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: Edgecombe
In 1602 [his father] Richard Edgecumbe [aged 32] and Anne Carey were married.
In 1608 [his father] Richard Edgecumbe [aged 38] and [his mother] Mary Cotelle were married.
Around 1609 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe was born to Richard Edgecumbe [aged 39] and Mary Cotelle.
In 1628 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 19] was elected MP Newport.
In 1636 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 27] and Mary Glanville were married at St Dunstan's in the West, Fleet Street [Map].
In 1637 [his daughter] Winifred Edgecumbe was born to Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 28] and [his wife] Mary Glanville at Mount Edgcumbe, Cornwall. She married 1660 Thomas Coventry 1st Earl Coventry, son of Thomas Coventry 2nd Baron Coventry and Mary Craven, and had issue.
On 23rd March 1639 [his father] Richard Edgecumbe [aged 69] died.
On 13th February 1640 [his son] Richard Edgecumbe was born to Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 31] and [his wife] Mary Glanville. He married before 23rd April 1680 Anne Montagu, daughter of Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich and Jemima Crew Countess Sandwich, and had issue.
In April 1640 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 31] was elected MP Camelford.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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In 1660 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 51] was appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall.
Around 1660 [his son-in-law] Thomas Coventry 1st Earl Coventry [aged 31] and [his daughter] Winifred Edgecumbe [aged 23] were married.
In 1662 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 53] was elected MP Newport.
On 6th January 1667 Colonel Piers Edgecumbe [aged 58] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 20 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings England: Great x 13 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Son of King David I of Scotland
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 3 Grandfather: Richard Edgecombe
Great x 2 Grandfather: Piers Edgecombe
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Edgecombe 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John St John 
7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John St John 8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Bradshaigh
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine St John 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Morgan ap Jenkin Lord of Langstone
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sybil of Lansgtone Manor
GrandFather: Piers Edgecombe 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Father: Richard Edgecumbe 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Colonel Piers Edgecumbe 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
GrandFather: Thomas Cotelle
Mother: Mary Cotelle