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.
On 21st December 1897 Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire was born to [her father] Alfred George Forde-Pigott [age 37].
In 1909 Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire [age 11] made her stage debut as a child in Pinkie and the Fairies.
On 21st April 1917 Henry Molyneux Paget Howard 19th Earl Suffolk 12th Earl Berkshire [age 39] was killed in action when a piece of shrapnel entered his heart. His son [her future husband] Charles [age 11] succeeded 20th Earl Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire.
Around 1925. Rita Martin. Photograph of Mimi Crawford [age 27].
Around 1925. Lenare. Photograph of Mimi Crawford [age 27].
1927. Sasha aka Alexander Stewart. Photograph of Mimi Crawford [age 29].
24th June 1927. Sasha aka Alexander Stewart. Photograph of Mimi Crawford [age 29].
On 27th February 1929 [her father] Alfred George Forde-Pigott [age 68] died.
In March 1934 Charles Howard 20th Earl of Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire [age 27] and Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire [age 36] were married. She by marriage Countess Suffolk, Countess Berkshire. He the son of Henry Molyneux Paget Howard 19th Earl Suffolk 12th Earl Berkshire and Margaret Hyde "Daisy" Leiter [age 55].
On 27th March 1935 [her son] Michael Howard 21st Earl of Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire was born to [her husband] Charles Howard 20th Earl of Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire [age 29] and Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire [age 37].
On 12th May 1941 [her husband] Charles Howard 20th Earl of Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire [age 35] was killed. He had successfully defused thirty-four bombs. The thirty-fifth exploded at Erith Marshes, Kent bomb cemetery. The 250kg bomb, dropped six months earlier, contained a Zus 40 booby trap that detonated when the Type 17 fuse was withdrawn. The explosion killed fourteen people: the Earl, his chauffeur Fred Hards, his secretary Eileen Beryl Morden (who died in the ambulance), and eleven other people who were nearby.
[her son] Michael Howard 21st Earl of Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire [age 6] succeeded 21st Earl Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire, 13th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 13th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 22nd February 1966 Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire [age 68] died. She was buried at Charlton, Wiltshire.
GrandFather: John George Forde-Piggott
Father: Alfred George Forde-Pigott
Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire