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.
Chichester Cathedral is in Chichester [Map], Cathedrals in England.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 23rd May 1070. On Whitsunday [3rd May] the king (age 42), at Windsor, Berkshire [Map], gave the archbishopric of York to the venerable Thomas, canon of Bayeux, and the bishopric of Winchester to his chaplain, Walkeline. On the following day, by the king's command, Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, held a synod, [the other legates] the cardinals John and Peter having returned to Rome. At this synod, Ethelric, bishop of Sussex, was uncanonically deposed; and although he was guilty of no crime, the king soon afterwards placed him in confinement at Marlborough, Wiltshire [Map]; several abbots were also deprived. After these depositions, the king gave the bishopric of East-Anglia to Arfast, and the bishopric of Sussex to Stigand79, who were both his chaplains; which Stigand transferred his see to Chichester, the chief city in his diocese: the king also gave abbeys to some Norman monks. The archbishop of Canterbury being degraded, and the archbishop of York dead, Walkeline was, by the king's command, consecrated by the same Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, on the octave of Whitsunday [30th May].
Note 79. This first bishop of Chichester must not be confounded with the archbishop of the same name.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 1125. Simon, the queen's chancellor, and Sigefred, abbot of Glastonbury, both men of distinguished worth and piety, were chosen bishops while they were in Normandy; Simon being appointed to the see of Worcester, and Sigefred to the see of Chichester. Hugh, a man of great prudence, archdeacon successively to Samson and Theowulf, bishops of Worcester, died on the twelfth of the calends of April [21st March). After Easter [29th March], the bishops-elect, Simon and Sigefred, with the archbishops William (age 55) and Thurstan (age 55), and a cardinal of Rome named John, came to England,
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 12th April 1125. ... and Sigefred was consecrated as bishop of Chichester at Lambeth by archbishop William (age 55) on the second of the ides [the 12th] of April; there being present at this consecration the Roman cardinal, Thurstan (age 55), archbishop of York, Everard, bishop of Norwich, Richard of Hereford, Bernard of St. David's, David of Bangor, Urban of Glamorgan (age 49), and John, bishop-elect of Rochester.
In or before 1178 Seffrid was appointed Dean of Chichester Cathedral.
On 16th November 1180 Bishop Seffrid was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
In or before 1215 Bishop Richard Poore was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
Before 1st November 1222 Bishop Ralph Neville was elected Bishop of Chichester.
On 5th April 1305 Bishop John Langton was elected Bishop of Chichester.
On 19th September 1305 Bishop John Langton was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
Between 23rd July 1337 and 18th August 1337 Robert de Stratford (age 45) was elected Bishop of Chichester.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 17th November 1389 Bishop Richard Mitford was elected Bishop of Chichester.
On 10th April 1390 Bishop Richard Mitford was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
In 1429 Bishop Thomas Brunce (age 41) was elected Bishop of Chichester although Bishop Simon Sydenham was awared the position.
On 11th February 1431 Bishop Simon Sydenham was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
On 24th September 1445 Bishop Adam Moleyns was elected Bishop of Chichester.
On 6th February 1446 Bishop Adam Moleyns was consecrated Bishop of Chichester at Lambeth Palace [Map].
On 23rd March 1450 Bishop Reginald Peacock (age 55) was translated to Bishop of Chichester.
In January 1459 Bishop Reginald Peacock (age 64) was forced to resign as Bishop of Chichester.
On 11th February 1478 Bishop Edward Story was translated to Bishop of Chichester.
On 29th November 1503 Bishop Richard Fitzjames was translated to Bishop of Chichester.
In 1508 Bishop Robert Sherbourne (age 55) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 11th June 1536 Bishop Richard Sampson was elected Bishop of Chichester.
In 1541 Bishop Henry Man was appointed Dean of Chichester Cathedral.
In 1543 Bishop George Day (age 42) was consecrated Bishop of Chichester by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (age 53).
In October 1551 Bishop George Day (age 50) was deprived of the Bishopric of Chichester.
In 1552 Bishop John Scory (age 42) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
Before 30th September 1553 Bishop George Day (age 52) was restored to the Bishopric of Chichester.
In 1557 Bishop John Christopherson was appointed Bishop of Chichester which post he held until 1558.
In 1559 five new Bishops were consecrated including:
Archbishop Edwin Sandes (age 40) was consecrated Bishop of Worcester.
Bishop William Barlow (age 61) was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
Archbishop Edmund Grindal (age 40) was consecrated Bishop of London.
In 1596 Bishop Anthony Watson was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
On 31st October 1605 Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (age 50) was elected Bishop of Chichester.
On 3rd November 1605 Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (age 50) was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
On 18th November 1605 Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (age 50) was installed Bishop of Chichester at Chichester Cathedral [Map].
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1638 Bishop Brian Duppa (age 48) was elected Bishop of Chichester.
John Evelyn's Diary. 9th July 1638. I went home to visit my friends, and, on the 26th, with my brother (age 21) and sister to Lewes [Map], where we abode till the 31st; and thence to one Mr. Michael's, of Houghton, near Arundel [Map], where we were very well treated; and, on the 2d of August, to Portsmouth, Hampshire [Map], and thence, having surveyed the fortifications (a great rarity in that blessed halcyon time in England), we passed into the Isle of Wight [Map], to the house of my Baroness Richards, in a place called Yaverland; but were turned the following day to Chichester [Map], where, having viewed the city and fair cathedral [Map], we returned home.
On 6th February 1642 Bishop Henry King (age 50) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
In 1669 Zachary Crodock (age 6) was appointed Canon Chichester Cathedral.
In 1669 Bishop Peter Gunning (age 55) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
John Evelyn's Diary. 26th March 1675. Dr. Brideoak (age 62) was elected Bishop of Chichester, on the translation of Dr. Gunning (age 61) to Ely.
John Evelyn's Diary. 24th March 1676. Dr. Brideoake (age 63), Bishop of Chichester, preached a mean discourse for a Bishop. I also heard Dr. Fleetwood (age 72), Bishop of Worcester, on Matt. xxvi. 38, of the sorrows of Christ, a deadly sorrow caused by our sins; he was no great preacher.
John Evelyn's Diary. 2nd September 1676. The Dean of Chichester preached before the King (age 46), on Acts xxiv. 16; and Dr. Crichton preached the second sermon before him on Psalm xc. 12, of wisely numbering our days, and well employing our time.
On 19th October 1685 Bishop John Lake (age 61) was translated to Bishop of Chichester.
In 1689 Bishop Simon Patrick (age 62) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
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.
On 30th August 1691 Bishop Robert Grove (age 57) was consecrated Bishop of Chichester.
On 25th September 1696 Bishop Robert Grove (age 62) died in a carriage accident. He was buried in Chichester Cathedral [Map].
On 29th December 1806 Charles Lennox 3rd Duke Richmond (age 71) died at Goodwood West Sussex. He was buried at Chichester Cathedral [Map]. His nephew Charles (age 42) succeeded 4th Duke Richmond, 4th Earl March, 4th Baron Settrington. Charlotte Gordon Duchess Richmond (age 38) by marriage Duchess Richmond.
In 1824 James Lloyd 1st Baronet (age 61) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
In 1831 Bishop Edward Maltby (age 60) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.
In 1836 Bishop William Otter (age 67) was appointed Bishop of Chichester.