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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: Shirley
On 23rd April 1559 George Shirley 1st Baronet was born to [his father] John Shirley (age 26).
On 12th September 1570 [his father] John Shirley (age 37) died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
In 1580 Henry Unton (age 22) and [his future wife] Dorothy Wroughton Lady Shirley (age 10) were married. He the son of Edward Unton (age 46) and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick (age 42).
After 21st February 1587 George Shirley 1st Baronet (age 27) and Frances Berkeley (age 23) were married.
Around 1588 [his son] Henry Shirley 2nd Baronet was born to George Shirley 1st Baronet (age 28) and [his wife] Frances Berkeley (age 24). He married before 9th September 1623 his fourth cousin once removed Dorothy Devereux Lady Shirley, daughter of Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex and Frances Walsingham Countess Essex, and had issue.
On 29th December 1595 [his wife] Frances Berkeley (age 31) died. She was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. Monument to Frances Berkeley and George Shirley 1st Baronet (age 36). The armorial shows 
Shirley Arms and 
Berkeley Arms impaled. Cadaver Underneath. Attributed to Jasper Hollemans.
Frances Berkeley: Around 1564 she was born to Henry Berkeley 7th Baron Berkeley and Katherine Howard Baroness Berkeley. After 21st February 1587 George Shirley 1st Baronet and she were married.
After 1596 George Shirley 1st Baronet (age 36) and Dorothy Wroughton Lady Shirley (age 26) were married.
On 22nd May 1611 the first Baronets were created by James I (age 44)
Walter Aston 1st Baronet (age 27) was created 1st Baronet Aston of Tixall.
Nicolas Bacon (age 71) was created 1st Baronet Bacon of Redgrave in Suffolk. The Premier Baronet being the first creation.
Henry Belasyse 1st Baronet (age 55) was created 1st Baronet Belasyse of Newborough.
George Booth (age 54) was created 1st Baronet Booth of Dunham Massey. Katherine Anderson Lady Dunham Massey (age 43) by marriage Lady Booth of Dunham Massey.
Edward Carr (age 68) was created 1st Baronet Carr of Sleaford in Lincolnshire. Anne Dyer Lady Carr by marriage Lady Carr of Sleaford in Lincolnshire.
Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet (age 23) was created 1st Baronet Clifton of Clifton in Nottinghamshire.
Moyle Finch 1st Baronet (age 61) was created 1st Baronet Finch of Eastwell in Kent. Elizabeth Heneage 1st Countess Winchelsea (age 54) by marriage Lady Finch of Eastwell in Kent.
Thomas Gerard 1st Baronet (age 51) was created 1st Baronet Gerard of Bryn in Lancashire.
Henry Hobart 1st Baronet (age 51) was created 1st Baronet Hobart of Intwood in Norfolk. Dorothy Bell Lady Hobart by marriage Lady Hobart of Intwood in Norfolk.
Richard Hoghton 1st Baronet (age 40) was created 1st Baronet Hoghton of Hoghton Tower in Lancashire.
Phillip Knyvet (age 41) was created 1st Baronet Knyvet of Buckenham in Norfolk.
Thomas Mansel 1st Baronet (age 55) was created 1st Baronet Mansel of Margam.
Thomas Pelham 1st Baronet (age 71) was created 1st Baronet Pelham of Laughton. Mary Walsingham Baroness Pelham Laughton (age 47) by marriage Lady Pelham of Laughton.
John Peyton 1st Baronet (age 50) was created 1st Baronet Peyton of Isleham.
George Savile 1st Baronet (age 61) was created 1st Baronet Savile of Thornhill.
John Shelley of Mitchelgrove 1st Baronet was created 1st Baronet Shelley of Mitchelgrove in Sussex.
George Shirley 1st Baronet (age 52) was created 1st Baronet Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire. [his wife] Dorothy Wroughton Lady Shirley (age 41) by marriage Lady Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.
John St John (age 25) was created 1st Baronet St John Lydiard Tregoze in Wiltshire.
John Stradling 1st Baronet (age 48) was created 1st Baronet Stradling of St Donats in Glamorganshire.
Thomas Temple 1st Baronet (age 44) was created 1st Baronet Temple of Stowe.
Lionel Tollemache 1st Baronet (age 48) was created 1st Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk.
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Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 27th April 1622 George Shirley 1st Baronet (age 63) died. He was buried at the Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. His son Henry (age 34) succeeded 2nd Baronet Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire. [his future daughter-in-law] Dorothy Devereux Lady Shirley (age 22) by marriage Lady Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.
In 1634 [his former wife] Dorothy Wroughton Lady Shirley (age 64) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 20 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 15 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 23 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 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Shirley
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Shirley 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Staunton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Staunton 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Meynell 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ralph Shirley 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Willoughby 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Willoughby 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Annesley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Willoughby 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Baldwin Freville
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Freville
GrandFather: Francis Shirley 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Father: John Shirley 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Giffard 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Giffard
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Giffard
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Giffard
GrandMother: Dorothy Giffard
George Shirley 1st Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England