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: Eden
On 19th January 1829 William Eden 4th Baron Auckland was born to [his father] Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland [aged 29].
On 23rd May 1847 [his father] Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland [aged 47] was consecrated Bishop of Sodor and Man.
On 1st January 1849 [his uncle] George Eden 1st Earl Auckland [aged 64] died unmarried. Earl of Auckland and Baron Eden of Norwood in Surrey extinct. His brother [his father] Robert [aged 49] succeeded 3rd Baron Auckland of West Auckland.
On 8th October 1857 William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 28] and Lucy Walbanke-Childers Baroness Auckland [aged 21] were married. He the son of Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland [aged 58].
On 27th March 1859 [his son] William Morton Eden 5th Baron Auckland was born to William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 30] and [his wife] Lucy Walbanke-Childers Baroness Auckland [aged 23].
On 29th May 1861 [his son] George Eden was born to William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 32] and [his wife] Lucy Walbanke-Childers Baroness Auckland [aged 25]. He married 10th April 1888 Amy Violet Hay-Drummond and had issue.
On 25th April 1870 [his father] Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland [aged 70] died at the Bishop's Palace, Wells. His son William [aged 41] succeeded 4th Baron Auckland of West Auckland. [his wife] Lucy Walbanke-Childers Baroness Auckland [aged 34] by marriage Baroness Auckland of West Auckland albeit for seventeen days only since she died on 12 May 1870.
On 12th May 1870 [his wife] Lucy Walbanke-Childers Baroness Auckland [aged 34] died.
On 6th July 1872 William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 43] and Mabel Emily Finch-Hatton Baroness Auckland were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. She by marriage Baroness Auckland of West Auckland. She died four months later. She the daughter of George Finch-Hatton 6th Earl Nottingham 11th Earl Winchilsea [aged 57] and Constance Henrietta Paget Countess Nottingham Winchilsea [aged 49]. He the son of Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland.
On 7th November 1872 [his wife] Mabel Emily Finch-Hatton Baroness Auckland died at Carr House, Doncaster.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 20th July 1875 William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 46] and Edith Eden Baroness Auckland [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Baroness Auckland of West Auckland. The difference in their ages was 30 years. He the son of Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland. They were second cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 10th April 1888 [his son] George Eden [aged 26] and [his daughter-in-law] Amy Violet Hay-Drummond [aged 20] were married.
On 17th February 1890 William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 61] died. His son William [aged 30] succeeded 5th Baron Auckland of West Auckland.
On 28th March 1931 [his former wife] Edith Eden Baroness Auckland [aged 71] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 21 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 27 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 31 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 25 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 28 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Eden 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Eden 2nd Baronet
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Lambton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Lambton
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Eden 3rd Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Shafto Of Whitworth
Great x 3 Grandfather: Mark Shafto of Whitworth Hall 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Widdrington 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Shafto 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: William Eden 1st Baron Auckland 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Davison Lady Eden
Father: Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gilbert Elliot 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Gilbert Elliot 2nd Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gilbert Elliot 3rd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Steuart 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandmother: Helen Steuart
GrandMother: Eleanor Elliot
William Eden 4th Baron Auckland 15 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England