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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Baron Pontefract

Baron Pontefract is in Baronies of England Alphabetically.

                    There have been two creations of Baron Pontefract:
                
                    1st. 1068. Ilbert Lacy 1st Baron Pontefract. Extinct. 2nd October 1348. 
                
                    2nd. 1st October 1674. George Fitzroy 1st Duke Northumberland. Extinct. 28th June 1716.

Baron Pontefract 1st Creation 1068

See Baronies of England Chronologically, Forfeit Baronies of England, Succeeded Baronesses of England, Extinct Baronies of England.

                    Summary
                
                    1068. 1st.  Ilbert Lacy 1st Baron Pontefract [aged 23] created.
                
                    1093. 2nd. Son  Robert Lacy 2nd Baron Pontefract [aged 18] succeeded.
                
                    1130. 2nd.  Robert Lacy 2nd Baron Pontefract forfeit.
                
                    1135. 3rd. Son  Ilbert Lacy 3rd Baron Pontefract restored.
                
                    1141. 4th. Son  Henry Lacy 4th Baron Pontefract succeeded.
                
                    1176. 5th. Son  Robert Lacy 5th Baron Pontefract succeeded.
                
                    1193. 6th. Second Cousin Once Removed Roger Lacy 6th Baron Pontefract 7th Baron Halton [aged 22] succeeded.
                
                    1st October 1211. 7th. Son  John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 19] succeeded.
                
                    22nd July 1240. 8th. Son  Edmund Lacy 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton [aged 10] succeeded.
                
                    1258. 9th. Son  Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury [aged 7] succeeded.
                
                    February 1311. 10th. Daughter Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln [aged 29] succeeded.
                
                    2nd October 1348. 10th.  Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln extinct.

In 1068 Ilbert Lacy 1st Baron Pontefract [aged 23] was created 1st Baron Pontefract. Both he and the creation of the Barony are obscure. He commissioned the building of Pontefract Castle [Map] which became his caput.

In 1093 Ilbert Lacy 1st Baron Pontefract [aged 48] died at Pontefract [Map]. His son Robert [aged 18] succeeded 2nd Baron Pontefract.

Before 1130 Robert Lacy 2nd Baron Pontefract [aged 54] died. Baron Pontefract forfeit. The Barony, or the Honour of Pontefract, was awarded by the King to Hugh de Laval. Following Hugh's death around 1129 William Maltravers paid £1,000 for the reversion of Laval's estate for the term of 15 years.

Around 1135 Ilbert Lacy 3rd Baron Pontefract was restored 3rd Baron Pontefract after the death of William Maltravers.

Around 1141 Ilbert Lacy 3rd Baron Pontefract died. His son Henry succeeded 4th Baron Pontefract.

In or before 1176 Henry Lacy 4th Baron Pontefract died. Kirkstall Abbey, West Yorkshire [Map]. His son Robert succeeded 5th Baron Pontefract.

In 1193 Robert Lacy 5th Baron Pontefract died without issue. His cousin Albreda Lissours [aged 65] [daughter of his aunt Albreda Lacy] inherited his estates. His second cousin once removed Roger [aged 22] succeeded 6th Baron Pontefract. Maud Clere Baroness Lacy Baroness Warkworth by marriage Baroness Pontefract.

On 1st October 1211 Roger Lacy 6th Baron Pontefract 7th Baron Halton [aged 40] died in Pontefract [Map].

John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 19] succeeded 8th Baron Halton, 7th Baron Pontefract. Alice Aquila Baroness Bowland, Halton and Lacy by marriage Baroness Halton, Baroness Pontefract.

In 1221 John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 29] and Margaret Quincy 3rd Countess Lincoln and Pembroke [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Baroness Halton, Baroness Pontefract. She the daughter of Robert Quincy Earl Lincoln and Hawise Gernon 2nd Countess Lincoln [aged 41].

On 22nd July 1240 John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 48] died. His son Edmund [aged 10] succeeded 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton.

Before 1251 Edmund Lacy 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton [aged 20] and Alice Saluzzo Baroness Lacy [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Baroness Pontefract. He the son of John Lacy Earl Lincoln and Margaret Quincy 3rd Countess Lincoln and Pembroke [aged 44]. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1258 Edmund Lacy 8th Baron Pontefract, 9th Baron Halton [aged 28] died. His son Henry [aged 7] succeeded 9th Baron Pontefract, 10th Baron Halton.

In February 1311 Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury [aged 60] died at Lincoln's Inn. His daughter Alice [aged 29] succeeded 5th Countess Salisbury, 5th Countess Lincoln, 10th Baroness Pontefract, 11th Baroness Halton. Thomas Plantagenet 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster, Earl of Salisbury and Lincoln [aged 33] by marriage Earl Salisbury, Earl Lincoln.

On 2nd October 1348 Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln [aged 66] died without issue at Barlings Abbey [Map]. Earl Salisbury, Earl Lincoln, Baron Pontefract and Baron Halton extinct.

Baron Pontefract 2nd Creation 1674

See Baronies of England Chronologically, Extinct Baronies of England.

                    Summary
                
                    1st October 1674. 1st.  George Fitzroy 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 8] created.
                
                    28th June 1716. 1st.  George Fitzroy 1st Duke Northumberland extinct.

On 1st October 1674 George Fitzroy 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 8] was created 1st Earl of Northumberland, 1st Viscount Falmouth, 1st Baron Pontefract by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 44].

On 28th June 1716 George Fitzroy 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 50] died at Epsom, Surrey without legitimate issue. Duke Northumberland, Earl of Northumberland, Viscount Falmouth, Baron Pontefract extinct.