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: Cole
Maternal Family Tree: Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge 1742-1817
In 1805 [his father] John Cole 2nd Earl Enniskillen [aged 36] and [his mother] Charlotte Paget Countess Enniskillen [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Enniskillen. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Bayly-Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge [aged 60] and [his grandmother] Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge [aged 63]. He the son of William Willoughby Cole 1st Earl Enniskillen and Anne Lowry-Corry Countess Enniskillen.
On 25th January 1807 William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen was born to John Cole 2nd Earl Enniskillen [aged 38] and Charlotte Paget Countess Enniskillen [aged 25].
On 26th January 1817 [his mother] Charlotte Paget Countess Enniskillen [aged 35] died.
Around 1830. William Robinson [aged 31]. Portrait of William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 22].
On 31st March 1840 [his father] John Cole 2nd Earl Enniskillen [aged 72] died. His son William [aged 33] succeeded 3rd Earl Enniskillen, 2nd Baron Grinstead of Grinstead in Wiltshire.
On 16th January 1844 William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 36] and Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen were married. She by marriage Countess Enniskillen. He the son of John Cole 2nd Earl Enniskillen and Charlotte Paget Countess Enniskillen.
On 16th December 1844 [his son] John Willoughby Michael Cole was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 37] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen. He died aged five in 1850.
On 21st December 1845 [his son] Lowry Cole 4th Earl Enniskillen was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 38] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen. He married 12th July 1869 Charlotte Marion Baird Countess of Enniskillen and had issue.
On 10th May 1847 [his daughter] Charlotte June Cole was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 40] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen.
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 5th August 1849 [his daughter] Florence Mary Cole Countess Erne was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 42] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen. She married 1870 John Crichton 4th Earl Erne, son of John Crichton 3rd Earl Erne and Selina Griselda Beresford Countess Erne.
On 15th April 1850 [his son] John Willoughby Michael Cole [aged 5] died.
On 9th March 1851 [his son] Arthur Edward Casamaijor Cole was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 44] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen.
On 4th February 1853 [his daughter] Alice Elizabeth Cole was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 46] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen. She married 30th June 1891 Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley-Cooper, son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury and Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury.
On 21st April 1855 [his daughter] Jane Evelyn Cole was born to William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 48] and [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen.
On 13th May 1855 [his wife] Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen died.
In 1865 William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 57] and Mary Emma Brodrick Countess Enniskillen [aged 38] were married. She by marriage Countess Enniskillen. He the son of John Cole 2nd Earl Enniskillen and Charlotte Paget Countess Enniskillen.
On 12th July 1869 Lowry Cole 4th Earl Enniskillen [aged 23] and Charlotte Marion Baird Countess of Enniskillen [aged 17] were married. He the son of William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 62] and Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen.
In 1870 [his son-in-law] John Crichton 4th Earl Erne [aged 30] and Florence Mary Cole Countess Erne [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 62] and Jane Casamaijor Countess Enniskillen. He the son of John Crichton 3rd Earl Erne [aged 67] and Selina Griselda Beresford Countess Erne [aged 66].
1873. John Lindsay Lucas [aged 66]. Portrait of William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 65].
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 12th November 1886 William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen [aged 79] died. His son Lowry [aged 40] succeeded 4th Earl Enniskillen, 3rd Baron Grinstead of Grinstead in Wiltshire. Charlotte Marion Baird Countess of Enniskillen [aged 34] by marriage Countess Enniskillen.
On 25th May 1896 [his former wife] Mary Emma Brodrick Countess Enniskillen [aged 70] 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 24 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 14 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 30 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 28 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Cole
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Cole 1st Baron Mountflorence
GrandFather: William Willoughby Cole 1st Earl Enniskillen
Father: John Cole 2nd Earl Enniskillen
Great x 1 Grandfather: Galbraith Lowry aka Lowry-Corry
GrandMother: Anne Lowry-Corry Countess Enniskillen
William Willoughby Cole 3rd Earl Enniskillen 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bishop Lewis Bayly 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Nicholas Bayly
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Bayly 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Nicholas Bayly 2nd Baronet Bayly of Plas Newydd in Anglesey
GrandFather: Henry Bayly-Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Paget 5th Baron Paget Beaudasert 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Paget 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Rich Baroness Geneville Beaudasert 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Paget 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Caroline Paget Lady Plas Newydd Anglesey 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Mother: Charlotte Paget Countess Enniskillen 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Very Reverend Arthur Champagné
GrandMother: Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge