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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Chief is in Charges.
Chief. The Chief is the uppermost part of the arms occupying around one third of the arms.
Acheson Arms. Argent, a double-headed eagle displayed sable, beaked and membered or, on a chief vert, two mullets or. Source.
Kitson Arms. Sable three fishes hauriant in fess argent a chief or. Source.
Clement Arms. Argent, two bendlets wavy sable on a chief gules three leopard's faces or a bordure compony or and azure. Source.
Dormer Arms. Azure, ten billets or 4,3,2,1 issuant from a chief of the second a demi lion rampant sable langued gules.
Babington Arms. Argent, ten torteau in chief a label three points azure. Source.
Chichester Arms. Chequy or and gules, a chief vair. Source.
Mortimer Arms. Barry or and azure, on a chief of the first two pallets between two base esquires of the second over all an inescutcheon argent. Source.
Narborough Arms. Gules, a chief ermine. Source.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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Berkeley Arms. Gules a chevron between ten crosses pattee six in chief and four in base argent.
Bacon Arms. Gules, on a chief argent two mullets pierced sable. Source.
Turner Baronets Arms. Sable, a chevron ermine between three fers de moline or on a chief argent a lion passant gules. Source.
Chaplin Arms. Ermine a chief azure three griffin's heads erased or.
Clinton Arms. Argent, six cross crosslets fitchée sable three two and one on a chief azure two mullets or pierced gules. Source.
NO IMAGE. Argent, on a chief azure three mullets of the first.
Saluzzo Arms. Argent, a chief azure. Source.
Weston Arms. Ermine, on a chief azure five bezants.
Around 1577 George Gower (age 37). Portrait of Richard Drake (age 42). The heraldic escutcheon shows seven quarters as follows:
1: 
Drake of Ash Arms. Drake of Ash in the parish of Musbury, Devon.
2: Argent, on a chief gules three cinquefoils of the first; Billet of Ash.
3: Gules, on a fess argent two mullets sable; Hamton of Rockbere and Ash.
4: Ermine, on a chief indented sable three crosslets fitchee or; Orwey of Orwey and Ash.
5: Barry of seven argent and sable.
6: Azure, six lions rampant argent crowned Gules, 3, 2, 1; Forde of Forde.
7: Argent, two chevrons sable (Esse/Ash of Ash); Esse or Ash of Ash.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Chaucer Modern Arms. Argent, a chief gules overall a lion rampant double queued or.
Manners Arms. Or, two fess azure a chief gules.
St John Arms. Argent, a chief gules two estoiles or. Source.
Worsley Arms. Argent, a chief gules. Source.
Around 1577 George Gower (age 37). Portrait of Richard Drake (age 42). The heraldic escutcheon shows seven quarters as follows:
1: Drake of Ash Arms. Drake of Ash in the parish of Musbury, Devon.
2: Argent, on a chief gules three cinquefoils of the first; Billet of Ash.
3: Gules, on a fess argent two mullets sable; Hamton of Rockbere and Ash.
4: Ermine, on a chief indented sable three crosslets fitchee or; Orwey of Orwey and Ash.
5: Barry of seven argent and sable.
6: Azure, six lions rampant argent crowned Gules, 3, 2, 1; Forde of Forde.
7: Argent, two chevrons sable (Esse/Ash of Ash); Esse or Ash of Ash.
Butler Arms. Or, a chief indented azure. Source.
Harsick Arms. Or, a chief indented sable.
Lathom Arms. Or, on a chief indented azure three plates. Source.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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Perceval Arms. Argent, a chief indented gules three crosses pattee of the field. Source.
St Leger Arms. Azure fretty argent, a chief or. Source.
Preston Arms. Or, a chief sable three crescents or.
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