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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MP Flint Boroughs

MP Flint Boroughs is in Member Parliament.

In 1597 Edward Morgan of Golden Grove was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

In 1620 William Ravenscroft [aged 59] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

In 1624 William Ravenscroft [aged 63] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

In 1625 William Ravenscroft [aged 64] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

In 1628 William Ravenscroft [aged 67] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

In 1659 John Hamner 3rd Baronet [aged 26] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

On 12th November 1660 Colonel Roger Whitley of Peel in Cheshire [aged 42] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

On 7th March 1681 Thomas Whitley of Peel Hall [aged 30] was elected MP Flint Boroughs unopposed.

In 1685 and 1689 John Hamner 3rd Baronet [aged 52] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

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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On 17th March 1690 Thomas Whitley of Peel Hall [aged 39] was elected MP Flint Boroughs.

In 1727 Salusbury Lloyd of Leadbrook in Flintshire was elected MP Flint Boroughs. There was a double return. Although Lloyds opponent won a large majority, a party vote of the House of Commons awarded the seat to Lloyd, in spite of the evidence. He held the seat until 1734 when he stood down.

In 1847 John Hamner 1st Baron Hamner [aged 37] was elected MP Flint Boroughs which seat he held util 1872.

In 1874 Peter Ellis Eyton [aged 46] was elected MP Flint Boroughs, beating C G Rowley-Conway by four votes, which seat he held for the remainder of his life.