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: Bowes
After 1647 [his father] Thomas Bowes (age 39) and [his mother] Anne Maxton (age 25) were married.
On 6th January 1657 William Bowes of Streatlam was born to [his father] Thomas Bowes (age 49) and [his mother] Anne Maxton (age 35).
On 8th May 1661 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 30) summoned his second Parliament.
John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston (age 44) was elected MP Wallingford.
James Thynne (age 56) was elected MP Wiltshire.
Adam Browne 2nd Baronet (age 35) was elected MP Surrey.
Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne (age 30) was elected MP Northumberland.
William Compton (age 36) was elected MP Cambridge.
Thomas Coventry 1st Earl Coventry (age 32) was elected MP Camelford.
Charles Berkeley 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge (age 61) was elected MP Bath and Heytesbury.
Edward Hungerford (age 28) was elected MP Chippenham.
Robert Pierrepont (age 24) was elected MP Nottingham.
John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 75) was elected MP Weymouth.
Giles Strangeways (age 45) was elected MP Dorset.
John Strangeways (age 24) was elected MP Bridport.
William Wyndham 1st Baronet (age 29) was elected MP Taunton.
James Herbert (age 38) was elected MP Queenborough.
William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington (age 21) was elected MP Cambridge.
William Bowes of Streatlam (age 4) was elected MP Durham.
Robert Brooke (age 24) was elected MP Aldeburgh.
Josiah Child (age 30) was elected MP Dartmouth.
Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet (age 73) was elected MP Nottinghamshire.
Thomas Crew 2nd Baron Crew (age 37) was elected MP Brackley.
Richard Jennings (age 42) was elected MP St Albans.
Robert Kemp 2nd Baronet (age 33) was elected MP Norfolk.
Edward Phelips (age 48) was elected MP Somerset.
Robert Robartes (age 27) was elected MP Bossiney.
Hender Robartes (age 25) was elected MP Bodmin.
Clement Fisher 2nd Baronet (age 48) was elected MP Coventry.
William Portman 6th Baronet (age 17) was elected MP Taunton.
John Robinson 1st Baronet (age 46) was elected MP Rye.
On 9th September 1661 [his father] Thomas Bowes (age 53) died.
Around 1673 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 15) educated at Trinity College, Cambridge University [Map].
In March 1679 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 22) was elected MP Durham during the Habeas Corpus Parliament 3C2.
In July 1679 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 22) was elected MP Durham during the Exclusion Bill Parliament 4C2.
On 20th March 1690 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 33) was elected MP Durham during the Parliament 1690.
In 1693 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 35) and Elizabeth Blakiston (age 42) were married.
On 24th October 1695 [his daughter] Anne Bowes was born to William Bowes of Streatlam (age 38) and [his wife] Elizabeth Blakiston (age 44). She married before 1714 Edward Chaloner and had issue.
On 21st August 1701 [his son] George Bowes was born to William Bowes of Streatlam (age 44) and [his wife] Elizabeth Blakiston (age 50). He married (1) October 1724 Eleanor Verney (2) 1743 Mary Gilbert and had issue.
On 20th August 1702 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 45) was elected MP Durham during the Parliament 1702.
In 1705 [his mother] Anne Maxton (age 83) died.
Around 1707 [his daughter] Margaret Bowes was born to William Bowes of Streatlam (age 49) and [his wife] Elizabeth Blakiston (age 56). She married 21st September 1745 Thomas Liddell and had issue.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 16th January 1707 William Bowes of Streatlam (age 50) died.
In 1736 [his former wife] Elizabeth Blakiston (age 85) died. She was buried at St James the Less Church, South Bailey, Durham.
[his son] Thomas Bowes was born to William Bowes of Streatlam and Elizabeth Blakiston.
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Bowes
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Bowes
GrandFather: Thomas Bowes
Father: Thomas Bowes
GrandFather: Anthony Maxton
Mother: Anne Maxton