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: Burrell of Broome Park
Before 23rd June 1805 [his father] William Burrell [aged 32] and [his mother] Eleanor Forster [aged 33] were married.
On 23rd June 1805 Colonel Bryan Burrell was born to William Burrell [aged 32] and Eleanor Forster [aged 33].
On 21st September 1837 Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 32] and Frances Mary Quantock [aged 24] were married at Church of St John the Baptist, Spetisbury [Map].
On 15th July 1839 [his son] Major Bryan Burrell was born to Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 34] and [his wife] Frances Mary Quantock [aged 26].
On 6th July 1842 [his son] Henry Matthew Burrell was born to Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 37] and [his wife] Frances Mary Quantock [aged 29].
On 20th May 1846 [his mother] Eleanor Forster [aged 74] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Eleanor Forster: On or before 23rd July 1771, the date she was baptised, she was born to Matthew Forster and Jane Brown. Before 23rd June 1805 William Burrell and she were married.
On 1st February 1847 [his father] William Burrell [aged 74] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 16th March 1862 [his son] Henry Matthew Burrell [aged 19] drowned in the Bay of Melbourne during a squall. Memorial window at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
17th June 1864. Camille Silvy. Photograph of Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 58].
1866. Memorial windows to the deceased children of Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 60] and [his wife] Frances Mary Quantock [aged 52] who died young.
On 7th June 1866 [his wife] Frances Mary Quantock [aged 52] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 5th September 1881 Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 76] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
1882. Window in "affectionate remembrance" of Colonel Bryan Burrell and [his former wife] Frances Mary Quantock by their children.
After 1907. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] to three children of Colonel Bryan Burrell and [his former wife] Frances Mary Quantock.
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Burrell of Broome Park
GrandFather: Bryan Burrell
Great x 2 Grandfather: Bryan Grey of Kyloe
Great x 1 Grandmother: Philadephia Grey
Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Brandling
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Brandling
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Armourer
Father: William Burrell
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Partridge of Methwold in Norfolk
GrandMother: Mary Partridge
GrandFather: Matthew Forster
Mother: Eleanor Forster
Great x 1 Grandfather: Nicholas Brown of Bolton, Northumberland
GrandMother: Jane Brown