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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River Trent is in Humber Estuary.
See: River Derwent, River Dove, River Soar, River Sow, River Tame.
The River Trent rises on Biddulph Moor, Staffordshire [Map] and flows, in a great horseshoe through, or near, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire [Map], Stone, Staffordshire [Map], Essex Bridge [Map], Bishton Hall, Staffordshire [Map], Colwich, Staffordshire [Map] passing St Michael and All Angels Church, Colwich [Map], Rugeley, Staffordshire [Map], Kings Bromley, Staffordshire [Map], Alrewas, Staffordshire [Map], Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire [Map], Newton Solney, Derbyshire [Map], Repton, Derbyshire [Map], under Swarkestone Bridge, Derbyshire [Map], Sawley, Derbyshire [Map], Nottingham, Nottinghamshire [Map], Holme Pierrepoint, Nottinghamshire [Map], Stoke Ferry, Shelford [Map], under Gunthorpe Bridge, Nottinghamshire [Map], past Gunthorpe Lock [Map], Hoveringham, Nottingham [Map], Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire [Map], Knaith [Map], Dunham Bridge [Map], Sutton on Trent, Nottinghamshire [Map], the Isle of Axholme [Map] and Gainsborough [Map] before joining the Humber Estuary at Trent Falls [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 14th August 1654. Went by Newark-on-Trent [Map], a brave town and garrison. Next, by Wharton House, belonging to the Lord Chaworth, a handsome seat; then by Home, a noble place belonging to the Marquis of Dorchester [aged 48], and passed the famous River Trent, which divides the South from the North of England; and so lay that night at Nottingham [Map].
In September 1678 Humphrey Ferrers [aged 25] drowned in the River Trent.
Gunthorpe Bridge, Nottinghamshire [Map] is a bridge over the River Trent which replaced a ferry which operated until 1875. The original bridge opened in 1875. It was built largely in iron. The current bridge was built in 1927 400 metres upstream from the old one.
Gunthorpe Lock [Map] is a lock and weir on the River Trent.
Stoke Ferry, Shelford [Map] is a former crossing point on the River Trent that gives its name to Shelford, Nottinghamshire [Map].
Bishton Hall, Staffordshire [Map] is located 150m north of the River Trent.
St Michael and All Angels Church, Colwich [Map] with a view of the River Trent from the churchyard.
