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: Sutton
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Bettershorne 1353-1427
After October 1405 Edward Charleton 5th Baron Cherleton [aged 35] and [his mother] Elizabeth Berkeley Baroness Cherleton Baroness Dudley were married. She by marriage Baroness Cherleton. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
After 14th March 1420 [his father] John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 19] and [his mother] Elizabeth Berkeley Baroness Cherleton Baroness Dudley were married at Dudley, Staffordshire.
In 1425 Edmund Sutton was born to [his father] John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 24] and [his mother] Elizabeth Berkeley Baroness Cherleton Baroness Dudley at Dudley, Staffordshire.
On 15th February 1440 [his father] John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 39] was created 1st Baron Dudley. [his mother] Elizabeth Berkeley Baroness Cherleton Baroness Dudley by marriage Baroness Dudley.
On 22nd May 1455 the Wars of the Roses commenced with the First Battle of St Albans. Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 43] commanded with Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 26], Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 55], Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 40] and Walter Strickland [aged 44].
The Lancastrians...
Edmund Beaufort 1st or 2nd Duke of Somerset [aged 49] was killed. His son Henry [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Duke Somerset, 2nd Marquess Dorset, 5th Earl Somerset, 2nd Earl Dorset. Note his father is frequently incorrectly referred to as the second Duke and Henry as the third Duke. His father's Dukedom, however, was a new creation.
Henry Percy 2nd Earl of Northumberland [aged 62] was killed. His son Henry [aged 33] succeeded 3rd Earl of Northumberland, 6th Baron Percy of Alnwick, 14th Baron Percy of Topcliffe. Eleanor Poynings Countess Northumberland [aged 33] by marriage Countess of Northumberland.
Thomas Clifford 8th Baron Clifford [aged 41] was killed. His son John [aged 20] succeeded 9th Baron de Clifford, 9th Lord Skipton. Margaret Bromflete Baroness Clifford [aged 21] by marriage Baroness de Clifford.
William Cotton [aged 45] and Richard Fortescue [aged 41] were killed.
Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 52] was wounded and captured.
King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 33], John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 54] and Edmund Sutton [aged 30] were captured.
Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset was wounded. James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 34] and John Wenlock 1st Baron Wenlock [aged 55] fought.
Richard Cotton of Hampstall Ridware [aged 51] and his son William Cotton of Connington in Huntingdonshire [aged 27] were killed.
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In or before 1459 Edmund Sutton [aged 33] and Joyce Tiptoft [aged 33] were married. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In 1459 [his son] Edward Sutton 2nd Baron Dudley was born to Edmund Sutton [aged 34] and [his wife] Joyce Tiptoft [aged 33]. He married 1484 his fourth cousin Cecily Willoughby Baroness Dudley and had issue.
On 23rd September 1459 a Lancastrian army of James Tuchet 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet [aged 61] and [his father] John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 58] fought with a Yorkist army commanded by Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 59] at Blore Heath, Staffordshire [Map] whilst he, Salisbury, was travelling to Ludlow [Map] to join up with the main Yorkist army. Forewarned by scouts Salisbury arranged his troops into battle order the night before, arranging his wagons defensively, and digging trenches.
The Yorkist army included John Conyers [aged 48], Thomas Harrington [aged 59], James Harrington [aged 29], John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu [aged 28], William Stanley [aged 24], Roger Kynaston of Myddle and Hordley [aged 26], John Savile, Walter Strickland [aged 48] and John Wenlock 1st Baron Wenlock [aged 59].
The Lancastrian army included brothers John Dutton, Thomas Dutton [aged 38] and Peter Dutton who were killed.
James Tuchet 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet was killed, probably by Roger Kynaston of Myddle and Hordley. His son John [aged 33] succeeded 6th Baron Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire, 3rd Baron Tuchet. Anne Echingham Baroness Audley Heighley [aged 39] by marriage Baroness Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire, Baroness Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire.
John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley and Edmund Sutton [aged 34] were captured. Lionel Welles 6th Baron Welles [aged 53] fought.
William Troutbeck [aged 23], Richard Molyneux of Sefton and John Egerton [aged 55] were killed.
After the battle Margaret of Anjou Queen Consort England [aged 29] took refuge at Eccleshall Castle, Staffordshire [Map]. Thomas Harrington, John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu and Thomas Neville [aged 29] were captured at Acton Bridge, Tarporley [Map] and imprisoned at Chester Castle [Map] having been detached from the main Yorkist force.
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Before 30th December 1460 John Harrington [aged 36] and [his future wife] Maud Clifford [aged 18] were married. They were first cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1461 [his son] John Dudley was born to Edmund Sutton [aged 36] and [his wife] Joyce Tiptoft [aged 35] at Dudley Castle [Map].
In 1463 Edmund Sutton [aged 38] and Maud Clifford [aged 21] were married. They were third cousin twice removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In 1468 Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl Desmond and Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare [aged 47] attended Parliament in Drogheda [Map] to answer charges of treason. Both were found guilty and attainted. Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl Desmond sought sanctuary in Drogheda Priory [Map] where he was captured by [his brother-in-law] John "Butcher of England" Tiptoft 1st Earl of Worcester [aged 40]. On 14th February 1468 Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl Desmond was summarily beheaded. He was buried initially in St Peter's Church Drogheda [Map] then Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin [Map]. Some accounts claim John "Butcher of England" Tiptoft 1st Earl of Worcester also murdered two of his young sons. Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare escaped and was subsequently pardoned and attainder reversed when King Edward IV found Ireland was ungovernable without him. In 1470 Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland under George York 1st Duke of Clarence [aged 18] which position he held until the Duke's death in 1478.
Around 1470 [his wife] Joyce Tiptoft [aged 44] died.
In 1471 [his brother] Bishop William Dudley [aged 46] was appointed Dean Chapel Royal Windsor.
In 1475 [his son] Thomas Dudley was born to Edmund Sutton [aged 50] and [his wife] Maud Clifford [aged 33]. He married before 1500 Grace Threlkeld, daughter of Lancelot Threlkeld and Margaret Bromflete Baroness Clifford, and had issue.
On 31st July 1476 [his brother] Bishop William Dudley [aged 51] was appointed Bishop of Durham.
After 6th July 1483 Edmund Sutton [deceased] died.
After 1491 [his former wife] Maud Clifford [deceased] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 11 Grand Son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn King Gwynedd King Powys
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 15 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 10 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 6 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 19 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 13 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 16 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Sutton
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Sutton 1st Baron Sutton
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margery Somery
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Sutton 2nd Baron Sutton
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Charleton 1st Baron Cherleton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabella Charleton Baroness Sutton Dudley
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hawise "Lady of Powys" Mathrafal Baroness Cherleton
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Sutton 3rd Baron Sutton
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Clinton 2nd Baron Clinton
3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Clinton 3rd Baron Clinton
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margery Corbet
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Clinton Baroness Sutton Dudley
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Limbury
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Limbury Baroness Clinton
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Unknown
GrandFather: John Sutton 4th Baron Sutton
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan Unknown Baroness Sutton Dudley
Father: John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Blount
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Blount
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Beauchamp
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Blount
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joanna Sodington
Great x 1 Grandfather: Walter Blount
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp Somerset
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Beauchamp 2nd Baron Beauchamp Somerset
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Cheduit Baroness Beauchamp Somerset
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Beauchamp
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John St John 1st Baron St John of Basing
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret St John Baroness Beauchamp Somerset
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Courtenay Baroness St John of Basing
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
GrandMother: Constance Blount Baroness Sutton Dudley
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Diego Gómez Toledo
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sancha Toledo
Edmund Sutton
6 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Maurice Berkeley 5th Baron Berkeley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Berkeley 6th and 1st Baron Berkeley
Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Plantagenet Baroness Berkeley
Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Maurice Berkeley 7th and 2nd Baron Berkeley
2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby
3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Ferrers Baroness Berkeley
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Quincy Countess Derby 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Berkeley 8th and 3rd Baron Berkeley
3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Zouche
Great x 3 Grandfather: Eudo Zouche
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Bisset
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eva Zouche
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cantilupe
Great x 3 Grandmother: Millicent Cantilupe
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eva de Braose
GrandFather: John Berkeley
4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Clivedon
Great x 1 Grandmother: Katherine Clivedon Baroness Berkeley
Mother: Elizabeth Berkeley Baroness Cherleton Baroness Dudley
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Bettershorne