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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Davenham, Cheshire, Welsh March, England, British Isles [Map]

Davenham, Cheshire is in Cheshire.

In 1315 Richard Vernon 10th Baron Shipbrook was born to Richard Vernon [aged 57] at Davenham, Cheshire [Map].

Margaret Vernon was born to Henry Vernon and Anne Talbot at Davenham, Cheshire [Map].

Eaton, Davenham, Cheshire, Welsh March, England, British Isles [Map]

Around 1400 William Bulkeley was born to John Bulkeley at Eaton, Davenham [Map]. He married Margaret Molyneux.

Eaton Hall, Cheshire, Davenham, Welsh March, England, British Isles [Map]

On 9th January 1585 Richard Grosvenor 1st Baronet was born to Richard Grosvenor of Eaton [aged 22] and Christiana Brooke at Eaton Hall, Cheshire [Map]. He married 1600 Lettice Cholmondeley and had issue.

Around 1604 Richard Grosvenor 2nd Baronet was born to Richard Grosvenor 1st Baronet [aged 18] and Lettice Cholmondeley [aged 19] at Eaton Hall, Cheshire [Map].

On 20th November 1656 Thomas Grosvenor 3rd Baronet was born to Roger Grosvenor [aged 28] at Eaton Hall, Cheshire [Map].

On 18th June 1731 Richard Grosvenor 1st Earl Grosvenor was born to Robert Grosvenor 6th Baronet [aged 36] and Jane Warre Lady Grosvenor at Eaton Hall, Cheshire [Map]. He married 19th July 1764 Henrietta Vernon Countess Grosvenor.

On 17th February 1845 Robert Grosvenor 1st Marquess Westminster [aged 77] died at Eaton Hall, Cheshire [Map]. He was buried at Grosvenor Vault, St Mary's Church, Eccleston. His son Richard [aged 50] succeeded 2nd Marquess Westminster, 3rd Earl Grosvenor, 9th Baronet Grosvenor of Eaton in Cheshire. Elizabeth Mary Leveson-Gower Marchioness Westminster [aged 48] by marriage Marchioness Westminster.

In 1894 Adolphus Cambridge Duke Teck [aged 25] and Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor Duchess Teck [aged 20] were married at Eaton Hall, Cheshire [Map]. She the daughter of Hugh Lupus Grosvenor 1st Duke Westminster [aged 68] and Constance Leveson-Gower Duchess Westminster.

        
                    In On 6th November 2004 Edward van Cutsem [aged 31] and Tamara Katherine Grosvenor [aged 24] were married at Chester Cathedral [Map] at a service officiated by Canon Lawrence Skipper [aged 87] who had officated at her parent's marriage in 1978. She the daughter of Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor 6th Duke Westminster [aged 52] and Natalia Phillips Duchess of Westminster [aged 45].
                
                    The bride was given away by her father the Duke of Westminster.
                
                    The bridesmaids included Viola Grosvenor [aged 12].
                
                    The ushers were Princes William [aged 22] and Harry [aged 20].
                
                    Guests included:
                
                    Philip Mountbatten Duke Edinburgh [aged 83] and Her Majesty the Queen [aged 78] and the Duke of Edinburgh.
                
                    the Duchess of Westminster and her daughter Edwina Grosvenor [aged 23].
                
                    Local guests included Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, William Bromley Davenport, Richard Thomas, chief executive of Chester Race Company and the Duke's personal assistant Vicky Bolton.
                
                    Coaches and cars departed for a buffet reception at Eaton Hall [Map], near Eccleston, Cheshire, the ancestral home of the Grosvenors, with a spectacular fireworks display at 9pm.

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