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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Clenched Fist Crest is in Great Helms and Male Headwear.
On 19th November 1473 Nicholas Fitzherbert (age 73) died at Norbury, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Barlok, Norbury [Map]. Fluted Period. Fine set of weepers. Probably Harpur and Moorecock of Burton on Trent. Note the Clenched Fist Crest unusually left-handed; probably a mistake by the sculptor since left-hand suggests illegitimacy. Suns and Roses Collar.
On 2nd March 1484 Ralph Fitzherbert (age 56) died at Norbury, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Barlok, Norbury [Map].
On 20th October 1490 Elizabeth Marshall (age 53) died. She was buried at Church of St Barlok, Norbury [Map].
Monument to Ralph and Elizabeth. Finely made in Chellaston alabaster of the Fluted Period. Possibly Harpur and Moorecock of Burton on Trent. Fitzherbert Clenched Fist Crest. His effigy notable for being the only remaining with the Yorkist Boar Pendant (boar of Richard III) on his Suns and Roses Collar.
Ralph Fitzherbert: Around 1428 he was born to Nicholas Fitzherbert and Alice Booth at Norbury, Derbyshire [Map]. In or before 1450 Ralph Fitzherbert and Elizabeth Marshall were married. They had seven sons and five daughters.
Elizabeth Marshall: Around 1437 she was born to John Marshall.
