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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John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker 1724-1803

Paternal Family Tree: Henniker

On 15th June 1724 John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker was born.

In 1747 John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 22] and Anne Major Baroness Henniker were married.

On 19th April 1752 John Henniker-Major 2nd Baron Henniker was born to John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 27] and [his wife] Anne Major Baroness Henniker. He married 27th April 1791 Emily Jones Baroness Henniker.

On 9th May 1755 [his son] Major Henniker was born to John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 30] and [his wife] Anne Major Baroness Henniker.

In 1758 John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 33] was appointed High Sheriff of Essex.

In 1761 John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 36] was elected MP Sudbury.

On 5th May 1765 John Major 1st Baronet [aged 66] was created 1st Baronet Major of Worlingsworth Hall in Suffolk with a special remainder to his son-in-law John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 40].

On 10th November 1767 [his son] Brydges Trecothic Henniker 1st Baronet was born to John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 43] and [his wife] Anne Major Baroness Henniker. He married 25th September 1791 Mary Press and had issue.

On 22nd February 1781 John Major 1st Baronet [aged 82] died. His son-in-law John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker [aged 56] succeeded 2nd Baronet Major of Worlingsworth Hall in Suffolk in accordance with the special remainder added at the creation.

On 24th May 1787 Edward Stratford 2nd Earl Aldborough [aged 51] and [his daughter] Anne Elizabeth Henniker Countess Aldborough were married. She by marriage Countess Aldborough. She brought a fortune of £50,000. He the son of John Stratford 1st Earl Aldborough and Martha O'Neale Countess Aldborough [aged 81].

On 2nd February 1789 [his son] Major Henniker [aged 33] died.

On 27th April 1791 John Henniker-Major 2nd Baron Henniker [aged 39] and [his daughter-in-law] Emily Jones Baroness Henniker were married. There was no issue from the marriage.

On 25th September 1791 [his son] Brydges Trecothic Henniker 1st Baronet [aged 23] and [his daughter-in-law] Mary Press were married.

On 14th July 1802 [his daughter] Anne Elizabeth Henniker Countess Aldborough died.

[his daughter] Anne Elizabeth Henniker Countess Aldborough was born to John Henniker 1st Baron Henniker and Anne Major Baroness Henniker. She married 24th May 1787 Edward Stratford 2nd Earl Aldborough, son of John Stratford 1st Earl Aldborough and Martha O'Neale Countess Aldborough.