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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Cavendish, Suffolk is in Suffolk.
In 1253 Thomas Grey was born to John Grey at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map].
Around 1306 Thomas Grey was born to Thomas Grey (age 53) at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map].
Around 1320 Robert Cavendish was born at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map].
In January 1321 Thomas Grey (age 68) died at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map].
Around 1346 John Cavendish was born to Robert Cavendish (age 26) at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map]. He married Alice Odingsells and had issue.
Around 1402 William Cavendish was born to John Cavendish (age 28) and Joan Clopton (age 32) at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map]. He married before 1430 Joan Staventon and had issue.
In 1472 Thomas Cavendish was born to Thomas Cavendish (age 42) and Catherine Scudamore (age 38) at Cavendish, Suffolk [Map]. He married in or before 1505 Alice Smith and had issue.
In 1549 the Leche family sold Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map] to William Cavendish (age 44). His wife Bess of Hardwick (age 22) had persuraded him to sell his ancestral lands around Cavendish, Suffolk [Map] and buy land around her ancestral lands.
The Suffolk River Stour rises at West Wicken [Map] in Cambridgeshire from where it flows past Weston Green [Map], Carlton [Map], Great Bradley, Suffolk [Map], Little Bradley, Suffolk [Map], Great Thurlow, Suffolk [Map], Keddington, Suffolk [Map], New England, Suffolk [Map], Stoke by Clare, Suffolk [Map], Clare Priory, Suffolk [Map], Cavendish, Suffolk [Map], Long Melford, Suffolk [Map], Sudbury, Suffolk [Map], Henny Street, Suffolk [Map], Lamarsh, Suffolk [Map], Bures, Suffolk [Map], Wissington, Suffolk [Map], Nayland, Suffolk [Map], Thorington Street, Suffolk [Map], Higham, Suffolk [Map], Stratford St Mary, Suffolk [Map], Dedham, Suffolk [Map], Flatford, Suffolk [Map] to Manningtree, Essex [Map] where it widens to form an estuary and is joined by the River Orwell aka Gipping at Harwich, Essex [Map] where it joins the North Sea.
On 15th June 1381 John Cavendish (age 35) was captured at Church of St Mary, Cavendish during the Peasants' Revolt. He was beheaded in the Market Place in Bury St Edmunds.
Around 1450 John Carrington Smith was born at Podbrooke Hall, Cavendish.
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.
In 1478 Alice Smith was born to John Carrington Smith (age 28) at Podbrooke Hall, Cavendish. She married in or before 1505 Thomas Cavendish and had issue.