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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St Marylebone Church is in Marylebone Road.
On 23rd December 1739 John Vanderbank (age 45) died of tuberculosis in Holies Street. He was buried in St Marylebone Church.
On 8th August 1769 Frederick Evelyn 3rd Baronet (age 35) and Mary Turton Lady Evelyn (age 24) were married at St Marylebone Church. She by marriage Lady Evelyn of Wotton in Surrey. There was no issue from the marriage.
On 23rd May 1778 Charles Stanhope 3rd Earl of Harrington (age 25) and Jane Fleming Countess Harrington (age 23) were married at St Marylebone Church. He the son of William Stanhope 2nd Earl of Harrington (age 58) and Caroline Fitzroy Countess Harrington (age 56).
On 20th June 1779 John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 22) and Catherine Moyle (age 19) were married at St Marylebone Church.
On 9th March 1782 John Gregory Shaw 5th Baronet (age 25) and Theodosia Margaret Monson Lady Shaw (age 19) were married at St Marylebone Church. She by marriage Lady Shaw of Eltham in Kent.
On 13th January 1784 John Reade 6th Baronet (age 21) and Jane Hoskyns Lady Reade (age 29) were married at St Marylebone Church.
On 13th January 1785 John Chandos Reade 7th Baronet was born to John Reade 6th Baronet (age 22) and Jane Hoskyns Lady Reade (age 30). He was baptised at St Marylebone Church. He married 6th January 1814 Louisa Murray Lady Reade.
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.
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On 3rd June 1794 Dorothy Cavendish 3rd Duchess Portland (age 43) died. She was buried at St Marylebone Church.
In or before 1797 George Byng (age 32) and Harriet Montgomery (age 23) were married at St Marylebone Church.
On 23rd May 1797 Reverend William Clay and Sophia Raymond Lady Burrell (age 44) were married at St Marylebone Church.
On 8th May 1798 John Opie (age 36) and Amelia Alderson (age 28) were married at St Marylebone Church.
Dictionary of National Biography: Meanwhile he had married again, and this time his choice was very fortunate. It was at an evening party at Norwich that he first met Amelia Alderson, the daughter of a doctor of that town, and cousin of Baron Alderson (age 10). He fell in love at first sight. They were married at Marylebone Church on 8 May 1798, and lived till his death at 8 Berners Street, whither he had moved in 1791. They were thoroughly suited to each other; she appreciated liis genius and character. A grace was afterwards observed in his works, especially his female portraits, which they had lacked before. At first fortune did not seem to favour them, and there was a short period at the end of 1801 and the beginning of 1802 when he was wholly without employment; Mrs. Opie considered these ' three alarming months ' as the severest trial in her married life. Then a ' torrent of business ' came, and never ceased to flow till the day of his death.
On 8th September 1798 George Wright 2nd Baronet (age 28) died. He was buried at St Marylebone Church.
On 8th February 1812 Thomas Noel-Hill 2nd Baron Berwick (age 41) and Sophia Dubochet (age 17) were married at St Marylebone Church. The difference in their ages was 23 years.
On 17th February 1813 Elizabeth Charlotte Jemima Brydges was born to John William Head Brydges and Isabella Anne Beresford (age 36). She was baptised on 3rd April 1813 at St Marylebone Church. She married Reverend Charles Gradwicke Raikes Kinleside and had issue.
On 8th July 1819 William Yates Peel (age 29) and Jane Elizabeth Moore were married at St Marylebone Church. She the daughter of Stephen Moore 2nd Earl Mount Cashell (age 49) and Margaret King Baroness Monthermer (age 46).
On 25th March 1821 Thomas Cubitt (age 33) and Mary Anne Warner (age 19) were married at St Marylebone Church. They had at least twelve children.
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.
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26th August 1822 Edward West and Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes were married at St Marylebone Church. She the daughter of his guardian and uncle Martin ffolkes 1st Baronet.
On 10th July 1832 Benjamin Welstead (age 57) and Mary Rowley (age 33) were married at St Marylebone Church. The difference in their ages was 23 years.
On 21st September 1848 George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (age 46) died unmarried. He had left his father's home Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire [Map] intending to walk the six miles to Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire to dine with Charles Herbert Pierrepont 2nd Earl Manvers (age 70). When he didn't arrive at Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire a search party was sent to look for him. They discovered his body at nine in the evening. He was buried in the family vault at St Marylebone Church.
On 2nd July 1892 Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Annesley 5th Earl Annesley (age 61) and Priscilla Cecilia Moore Countess Annesley were married at St Marylebone Church. She by marriage Countess Annesley of Castlewellan in County Down. He the son of William Richard Annesley 3rd Earl Annesley and Priscilla Cecilia Moore. They were first cousins.
On 14th November 1900 William Montagu 9th Duke Manchester (age 23) and Helena Zimmerman (age 22) were married at St Marylebone Church. They had met at a costume ball at a Brittany coast resort in Dinard in Brittany. They had two sons and two daughters. He the son of George Victor Drogo Montagu 8th Duke Manchester and Consuelo Yznaga Duchess Manchester (age 47).
On 17th June 1839 William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (age 64) died in Paris [Map]. He was buried at Bentinck Family Vault St Marylebone Church.
In May 1843 Mary Acheson (age 56) died. She was buried at Bentinck Family Vault St Marylebone Church.