Paternal Family Tree: Liddell
In 1555 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle was born to Thomas Liddell of Newcastle upon Tyne.
On 9th September 1576 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 21] and Margaret Watson [aged 20] were married at St Nicholas Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne [Map].
In 1577 [his father] Thomas Liddell of Newcastle upon Tyne died.
In 1578 [his son] Thomas Liddell 1st Baronet was born to Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 23] and [his wife] Margaret Watson [aged 22]. He married 1596 Isabel Anderson and had issue.
In 1586 [his wife] Margaret Watson [aged 30] died.
On 13th January 1586 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 31] and Jane Mitford [aged 13] were married in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
In 1592 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 37] was appointed High Sheriff of Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1596 [his son] Thomas Liddell 1st Baronet [aged 18] and [his daughter-in-law] Isabel Anderson were married. They had fourteen children most of whom predeceased him.
In 1597 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 42] was appointed Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map].
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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On 12th July 1602 [his wife] Jane Mitford [aged 29] died.
In 1607 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 52] bought Ravensworth Castle, North Yorkshire [Map].
In 1609 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 54] was appointed Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map].
On 19th August 1619 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle [aged 64] died.