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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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Before 3rd January 1835 [her father] William Cox (age 21) and [her mother] Jane Woolgar (age 21) were married.
On 3rd January 1835 Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth was born to [her father] William Cox (age 21) and [her mother] Jane Woolgar (age 21) at Steyning, Sussex. She was baptised on 1st February 1835.
In 1847 [her mother] Jane Woolgar (age 33) died.
1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). "Found". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 18).
Around 1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Drawing of Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 22).
1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Fair Rosamund. Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 22).
1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Drawing of Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 22).
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 15th December 1858. To Rossetti (age 30). The new things I noticed were an intensely impressive water colour of the Virgin in the house of John, the latter seated at the window and striking a light and looking out upon Jerusalem at twilight. The Virgin is spinning. A Knight girded for combat embracing his Lady Love [The Chapel before the Lists]. Several studies of Miss Herbert (age 27) (Mrs. Crabbe). A most beautiful pen and ink study of Topsy's (Morris's) "Stunner" at Oxford. He showed me some fine medieval drapery and some gorgeous Eastern pieces lent him from the India House. We went off at dusk and dined at the Cock, and afterwards adjourned to 24 Dean St., Soho, to see "Fanny (age 23)." Interesting face and jolly hair and engaging disposition.
In 1859 [her father] William Cox (age 45) died.
1859. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 30). Bocca Baciata aka "mouth that has been kissed". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 23) The first of Rossetti's single female figures which thereafter became his signature style. The flowers in the background are marigolds, a white rose in her hair. An apple on the balustrade. The title from the Italian proverb from the last line of the Seventh story of the Second Book of Boccacio's Decameron "Bocca baciata non perde ventura, anzi rinnova come fa la luna" aka "The mouth that has been kissed does not lose its good fortune; rather, it renews itself just as the moon does."
Around August 1860 Timothy Hughes and Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 25) were married. At some time thereafter she adopted the surname Cornforth, the surname of her husband's stepfather.
On 11th February 1862 at twenty past seven in the morning Elizabeth Siddal (age 32) overdosed on laudanum at 14 Chatham Place. Possibly suicide - there may have been a note that said "look after Harry (her invalid brother)" which Ford Madox Brown (age 40) persuaded Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 33) to burn. Shortly after her death Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 27) moved into the family home to become housekeeper to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). "The Blue Bower". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 29).
1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 29).
The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 19th May 1865. Dined with Rossetti (age 37) and Fanny (age 30) and Howell at Chelsea. Settled to take för 50 eleven selected pencil studies of heads, R. in addition giving me one of a new model he has got to sit.
The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 22nd May 1865. Rossetti (age 37) sent down by Pope 13 pencil studies of heads, of which 2 (one of Ellen Smith and another ¾ of a new model) are gifts.
The other 11, viz, 3 of Fanny Cornforth (age 30), 2 of Ellen Smith, 1 of Ada, 1 of Mrs. Morris of Upton, £10, 1 of the negro boy, 1 of a negro girl, 1 of Mrs. Eaton, and 1 of Marie Ford I pay £60 for.
1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). "Lady Lilith". Watercolor. Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 31). Painted after the original Lady Lilith. On a label attached to its frame is a verse from Goethe's Faust translated by Shelley:
"Beware of her fair hair, for she excells
All women in the magic of her locks,
And when she twines them round a young man's neck
she will not ever set him free again."
In October 1872 [her husband] Timothy Hughes died.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Between 1873 and 1878. Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (age 39). Study for "Laus Veneris". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 37).
In Nov 1879 John Schott and Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 43) were married after which they ran the Rose Tavern.
In 1891 [her husband] John Schott died.
On 30th March 1907 Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 72) was admitted to the West Sussex County Lunatic Asylum, the records of which state that she was suffering from "senile mania, confusion, weak-mindedness and an inability to sustain a rational conversation, a poor memory and sleeplessness."
On 24th February 1909 Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 74) died.