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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Barrow in Furness, Lancashire is in Lancashire.
Furness Abbey is also in Abbeys in England.
In 1123 Furness Abbey [Map] was founded by Stephen Count of Boulogne [aged 29], the future King Stephen, as an Order of Savigny.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. 1139. Empress Matilda arrived in England. In the year 1140, King Stephen and Queen Matilda1 founded Coggeshall Abbey [Map], as well as the Abbey of Furness [Map], the Abbey of Longvilliers, and the Abbey of Faversham [Map], where their bodies were later buried. In the same year, a council was held at Coggeshall on the third day before the Nones of August [3rd August].
MCXXXIX. Venit imperatrix Mathildis in Angliam. mcxl. Facta est abbatia de Cogeshala a rege Stephano et regina Mathildi, qui etiam fundaverunt abbatiam de Furneis, et abbatiam de Lungviliers, et abbatiam de Favresham, ubi etiam corpora eorum humata sunt. Eodem anno convenit conventus apud Cogeshala tertio nonas Augusti.
Note 1. Matilda of Flanders, daughter of Eustace, Count of Boulogne, and Mary, daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Margaret of Wessex. She was a sister of Edith aka Matilda, wife of King Henry I of England. Mary and King Stephen were married in 1125. They had three children: Eustace, died aged twenty-three in 1153, Matilda, died young and Marie who married Matthew of Metz in 1160.
In 1147 Furness Abbey [Map] passed to the Cistercians who enlarged and rebuilt the original ornate church.
by 1400 Furness Abbey [Map] had become the second richest and most powerful Cistercian abbeys in England, behind Fountains Abbey [Map].
In 1537 Furness Abbey [Map] was dissolved.
Vesta Monumenta. 1727. The ruins of Furness Abbey [Map] in Lancashire. Engraving by George Vertue [aged 43] after an untraced drawing originally commissioned by John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montague [aged 37].
In 1848 the ruins of Furness Abbey [Map] were visited by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [aged 28] with her lady-in-waiting Augusta Elizabeth Frederica Bruce [aged 25].
Around 1855. Benjamin Brecknell Turner [aged 40]. Furness Abbey [Map].
Chronicle of Jean Molinet Chapter 158. [4th June 1487]1 King Edward, newly crowned in Ireland, arrived at Scanforth1 with a great force. Sir Edward de Hauteville, Lord of Scales, who supported King Henry, had come to a town named Lancaster, accompanied by six thousand men, to reinforce King Edward's army; but he was so relentlessly pursued from lodging to lodging, and driven back for three days straight, that he was forced to cross the forest of Nottingham in great haste. The Lord of Oxenford, the Lord of Salisbury and Talbot, the Lord of Astingham, Sir John Savage, and other great lords, accompanied by fifteen thousand men, after the arrival of the said Lord of Scales, and upon recognizing the strength of King Edward's army, recrossed the river with all speed, not daring to face his power, and fled like fugitives.
Le roy Édouard, nouvellement couronné en Irlande, arrive à Scanfort à grande puissance. Sire Édouard de Oudeville, seigneur d'Escalles, tenant parti pour le roy Henry, estoit venu à une ville nommée Lancastre, accompaignié de six mille hommes, pour secourir l'armée du roy Edouard; duquel il fut tellement poursuivi de logis en logis, et rebouté par trois jours continuels, qu'il fut contraint de passer la forest de Notinghen, à très grand hastė . Le seigneur de Occenfort, le seigneur de Saresbry et Tallebot, le seigneur d'Astinghen, messire Jehan Sauvaige, et aultres grands seigneurs, accompaignés de quinze mille hommes, lesquels, après la venue dudit seigneur d'Escales, congnoissant la disposition de l'armée du roy Edouard, repassèrent l'eaue à toute diligence, sans oser attendre sa puissance, et se rendirent comme fuitifs .
Note 1. Some sources say the 4th, some the 5th. The location "Scanfort" usually taken to mean "Piel Island [Map]", which given its size, is an unlikely landing point for the size of Simnel's army. "Carnforth" is a plausible alternative.
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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Calendar of State Papers Charles II Oct 1667. October 1667. 102. Proposals by Sir Thomas Strickland [aged 45] to the Navy Comrs., to build three third-rate frigates in Foudray Pill, to be completed by 1 Aug. 1671, upon a similar contract to that of Mr. Baylie, of Bristol. [Adm. Paper.] Enclosing,.
102. i. Edward Tyldesley to Sam. Pepys [aged 34]. Robt. Withers [aged 49] and the writer have viewed Foudray Pill, where they proposed to build ships for the King's service. Sends a draft sketch thereof, leaving the rest of the business to be transacted by his partners, Sir Thomas Strickland and Mr. Withers. Has such timber as all England cannot show. Lodge in the Forest of Meirscough, 1st October 1667.
102. ii. Sketch of Walney Island, the pill, bar, &c., in coloured chalks.
