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.
Macclesfield, Cheshire is in Cheshire.
See: Kerridge, Macclesfield, Saltersford, Derbyshire, St Alban's Church, Macclesfield, St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield.
Archaeologia Volume 29 Section XIII. The preceding dates are taken from the testing clauses of the King's writs, with some slight assistance from Wardrobe accountsc. From the same authentic sources we learn that he then remained but two days at Clipston, leaving it on the morning of the 23rd, on which day there are writs tested at Dronfield [Map], a village between Chesterfield and Sheffield. On the 24th and 25th he was at Tidswell [Map], and on the 26th at Chapel-en-le-Frith [Map]. On the 27th he was at Macclesfield [Map]. He remained there till the 6th of October. On the 7th he set out on his return to Clipston, passing through Ashford, Chesterfield, and Langwith. That in this excursion he was enjoying the diversion of the chace appears from an entry in the Wardrobe accounts of the payment of 6s. 8d. of the King's gift to Robert at Hall of Wyrardeston, "quia navigavit in aqua post cervum in quoddam stagnum in foresta de Pecco [because he sailed in the water after a deer into a certain pond in the forest of Peccus]."
Note c. A complete Itinerary of this reign was made for the late Record Commission, to which I am indebted for these dates.
In August 1399 Thomas Wendesley (age 55), following the success of King Henry IV of England (age 32) received a grant for life of land worth £24 a year in the High Peak, and within the next few months three lucrative stewardships of Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map], the High Peak and Chesterfield, Derbyshire [Map] were in his hands.
On 29th June 1463 John Savage (age 93) died at Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map].
On 4th August 1468 Piers Legh (age 35) died at Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map]. He was subsequently buried at St Oswald's Church, Winwick [Map].
On 22nd November 1495 John Savage (age 73) died at Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map]. He was buried at St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield.
On 12th October 1654 John Savage 2nd Earl Rivers (deceased) was buried at Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map].
The River Bollin rises at Macclesfield Forest [Map] from where it flows through Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map], Prestbury, Cheshire [Map] and Mottram Hall, Cheshire [Map], after which it is joined by the River Dean, under Manchester Airport [Map] to Hale, Cheshire [Map] then Dunham Massey, Cheshire [Map] after which it joins the River Mersey.
On 15th January 1816 Alfred Gatley was born at Spring Cottage aka House, Kerridge.
On 15th May 1874 Henry Edward Stanley 3rd Baron Stanley 2nd Baron Eddisbury (age 46) and Fabia San Roman of Seville were married in a Catholic ceremony at St Alban's Church, Macclesfield.
After October 1492 John Savage (age 48) was buried at St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 22nd November 1495 John Savage (age 73) died at Macclesfield, Cheshire [Map]. He was buried at St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield.
On 10th August 1399 Piers Legh (age 79) was beheaded on the orders of Henry of Bolingbroke, the future King Henry IV. See MS. Harleian 1989. fol. 381.. His head was 'set upon the east gate of Chester'. He was initially burie aat the Carmelite Friars at Chester, subsequently at the Legh Chapel, St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield. The inscription: "Here lyeth the bodie of Perkin a Legh that for King Richard the death did die betrayed for righteousness And the bones of Sir Piers his sonne that with King Henrie the fift did wonne in Paris."
On 16th June 1422 Piers Legh (age 33) died from wounds. He was buried at Legh Chapel, St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield with his father.
On 8th August 1570 Elizabeth Manners (age 44) died at Frodsham, Cheshire [Map]. She was buried at Savage Chapel, St Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield.