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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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Paternal Family Tree: Borlase
In 1589 William Borlase was born to [his uncle] William Borlase of Little Marlow (age 25).
On 22nd June 1604 William Borlase (age 15) matriculated Magdalen College, Oxford University.
In 1614 William Borlase (age 25) was elected MP Wycombe.
On 5th September 1617 William Borlase (age 28) was knighted at Warwick, Warwickshire [Map].
Before 21st August 1619 William Borlase (age 30) and Jane Popham were married.
On 21st August 1619 [his son] John Borlase 1st Baronet was born to William Borlase (age 30) and [his wife] Jane Popham at Littlecote House. He married 4th December 1637 Alice Bankes Lady Borlase and had issue.
On 15th October 1620 [his son] William Borlase was born to William Borlase (age 31) and [his wife] Jane Popham at Littlecote House. He married before 1660 Joanna Bankes and had issue.
In or before 1628 Thomas Luttrell (age 44) and [his wife] Jane Popham were married.
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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In 1628 William Borlase (age 39) was elected MP Wycombe.
On 4th September 1629 [his uncle] William Borlase of Little Marlow (age 65) died. He was buried on 10th September 1629.
On 15th December 1630 William Borlase (age 41) died.
In 1668 [his former wife] Jane Popham died.
[his daughter] Ann Borlase was born to William Borlase and Jane Popham at Littlecote House. She married Arthur Warren of Stapleford in Nottinghamshire and had issue.
GrandFather: John Borlase of Buckinghamshire
Father: William Borlase of Little Marlow