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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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John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher 1841-1920

Paternal Family Tree: Fisher

Around 1840 [his father] Captain William Fisher [aged 28] and [his mother] Sophie Lambe [aged 19] were married at Colombo, Sri Lanka.

On 25th January 1841 John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher was born to Captain William Fisher [aged 29] and Sophie Lambe [aged 20] on the Wavendon Estate at Ramboda, Ceylon. He was the eldest of eleven children, of whom only seven survived infancy.

Around 1847, at aged six, John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 5] was sent to liove with his maternal grandfather Alfred Lambe [aged 57] in London.

On 4th April 1866 John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 25] and Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher were married at Portsmouth, Hampshire [Map].

On 5th May 1866 [his father] Captain William Fisher [aged 55] died in a riding accident.

In 1867 [his daughter] Beatrix Alice was born to John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 25] and [his wife] Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher.

In 1868 [his son] Cecil Vavasseur Fisher 2nd Baron Fisher was born to John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 26] and [his wife] Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher.

In 1873 [his daughter] Dorothy Sybil was born to John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 31] and [his wife] Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher.

In 1876 [his daughter] Pamela Mary was born to John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 34] and [his wife] Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher.

On 27th January 1895 [his mother] Sophie Lambe [aged 74] died at 55 Cathcart Road, Brompton.

The London Gazette 28317. Whitehall, December 11, 1909. The King has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date the 7th instant, to confer the dignity of a Baron of the said United Kingdom upon Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher [aged 68], G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style and title of Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, in the county of Norfolk. [[his wife] Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher by marriage Baroness Fisher of Kilverstone in Norfolk.]

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The History of William Marshal, Earl of Chepstow and Pembroke, Regent of England. Book 1 of 2, Lines 1-10152.

The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.

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1914. Hubert von Herkomer 1849 1914 [aged 64]. Portrait of John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 72].

In July 1918 [his wife] Frances "Kitty" Katharine Broughton Baroness Fisher died.

On 10th July 1920 John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher [aged 79] died. His son Cecil [aged 52] succeeded 2nd Baron Fisher of Kilverstone in Norfolk. He was given a national funeral at Westminster Abbey.

John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher 1841-1920

Ancestors of John "Jacky" Fisher 1st Baron Fisher 1841-1920