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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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Joan Trelake -1573

Maternal Family Tree: Joan Trelake -1573

Joan Trelake was born to John Lake alias Davy of Cornwall.

In or before 1538 Ralph Warren [aged 51] and Joan Trelake were married.

Around 1538 [her son] Richard Warren was born to [her husband] Ralph Warren [aged 52] and Joan Trelake. He married before 21st July 1597 Elizabeth Hayward Baroness Knyvet, daughter of Rowland Hayward.

In 1545 [her daughter] Joan Warren was born to [her husband] Ralph Warren [aged 59] and Joan Trelake. She married 1562 Henry Cromwell aka Williams and had issue.

On 11th July 1553 [her husband] Ralph Warren [aged 67] died. He was buried at St Benet Sherehog Cordwainer Ward.

Before 26th February 1558 [her future husband] Thomas White [aged 66] and Avice Unknown were married.

On 25th November 1558 Thomas White [aged 66] and Joan Trelake were married.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 25th November 1558. The xxv day of November was mared ser [her husband] Thomas W[hite] [aged 66] knyght, late mare, d unto my lade Warren, the wyff of ser Raff Warren, knyght, twys mare of London.

In 1562 [her son-in-law] Henry Cromwell aka Williams [aged 27] and [her daughter] Joan Warren [aged 17] were married.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 8th February 1562. The viij day of Feybruary was crystened the dowther [Note. Unclear as to which of their several daughters this refers to.] of master (blank) [her son-in-law] Crumwelle [aged 27], and she the dowther [aged 17] of ser Raff Warren knyght, [Note. the child's mother] gohyng to the chyrche a fayre mayd carehyng the chyld in a whyt saten gowne, and a-bowt and the mantylle of cremesune satyn fryngyd with gold of iiij ynchys brod, and the master of the rolles was the godfather and my lade Whytt [Note. the child's maternal grandmother, mother to Joan Warren, wife of Thomas White [aged 70]] godmother and (blank), and after a grett bankett [banquet] at home.

Note. P. 277. Christening of master Cromwell's daughter. The first supposition in the footnote is correct. The child's mother was the daughter of sir Ralph Warren, formerly lord mayor of London, and "my lady White" was grandmother as well as godmother, as will be seen by consulting the note already given in p. 330.

On 12th February 1567 [her husband] Thomas White [aged 75] died.

On 8th October 1572 Joan Trelake died at Hinchinbrooke House [Map]. She was buried on 4th November 1573 at St Benet Sherehog Cordwainer Ward.