffington 2nd Earl Massereene was born to Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene [aged 27] and Anne Eyre Countess Massereene [aged 25].
On 28th July 1756 [his father] Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene [aged 41] was created 1st Earl Massereene. [his mother] Anne Eyre Countess Massereene [aged 39] by marriage Countess Massereene.
On 14 or 17th September 1757 [his father] Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene [aged 42] died. His son Clotworthy [aged 15] succeeded 2nd Earl Massereene, 6th Viscount Massereene, 6th Baron Lough Neagh, 8th Baronet Skeffington of Fisherwick in Staffordshire.
In 1765 [his brother-in-law] Robert Clements 1st Earl Leitrim [aged 32] and [his sister] Elizabeth Skeffington Countess Leitrim were married. She the daughter of [his father] Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene and [his mother] Anne Eyre Countess Massereene [aged 48].
Around 1769 Clotworthy Skeffington 2nd Earl Massereene [aged 26] was imprisoned in For-l'Évêque in 1769/70 for having accrued huge debts of 15,000 or more French livre. He maintained a lavish lifestyle in the prison, entertaining fellow prisoners.
In 1780 Clotworthy Skeffington 2nd Earl Massereene [aged 37] was transferred to La Force Prison when For-l'Évêque was closed.
In 1780 [his brother] Chichester Skeffington 4th Earl Massereene [aged 34] and [his sister-in-law] Harriet Jocelyn were married. She the daughter of Robert Jocelyn 1st Earl Roden [aged 48] and Anne Hamilton Countess Roden [aged 50]. He the son of [his father] Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene and [his mother] Anne Eyre Countess Massereene [aged 63].
On 13th July 1789 Clotworthy Skeffington 2nd Earl Massereene [aged 47] was freed when a mob freed the prisoners at La Force Prison a day before the Storming of the Bastille.
In 1795 [his brother-in-law] Robert Clements 1st Earl Leitrim [aged 62] was created 1st Earl Leitrim. [his sister] Elizabeth Skeffington Countess Leitrim by marriage Countess Leitrim.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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On 28th February 1805 Clotworthy Skeffington 2nd Earl Massereene [aged 63] died without issue. His brother Henry [aged 61] succeeded 3rd Earl Massereene, 7th Viscount Massereene, 7th Baron Lough Neagh, 9th Baronet Skeffington of Fisherwick in Staffordshire.
Kings Wessex: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 14 Grand Son of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 18 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Skeffington 1st Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Skeffington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Dering
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Skeffington 2nd Viscount Massereene 
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Newdigate of Arbury in Warwickshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Newdigate
Great x 1 Grandfather: Clotworthy Skeffington 3rd Viscount Massereene
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Clotworthy 1st Viscount Massereene
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Clotworthy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Jones 1st Viscount Ranelagh
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Jones
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Moore
GrandFather: Clotworthy Skeffington 4th Viscount Massereene 17 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Anthony Hungerford of Black Bourton 
13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Hungerford 14 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sarah Crouch
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Hungerford 15 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Rice Jones
Great x 3 Grandmother: Rachel Jones
Great x 1 Grandmother: Rachel Hungerford Viscountess Massereene 16 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Hele
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Hele
Father: Clotworthy Skeffington 1st Earl Massereene 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Chichester 1st Viscount Chichester 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Lieutenant-Colonel John Chichester 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Copleston
Great x 2 Grandfather: Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Jones 1st Viscount Ranelagh
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Jones
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Moore
Great x 1 Grandfather: Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Echingham of Dunroby
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Ichyngham of Dunbrody in Wexford
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall
GrandMother: Catherine Chichester Visountess Massereene 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Forbes of Corse
Great x 3 Grandfather: Arthur Forbes 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Arthur Forbes 1st Earl Granard
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Forbes
Clotworthy Skeffington 2nd Earl Massereene 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Henry Eyre of Row Tor in Derbyshire 
Mother: Anne Eyre Countess Massereene
Great x 3 Grandfather: Willoughby Hickman 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Hickman 2nd Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Willoughby Hickman 3rd Baronet
GrandMother: Elizabeth Hickman