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: Bridgeman
On 2nd July 1695 Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet was born to [his father] John Bridgeman 3rd Baronet [aged 27] at Blodwell, Shropshire.
In 1710 [his grandfather] John Bridgeman 2nd Baronet [aged 78] died. His son [his father] John [aged 42] succeeded 3rd Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire.
On 9th April 1719 Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet [aged 23] and Anne Newport Lady Bridgeman were married. She the daughter of Richard Newport 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 74] and Mary Wilbraham Countess Bradford [aged 57].
On 28th November 1721 Algernon Coote 6th Earl of Mountrath [aged 32] and [his sister-in-law] Diana Newport Countess Mountrath were married. She by marriage Countess Mountrath. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] Richard Newport 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 77] and [his mother-in-law] Mary Wilbraham Countess Bradford [aged 60]. He the son of Charles Coote 3rd Earl of Mountrath and Isabella Dormer Countess Mountrath. They were sixth cousins.
On 13th June 1723 [his father-in-law] Richard Newport 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 78] died at Soho Square [Map]. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map]. His son [his brother-in-law] Henry [aged 40] succeeded 3rd Earl Bradford, 3rd Viscount Newport of Bradford in Shropshire, 4th Baron Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire.
On 7th September 1725 [his son] Henry Bridgeman 1st Baron Bradford was born to Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet [aged 30] and [his wife] Anne Newport Lady Bridgeman. He married 12th July 1755 Elizabeth Simpson Baroness Bradford and had issue.
On 23rd December 1734 [his brother-in-law] Henry Newport 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 51] died at St James's Palace [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] on 20th January 1734. His brother Thomas [aged 38] succeeded 4th Earl Bradford, 4th Viscount Newport of Bradford in Shropshire, 5th Baron Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire.
Before 1739 John Vanderbank [aged 44]. Portrait of Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet [aged 43].
On 21st July 1747 [his father] John Bridgeman 3rd Baronet [aged 79] died. His son Orlando [aged 52] succeeded 4th Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire. [his wife] Anne Newport Lady Bridgeman by marriage Lady Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 19th August 1752 [his wife] Anne Newport Lady Bridgeman died. She was buried at Weston Park, Staffordshire.
On 12th July 1755 [his son] Henry Bridgeman 1st Baron Bradford [aged 29] and [his daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Simpson Baroness Bradford [aged 20] were married.
1761. Francis Cotes [aged 34]. Portrait of Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet [aged 65].
On 25th July 1764 Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet [aged 69] died. His son Henry [aged 38] succeeded 5th Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Bridgeman 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Bridgeman
Great x 2 Grandfather: Bishop John Bridgeman
Great x 1 Grandfather: Orlando Bridgeman 1st Baronet
GrandFather: John Bridgeman 2nd Baronet
Father: John Bridgeman 3rd Baronet