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 Londesborough in Yorkshire is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
1887. William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 52] created.
19th April 1900. Son William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 35] succeeded.
1917. Son George Denison 3rd Earl of Londesborough [aged 24] succeeded.
12th September 1920. Brother Hugo Denison 4th Earl of Londesborough [aged 25] succeeded.
17th April 1937. Hugo Denison 4th Earl of Londesborough extinct.
In 1887 William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 52] was created 1st Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire. Edith Somerset Countess Londesborough [aged 48] by marriage Countess Londesborough in Yorkshire.
On 19th April 1900 William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 65] died. His son William [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire, 3rd Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Grace Adelaide Fane Countess Londesborough [aged 39] by marriage Countess Londesborough in Yorkshire.
In 1917 William Henry Francis Denison 2nd Earl Londesborough [aged 52] died. His son George [aged 24] succeeded 3rd Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire, 4th Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
On 12th September 1920 George Denison 3rd Earl of Londesborough [aged 28] died unmarried. His brother Hugo [aged 25] succeeded 4th Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire, 5th Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
On 17th April 1937 Hugo Denison 4th Earl of Londesborough [aged 42] died. He was buried at St Oswald's Church, Blankney. The Earl had become ill and it was decided to move him to London for treatment; he died on the journey. Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire extinct. His first cousin once removed Ernest [aged 60] succeeded 6th Baron Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The impact of death duties necessitated the sale of Blankney, Lincolnshire to Mr William Parker of Norfolk. The Countess, Marigold Lubbock Countess Londesborough [aged 33], and her daughter Zinnia Rosemary Denison, continued to live on the estate.
