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.
Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass was born to [her father] Robert Meverell and [her mother] Elizabeth Fleming.
On 27th April 1607 Edward Cromwell 3rd Baron Cromwell Oakham (age 47) died. His son [her future husband] Thomas (age 12) succeeded 4th Baron Cromwell Oakham. Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass by marriage Baroness Cromwell Oakham.
Before 12th September 1624 Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 30) and Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass were married.
On 12th September 1624 [her son] Wingfield Cromwell 2nd Earl Ardglass was born to [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 30) and Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass. He married before 1653 Mary Russell Countess Ardglass, daughter of William Russell 1st Baronet and Frances Reade Lady Russell.
On 22nd November 1624 [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 30) was created 1st Viscount Lecale in Ulster. Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass by marriage Viscountess Lecale in Ulster.
On 2nd October 1625 [her son] Vere Essex Cromwell 4th Earl Ardglass was born to [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 31) and Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass.
On 5th February 1628 [her father] Robert Meverell died.
Before 5th August 1628 [her father] Robert Meverell and [her mother] Elizabeth Fleming were married.
On 5th August 1628 [her mother] Elizabeth Fleming died.
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.
Around 1631 [her daughter] Mary Cromwell was born to [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 36) and Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass. She married before 6th April 1676 William Fitzherbert.
On 15th April 1645 [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 50) was created 1st Earl Ardglass. Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass by marriage Countess Ardglass.
Before 1653 [her son] Wingfield Cromwell 2nd Earl Ardglass (age 28) and [her daughter-in-law] Mary Russell Countess Ardglass (age 18) were married. He the son of [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 58) and Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass.
In 1653 Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass died.
In 1653 [her husband] Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Ardglass (age 58) died. His son [her son] Wingfield (age 28) succeeded 2nd Earl Ardglass, 5th Baron Cromwell Oakham. [her daughter-in-law] Mary Russell Countess Ardglass (age 19) by marriage Countess Ardglass.
After 1653. Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Monument to Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass. Elizabethan Period.
Father: Robert Meverell
Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass
GrandFather: Thomas Fleming
Mother: Elizabeth Fleming