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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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Hanging Stone aka Burton Burial Chamber is in Rosemarket, Pembrokeshire, Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.
Archaeologia Cambrensis 1844 Pages 129-144. In the volume for 1872, p. 126, are two views of the Burton Cromlech, Pembrokeshire [Hanging Stone aka Burton Burial Chamber [Map]], which has not been so often noticed as others. In 1864 it was used as a small sheepcot, and had been built round with small stones, since cleared away with advantage. The capstone lies north and south, measuring about 11 feet by 9. The capstone is unusually massive, and as far as one example can illustrate it, settles the question of capstones ever serving as altar-slabs. The two excellent illustrations here given are from drawings by Miss Tombs and her brother, of Burton Bectory.
Archaeologia Cambrensis 1872 Pages 81-143. The first to be described is one [Hanging Stone aka Burton Burial Chamber [Map]] in the parish of Burton, near Haverfordwest, and on the estate of J. H. Scourfield, Esq., M.P. It was inspected when the Society, in 1864, visited the county under the presidency of that gentleman; at which time it was built round with loose stones, and used as a small sheepcot. It has since been cleared out, and is now seen to much better advantage than when visited by the Society. At that time there were some small remains of the original packing of small stones in the interstices between the slabs,—a very unusual occurrence. What was left was but a very small portion, but quite sufficient to give an idea of the firm manner in which this dry rubble-work was worked in. It is too far off to have any direct relation with the singular alignment (described by Sir Gardner Wilkinson in the Archæologia Cambrensis of 1870, p. 120) near Benton Castle, which has, however, at least one ruined dolmen connected with it. The capstone, from north to south, is 10 feet 2 inches by 81 feet, with a thickness of 4 ft. 3 ins.; and from the highest point of the exterior, from the ground, is 9½ ft. The upright stone on the south side is 6 ft. 1 inch; that on the east side is 5 ft. 3 ins.; and that on the north side, 5 ft. 5 ins. Cut No. 2 represents the south side, and is from a drawing by Mr. James Tombs.