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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Baldachin is in Architectural Detail.
Baldachin. A canopy over an altar, tomb, or throne. The original meaning of 'baldachin' is a silk cloth from Baghdad (baldacco in Italian). A baldacchino is supported by columns and can be portable or fixed
After 1674. St Mary's Church, Chirk [Map]. Monument to Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle and Maria Napier by John Bushnell of London. Life sized busts of Sir Thomas and his wife Maria flanked by obelisks carrying flaming urns. Black field curtained from a baldachin. The pedestalled busts stand on a moulded shelf, bracketed by a wide strapwork panel with a central Latin inscription, added in 1722.
Maria Napier: she was born to Robert Napier 1st Baronet and Mary Robinson. Before 2nd November 1624 Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle and she were married. In 1674 she died.
After 1675. St Mary's Church, Chirk [Map]. Monument to Elizabeth Wilbraham Lady Myddelton [deceased] wife of Thomas Myddelton 2nd Baronet [aged 24]. She died in childbirth, the child days later. Monument by John Bushnell of London. Reclining figure of Elizabeth Myddleton suckling an infant, set in front of a draped black panel flanked by pedestalled urns, the drapery eminating from a baldachin, heads each side, and crowned by arms. Below the shelf a cushioned panel in a strapwork cartouche, set in front of a lower shelf with a fullsome inscription, all also added in 1722.
Elizabeth Wilbraham Lady Myddelton: Around 1653 she was born to Thomas Wilbraham 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Mytton Lady Wilbrahim. Before 1675 Thomas Myddelton 2nd Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Myddelton of Chirk Castle. In 1675 Elizabeth Wilbraham Lady Myddelton died in childbirth.
After 29th April 1714. St Michael's Church, Stowe Nine Churches [Map]. Monument to Thomas Turner [deceased]. Sculpted by Thomas Stayner [aged 49]. Baldachin. Drapery. Baroque. The figure on the left is Faith who holds a model of a circular church. The figure on the right is Thomas Turner. Segmental Pediment. Moulded Cornice.
