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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Hope
On Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere and Helen Dunbar were married. He the son of Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun and Henrietta Johnstone.
On 31st August 1699 [his father] Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun (age 18) and [his mother] Henrietta Johnstone (age 16) were married.
On 8th May 1710 Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere was born to [his father] Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun (age 29) and [his mother] Henrietta Johnstone (age 27).
On 14th December 1723 [his brother-in-law] James Ogilvy 5th Earl Findlater 2nd Earl Seafield (age 34) and [his sister] Sophia Hope Countess Findlater (age 21) were married. She the daughter of [his father] Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun (age 42) and [his mother] Henrietta Johnstone (age 41). He the son of James Ogilvy 1st Earl Seafield 4th Earl Findlater (age 60).
On 15th August 1730 James Ogilvy 1st Earl Seafield 4th Earl Findlater (age 67) died. His son [his brother-in-law] James (age 41) succeeded 5th Earl Findlater, 2nd Earl Seafield. [his sister] Sophia Hope Countess Findlater (age 28) by marriage Countess Findlater.
On 26th July 1733 Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere (age 23) and Catherine Weir were married. He the son of Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun (age 52) and Henrietta Johnstone (age 50).
On 14th September 1733 [his brother] John Hope 2nd Earl Hopetoun (age 29) and [his sister-in-law] Anne Ogilvy Countess Hopetoun (age 23) were married. She the daughter of [his brother-in-law] James Ogilvy 5th Earl Findlater 2nd Earl Seafield (age 44) and Elizabeth Hay. He the son of [his father] Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun (age 52) and [his mother] Henrietta Johnstone (age 50).
On 26th February 1742 [his father] Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun (age 61) died. His son [his brother] John (age 37) succeeded 2nd Earl Hopetoun. [his sister-in-law] Anne Ogilvy Countess Hopetoun (age 32) by marriage Countess Hopetoun.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1743 [his wife] Catherine Weir died.
On 20th March 1745 Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere (age 34) and Anne Vane (age 19) were married. She the daughter of Henry Vane 1st Earl Darlington (age 40) and Grace Fitzroy Countess Darlington (age 47). He the son of Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun and Henrietta Johnstone (age 62).
On 25th November 1750 [his mother] Henrietta Johnstone (age 68) died.
In 1757 Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere (age 46) and Anne Vane (age 31) were divorced by Act of Parliament.
On 19th March 1757 [his former brother-in-law] Henry Vane 2nd Earl Darlington (age 30) and Margaret Lowther Countess Darlington (age 29) were married at London. He the son of [his former father-in-law] Henry Vane 1st Earl Darlington (age 52) and [his former mother-in-law] Grace Fitzroy Countess Darlington (age 59).
On 6th March 1758 [his former father-in-law] Henry Vane 1st Earl Darlington (age 53) died. His son [his former brother-in-law] Henry (age 31) succeeded 2nd Earl Darlington, 2nd Viscount Barnard, 4th Baron Barnard. Margaret Lowther Countess Darlington (age 30) by marriage Countess Darlington.
On 25th April 1761 [his sister] Sophia Hope Countess Findlater (age 58) died.
On 30th September 1762 [his brother] John Hope 2nd Earl Hopetoun (age 58) and [his sister-in-law] Jane Oliphant Countess Hopetoun were married. She by marriage Countess Hopetoun. He the son of [his father] Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun and [his mother] Henrietta Johnstone.
On 12th February 1781 [his brother] John Hope 2nd Earl Hopetoun (age 76) died. His son [his nephew] James (age 39) succeeded 3rd Earl Hopetoun.
On 30th December 1791 Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere (age 81) died.
On 8th September 1792 [his former wife] Anne Vane (age 66) died.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Vere Hope was born to Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere and Helen Dunbar. She married 1798 her first cousin John Hope 4th Earl Hopetoun, son of John Hope 2nd Earl Hopetoun and Jane Oliphant Countess Hopetoun.
Kings Wessex: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 17 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 23 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 18 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 27 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 15 Grand Son of Philip V King France I King Navarre
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 25 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Hope of Hopetoun
GrandFather: John Hope of Hopetoun
Father: Charles Hope 1st Earl Hopetoun 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Hamilton of Priestfield
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Hamilton 1st Earl Haddington
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Hamilton 2nd Earl Haddington
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Hamilton 4th Earl Haddington 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Erskine 18th Earl of Mar 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Erskine 19th Earl of Mar 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Erskine 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Esme Stewart 1st Duke Lennox 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Stewart Countess Mar 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Balsac Duchess Lennox
GrandMother: Margaret Hamilton 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Lindsay 7th Lord Lindsay of the Byres 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Lindsay 9th Lord Lindsay of the Byres 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Lindsay 1st Earl Lindsay 17th Earl Crawford 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Christian Lindsay Countess Haddington 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Hamilton 1st Marquess Hamilton 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Hamilton 2nd Marquess Hamilton 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Lyon Marchioness Hamilton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Hamilton Countess Lindsay and Crawford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Cunningham 7th Earl Glencairn 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ann Cunningham Marchioness Hamilton 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Charle Hope-Weir aka Vere 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Johnstone 1st Earl of Hartnell
GrandFather: William Johnstone 1st Marquess of Annandale
Mother: Henrietta Johnstone