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.
MP Dorset is in Member Parliament.
In 1431 John Hody was elected MP Dorset.
In 1553 Giles Strangeways (age 24) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1554 Giles Strangeways (age 25) was elected MP Dorset.
In April 1554 John Leweston (age 48) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1555 Giles Strangeways (age 26) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1558 Giles Strangeways (age 29) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1559 Giles Strangeways (age 30) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1604 Thomas Freke (age 40) was elected MP Dorset. He was elected again in 1626.
In 1614 John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 28) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1614 during the Addled Parliament Charles Thynne (age 46) was elected MP Lymington. John "Black Sir John" Egerton (age 63) was elected MP Lichfield. Mervyn Tuchet 2nd Earl Castlehaven (age 21) was elected MP Dorset. Richard Edgecumbe (age 44) was elected MP Bodmin.
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.
In 1621 John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 35) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1625 Nathaniel Napier (age 38) was elected MP Dorset which seat he held for less than a year.
In 1628 John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 42) was elected MP Dorset.
In April 1640 John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 54) was elected MP Dorset during the Short Parliament.
In November 1640 John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 55) was elected MP Dorset during the Long Parliament.
On 8th May 1661 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 30) summoned his second Parliament.
John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston (age 44) was elected MP Wallingford.
James Thynne (age 56) was elected MP Wiltshire.
Adam Browne 2nd Baronet (age 35) was elected MP Surrey.
Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne (age 30) was elected MP Northumberland.
William Compton (age 36) was elected MP Cambridge.
Thomas Coventry 1st Earl Coventry (age 32) was elected MP Camelford.
Charles Berkeley 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge (age 61) was elected MP Bath and Heytesbury.
Edward Hungerford (age 28) was elected MP Chippenham.
Robert Pierrepont (age 24) was elected MP Nottingham.
John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 75) was elected MP Weymouth.
Giles Strangeways (age 45) was elected MP Dorset.
John Strangeways (age 24) was elected MP Bridport.
William Wyndham 1st Baronet (age 29) was elected MP Taunton.
James Herbert (age 38) was elected MP Queenborough.
William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington (age 21) was elected MP Cambridge.
William Bowes of Streatlam (age 4) was elected MP Durham.
Robert Brooke (age 24) was elected MP Aldeburgh.
Josiah Child (age 30) was elected MP Dartmouth.
Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet (age 73) was elected MP Nottinghamshire.
Thomas Crew 2nd Baron Crew (age 37) was elected MP Brackley.
Richard Jennings (age 42) was elected MP St Albans.
Robert Kemp 2nd Baronet (age 33) was elected MP Norfolk.
Edward Phelips (age 48) was elected MP Somerset.
Robert Robartes (age 27) was elected MP Bossiney.
Hender Robartes (age 25) was elected MP Bodmin.
Clement Fisher 2nd Baronet (age 48) was elected MP Coventry.
William Portman 6th Baronet (age 17) was elected MP Taunton.
John Robinson 1st Baronet (age 46) was elected MP Rye.
In 1679 Thomas Strangeways (age 36) was elected MP Dorset.
After June 1832 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley (age 44) was elected MP Dorset.
In 1835 Henry Charles Sturt (age 39) was elected MP Dorset which seat he held until 1846.