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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Biography of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby 1752-1834

Paternal Family Tree: Stanley

On 12th December 1752 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby was born to James Stanley "Lord Strange" [aged 36] and Lucy Smith.

Around 1754 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 1] educated at Eton College [Map].

Around 1758 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 5] educated at Trinity College, Cambridge University [Map].

On 5th February 1759 [his mother] Lucy Smith died.

In 1771 [his father] James Stanley "Lord Strange" [aged 55] died.

On 23rd June 1774 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 21] and Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of James Hamilton 6th Duke Hamilton 3rd Duke Brandon and Elizabeth Gunning Duchess Hamilton and Argyll [aged 40].

On 21st April 1775 [his son] Edward Smith-Stanley 13th Earl of Derby was born to Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 22] and [his wife] Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 22]. He married 30th June 1798 Charlotte Margaret Hornby Countess Derby and had issue.

In 1776 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 23] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.

1776 Angelica Kauffmann [aged 34]. Portrait of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 23], [his wife] Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 22] and their son Edward Smith-Stanley 13th Earl of Derby.

Deeds of King Henry V

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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On 22nd February 1776 [his grandfather] Edward Stanley 11th Earl of Derby [aged 86] died. His grandson Edward [aged 23] succeeded 12th Earl Derby, 6th Baronet Stanley of Bickerstaffe. [his wife] Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 23] by marriage Countess Derby.

On 17th October 1776 [his daughter] Charlotte Smith-Stanley was born to Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and [his wife] Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 23]. She married Edmund Hornby.

On 29th April 1778 [his daughter] Elizabeth Henrietta Smith-Stanley was born to Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 25] and [his wife] Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 25]. She married 15th January 1795 Stephen Thomas Cole and had issue.

Around 1779 Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 25] had a very public affair with John Frederick Sackville 3rd Duke Dorset [aged 33]. She moved out of the family home expecting a divorce. Her husband Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 26] announced he did not intend to divorce his wife and withdrew her access to their children. The countess was socially ostracised for the remainder of her life. She died on 14 Mar 1797. Six weeks later he married again.

On 15th January 1795 [his son-in-law] Stephen Thomas Cole [aged 30] and Elizabeth Henrietta Smith-Stanley [aged 16] were married. She the daughter of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 42] and Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 41].

On 14th March 1797 [his wife] Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby [aged 44] died of tuberculosis.

On 1st May 1797 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 44] and Elizabeth Farren Countess Derby [aged 38] were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. The marriage taking place six weeks after the death of his estranged wife Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby.

On 30th June 1798 Edward Smith-Stanley 13th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and Charlotte Margaret Hornby Countess Derby were married. He the son of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 45] and Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby.

Around 1801 [his daughter] Mary Smith-Stanley Countess Wilton was born to Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 48] and [his wife] Elizabeth Farren Countess Derby [aged 42]. She married 29th November 1821 Thomas Grosvenor 2nd Earl Wilton, son of Robert Grosvenor 1st Marquess Westminster and Eleanor Egerton Marchioness Westminster, and had issue.

On 25th November 1805 [his daughter] Charlotte Smith-Stanley [aged 29] died.

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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On 29th November 1821 [his son-in-law] Thomas Grosvenor 2nd Earl Wilton [aged 21] and Mary Smith-Stanley Countess Wilton [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Wilton. She the daughter of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 68] and Elizabeth Farren Countess Derby [aged 62]. He the son of Robert Grosvenor 1st Marquess Westminster [aged 54] and Eleanor Egerton Marchioness Westminster [aged 51].

On 23rd April 1829 [his wife] Elizabeth Farren Countess Derby [aged 70] died at Knowsley Hall, Lancashire.

On 21st October 1834 Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby [aged 81] died. His son Edward [aged 59] succeeded 13th Earl Derby, 7th Baronet Stanley of Bickerstaffe. Charlotte Margaret Hornby Countess Derby by marriage Countess Derby.

[his father] James Stanley "Lord Strange" and [his mother] Lucy Smith were married at Keith's Chapel, Mayfair. He the son of [his grandfather] Edward Stanley 11th Earl of Derby.

Royal Ancestors of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby 1752-1834

Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 20 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 19 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

Ancestors of Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby 1752-1834

Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Stanley 1st Baronet 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 2nd Baronet 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Warburton

Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Stanley 3rd Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Edgerton married Thomas Stanley

Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Horton Stanley 4th Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Bosville

Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bosville

GrandFather: Edward Stanley 11th Earl of Derby 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Patten

Father: James Stanley "Lord Strange" 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

GrandFather: Hugh Smith of Weald Hall Essex

Mother: Lucy Smith