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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William Acton is in Painters.
On 16th August 1906 William Acton was born.
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Loelia Mary Ponsonby Duchess Westminster (age 43).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Loelia Mary Ponsonby Duchess Westminster (age 43).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Diana Mitford (age 35).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Jessica Lucy Freeman-Mitford (age 27).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Nancy Mitford (age 40).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Pamela Mitford (age 37).
Pamela Mitford: On 25th November 1907 she was born to David Freeman-Mitford 2nd Baron Redesdale and Sydney Bowles. 16th May 1929. Daily Mirror. It was learned last night at the house of the Hon. Pamela Freeman-Mitford that her engagement to Mr. Oliver Vernon Watney, a member of the famous brewery firm, has been broken off. First arranged for last October, the wedding was postponed until January 22, but was then postponed indefinitely because Mr. Watney was suffering from pleurisy. On 12th April 1994 Pamela Mitford died.
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Unity Valkyrie Mitford (age 31).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Deborah Vivien Mitford Duchess Devonshire (age 25).
Before 31st August 1945. William Acton (age 39). Portrait of Georgia Doble (age 40).
Georgia Doble: On 8th July 1905 she was born to Arthur Richard Doble Banker and Georgie Ethel Hyde. On 12th October 1925 Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell 6th Baronet and she were married. In 1980 she 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.
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On 31st August 1945 William Acton (age 39) died.