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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Caithness is in Scotland.
In 1593 Laurence Oliphant 4th Lord Oliphant (age 64) died at Caithness.
Before 27th July 1599 Jean Hepburn died at Caithness.
On 25th August 1942 the Dunbeath Air Crash at Eagle's Rock [Map] near Dunbeath killed 14 of 15 passengers and crew, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, who was on duty as an Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force on a mission to Reykjavik. A Royal Air Force Board of Inquiry determined that the crash was the result of a navigational error by the crew.
Prince George Windsor 1st Duke Kent (age 39) died in a plane crashEdward Windsor 2nd Duke Kent (age 6) succeeded 2nd Duke Kent.
Also killed were:
Lt. John Crowther, RNVR Private Secretary.
LAC. John Walter Holes, Batman.
Flt Lt. Frank McKenzie Goyen, 42057 RAF, Captain (Pilot).
Wg Cdr. Thomas Lawton Moseley, 33064 RAF, CO of 228 Squadron, 1st pilot.
Pilot Officer Sydney Wood Smith, 403961 RAAF, 2nd pilot.
Pilot Officer George Richard Saunders, 126975 RAFVR, Navigator.
Pilot Officer Michael Strutt (age 28) J15062 RCAF, Air Gunner.
Flight Sargeant William Royston Jones 523047 RAF, Flight Mechanic Engineer / Air Gunner.
Flight Sargeant Charles Norman Lewis 517386 RAF, Airframe Fitter.
Flight Sargeant Ernest James Hewerdine 566884 RAF, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
Flight Sargeant Andrew Simpson Wilson Jack 970168 RAFVR, Air Gunner (Rear).
Sgt. Edward Francis Blacklock 405467 RNZAF, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
Sgt. Arthur Rowland Catt 1252994 RAFVR, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
Sgt. Leonard Edward Sweett 570678 RAF, Fitter.
In 1857 Ann Fitzgerald Mackay Lady Simpson was born to Alexander Mackay and Isabella Catherine Thomson at Ness Caithness. She married 13th January 1881 Walter Grindlay Simpson 2nd Baronet, son of James Young Simpson 1st Baronet, and had issue.