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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Earl Bristol

Earl Bristol is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically.

There have been two creations of Earl Bristol:

1st. 1622. John Digby 1st Earl Bristol. Extinct. 12th September 1698.

2nd. October 1714. John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol. Extant.

Earl Bristol 1st Creation 1622

Summary

1622. John Digby 1st Earl Bristol [aged 41] created.

21st January 1653. Son George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol [aged 40] succeeded.

20th March 1677. Son John Digby 3rd Earl Bristol [aged 43] succeeded.

12th September 1698. John Digby 3rd Earl Bristol extinct.

In 1622 John Digby 1st Earl Bristol [aged 41] was created 1st Earl Bristol.

On 21st January 1653 John Digby 1st Earl Bristol [aged 72] died in Paris [Map]. His son George [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Earl Bristol. Anne Russell Countess Bristol [aged 33] by marriage Countess Bristol.

On 20th March 1677 George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol [aged 64] died. His son John [aged 43] succeeded 3rd Earl Bristol. Rachel Wyndham Countess of Bristol [aged 32] by marriage Countess Bristol.

Sherborne Abbey [Map]. On 12th September 1698 John Digby 3rd Earl Bristol [aged 64] died without issue. Earl Bristol extinct. In May 1658 Alice Bourne died. On 16th February 1709 Rachel Wyndham Countess of Bristol [aged 53] died. William and Mary. Monument sculpted by John Nost.

Alice Bourne: she was born to Robert Bourne of Blake Hall in Essex. On 26th May 1656 John Digby 3rd Earl Bristol and she were married. He the son of George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol and Anne Russell Countess Bristol.

Rachel Wyndham Countess of Bristol: Around 1645 she was born to Hugh Wyndham Baron of the Exchequer and Jane Wodehouse. On or after 13th July 1663, the date of the licence, John Digby 3rd Earl Bristol and she were married. He the son of George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol and Anne Russell Countess Bristol. They were fifth cousin once removed. On 20th March 1677 George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol died. His son John succeeded 3rd Earl Bristol. She by marriage Countess Bristol.

Earl Bristol 2nd Creation 1714

Summary

October 1714. John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol [aged 49] created. See Invitation to William of Orange from the Immortal Seven.

20th January 1751. Grandson George William Hervey 2nd Earl Bristol [aged 30] succeeded.

1775. Brother Augustus John Hervey 3rd Earl Bristol [aged 50] succeeded.

23rd December 1779. Brother Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl Bristol [aged 49] succeeded.

8th July 1803. Son Frederick William Hervey 1st Marquess of Bristol [aged 33] succeeded.

15th February 1859. Son Frederick Hervey 2nd Marquess of Bristol [aged 58] succeeded.

30th October 1864. Son Frederick William John Hervey 3rd Marquess of Bristol [aged 30] succeeded.

7th August 1907. Nephew Frederick Hervey 4th Marquess of Bristol [aged 43] succeeded.

24th October 1951. Brother Herbert Hervey 5th Marquess of Bristol [aged 81] succeeded.

5th April 1960. Son Victor Hervey 6th Marquess of Bristol [aged 44] succeeded.

10th March 1985. Son Frederick William John Augustus Hervey 7th Marquess of Bristol [aged 30] succeeded.

10th January 1999. Half Brother Frederick Hervey 8th Marquess of Bristol [aged 19] succeeded.

In March 1703 John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol [aged 37] was created 1st Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk. Elizabeth Felton Countess Bristol [aged 26] by marriage Countess Bristol.

In October 1714 John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol [aged 49] was created 1st Earl Bristol for having supported the Glorious Revolution.

On 20th January 1751 John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol [aged 85] died. His grandson George [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Earl Bristol.

In 1775 George William Hervey 2nd Earl Bristol [aged 54] died. His brother Augustus [aged 50] succeeded 3rd Earl Bristol, 4th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.

On 23rd December 1779 Augustus John Hervey 3rd Earl Bristol [aged 55] died due to a gout in the stomach in St James' Square. His brother Frederick [aged 49] succeeded 4th Earl Bristol, 5th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk. Elizabeth Davers Countess Bristol [aged 46] by marriage Countess Bristol.

Note 1. 'jactitation'. Where one person falsely asserted that he or she was married to another, the wronged party could obtain an order restraining further repetitions of the falsehood. The action was abolished in England in 1986 and in Ireland in 1995.

On 8th July 1803 Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl Bristol [aged 72] died in Lazio. His son Frederick [aged 33] succeeded 5th Earl Bristol, 6th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk. H3NG0wbdHis great grandson Charles [aged 4] succeeded 6th Baron Howard de Walden.

On 15th February 1859 Frederick William Hervey 1st Marquess of Bristol [aged 89] died. His son Frederick [aged 58] succeeded 2nd Marquess of Bristol, 2nd Earl Jermyn of Horningworth in Suffolk, 6th Earl Bristol, 7th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.

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.'

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On 7th August 1907 Frederick William John Hervey 3rd Marquess of Bristol [aged 73] died. His nephew Frederick [aged 43] succeeded 4th Marquess of Bristol, 4th Earl Jermyn of Horningworth in Suffolk, 8th Earl Bristol, 9th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk. Alice Wythes Marchioness of Bristol [aged 32] by marriage Marchioness of Bristol.

On 24th October 1951 Frederick Hervey 4th Marquess of Bristol [aged 87] died. His brother Herbert [aged 81] succeeded 5th Marquess of Bristol, 5th Earl Jermyn of Horningworth in Suffolk, 9th Earl Bristol, 10th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.

On 5th April 1960 Herbert Hervey 5th Marquess of Bristol [aged 89] died. His son Victor [aged 44] succeeded 6th Marquess of Bristol, 6th Earl Jermyn of Horningworth in Suffolk, 10th Earl Bristol, 11th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.

On 10th March 1985 Victor Hervey 6th Marquess of Bristol [aged 69] died in Monaco. His son Frederick [aged 30] succeeded 7th Marquess of Bristol, 7th Earl Jermyn of Horningworth in Suffolk, 11th Earl Bristol, 12th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.

On 10th January 1999 Frederick William John Augustus Hervey 7th Marquess of Bristol [aged 44] died of multiple organ failure due to chronic drug abuse almost penniless at Little Horringer Hall, Bury St Edmunds [Map]. His half brother Frederick [aged 19] succeeded 8th Marquess of Bristol, 8th Earl Jermyn of Horningworth in Suffolk, 12th Earl Bristol, 13th Baron Hervey of Ickworth in Suffolk.