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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Biography of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley 1886-1955

Paternal Family Tree: Bligh

On 9th February 1884 [his father] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 25] and [his mother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 24] were married at St. Mary's Church Sunbury. The reception was held at Rupertswood Melbourne. He the son of [his grandfather] John Stuart Bligh 6th Earl Darnley [aged 56] and [his grandmother] Harriet Mary Pelham Countess Darnley [aged 55].

On 11th October 1886 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley was born to [his father] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 27] and [his mother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 26].

On 31st October 1900 [his uncle] Edward Bligh 7th Earl Darnley [aged 49] died. His brother [his father] Ivo [aged 41] succeeded 8th Earl Darnley. [his mother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 40] by marriage Countess Darnley. His daughter Elizabeth succeeded 17th Baroness Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire.

On 25th June 1912 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 25] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 21] were married. He the son of Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 53] and Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 52].

On 24th April 1913 [his daughter] Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye was born to Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 26] and [his wife] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 22]. She married (1) 3rd August 1934 Claud Dobree Strickland (2) February 1941 Claud Dobree Strickland (3) 30th April 1942 Gordon Stanley Keith Haywood (4) 3rd May 1951 Nigel Trevithick Tangye.

On 1st October 1915 [his son] Major Peter Stuart Bligh 10th Earl of Darnley was born to Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 28] and [his wife] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 25].

In 1920 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 33] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 29] were divorced; they had separated in 1913.

On 11th October 1923 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 37] and Nancy Ellinor Kidston Countess Darnely [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Countess Darnley. He the son of Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 64] and Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 63].

In 1927 [his father] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 68] died. His son Esme [aged 40] succeeded 9th Earl Darnley.

On 3rd August 1934 [his son-in-law] Claud Dobree Strickland [aged 25] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 47] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 44].

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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On 30th July 1935 [his daughter] Rose Amanda Bligh was born to Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 48] and [his wife] Nancy Ellinor Kidston Countess Darnely [aged 34].

In 1936 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 49] and Nancy Ellinor Kidston Countess Darnely [aged 35] were divorced.

Around 1938 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 51] and Jessie Smither aka Denise Orme Duchess Leinster [aged 52] were in a relationship.

On 30th November 1940 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 54] and Rosemary Potter Countess Darnley [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Darnley. The difference in their ages was 29 years. He the son of Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley and Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 80].

In February 1941 [his son-in-law] Claud Dobree Strickland [aged 31] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 27] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 54] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 50].

On 8th November 1941 [his son] Adam Ivo Stuart Bligh 11th Earl of Darnley was born to Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 55] and [his wife] Rosemary Potter Countess Darnley [aged 25].

On 30th April 1942 [his son-in-law] Gordon Stanley Keith Haywood and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 29] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 55] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 51].

On 30th August 1944 [his mother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 84] died. She was buried at Church of St Mary Magdalene, Cobham.

On 18th January 1948 [his former wife] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 57] died.

In 1951 [his son-in-law] Gordon Stanley Keith Haywood and [his daughter] Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 37] were divorced.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.

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On 3rd May 1951 [his son-in-law] Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 42] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 38] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 64] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland.

On 29th May 1955 Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 68] died. His son Peter [aged 39] succeeded 10th Earl Darnley, 19th Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire.

In July 2012 [his former wife] Rosemary Potter Countess Darnley [aged 95] died.

Royal Ancestors of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley 1886-1955

Kings Wessex: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 21 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 27 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Kings Scotland: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 31 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Kings France: Great x 15 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley 1886-1955

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bligh 1st Earl Darnley

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Bligh 3rd Earl Darnley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Theodosia Hyde 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Bligh 4th Earl Darnley 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Bligh 5th Earl Darnley 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

GrandFather: John Stuart Bligh 6th Earl Darnley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Parnell 1st Baronet

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Parnell 2nd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Ward Lady Parnell 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Parnell 1st Baron Congleton 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Arthur Brooke 1st Baronet

Great x 3 Grandmother: Laetitia Charlotte Brooke 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Fortescue 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Emma Jane Parnell Countess Darnley 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandmother: Caroline Dawson Baroness Congleton 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Stuart 3rd Earl Bute 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Caroline Stuart Countess Portarlington 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Wortley-Montagu Countess Bute 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Father: Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley 8 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas "Turk" Pelham 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Pelham 1st Earl Chichester 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Pelham 2nd Earl Chichester 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Meinhardt Frankland 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Frankland Countess Chichester 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Pelham 3rd Earl Chichester 6 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne Countess Chichester 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Darcy 4th Earl Holderness 3 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

GrandMother: Harriet Mary Pelham Countess Darnley 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

Great x 4 Grandfather: George Brudenell 3rd Earl Cardigan 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bruce 3rd Countess Cardigan 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 6th Earl Cardigan 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Cecil Bishopp 6th Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Bishopp 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Boscawen Lady Bishopp 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Brudenell Countess Chichester 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: George Cooke

Great x 3 Grandfather: George John Cooke 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Twysden 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Penelope Cooke Countess Cardigan 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Bowyer 3rd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Penelope Bowyer of Harefield Park, London 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Stonhouse

Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley 9 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland

GrandFather: John Stephen Morphy

Mother: Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley