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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On 13th March 1857 Herbert Plumer 1st Viscount Plumer was born.
In July 1884 Herbert Plumer 1st Viscount Plumer (age 27) and Annie Constance Goss (age 26) were married.
In 1890 [his son] Thomas Hall Rokeby Plumer 2nd Viscount Plumer was born to Herbert Plumer 1st Viscount Plumer (age 32) and [his wife] Annie Constance Goss (age 32).
1899. Bassano Ltd. Photograph of Herbert Plumer 1st Viscount Plumer (age 41).
The London Gazette 31610. Whitehall, October 18, 1919. The King has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to confer the dignity of a Baron of the said United Kingdom upon Field-Marshal Sir Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer (age 62), GCB, GCMG, GCVO, and the heirs male of his body lawfully -begotten, by the name, style and title of Baron Plumer of Messines and of Bilton in the County of York. [[his wife] Annie Constance Goss (age 61) by marriage Baroness Plumer of Messines and Bilton in Yorkshire.]
The London Gazette 33501. Monday, 3 June, 1929.
CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD.
St. James's Palace, S.W. 1, 3rd June, 1929.
The King has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday, to signify his intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom on the following:
To be an Earl.
James Lyle, Viscount Inchcape, G. C.S.I., G.C.M.G., K.C.I.E. For public services.
To be Viscounts.
The Right Honourable William Clive Bridgeman, J.P., D.L., First Lord of the Admiralty. Member of Parliament for the Oswestry Division 1906-29. For many years of public and political services.
The Right Honourable Douglas McGarel, Baron Hailsham, K.C., J.P., Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
Field-Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow (age 72)was created, Baron Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE. For long and distinguished public services. [[his wife] Annie Constance Goss (age 71) by marriage Viscountess Plumer.]
To be Barons.
Sir William Ewert Berry, Bt., Chairman of Allied Newspapers Limited. For political and public services
Colonel Sir Edward Allen Brotherton, Bt., J.P., D.L., Member of Parliament for Wakefield, 1902-10 and 1918-22. For political, public and charitable services.
The Right Honourable Sir Robert Arthur Sanders, Bt., J.P., D.L., Member of Parliament for Bridgewater Division, 1910-23) and for the Wells Division, 1924-29. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, 1922-24. For political and public services.
The Right Honourable Sir William George Tyrrell, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., K.C.V.O., His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Paris.
On 16th July 1932 Herbert Plumer 1st Viscount Plumer (age 75) died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Thomas (age 42) succeeded 2nd Viscount Plumer, 2nd Baron Plumer of Messines and Bilton in Yorkshire.
In 1941 [his former wife] Annie Constance Goss (age 83) died.