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: Blackett
On 10th July 1645 [his father] William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 24] and [his mother] Elizabeth Kirkley were married at Hamsterley, County Durham [Map].
On 14th June 1657 William Blackett 1st Baronet was born to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 36] and Elizabeth Kirkley.
On 7th April 1674 [his mother] Elizabeth Kirkley died. She was buried at Cathedral Church St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne [Map].
After 7th April 1674 [his father] William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 52] and Lady Margaret Cock were married. She by marriage Lady Blackett of Newcastle in Northumberland.
On 16th May 1680 [his father] William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 59] died. His son [his brother] Edward [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Baronet Blackett of Newcastle in Northumberland. Mary Yorke Lady Blackett [aged 23] by marriage Lady Blackett of Newcastle in Northumberland.
In 1685 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 27] was elected MP Newcastle upon Tyne.
On 22nd January 1685 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 27] and Julia Conyers were married at Cathedral Church St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne [Map].
On 23rd January 1685 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 27] was created 1st Baronet Blackett of Newcastle upon Tyne in Northumberland.
On 18th May 1686 [his daughter] Julia Blacket Lady Calverley was born to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 28] and [his wife] Julia Conyers. She married 7th January 1707 Walter Calverly 1st Baronet and had issue.
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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In 1688 John Fenwick 3rd Baronet [aged 43] sold most of the family estates and Wallington Hall to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 30] for £4000 and an annuity of £2000 a year. The annuity was to be paid for his lifetime and that of his wife, Mary. Blackett was happy with the deal as he discovered lead on the land and he became rich.
In 1688 the estates of Wallington Hall, Northumberland [Map] were sold by John Fenwick 3rd Baronet [aged 43] to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 30] for £4000 and an annuity of £2000 a year. The annuity was to be paid for his lifetime and that of his wife, Mary [aged 35]. Blackett was happy with the deal as he discovered lead on the land and became wealthy.
In 1688 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 30] was appointed High Sheriff of Northumberland.
Around 1690 [his son] William Blackett 2nd Baronet was born to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 32] and [his wife] Julia Conyers. He married 1725 Barbara Villiers Lady Blackett, daughter of William Villiers 2nd Earl Jersey.
On 3rd February 1691 [his daughter] Isabella Blackett Countess Buchan was born to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 33] and [his wife] Julia Conyers. She married 15th September 1743 David Erskine 9th Earl Buchan.
In 1695 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 37] was elected MP Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1703 [his daughter] Diana Blackett Lady Wentworth was born to William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 45] and [his wife] Julia Conyers. She married 1720 William Wentworth 4th Baronet, son of Matthew wentworth 3rd Baronet, and had issue.
Before December 1705 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 48] was elected MP Newcastle upon Tyne.
In December 1705 William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 48] died. His son William [aged 15] succeeded 2nd Baronet Blackett of Newcastle upon Tyne in Northumberland and inherited Wallington Hall, Northumberland [Map].
Around 1715 Enoch "The Younger" Seeman [aged 21] (attributed). Portrait of William Blackett 1st Baronet.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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On 16th August 1722 [his former wife] Julia Conyers died.
[his daughter] Frances Blackett was born to William Blackett 1st Baronet and Julia Conyers. She married Robert Bruce, son of Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury and Anne Savile.
Father: William Blackett 1st Baronet 
GrandFather: Michael Kirkley Merchant of Newcastle
Mother: Elizabeth Kirkley