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.
Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire is in Lancashire.
In 1460 Thomas "The Alchemist" Ashton (age 57) died at Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire [Map].
In July 1909 George Chadwick (age 69) died at Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire [Map].
The River Tame rises from a number of reservoirs on Saddleworth Moor near Denshaw, Lancashire [Map] from where it flows past Delph, Lancashire [Map], Uppermill, Lancashire [Map], Mossley, Lancashire [Map], Stalybridge, Lancashire [Map], Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire [Map], Woodley, Lancashire [Map], Reddish Vale, Lancashire [Map] before joining the River Goyt to form the River Mersey.
On 16th September 1922 Ashton-under-Lyne War Memorial [Map] was unveiled by General Sir Ian Hamilton. The memorial designed by the Ashton architect Percy Howard with sculptures by John Ashton Floyd. To either side, and along the rear, are 38 bronze panels with the names of the fallen of the First World War in relief lettering, each panel with 40 names. The east and west return faces each have a bronze panel with the names of the men who died in the Second World War, 301 in total.
