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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St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney, Lincolnshire, North-Central England, British Isles [Map]

St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney is in Gedney, Churches in Lincolnshire.

May 1605. St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney [Map]. Monument to Adlard Welby and Cassandra Apryce erected by William Welby and her second husband Robert Carr [aged 69].

Adlard Welby: In 1507 he was born at Gedney. Before 11th August 1570 he and Cassandra Apryce were married. The difference in their ages was 23 years. On 11th August 1570 he died.

Cassandra Apryce: Around 1530 she was born to William Apryce of Washingleys in Huntingdonshire. On 10th March 1574 Robert Carr and she were married. On 22nd February 1590 she died.

Robert Carr: In 1536 he was born to Robert Carr and Elizabeth Cawdron. Before 24th June 1606 he died. Before 24th June 1606 he and Mary Somerset Baroness Grey Wilton were married. There is some uncertainty around thi smarriage. The age cames seems somewhat surprising although it wouldn't be the first time a younger man married and older woman to aquire her wealth. The difference in their ages was 39 years; she, unusually, being older than him. She the daughter of Charles Somerset 1st Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth West.