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: Pratt
In 1714 Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden was born to [his father] John Pratt [aged 57] in Kensington.
On 24th February 1725 [his father] John Pratt [aged 68] died in Great Ormond Street Camden.
On 5th October 1749 Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 35] and Elizabeth Jeffreys [aged 24] were married.
Around 1751 [his daughter] Frances Pratt Marchioness Londonderry was born to Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 37] and [his wife] Elizabeth Jeffreys [aged 26]. She married 7th June 1775 Robert Stewart 1st Marquess Londonderry and had issue.
In 1759 [his son] John Jeffreys Pratt 1st Marquess Camden was born to Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 45] and [his wife] Elizabeth Jeffreys [aged 34]. He married 1785 Frances Molesworth Marchioness Camden and had issue.
In 1765 Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 51] was created 1st Baron Camden of Camden Place in Kent.
On 7th June 1775 [his son-in-law] Robert Stewart 1st Marquess Londonderry [aged 35] and Frances Pratt Marchioness Londonderry [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 61] and Elizabeth Jeffreys [aged 50].
On 10th December 1779 [his wife] Elizabeth Jeffreys [aged 54] died.
On 25th April 1780 [his son-in-law] Walter Head aka James 1st Baronet and Jane Pratt Lady James were married. She the daughter of Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 66] and Elizabeth Jeffreys.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In 1785 John Jeffreys Pratt 1st Marquess Camden [aged 26] and Frances Molesworth Marchioness Camden [aged 29] were married. He the son of Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 71] and Elizabeth Jeffreys.
On 13th May 1786 Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 72] was created 1st Earl Camden, 1st Viscount Bayham of Bayham Abbey in Kent.
In 1794 Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden [aged 80] died. In 1794 His son John [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Earl Camden, 2nd Viscount Bayham of Bayham Abbey in Kent, 2nd Baron Camden of Camden Place in Kent.
Before 15th October 1811. Nathaniel Dance-Holland [aged 76]. Portrait of Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden.
[his daughter] Jane Pratt Lady James was born to Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden and Elizabeth Jeffreys. She married 25th April 1780 Walter Head aka James 1st Baronet and had issue.