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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Maternal Family Tree: Anne Fitzwilliam 1504-1588
Edward Hoby and Elizabeth Danvers were married.
On 27th June 1558 [his father] Thomas Hoby (age 28) and [his mother] Elizabeth Cooke (age 31) were married.
In 1560 Edward Hoby was born to [his father] Thomas Hoby (age 30) and [his mother] Elizabeth Cooke (age 33) at Bisham Abbey [Map].
On 13th July 1566 [his father] Thomas Hoby (age 36) died at Paris [Map]. He was buried at Bisham, Berkshire.
On 21st May 1582 Edward Hoby (age 22) and Margaret Carey were married.
On 22nd May 1582 Edward Hoby (age 22) was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 48).
Before 10th August 1593 John Wentworth (age 29) and [his future wife] Cicely Unton (age 32) were married. She the daughter of Edward Unton and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick. They were third cousin once removed.
On 20th August 1593 [his brother-in-law] Robert Carey 1st Earl Monmouth (age 33) and Elizabeth Trevannion Countess Monmouth (age 30) were married.
On 22nd October 1597 Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham (age 61) was created 1st Earl Nottingham. [his sister-in-law] Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham (age 47) by marriage Countess Nottingham.
On 16th June 1600 [his brother-in-law] Henry Somerset 1st Marquess Worcester (age 23) and [his half-sister] Anne Russell Countess Worcester (age 22) were married. He the son of Edward Somerset 4th Earl of Worcester (age 50) and Elizabeth Hastings Countess of Worcester (age 54). They were fifth cousins.
Mary Fitton (age 21) led a Masque in celebration at the Blackfriars residence of Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham (age 35) with Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 66) and William Herbert 3rd Earl Pembroke (age 20) attending. She, Mary soon afterwards became the mistress of William Herbert 3rd Earl Pembroke and soon became pregnant.
On 25th February 1603 [his sister-in-law] Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham (age 53) died at Arundel House [Map]. She was buried in Chelsea Old Church on 25th April 1603.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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In 1605 [his wife] Margaret Carey died.
After 1605 Edward Hoby (age 45) and Cicely Unton (age 44) were married. She the daughter of Edward Unton and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick.
In 1609 Thomas Finch 2nd Earl Winchilsea (age 30) and [his step-daughter] Cecily Wentworth Countess Winchelsea (age 15) were married. He the son of Moyle Finch 1st Baronet (age 59) and Elizabeth Heneage 1st Countess Winchelsea (age 52). They were fifth cousins.
In 1609 [his mother] Elizabeth Cooke (age 82) died.
On 1st March 1617 Edward Hoby (age 57) died at Queenborough Castle [Map].
On 16th June 1618 [his former wife] Cicely Unton (age 57) died.
John Russell and [his mother] Elizabeth Cooke were married. The difference in their ages was 26 years; she, unusually, being older than him. He the son of Francis Russell 2nd Earl Bedford and Margaret St John Countess Bedford.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Son of Louis "Pious" King Aquitaine I King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 21 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
GrandFather: William Hoby of Leominster in Herefordshire
Father: Thomas Hoby
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Forden
GrandMother: Katherine Forden
Edward Hoby 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Cooke of Lavenham in Suffolk
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Cooke
Great x 2 Grandfather: Philip Cooke
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Cooke of Gidea Hall
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Belnap
GrandFather: Anthony Cooke
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Saunders of Banbury in Oxfordshire
Great x 1 Grandmother: Alice Saunders
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Spencer of Hodnell in Warwickshire 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Spencer
Mother: Elizabeth Cooke 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fitzwilliam 
9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Fitzwilliam 6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Cromwell 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Fitzwilliam 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Fitzwilliam 8 x Great Grand Son of
GrandMother: Anne Fitzwilliam 9 x Great Grand Daughter of