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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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Paternal Family Tree: Cave
In or before 1493 [his father] Richard Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire and Elizabeth Mervin (age 23) were married.
In 1495 [his father] Richard Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire and [his step-mother] Margaret Saxby (age 23) were married.
Around 1502 Ambrose Cave was born to [his father] Richard Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire.
In 1538 [his father] Richard Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire died.
On 25th April 1559 [his daughter] Margaret Cave was born to Ambrose Cave (age 57). She married 16th July 1566 Henry Knollys and had issue.
On 16th July 1566 [his son-in-law] Henry Knollys (age 24) and [his daughter] Margaret Cave (age 7) were married.
On 2nd April 1568 Ambrose Cave (age 66) died. Monument at St Nicholas' Church, Stanford-on-Avon [Map].
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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Vesta Monumenta. 1733. Plate 1.39 depicts Tutbury Castle. Engraving by George Vertue (age 49) after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1733. Plate 1.40 depicts Melbourne Castle [Map]. Engraving by George (age 49) Vertue after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1734. Plate 1.42. Pontefract Castle [Map]. Engraving by George (age 50) Vertue after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1734. Plate 1.44. Knaresborough Castle [Map]. Engraving by George (age 50) Vertue after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1734. Plate 1.41. Lancaster Castle [Map] and Priory Church [Map]. Engraving by George (age 50) Vertue after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1737. Plate 1.46. Tickhill Castle [Map]. Engraving by George (age 53) Vertue after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1753. Plate 2.13. Clitheroe Castle [Map]. Engraving by George Vertue (age 69) after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.
Vesta Monumenta. 1753. Plate 2.11. Sandal Castle [Map]. Engraving by George Vertue (age 69) after a drawing originally produced for a survey of the properties of the Duchy of Lancaster conducted by the Chancellor of the Duchy, Ambrose Cave, in 1561.