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: Fane
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Ivery
On 16th July 1857 [her father] Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 31] and [her mother] Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Richard William Penn Curzon Howe 1st Earl Howe [aged 60] and [her grandmother] Harriet Georgiana Brudenell Countess Howe. He the son of John Fane 11th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 73] and Priscilla Anne Wellesley-Pole Countess of Westmoreland [aged 64]. They were sixth cousins.
On 3rd October 1860 Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough was born to [her father] Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 34] and [her mother] Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland [aged 25].
On 11th August 1887 William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 23] and Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 61] and Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland [aged 52]. He the son of William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 53] and Edith Somerset Countess Londesborough [aged 49]. They were third cousins.
On 4th July 1890 [her daughter] Irene Denison Marchioness Carisbrooke was born to [her husband] William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 26] and Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 29]. She married 1917 Alexander Mountbatten 1st Marquess Carisbrooke and had issue.
On 3rd August 1891 [her father] Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 65] died. His son [her brother] Anthony [aged 31] succeeded 13th Earl of Westmoreland.
In 1903 [her mother] Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland [aged 68] died.
Memorial in the Church of St Leonard, Apethorpe [Map] and graves in churchyard.
Anthony Fane 13th Earl of Westmoreland: On 16th August 1859 he was born to Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland and Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland. On 28th May 1892 Anthony Fane 13th Earl of Westmoreland and Sybil Mary St Clair-Erskine Countess of Westmorland were married. She by marriage Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland and Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland. On 9th June 1922 Anthony Fane 13th Earl of Westmoreland died. His son Vere succeeded 14th Earl of Westmoreland.
On 28th May 1892 [her brother] Anthony Fane 13th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 32] and [her sister-in-law] Sybil Mary St Clair-Erskine Countess of Westmorland [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of [her father] Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland and [her mother] Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland [aged 57].
On 17th July 1892 [her son] George Denison 3rd Earl of Londesborough was born to [her husband] William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 28] and Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 31].
On 13th November 1894 [her son] Hugo Denison 4th Earl of Londesborough was born to [her husband] William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 30] and Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 34]. He married 7th September 1935 Marigold Lubbock Countess Londesborough and had issue.
In or after 1900. Frederick John Jenkins [aged 28]. Heliograph of Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 39].
On 19th April 1900 [her father-in-law] William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 65] died. His son [her husband] William [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire, 3rd Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 39] by marriage Countess Londesborough in Yorkshire.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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The Times. 22nd June 1910. LORD ACHESON [aged 33] AND MISS CARTER [aged 22].
The marriage of Viscount Acheson, elder son of the Earl [aged 68] and Countess of Gosford [aged 54], and Miss Mildred Carter, only daughter of Mr. J. Ridgely Carter [aged 46], American Minister to Rumania, and Mrs. Ridgely Carter [aged 45], took place yesterday at St. George's, Hanover-square. The Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal (the Rev. Edgar Sheppard, D.D.) performed the ceremony, assisted by the Rev. David Anderson and other clergy, and Mr. Ridgely Carter gave his daughter away. She wore a very simple wedding gown of soft white satin with a long train draped with old point de Venise, and a Venetian lace cap over a spray of myrtle and orange blossom, covered by a plain tulle veil. Master David Stanley, Master Julian Ward, and Miss Diana Roberts, dressed all in white, followed the bride, and there were seven bridesmaids, Lady Theo Acheson [aged 28] (sister of the bridegroom), Lady Victoria Stanley, Mlle. Irene deo La Grange, Miss Canilla Morgan, the Hon. Rhoda Astley, Miss Elsie Nicholl, and Miss Marian Scranton, who wore white chiffon dresses with draped bodices and wreaths of myrtle beneath tulle veils. They also wore diamond neckislides and carried loose bunches of red roses. The Hon. Patrick Acheson [aged 26] was best man to his brother.
Mrs. Ridgely Carter afterwards held a large reception at Dorchester House (lent by the American Ambassador and Mrs. Whitelaw Reid), and among the many who came on from the church were the French, Russian, German, Spanish, and Italian Ambassadors, the Danish Minister, tho Rumanian Minister, the Swedish Minister and Countess Wrangel, Mme. Dominguez, the Servian Charge d'Affaires and Mme. Grouitel, the Chilian Minister and Mme. Gana, the Belgian Minister and Countess de Lalaing, the Duke [aged 63] and Duchess of Somerset [aged 57], Katharine Duchess of Westminster [aged 53] and Lady Helen Grosvenor [aged 22], Prince and Princess Alexis Dolgorouki, the Marquis and Marchioness of Hamilton, the Marchioness of Tweeddale, the Marquis [aged 48] and Marchioness of Salisbury [aged 42], the Marchioness of Anglesey [aged 26], the Countess of Powis [aged 45], the Earl [aged 56] and Countess of Chesterfield, the Countess of Kintore and Lady Hilda Keith-Falconer, the Earl and Countess of Gosford, Prince and Princess Frederick Liechtenstein, the Countess of Kimberley, Countess Grey, the Marquis d'Hautpoul, the Countess of Leicester [aged 54] and Lady Bridget Coke [aged 19], the Earl [aged 41] and Countess of Craven [aged 38], the Earl of Desart, Countess Fritz Hochberg, the Earl and Countess of Meath, the Countess of Bilmorey, the Countess of Londesborough [aged 49] and Lady Irene Denison [aged 19], the Earl and Countess of Derby [aged 70], the Earl [aged 51] and Countess of Yarborough, Ellen Lady Inchiquin and the Hon Lilah O'Brien, Lord and Lady Charles Beresford, Lord and Lady Leith of Fyvie, Lady Saltoun, Baroness Nunburnholme [aged 30], Baroness Newborough, Sir John and Lady Lister-Raye, Lord and Lady Monson, Lord and Baroness Savile, Lady Rothschild, Viscount and Viscountess AIdleton, Lady Alexander Paget, Lady Harcourt, Lady Desborough, Lord Suffield, Sir Herbert and Lady Jekyll and Miss Jekyll, the Hon. Sir Francis and Baroness Ufford and Miss Viliers, Lady Heien Vincent, Lord Knaresborough and the Hon. Helen Meysey-Thompson, Lady Pauncefote, Lord and Lady Weardale, Lady Grace Baring, Lord Strathcona, Lady Margaret Graham and Miss Graham, Sir Francis and Lady Channing, Mary Baroness Gerard, Baroness Manners and the Hon. Misses Manners, Lady Edward Cavendish, Mme. Langenbach, Lord Revelstoke, the Countess of Bessborough [aged 84] and Ladv Gweneth Ponsonby [aged 22], Lord Aberdare and the Hon. Eva Bruce, the Hon. Harry and Mrs. Lawson, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Martin, Mrs. F. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Arthur James, Mrs. Walter Burns, Mrs. Lewis Harcourt, Mrs. Lowther and Miss Lokther, Mine. Vagliano, Captain and Mrs. Clonman, Miss Ralli, Mr. William Giuett, Mrs: Hwfa Williams, the Hon. Mrs. Derek Keppel, Mr. William Phillips, Mrs. Frank D'Arcy, the Hon. Lady Murray, Mr. and Mrs. Meyer Sassoon, Sir Bartle Frere, Mme. de Bille, Mrs. Featherstonhaugh, Mrs. Cotton Jodrell, Mrs. Frank Mackay, the Hon. Urs. Charles Lawrence, the Hon. Mrs. Rochfort Maguire, Lady Barrymore, Mrs. Chauncey, and Mrs. Ronalds.
Lord and Lady Acheson left later in the afternoon for the Continent, the bride travelling in a dress of grey chiffon and a large hat swathed in tulle to match the dress.
A list of the principal wedding presents was published in The Times yesterday.
In 1917 [her husband] William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 52] died. His son George [aged 24] succeeded 3rd Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire, 4th Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
In 1917 [her son-in-law] Alexander Mountbatten 1st Marquess Carisbrooke [aged 30] and Irene Denison Marchioness Carisbrooke [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 52] and Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 56].
On 12th September 1920 [her son] George Denison 3rd Earl of Londesborough [aged 28] died unmarried. His brother Hugo [aged 25] succeeded 4th Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire, 5th Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
On 9th June 1922 [her brother] Anthony Fane 13th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 62] died. His son [her nephew] Vere [aged 29] succeeded 14th Earl of Westmoreland.
On 13th June 1933 Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 72] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 30 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 28 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Fane of Brympton 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Fane 8th Earl of Westmoreland 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Scrope 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Fane 9th Earl of Westmoreland 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Swymmer
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Swymmer Countess Westmoreland
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Fane 10th Earl of Westmoreland 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Bertie 1st Duke Ancaster and Kesteven 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Montagu Bertie 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Albinia Farington Duchess Ancaster and Kesteven
Great x 2 Grandmother: Augusta Bertie 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Piers
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Piers
GrandFather: John Fane 11th Earl of Westmoreland 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Child
Great x 3 Grandfather: Samuel Child
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Child
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sarah Anne Child Countess of Westmoreland
Father: Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Colley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Colley aka Wesley 1st Baron Mornington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Ussher
Great x 2 Grandfather: Garrett Wellesley 1st Earl Mornington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Sale
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Wellesley aka Wellesley-Pole 3rd Earl Mornington
Great x 4 Grandfather: Michael Hill
Great x 3 Grandfather: Arthur Hill aka Hill-Trevor 1st Viscount Dungannon
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Trevor 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Hill Countess Mornington
GrandMother: Priscilla Anne Wellesley-Pole Countess of Westmoreland 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Arthur Forbes 2nd Earl Granard
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Forbes 3rd Earl Granard
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Forbes
Great x 1 Grandmother: Katherine Forbes Countess Mornington 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Algernon Capell 2nd Earl Essex 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Capell 3rd Earl Essex 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Bentinck Countess Essex 
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Capell 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Hyde 2nd Earl Rochester 4th Earl Clarendon 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Hyde Countess Essex 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Leveson-Gower Countess Rochester and Clarendon 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nathaniel Curzon 2nd Baronet 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Nathaniel Curzon 4th Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sarah Penn Baroness Curzon
Great x 2 Grandfather: Assheton Curzon 1st Viscount Curzon 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Assheton 2nd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Assheton Baroness Curzon 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Vavasour Lady Assheton 
14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Penn Curzon 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Hanmer
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Hanmer
Great x 2 Grandmother: Esther Hanmer Baroness Curzon
GrandFather: Richard William Penn Curzon Howe 1st Earl Howe 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Scrope Howe 1st Viscount Howe 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Emanuel Howe 2nd Viscount Howe 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Juliana Alington Viscountess Howe 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Howe 1st Earl Howe 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Johan Adolf Von Kielmansegg
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sophia Von Keilmansegg Viscountess Howe 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sophia Charlotte Hanover Countess of Darlington and Leinster 
14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sophia Howe 2nd Baroness Howe 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Hartop
Mother: Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Brudenell 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Brudenell 3rd Earl Cardigan 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Savile 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Bruce 3rd Earl Elgin 2nd Earl Ailesbury 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bruce 3rd Countess Cardigan 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Seymour Countess Elgin and Ailesbury 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 6th Earl Cardigan 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Cecil Bishopp 5th Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Cecil Bishopp 6th Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Bishopp 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Boscawen 1st Viscount Falmouth 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Boscawen Lady Bishopp 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Godfrey Viscountess Falmouth 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandMother: Harriet Georgiana Brudenell Countess Howe 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Cooke of Harefield
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Cooke
Great x 2 Grandfather: George John Cooke 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Twysden 4th Baronet 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Twysden 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Wythens Lady Twysden
Great x 1 Grandmother: Penelope Cooke Countess Cardigan 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Cecil Bowyer 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Bowyer 3rd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Penelope Bowyer of Harefield Park, London 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Stonhouse 3rd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Stonhouse
Great x 4 Grandmother: Penelope Dashwood 