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: Belasyse
In or before 1572 [her father] Henry Belasyse 1st Baronet [aged 16] and [her mother] Ursula Fairfax were married.
In 1572 Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers was born to Henry Belasyse 1st Baronet [aged 16] and Ursula Fairfax.
Before 1599 Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 28] and Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 26] were married. They were half fourth cousins.
On 24th January 1599 [her son] Conyers Darcy 1st Earl Holderness was born to [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 28] and Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 27]. He was baptised at Kirkby Fleetham, Hambleton on the same day. He married 14th October 1616 Grace Rokeby and had issue.
On 3rd May 1600 [her daughter] Dorothy Darcy was born to [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 29] and Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 28].
Before 1604 [her brother] Thomas Belasyse 1st Viscount Fauconberg [aged 26] and [her sister-in-law] Barbara Cholmley [aged 28] were married. They were half fourth cousins.
Before 4th June 1615 [her son] Marmaduke Darcy was born to [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 44] and Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 43].
On 14th October 1616 [her son] Conyers Darcy 1st Earl Holderness [aged 17] and [her daughter-in-law] Grace Rokeby [aged 16] were married.
On or before 30th November 1617 [her son] James Darcy was born to [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 47] and Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 45]. He married in or before 1650 his third cousin once removed Isabel Wyvill, daughter of Marmaduke Wyvill 2nd Baronet, 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 16th August 1624 [her father] Henry Belasyse 1st Baronet [aged 69] died. He was buried in St Saviour's Church, York [Map]. His son [her brother] Thomas [aged 47] succeeded 2nd Baronet Belasyse of Newborough.
In 1641 [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 70] was created 1st Baron Darcy of Meinhill. Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 69] by marriage Baroness Darcy of Meinhill.
In 1641 [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 70] abeyance terminated 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth. Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 69] by marriage Baroness Darcy of Knayth.
On 31st January 1643 [her brother] Thomas Belasyse 1st Viscount Fauconberg [aged 66] was created 1st Viscount Faunconberg.
Around 1644 [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 73] abeyance terminated 4th Baron Conyers. His mother Elizabeth Conyers was a daughter of John Conyers 3rd Baron Conyers. Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 72] by marriage Baroness Conyers.
In or before 1650 James Darcy [aged 32] and Isabel Wyvill [aged 24] were married. They had three sons and four daughters. They were third cousin once removed.
On 3rd March 1653 [her husband] Conyers Darcy 7th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 1st Baron Darcy Meinhill, 4th Baron Conyers [aged 82] died. His son Conyers [aged 54] succeeded 8th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 5th Baron Conyers, 2nd Baron Darcy of Meinhill
On 18th April 1653 [her brother] Thomas Belasyse 1st Viscount Fauconberg [aged 76] died. His grandson Thomas [aged 26] succeeded 2nd Viscount Faunconberg, 3rd Baronet Belasyse of Newborough.
On 11th May 1653 Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers [aged 81] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Thomas Belasyse 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Bellasis 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Lancelot Threlkeld
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Threlkeld 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Bromflete 1st Baron Vesci
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Bromflete Baroness Clifford 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Fitzhugh Baroness Darcy Knayth and Fitzhugh 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: William Bellasis of Newburgh Priory in Yorkshire 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Father: Henry Belasyse 1st Baronet 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fairfax
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Fairfax 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Neville 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Fairfax 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Gascoigne XIII 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Gascoigne 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Neville 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Gascoigne 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Percy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Poynings Countess Northumberland 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandMother: Margaret Fairfax 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Palmes of Lindley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Palmes of Lindley 9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Corbet 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Guy Palmes of Naburn 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Stephen Hadnall of Lancelevy
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Hadnall
Great x 1 Grandmother: Jane Palmes 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Dorothy Belasyse Baroness Darcy and Conyers 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Thomas Fairfax of Denton in Yorkshire
Mother: Ursula Fairfax