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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Cavendish
On 30th July 1892 [his father] Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 24] and [his mother] Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Duchess Devonshire. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne [aged 47]. They were fifth cousins.
On 6th May 1895 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire was born to [his father] Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 26] and [his mother] Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 24].
Around 1897 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 1] educated at Eton College [Map].
Around 1899 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 3] educated at Trinity College, Cambridge University [Map].
On 24th March 1908 Spencer Cavendish 8th Duke Devonshire [aged 74] died of pneumonia at Hotel Metropol. His nephew [his father] Victor [aged 39] succeeded 9th Duke Devonshire, 12th Earl Devonshire, 4th Earl Burlington, 12th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. On 28th March 1908 he was buried in the Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].
In 1917 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 21] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 55] and Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 49]. He the son of Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 48] and Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 46].
On 10th December 1917 [his son] William Cavendish was born to Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 22] and [his wife] Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 22]. He married 6th May 1944 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, daughter of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald.
The London Gazette 13335. Monday, 14th October 1918. Croix de Chevalier.
Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel (temporary Colonel) Lord Arthur Howe Browne, retired pay (Reserve of Officers), Royal Munster Fusiliers.
Captain Edward William Spencer Cavendish [aged 23], Marquess of Hartington, Yeomanry.
Temporary Lieutenant John Stuart Hay, Special List.
Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Leonard Hoare, C.B.E. (Reserve of Officers), 'Royal Artillery, Special Reserve
On 2nd January 1920 [his son] Andrew Cavendish 11th Duke Devonshire was born to Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 24] and [his wife] Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 24]. He married 19th April 1941 Deborah Vivien Mitford Duchess Devonshire, daughter of David Freeman-Mitford 2nd Baron Redesdale and Sydney Bowles Baroness Redesdale, and had issue.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 6th November 1922 [his daughter] Mary Cavendish was born to Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 27] and [his wife] Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 27]. She died aged less than one years old.
On 17th November 1922 [his daughter] Mary Cavendish died.
On 24th April 1926 [his daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish was born to Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 30] and [his wife] Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 30].
On 6th November 1927 [his daughter] Anne Cavendish was born to Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 32] and [his wife] Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 32].
On 28th November 1928 [his brother-in-law] Henry Philip Hunloke [aged 21] and [his sister] Anne Cavendish Countess Sandwich [aged 19] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She the daughter of [his father] Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 60] and [his mother] Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 58].
Before 6th May 1938. Frank Ernest Beresford [aged 56]. The Marquis of Hartington, MP [aged 42].
On 6th May 1938 [his father] Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 69] died at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map]. His son Edward [aged 43] succeeded 10th Duke Devonshire, 13th Earl Devonshire, 5th Earl Burlington, 13th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. [his wife] Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 42] by marriage Duchess Devonshire. On 2nd April 1960 [his mother] Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 67] died. Both the Duke and Duchess were buried in the Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].
Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire: On 27th August 1870 she was born to Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne. On 30th July 1892 Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire and she were married. She by marriage Duchess Devonshire. She the daughter of Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne. They were fifth cousins.
On 19th April 1941 Andrew Cavendish 11th Duke Devonshire [aged 21] and Deborah Mitford [aged 21] were married. He the son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 45] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 45].
At the commencement of their honeymoon Deborah 'stopped the car when starting on her honeymoon and registered at a small Labour Exchange for National Service,' as per The Sketch.
In 1942 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 46] was appointed 892nd Knight of the Garter by King George VI of the United Kingdom [aged 46].
On 6th May 1944 William Cavendish [aged 26] and Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy [aged 24] were married at Chelsea Register Office. She the daughter of Joseph Patrick Kennedy [aged 55] and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald [aged 53]. He the son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 49] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 48].
The Duke of Devonshire and the bride's eldest brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr [aged 28], a lieutenant in the United States Navy, signed the marriage register. The Duke of Rutland [aged 24] served as best man.
The photos, from left to right, Mary, Duchess of Devonshire, the groom William, Marquess of Hartington, the bride Kathleen Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy, Edward, 10th Duke of Devonshire.
Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy: On 20th February 1920 she was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald at Brookline Massachusetts. On 13th May 1948 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy and William Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 8th and 6th Earl Fitzwilliam died in a plane crash at the Plateau du Coiron, Saint-Bauzile during the course of their journey from Paris [Map] to the French Riviera for a vacation aboard a de Havilland DH.104 Dove.. His first cousin once removed Eric succeeded 9th Earl Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, 11th Baron Fitzwilliam of Liffer in Donegal. His wealth, estimated at 45 million pounds, including half of the Wentworth Woodhouse estate, the Coolattin estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, and a large part of the Fitzwilliam art collection went to his daughter Ann Juliet Dorothea Maud Wentworth-Fitzwilliam Marchioness Bristol.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy: On 25th July 1915 he was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald. On 12th August 1944 Joseph Patrick Kennedy was killed at Blythburgh, Suffolk when his plane exploded over the English Channel during a top-secret mission.
On 9th September 1944 [his son] William Cavendish [aged 26] was killed in action by a sniper whilst leading a company trying to capture the town of Heppen in Belgium. He was buried at the Leopoldsburg War Cemetery.
Around 1947. Oswald Birley [aged 66]. Portrait of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 51].
On 4th April 1947 [his father-in-law] James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 85] died. His son [his brother-in-law] Robert [aged 53] succeeded 5th Marquess Salisbury in Wiltshire, 11th Earl Salisbury. Elizabeth Vere Cavendish Marchioness Salisbury [aged 52] by marriage Marchioness Salisbury in Wiltshire.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
After 13th May 1948 [his former daughter-in-law] Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy [deceased] was buried at Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map]. Joseph Patrick Kennedy [aged 59], her father, was the only Kennedy family member to attend.
On Saturday 29th June 1963, around four in the afternoon, her grave was visited by her elder brother President John Fitzgerald Kennedy [aged 46], some five months before his assassination. He was travelling from to London for a meeting with the British Prime Minister when he made a detour landing at and then travelling by helicopter to St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map]. He laid a wreath which he had brought from Ireland. Present at the wreath laying was his sisters Eunice Mary Kennedy [aged 41] and Jean Ann Kennedy [aged 35], and the Duke and [his wife] Duchess [aged 67] of Devonshire.
On 26th November 1950 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 55] died. His son Andrew [aged 30] succeeded 11th Duke Devonshire, 14th Earl Devonshire, 6th Earl Burlington, 14th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Deborah Vivien Mitford Duchess Devonshire [aged 30] by marriage Duchess Devonshire. On 24th December 1988 Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 55] died. Both the Duke and Duchess were buried in the Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].
Kings Wessex: Great x 26 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 26 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 13 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 32 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 30 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Augustus Henry Cavendish 1st Earl Burlington 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Cavendish 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Compton Countess Burlington 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Somerset Countess Northampton 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Cavendish 7th Duke Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Louisa O'Callaghan
GrandFather: Edward Cavendish 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Howard 4th Earl Carlisle 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Byron Countess Carlisle 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Louisa Egerton Countess Gower 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Blanche Georgiana Howard 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer 
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Father: Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Lascelles 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Lascelles 1st Earl Harewood
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Lascelles 2nd Earl Harewood
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Chaloner
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Chaloner Baroness Harewood
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Lascelles
Great x 2 Grandmother: Henrietta Sebright Countess Harewood
GrandMother: Emma Elizabeth Lascelles 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Howard 4th Earl Carlisle 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Byron Countess Carlisle 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Louisa Egerton Countess Gower 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Caroline Georgiana Howard 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish 4th Duke Devonshire 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle Marchioness Hartington 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Petty-Fitzmaurice 1st Earl Shelburne
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Petty 1st Marquess Lansdowne
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Fitzmaurice Countess Shelburne
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 3rd Marquess Lansdowne 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fitzpatrick 1st Earl Upper Ossory
Great x 3 Grandmother: Louisa Fitzpatrick Marchioness Lansdowne 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Evelyn Leveson-Gower Countess Upper Ossory 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Thomas Petty-Fitzmaurice 4th Marquess Lansdowne 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Stephen Fox-Strangways 1st Earl of Ilchester 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Thomas Fox-Strangways 2nd Earl of Ilchester 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Strangways-Horner Countess Ilchester 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Louisa Emma Fox-Strangways Marchioness of Lansdowne 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Standish O'Grady
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Theresa O'Grady Countess of Ilchester
GrandFather: Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Joseph Comte de Flahaut
Great x 1 Grandmother: Emily Jane de Flahaut Marchioness Lansdowne 20 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Elphinstone 10th Lord Elphinstone 17 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Keith Elphinstone 1st Viscount Keith 18 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Mercer Elphinstone Countess Flahaut and 2nd Baroness Keith 19 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Colonel William Mercer of Aldie
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Mercer
Mother: Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England