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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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Carlisle Cathedral is in Carlisle, Cumberland [Map], Cathedrals in England.
Choir of Carlisle Cathedral [Map].
On 14th December 1278 Bishop Ralph de Ireton was elected Bishop of Carlisle.
On 9th April 1280 Bishop Ralph de Ireton was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle by the Bishop of Tusculum [now Frescati].
On 29th February 1292 Bishop Ralph de Ireton died while attending a parliament at London, from a burst vein. He was buried at Carlisle Cathedral [Map]. His tomb was destroyed ten weeks after in a fire at the Cathedral.
On 21st April 1353 Bishop Gilbert Welton was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
Around 23rd April 1397 Bishop Thomas Merke was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle.
On 16th April 1430 Bishop Marmaduke Lumley was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
In 1452 Bishop William Percy (age 23) was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
On 24th October 1462 Bishop John Kingscote was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Before 11th February 1478 Bishop Richard Bell was elected Bishop of Carlisle.
On 11th February 1478 Bishop Richard Bell was elected Bishop of Carlisle.
On 26th April 1478 Bishop Richard Bell was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle.
On 4th September 1495 Bishop Richard Bell resigned as Bishop of Carlisle. Bishop William Senhouse was appointed Bishop of Carlisle, being consecrated the following year.
In 1557 Bishop Owen Oglethorpe (age 50) was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
In 1621 Bishop Richard Milbourne was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
On 15th November 1660 Archbishop Richard Sterne (age 64) was elected Bishop of Carlisle.
On 2nd December 1660 Archbishop Richard Sterne (age 64) was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 27th April 1664. Thence to my Lady's, and in my way met Mr. Sanchy, of Cambridge, whom I have not met a great while. He seems a simple fellow, and tells me their master, Dr. Rainbow (age 56), is newly made Bishop of Carlisle.
Around 27th April 1664 Bishop Edward Rainbowe (age 56) was elected Bishop of Carlisle.
In 1702 Bishop William Nicolson (age 47) was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
John Evelyn's Diary. 22nd June 1702. I dined at the Archbishop's (age 65) with the newly made Bishop of Carlisle, Dr. Nicolson, my worthy and learned correspondent.
In 1704 Bishop Francis Atterbury (age 40) was appointed Dean of Carlisle.
In 1734 Bishop George Fleming 2nd Baronet (age 67) was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
On 21st March 1762 Charles Lyttelton (age 48) was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle aat Whitehall Chapel.
Around October 1827 Bishop Hugh Percy (age 43) was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 24th November 1856 Dean Francis Close (age 59) was appointed Dean of Carlisle.
In 1860 Bishop Samuel Waldegrave (age 40) was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
In October 1869 Bishop Harvey Goodwin (age 50) was elected Bishop of Carlisle.
On 1st October 1869 Bishop Samuel Waldegrave (age 50) died at his residence Rose Castle, Dalston [Map], Cumberland. Monument in Carlisle Cathedral [Map] sculpted by John Adams Acton (age 38).
Bishop Samuel Waldegrave: On 13th September 1819 he was born to William Waldegrave 8th Earl Waldegrave in Cardington, Bedfordshire. In 1860 he was appointed Bishop of Carlisle.
On 18th December 1882 Dean Francis Close (age 85) died. Monument in Carlisle Cathedral [Map] sculpted by Henry Hugh Armstead (age 54).
Dean Francis Close: On 11th July 1797 he was born in Frome, Somerset [Map]. On 24th November 1856 he was appointed Dean of Carlisle.
After 25th November 1891. Carlisle Cathedral [Map]. Monument to Bishop Harvey Goodwin (deceased) sculpted by William Hamo Thornycroft (age 41).
Bishop Harvey Goodwin: On 9th October 1818 he was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk [Map]. In October 1869 Bishop Harvey Goodwin was elected Bishop of Carlisle. On 25th November 1891 he died in Bishopthorpe York whilst on a visit to William Maclagan, Archbishop of York.
Before 1463 Archdeacon George Neville was appointed Archdeacon Carlisle which post he held until 1465.