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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Baron Halton is in Baronies of England Alphabetically, Baronies of England Chronologically, Succeeded Baronesses of England, Extinct Baronies of England.
Summary
1071. Nigel of Cotentin 1st Baron of Halton created.
1080. Son William Fitznigel 2nd Baron of Halton succeeded.
1134. Son William Fitzwilliam 3rd Baron of Halton succeeded.
1134. Eustace Fitzjohn 4th Baron Halton [aged 46] succeeded.
10th July 1157. Son Richard Fitzeustace 5th Baron of Halton [aged 37] succeeded.
1163. Son John Fitzrichard 6th Baron Halton [aged 19] succeeded.
11th October 1190. Son Roger Lacy 6th Baron Pontefract 7th Baron Halton [aged 19] succeeded.
1st October 1211. Son John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 19] succeeded.
22nd July 1240. Son Edmund Lacy 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton [aged 10] succeeded.
1258. Son Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury [aged 7] succeeded.
February 1311. Daughter Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln [aged 29] succeeded.
2nd October 1348. Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln extinct.
In 1071 Nigel of Cotentin 1st Baron of Halton was created 1st Baron Halton.
In 1080 Nigel of Cotentin 1st Baron of Halton died. His son William succeeded 2nd Baron Halton.
In 1134 William Fitznigel 2nd Baron of Halton died. His son William succeeded 3rd Baron Halton.
In or after 1134 William Fitzwilliam 3rd Baron of Halton died. His brother-in-law Eustace Fitzjohn 4th Baron Halton [aged 46] succeeded 4th Baron Halton.
On 10th July 1157 Eustace Fitzjohn 4th Baron Halton [aged 69] died at Saxlingham WalsIngham, Norfolk. His son Richard [aged 37] succeeded 5th Baron Halton.
Around 1163 Richard Fitzeustace 5th Baron of Halton [aged 43] died. His son John [aged 19] succeeded 6th Baron Halton. Alice Mandeville Baroness Halton by marriage Baroness Halton.
On 11th October 1190 John Fitzrichard 6th Baron Halton [aged 46] died at Tyre. His son Roger [aged 19] succeeded 7th Baron Halton. Maud Clere Baroness Lacy Baroness Warkworth by marriage Baroness Halton.
On 1st October 1211 Roger Lacy 6th Baron Pontefract 7th Baron Halton [aged 40] died in Pontefract [Map].
John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 19] succeeded 8th Baron Halton, 7th Baron Pontefract. Alice Aquila Baroness Bowland, Halton and Lacy by marriage Baroness Halton, Baroness Pontefract.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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In 1221 John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 29] and Margaret Quincy 3rd Countess Lincoln and Pembroke [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Baroness Halton, Baroness Pontefract. She the daughter of Robert Quincy Earl Lincoln and Hawise Gernon 2nd Countess Lincoln [aged 41].
On 22nd July 1240 John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 48] died. His son Edmund [aged 10] succeeded 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton.
In 1258 Edmund Lacy 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton [aged 28] died. His son Henry [aged 7] succeeded 9th Baron Pontefract, 10th Baron Halton.
In February 1311 Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury [aged 60] died at Lincoln's Inn. His daughter Alice [aged 29] succeeded 5th Countess Salisbury, 5th Countess Lincoln, 10th Baroness Pontefract, 11th Baroness Halton. Thomas Plantagenet 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster, Earl of Salisbury and Lincoln [aged 33] by marriage Earl Salisbury, Earl Lincoln.
On 2nd October 1348 Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln [aged 66] died without issue at Barlings Abbey [Map]. Earl Salisbury, Earl Lincoln, Baron Pontefract and Baron Halton extinct.