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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Church of St Michael, Oxnead is in Oxnead, Norfolk, Churches in Norfolk.
Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map]. The adjacent Oxnead Hall.
On 18th February 1598 Admiral Clement Paston (age 77) died. Tomb in the Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map]. Rush Mat.
Admiral Clement Paston: Around 1521 he was born to William Paston and Bridget Heydon. Before 18th February 1598 Admiral Clement Paston and Alice Pakington were married.
On 18th January 1608 Alice Pakington died. Wife of Admiral Clement Paston (second husband). Brass floorplate in the Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map].
Alice Pakington: Richard Lambert and she were married. she was born to Humphrey Pakington.
On 28th December 1608 Edmund Lambert of Boyton in Wiltshire died. Son of Alice Pakington. Brass floorplate in the Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map].
Edmund Lambert of Boyton in Wiltshire: he was born to Richard Lambert and Alice Pakington. Before 1600 he and Anne Jackman were married.
In 1636 Lady Katherine Bertie died in childbirth. Memorial in the Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map]. Bust carved by Nicholas Stone (age 49). 
Paston Arms and 
Bertie Arms.
Lady Katherine Bertie: she was born to Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey. In 1631 William Paston 1st Baronet and she were married. She the daughter of Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey and Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey.
The River Bure rises at Melton Constable, Norfolk [Map] from where it flows past Briston, Norfolk [Map], Thurning, Norfolk [Map] after which it is joined by the River Thurne. Thereafter it flows past Corpusty, Norfolk [Map], ItterIngham, Norfolk [Map], Blickling Hall, Norfolk [Map], where there is a large ornamental lake, Ingworth, Norfolk [Map], Drabblegate, Norfolk [Map], Aylsham, Norfolk [Map], Burgh, Norfolk [Map], Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map], Buxton, Norfolk [Map], Little Hautbois, Norfolk [Map], Horstead, Norfolk [Map], Belaugh, Norfolk [Map], Wroxham, Norfolk [Map], Horning, Norfolk [Map], Upper Street [Map], Ranworth, Norfolk [Map] after which it is joined by the River Ant after which it passes St Benet's Abbey, Norfolk [Map] then joining the River Bure just after Thurne, Norfolk [Map]. The River Bure then flows under Acle Bridge, Norfolk [Map], past Stokesby, Norfolk [Map], Herringby, Norfolk [Map] to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk [Map] where it joins the River Yare before joining the North Sea.
Coffin plates for Robert Paston 1st Earl of Yarmouth and Rebecca Clayton Countess Yarmouth among others in the Church of St Michael, Oxnead [Map].
Rebecca Clayton Countess Yarmouth: Around 1635 she was born to Jasper Clayton. On 15th June 1650 Robert Paston 1st Earl of Yarmouth and she were married. In 1679 Robert Paston 1st Earl of Yarmouth was created 1st Earl of Yarmouth. She by marriage Countess of Yarmouth. On 14th February 1694 she died.