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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Adeline Virginia Stephen aka Virginia Woolf is in Authors.
On 1st May 1867 Herbert Duckworth and [her mother] Julia Prinsep Jackson were married at Tichurst, East Sussex, presumably at St Mary's Church, Ticehurst [Map]. The difference in their ages was 33 years.
On 26th March 1878 [her father] Leslie Stephen and [her mother] Julia Prinsep Jackson were married. They had four children.
On 25th January 1882 Adeline Virginia Stephen aka Virginia Woolf was born to [her father] Leslie Stephen and [her mother] Julia Prinsep Jackson.
On 5th May 1895 [her mother] Julia Prinsep Jackson died.
1902. George Charles Beresford. Photograph of Adeline Virginia Stephen aka Virginia Woolf.
On 22nd February 1904 [her father] Leslie Stephen died.
In 1912 Leonard Woolf and Adeline Virginia Stephen aka Virginia Woolf were married.
On 28th March 1941 Adeline Virginia Stephen aka Virginia Woolf committed suicide. She walked into the fast-flowing River Ouse near her home having placed a large stone in her pocket. Her body was not found until 18 April. In her suicide note, addressed to her husband Leonard Woolf, she wrote: "Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came. I can't fight it any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that—everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me, it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer. I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been. V."
After the suicide of his wife Virginia Woolf on 28th March 1941 Leonard Woolf began a relationship with Trekkie Parsons that lasted until his death in 1969. She often spent the week with Leonard and the weekend with her husband. She had holidays and acted as hostess for them both separately. She was Leonard's companion on trips to France, Greece, Israel, and Ceylon. She wrote many letters to Leonard when they were apart, published in 1974 as Love Letters: Leonard Woolf and Trekkie Ritchie Parsons. Despite their declared love and companionship, Trekkie insisted that the two had not been lovers.
On 14th August 1969 [her former husband] Leonard Woolf died.
Father: Leslie Stephen
Adeline Virginia Stephen aka Virginia Woolf
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Jackson
GrandFather: John Jackson
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Howard of Bengal
Mother: Julia Prinsep Jackson
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Peter Pattle
GrandMother: Maria "Mia" Theodosia Pattle
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ambroise Pierre de l'Etang
Great x 1 Grandmother: Adeline Marie de l'Etang