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: Witham
On or before 30th June 1579 Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles was born to [her father] William Witham of Ledstone (age 33) at Ledsham. She was baptised 30th June 1579.
On or after 8th May 1593 [her father] William Witham of Ledstone (deceased) died. He died of a malign influence caused by Mary Pannal who was subsequently executed for witchcraft; the last person in England to be so. Or it may have been son of his William Witham who had died in 1593. He was buried 8th May 1593.
In or before 1600 Thomas Jobson of Cudworth and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 20) were married.
Around 1600 [her son] Thomas Jobson was born to [her husband] Thomas Jobson of Cudworth and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 20).
On 21st November 1606 [her husband] Thomas Jobson of Cudworth died.
In 1611 Thomas Bolles (age 33) and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 31) were married.
On 23rd October 1613 [her daughter] Anne Bolles Lady Dalston was born to [her husband] Thomas Bolles (age 35) and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 34) She married 1635 William Dalston 1st Baronet and had issue.
On 2nd August 1618 [her daughter] Mary Bolles was born to [her husband] Thomas Bolles (age 40) and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 39) at Worksop, Nottinghamshire. She was baptised 7th August 1618. She married 8th January 1641 Thomas Leigh of Adlington.
In 1635 [her son-in-law] William Dalston 1st Baronet (age 25) and [her daughter] Anne Bolles Lady Dalston (age 21) were married.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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On 13th April 1635 [her husband] Thomas Bolles (age 57) died at Worksop, Nottinghamshire.
On 19th December 1635 Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 56) was created 1st Lady Bolles by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland (age 35) with remainder to her heirs male and assignees. The only creation of a Baronetess in history. Bolles the name of her late husband [her former husband] Thomas Bolles who had died nine months before.
Around 1636 [her grandson] William Jobson 2nd Baronet was born to [her son] Thomas Jobson (age 36) and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 56) at Heath. He married before 1666 Lucy Tindall Lady Jobson Lady Jackson and had issue.
On 8th January 1641 [her son-in-law] Thomas Leigh of Adlington (age 27) and [her daughter] Mary Bolles (age 22) were married at Worksop Priory [Map].
On 20th May 1643 Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 63) entertained Royalist troops to a Bowling Match at Heath Old Hall. Wakefield [Map] was taken the next day by Paliamentary troops.
Around 1653 [her son] Thomas Jobson (age 53) died.
On 22nd November 1656 [her daughter] Mary Bolles (age 38) died at Prestbury, Cheshire [Map].
On 4th May 1662 Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 82) made her will
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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On 5th May 1662 Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (age 82) died at Heath Old Hall. Her son [her grandson] William (age 26) succeeded 2nd Baronet Jobson.
Around 16th June 1662 Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles (deceased) was buried at All Saints Church, Ledsham [Map] some six weeks after her death as stipulated by her will by which she provided £120 to "retain her kindred, friends and servants together, and to entertain other persons ordinary and extraordinary". Shroud Monument.
Her tomb consists of a large block of white marble on a black slab on which her finely carved effigy rests showing her in a winding sheet. The black slab is supported by black pillars with white capitals and base.
At the head of the tomb are the arms Witham as a widow: Or three eaglets overall a bend gules. The Witham crest: Out of a ducal coronet or a demi-woman hair dishevelled holding in dester hand a gem ring.
At the sides Jobson (impaling Witham and Bolles implaing Witham.
The inscription ...
Here under, lyeth interred the Body of the Right Worshipful Dame Mary Bolles of Heath Hall, in the County of York, Baronetess, on of the daughters of William Witham, of the worshipful and ancient Family of Witham of Leadstone Hall, in the County aforesaid, Esquire; who married to her first husband [her former husband] Thomas Jobson of Cudworth, in the said County, Esquire, by whom she had issue Thomas Jobson, Esquire, and Elizabeth, who married Thomas Sheerebrooke of Oxon, in the Country of Nottingham, Esquire. The said Dame Mary Bolles had to her second husband Thomas Bolles of Asbarstone, in the Country of Nottingham, Esquire; by who she had issue Ann, married the Right Worshipful Sir William Dalston of Dalston, in the County of Cumberland, King and Baronet; and Mary, who married Thomas Legh of Alington, in the County of Cheshire, Esquire. The said Dame Mary Bolles, being 83 years of age, departed this mortal life at Heath Hall, aforesaid, the 5 day of May, in the year of our Lord 1662.
Her bowels were buried at the Church of St Peter Kirkthorpe [Map].
Thomas Jobson of Cudworth: In or before 1600 he and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles were married. On 21st November 1606 he died.
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[her daughter] Elizabeth Jobson was born to Thomas Jobson of Cudworth and Mary Witham 1st Baronetess Bolles. She married Thomas Sherbrook of Oxton in Nottinghamshire.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Witham of Grantham
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Witham
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Witham of Bretonby
Great x 1 Grandfather: Matthew Witham of Bretonby
GrandFather: Henry Witham of Ledston
Father: William Witham of Ledstone