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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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On 23rd February 1740 Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet was born to [his father] Alexander Emerson.
On 16th April 1762 Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 22) and Anna Maria Amcotts were married.
On 24th June 1763 [his daughter] Elizabeth Amcotts Lady Ingilby was born to Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 23) and [his wife] Anna Maria Amcotts. She married 25th October 1780 John Ingilby 1st Baronet and had issue.
On 13th May 1777 Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 37) changed his surname from Emerson to Amcotts by Royal Licence.
In 1780 Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 39) was elected MP Retford which seat he held until 1802.
On 25th October 1780 [his son-in-law] John Ingilby 1st Baronet (age 22) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Amcotts Lady Ingilby (age 17) were married.
In 1791 [his father] Alexander Emerson died.
On 11th May 1796 Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 56) was created 1st Baronet Amcotts of Kettlethopre Park in Lincolnshire with a special remainder to his daughter [his daughter] Elizabeth's (age 32) son [his grandson] William Amcotts-Ingilby 2nd Baronet (age 12).
Around 1804 [his daughter] Sophia Louisa Emerson Amcotts was born to Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 63). She married 15th June 1826 Mathew Wilson 1st Baronet and had issue.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 26th September 1807 Wharton Emerson aka Amcotts 1st Baronet (age 67) died. His grandson [his grandson] William (age 24) succeeded 2nd Baronet Amcotts of Kettlethopre Park in Lincolnshire.