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.

Milton Mausoleum, Markham Clinton, Nottinghamshire, North-Central England, British Isles [Map]

Milton Mausoleum, Markham Clinton is in Markham Clinton, Nottinghamshire.

On 20th September 1822 Georgiana Elizabeth Mundy Duchess Newcastle under Lyne [aged 33] died from childbirth. She had given birth to twins one of whom was stillborn, one survived thirteen days. Her 12th and 13th children. In 1823 her husband Henry [aged 37], the 4th Duke, commissioned Robert Smirke, a celebrated architect, to design a Mausoleum at Milton. The building was consecrated in 1833 by the Archbishop of York and given the dedication of All Saints.

Monument in Milton Mausoleum, Markham Clinton [Map] sculpted by Richard Westmacott [aged 47].

Georgiana Elizabeth Mundy Duchess Newcastle under Lyne: On 1st June 1789 she was born to Edward Miller Mundy. On 18th July 1807 Henry Pelham-Clinton 4th Duke Newcastle-under-Lyne and she were married in Lambeth Palace [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Newcastle under Lyme. He the son of Thomas Pelham-Clinton 3rd Duke Newcastle-under-Lyne and Anna Maria Stanhope Countess Lincoln.