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.
Paternal Family Tree: Vernon
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Child 1656-1719
On 5th February 1784 [his father] Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 26] and [his mother] Anne Leveson-Gower [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford [aged 62] and [his grandmother] Louisa Egerton Countess Gower.
On 6th August 1785 George Harcourt was born to [his father] Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 27] and [his mother] Anne Leveson-Gower [aged 24].
In 1806 George Harcourt [aged 20] was elected MP Lichfield which seat he held until 1831.
On 26th November 1807 [his father] Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 50] was elected Archbishop of York.
Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville. To Lady G. Morpeth [aged 28]. Trentham. September 18, 1811.
Hartington [aged 21] goes to-morrow, in an agony lest I should spoil the pleasure he has of telling things by writing them to you first. I am therefore tongue-tied on many subjects.
Is it possible that the Duchess has written to you in her own name to ask you to lie in at Chiswick? It is too hard, as that dear angel Hart, says, to rob him of the pleasure of doing those things himself. I may boast to you of his affection for us; we really are at present his great objects. It is in everything, and a wish to be with us beyond all others. He is to be at Tixal the end of October again, and I will, if I possibly can, keep him there for you.
We go to Tixal the day after to-morrow. I must take Mr. Vernon [aged 26]1 away to flirt with my beauties there. It will not be dangerous for Lady Harriet, and Corise [aged 28] bears a charmed life. He will be proud beyond measure and fancy both are in love with him.
I have had a very affectionate letter from Caroline2 since the one I mentioned to you, and a very odd one from her namesake, Caroline William [aged 25]3, wishing the learned could explain the incongruity of her behaviour. They would be put to it indeed.
Note 1. Eldest son of the Archbishop of York [aged 53]. Assumed the name of Harcourt at the same time as his father.
Note 2. Caroline St Jules, illegitimate daughter of William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire and Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 53] born before her parents married, i.e. Mrs. George Lamb [aged 27]
Note 3. Lady Caroline Lamb, daughter of Lord Bessborough [aged 53] and wife of Lord Melbourne [aged 32].
On 27th March 1815 George Harcourt [aged 29] and Elizabeth Bingham were married. She the daughter of Richard Bingham 2nd Earl Lucan [aged 50] and Elizabeth Belasyse Duchess Norfolk [aged 45]. He the son of Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 57] and Anne Leveson-Gower [aged 54]. They were sixth cousins.
On 22nd August 1817 Francis Charles Charteris 9th Earl of Wemyss [aged 21] and [his sister-in-law] Louisa Bingham Countess Wemyss [aged 19] were married in Paris [Map]. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] Richard Bingham 2nd Earl Lucan [aged 52] and [his mother-in-law] Elizabeth Belasyse Duchess Norfolk [aged 47]. He the son of Francis Charteris 8th Earl of Wemyss Douglas 4th Earl March [aged 45].
On 29th June 1829 [his brother-in-law] George Charles Bingham 3rd Earl Lucan [aged 29] and Anne Brudenell Countess Lucan [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Robert Brudenell 6th Earl Cardigan [aged 60] and Penelope Cooke Countess Cardigan. He the son of [his father-in-law] Richard Bingham 2nd Earl Lucan [aged 64] and [his mother-in-law] Elizabeth Belasyse Duchess Norfolk.
On 17th June 1830 William Harcourt 3rd Earl Harcourt [aged 87] died without issue. Earl Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt and Viscount Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire extinct. [his father] Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 72] succeeded to the Harcourt estates and adopted the additional surname Harcourt.
In 1831 George Harcourt [aged 45] was elected MP Oxford which seat he held until his death in 1861.
On 16th November 1832 [his mother] Anne Leveson-Gower [aged 71] died.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 7th January 1835 [his son-in-law] Montagu Bertie 6th Earl of Abingdon [aged 26] and [his daughter] Elizabeth Lavinia Harcourt Countess Abingdon were married at Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire. He the son of Montagu Bertie 5th Earl of Abingdon [aged 50] and Emily Gage Countess of Abingdon. They were fourth cousin twice removed.
On 9th September 1838 [his wife] Elizabeth Bingham died.
On 25th May 1839 John James Waldegrave and [his future wife] Frances Braham Countess Waldegrave [aged 18] were married. She would, a year later, marry his legitimate half-brother George Edward Waldegrave 7th Earl Waldegrave [aged 23]; an example of Married to Two Siblings. He the illegitmate son of John James Waldegrave 6th Earl Waldegrave.
Adeline Horsey Recollections. [his future wife] Frances, Lady Waldegrave [aged 18], was a very charming woman I knew in those far-off days. She was the eldest daughter of [his future father-in-law] John Braham [aged 66], the famous tenor, and she was married four times.
Her first husband was John James Waldegrave, of Navestock, Essex; and in 1840 she married George, seventh Earl of Waldegrave [aged 23]. In 1847 Lady Waldegrave took as her third husband George Granville Harcourt [aged 54], the eldest son of the Archbishop of York. The one love of her life, however, was Mr. Chichester Fortescue [aged 16], and she married him as her fourth husband in 1871. Mr. Fortescue was afterwards Lord Carlingford, but the title became extinct in 1898.
When Lady Waldegrave was a young girl a gipsy told her that she would be married four times and leave her fourth husband a widower. The prediction came true, for she died in 1879, and Mr. Fortescue survived her.
On 28th September 1840 George Edward Waldegrave 7th Earl Waldegrave [aged 24] and [his future wife] Frances Braham Countess Waldegrave [aged 19] were married at Gretna Green, Dumfrieshire thereby avoiding the constraint of the 1835 Marriage Act. He being the legitimate younger brother of her first husband John James Waldegrave; an example of Married to Two Siblings. He the son of John James Waldegrave 6th Earl Waldegrave.
On 28th September 1846 George Edward Waldegrave 7th Earl Waldegrave [aged 30] died. His uncle William [aged 57] succeeded 8th Earl Waldegrave, 9th Baron Waldegrave Chewton Somerset, 12th Baronet Waldegrave of Hever Castle. His wife Frances Braham Countess Waldegrave [aged 25] inherited Strawberry Hill House.
On 30th September 1847 George Harcourt [aged 62] and Frances Braham Countess Waldegrave [aged 26] were married. The difference in their ages was 35 years. He the son of Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 89] and Anne Leveson-Gower.
On 5th November 1847 [his father] Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 90] died.
In 1858 [his daughter] Elizabeth Lavinia Harcourt Countess Abingdon died.
On 19th December 1861 George Harcourt [aged 76] died.
In 1863 Chichester Parkinson Fortescue 2nd Baron Clermont 1st Baron Carlingford [aged 39] and [his former wife] Frances Braham Countess Waldegrave [aged 41] were married.
In 1879 [his former wife] Frances Braham Countess Waldegrave [aged 57] died.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Lavinia Harcourt Countess Abingdon was born to George Harcourt and Elizabeth Bingham. She married 7th January 1835 her fourth cousin twice removed Montagu Bertie 6th Earl of Abingdon, son of Montagu Bertie 5th Earl of Abingdon and Emily Gage Countess of Abingdon, and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 28 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 25 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Vernon 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Vernon 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Vernon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Vernon
Great x 3 Grandmother: Muriel Vernon 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Corbet 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Vernon 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Vernon of Farnham Surrey 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Vernon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Vernon 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Weston MP 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Weston
GrandFather: George Venables-Vernon 1st Baron Vernon 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Pigot of Chetwynd in Shropshire
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Pigot
Father: Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Simon Harcourt 
13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip Harcourt 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Simon Harcourt 1st Viscount Harcourt 15 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Simon Harcourt 16 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Martha Harcourt Baroness Vernon of Kinderton 17 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Evelyn of Wotton
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Evelyn
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Stansfield
Great x 2 Grandfather: John The Younger Evelyn
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Browne 1st Baronet 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Browne
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Prettyman
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Evelyn
George Harcourt 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Gower 2nd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Leveson-Gower 4th Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Leveson Baroness Gower 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Baron Gower 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Granville 1st Earl Bath
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Granville Baroness Gower
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Wyche
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Gower 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Manners 1st Duke Rutland 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Montagu Countess Rutland 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Manners Baroness Gower 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Noel Duchess Rutland 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Pierrepont of Thoresby 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Pierrepont 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Harries aka Harris
Great x 2 Grandfather: Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke Kingston upon Hull 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Evelyn of Wiltshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Evelyn
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Coxe
Great x 1 Grandmother: Evelyn Pierrepont Baroness Gower 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Feilding 1st Earl Desmond 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Feilding 2nd Earl Desmond 3rd Earl Denbigh 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Bridget Stanhope Countess Desmond 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Fielding Countess Kingston upon Hull 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Carey 2nd Earl Monmouth 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Carey Countess Desmond and Denbigh 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Martha Cranfield Countess Monmouth 
Mother: Anne Leveson-Gower 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Egerton 2nd Earl Bridgewater 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Egerton 3rd Earl Bridgewater 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Bridgewater 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Scroop Egerton 1st Duke Bridgewater 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Paulet 5th Marquess Winchester 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Paulet 1st Duke Bolton 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Savage Marchioness Winchester 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Paulet Countess Bridgewater 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Emanuel Scrope 1st Earl of Sunderland 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Scrope 6th Marchioness Winchester 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Martha Jeanes
GrandMother: Louisa Egerton Countess Gower 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Russell 1st Duke Bedford 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Russell 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Carr Countess of Bedford 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Rachel Wriothesley 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Rachel Massue Countess Southampton
Great x 1 Grandmother: Rachel Russell Duchess Bridgewater 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Howland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Howland Duchess Bedford
Great x 4 Grandfather: Josiah Child
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Child