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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In 1792 [her father] Lieutenant-Colonel Josiah Cottin [aged 21] and [her mother] Lavinia Chambers were married.
In 1794 Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley was born to [her father] Lieutenant-Colonel Josiah Cottin [aged 23] and [her mother] Lavinia Chambers. Her god-parents were the Prince of Wales [aged 31] and Maria Anne Smythe aka "Mrs Fitzherbert" [aged 37].
On 9th November 1810 John Fleming Leicester 1st Baron Tabley [aged 48] and Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 16] were married. The difference in their ages was 31 years.
On 28th October 1811 [her son] George Leicester aka Warren 2nd Baron Tabley was born to [her husband] John Fleming Leicester 1st Baron Tabley [aged 49] and Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 17]. King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 49] was his godfather. He was educated at Eton College [Map] and Christ Church College, Oxford University.
Before 1825. William Owen [aged 55]. Portrait of Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 30].
Before 1825. William Owen [aged 55]. Portrait of Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 30].
On 16th July 1826 [her husband] John Fleming Leicester 1st Baron Tabley [aged 64] was created 1st Baron Tabley. Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 32] by marriage Baroness Tabley.
On 18th April 1827 [her husband] John Fleming Leicester 1st Baron Tabley [aged 65] died at Tabley House, Cheshire. His son George [aged 15] succeeded 2nd Baron Tabley, 6th Baronet Leicester of Timogue in Queen's County.
On 10th July 1828 Reverend Frederick Leicester [aged 25] and Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 34] were married. She the former wife of his uncle John Fleming Leicester 1st Baron Tabley who had died fifteen months before. As the Church of England prohibited aunt-nephew marriages, Frederick resigned from his post to avoid expulsion. The union forfeited £500 of Georgina's annual £1,500 widow's jointure.
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.
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Creevey Papers. [1st September 1828]. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smythe Owen and I have lived in the most perfect harmony since 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, but other human being have I seen none, except the parson at church yesterday, whom I was in hopes to have seen more of. He is Mr. Leicester, nephew to the late Lord de Tabley. ... Having known his father in the days of my youth at Cambridge as by far the most ultra and impertinent dandy of his day, I was curious to see the son. It was precisely the same thing over again. This beautiful youth [[her husband] Reverend Frederick Leicester [aged 26]] (for such he is), aged 27, has been appointed by the Court of Chancery guardian to his nephew [Note. cousin] Lord de Tabley [aged 16], aged 16. About 6 weeks ago, he was married to his aunt Lady de Tabley [aged 34], who expects to be confined next month. I am sorry she is not [illegible] for this second marriage. On her part she forfeits £500 a year out of her jointure of £1500; and his diocesan, the Bishop of Lichfield, has given him notice he shall eject him from his living for marrying his aunt, which reduces his income to nothing. ..."
Before 1830. Thomas Lawrence [aged 60]. Portrait of Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 35] known as "Hope" aka "The Branch".
In March 1843 [her father] Lieutenant-Colonel Josiah Cottin [aged 72] died at Hampton Court Palace, Richmond [Map].
In 1859 Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley [aged 65] died.
On 17th October 1861 [her former husband] Reverend Frederick Leicester [aged 59] and Amelia Susanna Campbell were married.
On 16th April 1873 [her former husband] Reverend Frederick Leicester [aged 70] died.
GrandFather: Alexander Cottin of Hertfordshire
Father: Lieutenant-Colonel Josiah Cottin
Georgiana Cottin Baroness Tabley
GrandFather: William Chambers
Mother: Lavinia Chambers