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.

Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester, Hospital of St Cross, Parish of St Faith, Hampshire, South-East England, British Isles [Map]

Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester is in Hospital of St Cross, Winchester [Map], Churches in Hampshire.

See: .

Interior of the Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map] in Winchester.

Exterior of the Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map].

Floor Tiles and Memorials. Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map].

On 2nd January 1789 Charles Wolfram Cornwall (age 53) died. Memorial in the Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map] sculpted by John Francis Moore (age 44).

Charles Wolfram Cornwall: On 15th June 1735 he was born. In 1789 he was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons which position he held until his death in 1789.

On 28th February 1892 Charles George Edric Clowes was born to Major Charles Edward Clowes (age 33) and Isabella Sara Vanderbyl in the Parish of St Faith, Winchester [Map]. He was baptised in the Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map].

After 1918. Statue of St George. Sculpted by George Frampton (age 57). Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map].

After 1918. Memorial Chapel of the Church of the Holy Cross, Winchester [Map] in the Church of the Holy Cross in Winchester dedicated to those of the parish killed during The Great War. The Chapel designed by Arthur Blomfield. The finished memorial modifed by Thomas Graham Jackson.