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: Townshend
On 9th August 1905 [his father] John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend [aged 38] and [his mother] Gwladys Sutherst Marchioness Townshend [aged 21] were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. She by marriage Marchioness Townshend. He the son of [his grandfather] John Villiers Stuart Townshend 5th Marquess Townshend and [his grandmother] Anne Elizabeth Clementina Duff Marchioness Townshend [aged 57].
On 13th May 1916 George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend was born to [his father] John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend [aged 49] and [his mother] Gwladys Sutherst Marchioness Townshend [aged 32]. He a great x 3 grandson of King William IV of the United Kingdom.
On 17th November 1921 [his father] John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend [aged 55] died. His son George [aged 5] succeeded 7th Marquess Townshend, 10th Viscount Townsend, 10th Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis in Norfolk, 12th Baronet Townshend.
On 2nd September 1939 George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend [aged 23] and Elizabeth Luby Marchioness Townshend were married. She by marriage Marchioness Townshend. He the son of John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend and Gwladys Sutherst Marchioness Townshend [aged 55].
On 26th September 1945 [his son] Charles Townshend 8th Marquess Townshend was born to George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend [aged 29] and [his wife] Elizabeth Luby Marchioness Townshend. He a great x 4 grandson of King William IV of the United Kingdom.
In 1959 [his mother] Gwladys Sutherst Marchioness Townshend [aged 75] died.
In 1960 George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend [aged 43] and Elizabeth Luby Marchioness Townshend were divorced.
On 22nd December 1960 George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend [aged 44] and Ann Frances Darlow Marchioness Townshend were married. She by marriage Marchioness Townshend. He the son of John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend and Gwladys Sutherst Marchioness Townshend.
In 1988 [his wife] Ann Frances Darlow Marchioness Townshend died.
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 1989 [his former wife] Elizabeth Luby Marchioness Townshend died.
In 2004 George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend [aged 87] and Philippa Sophia Kidston-Montgomerie were married. He the son of John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend and Gwladys Sutherst Marchioness Townshend.
On 23rd April 2010 George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend [aged 93] died. His son Charles [aged 64] succeeded 8th Marquess Townshend, 11th Viscount Townsend, 11th Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis in Norfolk, 13th Baronet Townshend.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 26 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Son of King William IV of the United Kingdom
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 32 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Townshend 3rd Viscount Townsend 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Audrey aka Etheldreda Harrison 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Townshend 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Compton 5th Earl of Northampton 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Compton 16th Baroness Ferrers Chartley 7th Baroness Compton 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Shirley Countess Northampton 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Townshend 4th Marquess Townshend 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Stephen Poyntz 
13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Poyntz 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Maria Mordaunt 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Georgiana Anne Poyntz 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: John Villiers Stuart Townshend 5th Marquess Townshend 12 x Great Grand Son 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 Grandfather: John Stuart 1st Marquis of the Isle of Bute 9 x Great Grand Son 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
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Stuart 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Herbert Windsor 2nd Viscount Windsor 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Jane Windsor Marchioness Bute 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Clavering Viscountess Windsor 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Jane Stuart 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Father: John Townshend 6th Marquess Townshend 2 x Great Grand Son of King William IV of the United Kingdom
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Duff 1st Earl Fife 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Alexander Duff 3rd Earl Fife
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jean Grant Countess Fife
Great x 2 Grandfather: Alexander Duff
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Duff 5th Earl Fife
GrandMother: Anne Elizabeth Clementina Duff Marchioness Townshend Great Grand Daughter of King William IV of the United Kingdom
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Hay 15th Earl Erroll 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Hay 17th Earl Erroll 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Carr Countess Erroll 
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Hay 18th Earl Erroll 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Samuel Eliot
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alicia Eliot Countess Erroll
Great x 1 Grandmother: Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay Countess Fife Grand Daughter of King William IV of the United Kingdom
Great x 4 Grandfather: King George III of Great Britain and Ireland Grand Son of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: King William IV of the United Kingdom Son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Fitz-Clarence Countess Erroll Daughter of King William IV of the United Kingdom
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan"
George Townshend 7th Marquess Townshend 3 x Great Grand Son of King William IV of the United Kingdom
GrandFather: Thomas Sutherst