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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Earl Verulam is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
30th September 1815. James Walter Grimston 1st Earl Verulam [aged 40] created.
17th November 1845. Son James Walter Grimston 2nd Earl Verulam [aged 36] succeeded.
27th July 1895. Son James Walter Grimston 3rd Earl Verulam [aged 43] succeeded.
11th November 1924. Son James Grimston 4th Earl of Verulam [aged 44] succeeded.
29th November 1949. Son James Grimston 5th Earl of Verulam [aged 39] succeeded.
13th October 1960. Brother John Grimston 6th Earl of Verulam [aged 48] succeeded.
15th April 1973. Son John Grimston 7th Earl of Verulam [aged 21] succeeded.
The London Gazette 17066. Whitehall, September 30, 1815.
His Royal, Highness the Prince Regent has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the Dignities of Earl and Marquess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Right Honourable George James Earl of Cholmondeley [aged 66], and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Earl of Rocksavage, in the county palatine of Chester, and Marquess Cholmondeley. [Note. Georgina Charlotte Bertie Marchioness Cholmondeley [aged 54] by marriage Marchioness Cholmondeley.]
His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has also been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable James Walter [aged 40], Viscount Grimston, of that part of the United Kingdom called Ireland, and Baron Verulam of Gorhambury, in the county of Hertford, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Viscount Grimston and Earl Verulam.
His Royal Highness has also been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignities of Baron and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable Charles Viscount Whitworth [aged 63], Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, His Majesty's Lieutenant-General and General Governor of Ireland, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Baron Adbaston, in the county of Stafford, and Earl Whitworth.
His Royal Highness has also been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable John Lord Brownlow [aged 36], and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Viscount Alford, of Alford in the county of Lincoln, and Earl Brownlow.
His Royal Highness has also been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignity of Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable John Craggs Lord Eliot [aged 54], and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, stile, and title of Earl of Saint Germains, in the county of Cornwall.
His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has also been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable John Lord Boringdon [aged 43], and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, stiles, and titles of Viscount Boringdon, of North Malton, in the County of Devon, and Earl Morley, of Morley in the said county.
His Royal Highness bas also been pleased, in the name and on behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable Orlando Baron Bradford [aged 53], and the heirs mile of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Viscount Newport, in the county of Salop, and Earl of Bradford, in the said, county. [Note. Lucy Elizabeth Byng Countess Bradford [aged 48] by marriage Countess Bradford.]
His Royal Highness has also been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable William Baron Beauchamp [aged 68], of Powyke, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Viscount Elmley, in the county of Worcester, and Earl of Beauchamp. [Catherine Denn Countess Beauchamp by marriage Countess Beauchamp.]
His Royal Highness has also been pleased, in the name and on behalf of His Majesty to grant the dignity of a Viscount of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honourable Alan Hyde Lord Gardner [aged 45], Vice-Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty's fleet, by the name, stile, and title of Viscount Gardner. [Note. He died before the patent had passed the Great Seal so the patent was null and void.]
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On 17th November 1845 James Walter Grimston 1st Earl Verulam [aged 70] died. His son James [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Earl Verulam, 2nd Viscount Grimston, 5th Viscount Grimston, 3rd Baron Verulam of Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, 9th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex. Elizabeth Joanna Weyland Countess Verulam [aged 20] by marriage Countess Verulam.
On 27th July 1895 James Walter Grimston 2nd Earl Verulam [aged 86] died. His son James [aged 43] succeeded 3rd Earl Verulam, 3rd Viscount Grimston, 6th Viscount Grimston, 4th Baron Verulam of Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, 10th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex. Margaret Francis Graham Countess Verulam [aged 41] by marriage Countess Verulam.
On 11th November 1924 James Walter Grimston 3rd Earl Verulam [aged 72] died. His son James [aged 44] succeeded 4th Earl Verulam, 4th Viscount Grimston, 7th Viscount Grimston, 5th Baron Verulam of Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, 11th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex. Violet Constance Maitland Brabazon Countess Verulam [aged 38] by marriage Countess Verulam.
On 29th November 1949 James Grimston 4th Earl of Verulam [aged 69] died. His son James [aged 39] succeeded 5th Earl Verulam, 5th Viscount Grimston, 8th Viscount Grimston, 6th Baron Verulam of Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, 12th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex.
On 13th October 1960 James Grimston 5th Earl of Verulam [aged 50] died. His brother John [aged 48] succeeded 6th Earl Verulam, 6th Viscount Grimston, 9th Viscount Grimston, 7th Baron Verulam of Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, 13th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex.
On 15th April 1973 John Grimston 6th Earl of Verulam [aged 60] died. His son John [aged 21] succeeded 7th Earl Verulam, 7th Viscount Grimston, 10th Viscount Grimston, 8th Baron Verulam of Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, 14th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex.