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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On 30th December 1804 [her father] James Bruce Carstairs [aged 34] and [her mother] Andalusia Grant were married.
On 6th December 1809 Andalusia Carstairs was born to James Bruce Carstairs [aged 39] and Andalusia Grant.
On 26th December 1823 Arscott Ourry Molesworth 7th Baronet [aged 34] died at Pencarrow House, Cornwall. His son [her future husband] William [aged 13] succeeded 8th Baronet Molesworth of Pencarrow in Cornwall.
In January 1831 the Bath Herald reviewed a performance of Andalusia Carstairs [aged 21] at a Christmas Eve concert: 'Behold & See (a duet with Braham from the Messiah, Handel), electrified the audience….. Her performance in the whole of the pieces allotted to her was sweet & beautiful in the extreme.'
In June 1831 Temple West [aged 60] and Andalusia Carstairs [aged 21] were married. The difference in their ages was 38 years.
In April 1839 [her husband] Temple West [aged 68] died from a stroke. His will, made within three months of the marriage, left his wife Andalusia Carstairs [aged 29] Mathan Lodge his Worcestershire and some £2000.
On 9th July 1844 William Molesworth 8th Baronet [aged 34] and Andalusia Carstairs [aged 34] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. They had met only four months before.
On 10th September 1845 [her father] James Bruce Carstairs [aged 75] died.
Egloshayle Church [Map]. After 10th September 1845. Memorial to [her father] James Bruce Carstairs [aged 75], commissioned by his daughter of Andalusia Carstairs Lady Molesworth [aged 35], wife of [her husband] William Molesworth 8th Baronet [aged 35]. The reference to him being the last Baronet of Kinross would appear to be a mistake although the last Baronet John Bruce 2nd Baronet had a sister Anne Bruce who married a John Carstairs of Kilconquhar?
On 22nd October 1855 [her husband] William Molesworth 8th Baronet [aged 45] died without issue. His half first cousin Hugh [aged 37] succeeded 9th Baronet Molesworth of Pencarrow in Cornwall. His will provided for his widow Andalusia Carstairs [aged 45] to live at Pencarrow during her lifetime.
On 16th May 1888 Andalusia Carstairs Lady Molesworth [aged 78] died. She left the bulk of her personal estate £26,140 13s & 7d to her friends Lord Torrington's nephew George Stanley Byng 8th Viscount Torrington [aged 47] who she had never met.