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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: Oxenden
10th July 1690 10th July 1690 [his uncle] George Oxenden (age 38) and [his mother] Elizabeth Dixwell were married.
On 26th October 1694 George Oxenden 5th Baronet was born to [his uncle] George Oxenden (age 43) and [his mother] Elizabeth Dixwell.
On 21st February 1703 [his uncle] George Oxenden (age 51) died.
On 21st April 1720 [his brother] Henry Oxenden 4th Baronet (age 29) died without issue. His brother George (age 25) succeeded 5th Baronet Oxenden of Dene in Kent. [his future wife] Elizabeth Dunch Lady Oxenden (age 9) by marriage Lady Oxenden of Dene in Kent.
In May 1720 George Oxenden 5th Baronet (age 25) and Elizabeth Dunch Lady Oxenden (age 9) were married. They had three sons and three daughters.
On 9th May 1720 George Oxenden 5th Baronet (age 25) was elected MP Sandwich at a by-election probably caused by the death of his brother [his brother] Henry Oxenden 4th Baronet (deceased). He was re-elected in 1722, 1727 and 1734 (when he also contested MP Kent), 1741 and 1747. He stood down in 1754.
On 5th September 1721 [his son] Henry Oxenden 6th Baronet was born to George Oxenden 5th Baronet (age 26) and [his wife] Elizabeth Dunch Lady Oxenden (age 10). He married 28th July 1755 Margaret Chudleigh Lady Oxenden, daughter of George Chudleigh 4th Baronet and Frances Davie, and had issue.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1725 George Oxenden 5th Baronet (age 30) was appointed Lord of the Admiralty.
On 3rd April 1735 Robert Montagu 3rd Duke Manchester (age 25) and [his sister-in-law] Harriet Dunch Duchess Manchester were married. He the son of Charles Montagu 1st Duke Manchester and Doddington Greville Duchess Manchester.
On 21st October 1739 William Montagu 2nd Duke Manchester (age 39) died. His brother Robert (age 29) succeeded 3rd Duke Manchester, 6th Earl Manchester, 6th Viscount Mandeville, 6th Baron Montagu of Kimbolton. [his sister-in-law] Harriet Dunch Duchess Manchester by marriage Duchess Manchester.
In 1750 [his uncle] Basil Dixwell 2nd Baronet (age 85) died. Baronet Dixwell of Broome House in Kent extinct. His nephew George Oxenden 5th Baronet (age 55) inherited the Dixwell estate. As a condition of the inheritance he was required to take on the surname of Dixwell, but although he procured an Act of Parliament in 1751, to this effect, it is not clear if he took the surname on in practice.
In 1755 [his wife] Elizabeth Dunch Lady Oxenden (age 44) died.
On 28th July 1755 [his son] Henry Oxenden 6th Baronet (age 33) and [his daughter-in-law] Margaret Chudleigh Lady Oxenden (age 31) were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th January 1775 George Oxenden 5th Baronet (age 80) died. His son Henry (age 53) succeeded 6th Baronet Oxenden of Dene in Kent. [his daughter-in-law] Margaret Chudleigh Lady Oxenden (age 51) by marriage Lady Oxenden of Dene in Kent.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings England: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 28 Grand Son of Louis "Pious" King Aquitaine I King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 22 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Oxenden of Deane
GrandFather: Henry Oxenden 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Nevinson of Eastry in Kent
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Nevinson
Father: George Oxenden
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Meredith 1st Baronet
GrandMother: Elizabeth Meredith
Great x 2 Grandfather: Francis Barker
Great x 1 Grandmother: Susannah Barker of London Lady Meredith
George Oxenden 5th Baronet 17 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: Basil Dixwell 1st Baronet
Mother: Elizabeth Dixwell 16 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Peyton 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Peyton 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Samuel Peyton 1st Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Peyton 2nd Baronet 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Dorothy Peyton 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England