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: Zouche
Maternal Family Tree: Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham 1145-1188
On 18th December 1276 William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth was born to Eudo Zouche [aged 38] and Millicent Cantilupe at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map].
On 25th June 1279 [his father] Eudo Zouche [aged 41] died at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.
In August 1297 [his son] Eudo Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 20] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 17].
In 1299 [his mother] Millicent Cantilupe died.
Around 1300 [his daughter] Joan Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 23] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 20] at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map].
Around 1301 [his son] John Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 24] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 21] at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map].
Around 1303 [his son] Roger Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 26] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 23] at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map].
Around 1305 [his son] Thomas Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 28] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 25] at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map].
In 1308 William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 31] was created 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth.
Around 1309 [his son] Edmund Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 32] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 29] at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map].
Around 1315 [his daughter] Thomasina Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 38] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 35] at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.
Around 1315 [his daughter] Isabel Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 38] and [his future wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 35] at Seaborough, Somerset.
Close Rolls Edward II 1325. 8th December 1325. The Tower. William la Zouche of Haryngworth [aged 48], knight, acknowledges that he owes to William la Zouche, his son, £4,000; to be levied, in default of payment, of his lands and chattels in co. Wilts.
The said William la Zouche acknowledges that he owes to the aforesaid William, his son, £2,000; to be levied, in default of payment, of his lands and chattels in co. Devon.
Cancelled on payment, acknowledged by Gilbert de Gretton, clerk, attorney of William son of William.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Close Rolls Edward II 1325. 11th December 1325. The Tower. The said William la Zouche [aged 48] acknowledges that he owes to John la Zouche [aged 24], his son, £4,000; to be levied, in default of payment, of his lands and chattels in co. Cornwall.
Cancelled on payment.
Before 26th March 1326 [his son-in-law] William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 25] and [his daughter] Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt were married.
On 26th March 1326 [his son] Edmund Zouche [aged 17] died.
On 26th March 1326 [his son] Thomas Zouche [aged 21] died.
On 26th March 1326 [his son] Roger Zouche [aged 23] died.
On 26th March 1326 [his son] John Zouche [aged 25] died.
On 12th April 1326 [his son] Eudo Zouche [aged 28] died at Paris [Map].
Before 1333 William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 56] and Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 52] were married. She by marriage Baroness Zouche Harringworth. They were half sixth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
Around 1337 [his daughter] Joan Zouche [aged 37] died at Peckleton, Leicestershire.
Before 1344 [his son-in-law] Oliver Ightham and [his daughter] Elizabeth Zouche were married.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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Around 1344 [his daughter] Thomasina Zouche [aged 29] died at Kirkby Mallory, Leicestershire.
In 1346 [his wife] Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth [aged 66] died.
On 31st January 1350 [his daughter] Isabel Zouche [aged 35] died at Wincanton, Somerset [Map].
On 11th October 1350 [his daughter] Elizabeth Zouche died.
On 11th March 1352 William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 75] died at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map]. He was buried at Biddlesden Abbey, Buckinghamshire [Map]. His grandson William [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Baron Zouche Harringworth. Elizabeth Ros Baroness Zouche Harringworth by marriage Baroness Zouche Harringworth.
[his son] Archbishop William Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth and Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth.
[his father] Eudo Zouche and [his mother] Millicent Cantilupe were married.
[his daughter] Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth and Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth at Harringworth, Northamptonshire [Map]. She married before 26th March 1326 William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt and had issue.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Zouche was born to William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth and Maud Lovell Baroness Zouche Harringworth She married before 1344 Oliver Ightham and had issue.
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 10 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 12 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 10 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 13 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: Alain Zouche 
GrandFather: Roger Zouche
Great x 1 Grandmother: Adelicia Belmeis
Father: Eudo Zouche
GrandMother: Margaret Bisset
William Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Harringworth 9 x Great Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Cantilupe 
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Cantilupe Baron
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Cantilupe
GrandFather: William Cantilupe
Mother: Millicent Cantilupe 8 x Great Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: William de Braose 3rd Baron Bramber 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William de Braose 4th Baron Bramber 5 x Great Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Great x 4 Grandmother: Bertha Gloucester Baroness Bramber 4 x Great Grand Daughter of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Great x 2 Grandfather: Reginald de Braose 8th Baron Abergavenny 6th Baron Bramber 6 x Great Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bernard St Valery
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud "Lady of Hay" St Valery Baroness Bramber
Great x 4 Grandmother: Matilda Unknown
Great x 1 Grandfather: William de Braose 9th Baron Abergavenny 7th Baron Bramber 7 x Great Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Great x 2 Grandmother: Graecia Briwere
GrandMother: Eva de Braose 7 x Great Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Giffard 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Fitzgilbert
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter of Salisbury 2nd Baron Chitterne
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sybil of Salisbury
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sybilla Chaworth Baroness Chitterne 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eva Marshal 6 x Great Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert de Clare 1st Earl Pembroke 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard "Strongbow" Clare 2nd Earl Pembroke 4 x Great Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Beaumont Countess Pembroke 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke 5 x Great Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: Diarmait Macmurrough
Great x 3 Grandmother: Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham