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 Herefordshire is in Member Parliament.
In November 1640 Humphrey Coningsbury [aged 17] was elected MP Herefordshire in the Long Parliament.
William Heveningham [aged 36] was elected MP Stockbridge during the Long Parliament.
Robert Crane 1st Baronet [aged 54] was elected MP Sudbury in the Long Parliament holding the seat until his death in 1643.
John Jennings was elected MP St Albans during the Long Parliament.
John Glynne [aged 38] was elected MP Westminster during the Long Parliament.
In 1656 Bennet Hoskyns 1st Baronet [aged 47] was elected MP Herefordshire.
In 1659 Bennet Hoskyns 1st Baronet [aged 50] was elected MP Herefordshire.
In 1679 Herbert Croft 1st Baronet [aged 28] was elected MP Herefordshire.
In 1685 John Morgan 2nd Baronet [aged 34] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1687. He was re-elected in 1689 and held the seat until his death in 1693.
In 1685 John Hoskyns 2nd Baronet [aged 50] was elected MP Herefordshire.
In 1689 Colonel Henry Cornewall [aged 35] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1695.
In 1690 Herbert Croft 1st Baronet [aged 39] was elected MP Herefordshire.
In 1698 Colonel Henry Cornewall [aged 44] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1700.
In 1712 Thomas Morgan 3rd Baronet [aged 27] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until his death in 1716.
On 6th March 1717 Hungerford Hoskyns 4th Baronet [aged 40] was elected unopposed MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1722 when he was defeated. Hoskyns didn't stand for Parliament again.
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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In 1722 Velters Cornewall of Moccas in Herefordshire [aged 25] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held for forty-six years until his death in 1768.
In 1774 George Amyand aka Cornewall 2nd Baronet [aged 25] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1796.
In 1802 and 1806 George Amyand aka Cornewall 2nd Baronet [aged 53] was elected MP Herefordshire. He stood down in 1807.
In 1807 Thomas Foley [aged 28] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1818.
In 1868 Herbert George Denman Croft 9th Baronet [aged 29] was elected MP Herefordshire which seat he held until 1874.