John Hervey 1616-1680

Paternal Family Tree: Hervey

In 1612 [his father] William Hervey [aged 25] and [his mother] Susan Jermyn [aged 21] were married.

On 18th August 1616 John Hervey was born to William Hervey [aged 29] and Susan Jermyn [aged 25].

In 1637 [his mother] Susan Jermyn [aged 46] died.

From 1641 John Hervey [aged 24] was appointed Gentleman of the Privy Chamber which position he held until 1646.

In 1642 [his father] William Hervey [aged 55] and [his step-mother] Penelope Darcy Lady Gage [aged 49] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Darcy 1st Earl Rivers and Mary Kitson Countess Rivers [aged 74].

In 1658 John Hervey [aged 41] and Elizabeth Hervey were married.

In 1660 [his father] William Hervey [aged 73] died.

From 1662 John Hervey [aged 45] was Treasurer to Catherine of Braganza Queen Consort England [aged 23].

In 1664 John Hervey [aged 47] was elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

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 Evelyn's Diary. 3rd September 1678. I went to London, to dine with Mrs. Godolphin [aged 26], and found her in labor; she was brought to bed of a son, who was baptized in the chamber, by the name of Francis, the susceptors being Sir William Godolphin [aged 38] (head of the family), Mr. John Hervey [aged 62], Treasurer to the Queen, and Mrs. Boscawen [aged 35], sister to Sir William and the father [aged 33].