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: Cave
On 2nd July 1768 Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye was born to [her father] Thomas Cave 6th Baronet [aged 31].
On 7th August 1778 [her grandfather] Thomas Cave 5th Baronet [aged 66] died. Monument at the St Nicholas' Church, Stanford-on-Avon [Map] commissioned by his grand-daughter Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 10]. His son [her father] Thomas [aged 41] succeeded 6th Baronet Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire.
Thomas Cave 5th Baronet: On 27th May 1712 he was born to Thomas Cave 3rd Baronet and Margaret Verney Lady Cave. He was baptised at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. In 1736 Thomas Cave 5th Baronet and Elizabeth Davies Lady Cave were married.
Thomas Cave 6th Baronet: In 1737 he was born to Thomas Cave 5th Baronet and Elizabeth Davies Lady Cave. In 1780 Thomas Cave 6th Baronet died. His son Thomas succeeded 7th Baronet Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire.
In 1780 [her father] Thomas Cave 6th Baronet [aged 43] died. His son [her brother] Thomas [aged 13] succeeded 7th Baronet Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire.
On 25th February 1790 Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 21] were married.
On 15th January 1792 [her brother] Thomas Cave 7th Baronet [aged 25] died without issue. His uncle Charles [aged 45] succeeded 8th Baronet Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire. His sister Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 23] inherited Stanford Hall, Leicestershire.
In 1796 [her son] Robert Otway-Cave was born to [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 27]. He married 23rd October 1832 Sophia Burdett, daughter of Francis Burdett 5th Baronet and Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett.
Around 1798 [her son] Thomas Otway-Cave was born to [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 29].
Before 1809 [her daughter] Anne Otway was born to [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 40].
Before 1809 [her daughter] Catherine Otway was born to [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 40]. She married (1) 19th October 1826 Henry Murray, son of Bishop George Murray (2) 11th February 1850 John Lygon 3rd Earl Beauchamp, son of William Lygon 1st Earl Beauchamp and Catherine Denn Countess Beauchamp.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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Before 1809 [her daughter] Maria Otway-Cave was born to [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 40].
In 1809 [her daughter] Henrietta Otway 4th Baroness Braye was born to [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 40]. She married 24th September 1844 Reverend Edgell Wyatt-Edgell Baron Braye and had issue.
On 15th September 1815 [her husband] Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary died.
In 1818 [her son] Robert Otway-Cave [aged 22] took by royal sign manual the additional surname of Cave, the maiden name of his mother [aged 49], to whose title he was heir apparent.
On 19th October 1826 [her son-in-law] Henry Murray and [her daughter] Catherine Otway [aged 17] were married. He the son of Bishop George Murray.
On 19th January 1830 [her son] Thomas Otway-Cave [aged 32] died. Monument at St Nicholas' Church, Stanford-on-Avon [Map].
Thomas Otway-Cave: Around 1798 he was born to Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye.
On 23rd October 1832 [her son] Robert Otway-Cave [aged 36] and [her daughter-in-law] Sophia Burdett were married.
On 3rd October 1839 Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 71] abeyance terminated 3rd Baroness Braye.
On 24th September 1844 [her son-in-law] Reverend Edgell Wyatt-Edgell Baron Braye [aged 43] and [her daughter] Henrietta Otway 4th Baroness Braye [aged 35] were married.
On 29th November 1844 [her son] Robert Otway-Cave [aged 48] died without issue. Monument at St Nicholas' Church, Stanford-on-Avon [Map] sculpted by Richard Westmacott [aged 69] and commissioned by his widow [her daughter-in-law] Sophia Burdett.
Robert Otway-Cave: In 1796 he was born to Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye. In 1818 Robert Otway-Cave took by royal sign manual the additional surname of Cave, the maiden name of his mother, to whose title he was heir apparent. On 23rd October 1832 he and Sophia Burdett were married.
Sophia Burdett: she was born to Francis Burdett 5th Baronet and Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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On 11th February 1850 [her son-in-law] John Lygon 3rd Earl Beauchamp [aged 66] and [her daughter] Catherine Otway [aged 41] were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. He the son of William Lygon 1st Earl Beauchamp and Catherine Denn Countess Beauchamp.
On 21st February 1862 Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye [aged 93] died. Baron Braye abeyant. Monument at St Nicholas' Church, Stanford-on-Avon [Map] sculpted by Mary Francis [aged 53] and commissioned by her daughter Catherine Otway [aged 53], widow of John Lygon 3rd Earl Beauchamp.
Catherine Otway: Before 1809 she was born to Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye. On 19th October 1826 Henry Murray and she were married. He the son of Bishop George Murray. On 11th February 1850 John Lygon 3rd Earl Beauchamp and she were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. He the son of William Lygon 1st Earl Beauchamp and Catherine Denn Countess Beauchamp. On 4th November 1875 she died without issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 30 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Cave of Croft Castle 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Cave 1st Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Croft
Great x 2 Grandfather: Roger Cave 2nd Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Wenman 2nd Viscount Wenman 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Penelope Wenman Lady Cave 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Cave 3rd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Browne of Eydon in Northamptonshire 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Martha Browne Lady Cave
GrandFather: Thomas Cave 5th Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Verney 
14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Verney 1st Baronet 15 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Verney 1st Viscount Fermanagh 16 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Verney Lady Cave 17 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Palmer 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Palmer
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice White
Father: Thomas Cave 6th Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Davies Lady Cave
Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England