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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Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill is in Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire, Churches in Leicestershire.
On 12th September 1570 John Shirley [aged 37] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
After 12th September 1570. Monument to John Shirley [deceased] at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. Elizabethan Period. Helm with Folds. Richard and Gabriel Royley of Burton-upon-Trent.
John Shirley: In 1533 he was born to Francis Shirley and Dorothy Giffard at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. On 12th September 1570 John Shirley died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
On 27th July 1571 Francis Shirley [aged 56] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried in the Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. Elizabethan Period. Chest with Weepers holding Shields. Helm with Folds. Richard and Gabriel Royley of Burton-upon-Trent.
Francis Shirley: Francis Shirley and Dorothy Giffard were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years; she, unusually, being older than him. Around 26th January 1515 he was born to Ralph Shirley at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
On 29th December 1595 Frances Berkeley [aged 31] died. She was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. Monument to Frances Berkeley and George Shirley 1st Baronet [aged 36]. The armorial shows 
Shirley Arms and 
Berkeley Arms impaled. Cadaver Underneath. Attributed to Jasper Hollemans.
Frances Berkeley: Around 1564 she was born to Henry Berkeley 7th Baron Berkeley and Katherine Howard Baroness Berkeley. After 21st February 1587 George Shirley 1st Baronet and she were married.
On 27th April 1622 George Shirley 1st Baronet [aged 63] died. He was buried at the Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. His son Henry [aged 34] succeeded 2nd Baronet Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire. Dorothy Devereux Lady Shirley [aged 22] by marriage Lady Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.
1787. Monument to Nathaniel Curzon -1787 in Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
On 22nd February 1827 Elizabeth Mundy Countess Ferrers died. She was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
On 2nd May 1827 Robert Shirley 7th Earl Ferrers [aged 70] died. He was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. His brother Washington [aged 66] succeeded 8th Earl Ferrers, 14th Baronet Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.
1848. Monument to Nathaniel Curzon 1779-1848 in Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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Stemmata Shirleiana. His [Robert Shirley 4th Baronet] body was brought into Leicestershire, and having previously laid in state some days in the ancient Priory church of Bredon [Map], deposited there on the 22d of December, and finally in 1661 removed to the vault beneath the chancel of the church of Staunton Harold. At his funeral, we are told, a sermon was preached front Luke, VII verse 5: "He loved our country, and hath built us a synagogue." On the north side of the chapel of Staunton Harold is à very handsome mural monument, with this inscription:
Here nearby lies Robert Shirley, Baronet, son of Henry and grandson of George. He married Katherine, daughter of Humphrey Okeover of Okeover in the county of Stafford, Esquire, by whom he had sons Seymour, Sewall (who died in the cradle), and Robert, and daughters Katherine and Dorothea. For his steadfast loyalty to the King he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He died in the year 1656, in the … year of his age.
Hic juxta situs est Robertus Shirley, Baronettus, Henrici F. Georaii N. uxorem duxit Katharinam, filiam Humphridi Okeover de Okeover in Agro Staff. Armigeri, ex quâ filios suscepit Seymovrem, Sewalvm in cunis Defunctum, ac Robertym, filias Katharinam, et Dorotheam. Ob Summam erga Regem Fidelitatem in Arce Londiniensi incarceratus, obit MDCLVI. Ao Aitatis....
Note 1. Inscription on Robert Earl Ferrers' monument at Eatington, and Dr. Thomas's ed, of Dugdale's Warwickshire, under Eatington.