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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Paternal Family Tree: Chichester
In or before 1666 [his father] Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal and [his mother] Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall were married.
In 1666 Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal was born to [his father] Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal and [his mother] Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall.
On 18th March 1675 Arthur Chichester 1st Earl Donegal [aged 68] died. He was buried at St Nicholas' Church, Carrickfergus, County Antrim. His nephew [his father] Arthur succeeded 2nd Earl Donegal, 3rd Viscount Chichester of Carrickfergus, 4th Baron Chichester of Belfast. [his mother] Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall by marriage Countess Donegal.
On 26th October 1678 [his father] Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal died. His son Arthur [aged 12] succeeded 3rd Earl Donegal. [his future wife] Barbara Boyle Countess Donegall [aged 16] by marriage Countess Donegal.
Before 20th November 1682 Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 16] and Barbara Boyle Countess Donegall [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Roger Boyle 1st Earl Orrery and Margaret Howard Countess Orrery [aged 60]. He the son of Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal and Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall.
On 20th November 1682 [his wife] Barbara Boyle Countess Donegall [aged 20] died.
Before 1695 Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 28] and Catherine Forbes [aged 4] were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. He the son of Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal and Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall.
In 1695 [his son] Arthur Chichester 4th Earl Donegal was born to Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 29] and [his wife] Catherine Forbes [aged 5].
In 1701 Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 35] was appointed Colonel of the 35th Regiment of Foot which he had founded.
In 1704 Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 38] accompanied the 35th Regiment of Foot to fight in the War of the Spanish Succession in Spain, and was appointed major general of Spanish forces.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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Around 1706 [his son] John Chichester was born to Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 40] and [his wife] Catherine Forbes [aged 16]. He married before 13th June 1739 Elizabeth Newdigate and had issue.
On 10th April 1706 Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal [aged 40] was killed in action at Fort Montjuïc, Barcelona. His son Arthur [aged 11] succeeded 4th Earl Donegal.
On 15th July 1743 [his former wife] Catherine Forbes [aged 53] died.
[his daughter] Anne Chichester Countess Barrymore was born to Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal and Catherine Forbes. She married 12th July 1716 James Barry 4th Earl Barrymore, son of Richard Barry 2nd Earl Barrymore, and had issue.
[his daughter] Catherine Chichester Visountess Massereene was born to Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal and Catherine Forbes. She married 9th September 1713 her third cousin Clotworthy Skeffington 4th Viscount Massereene, son of Clotworthy Skeffington 3rd Viscount Massereene and Rachel Hungerford Viscountess Massereene, and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 25 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Chichester 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Chichester
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Chichester 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bourchier 1st Earl Bath 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bourchier 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Daubeney Baroness Fitzwarin 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Chichester 1st Viscount Chichester 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Courtenay 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William "Great" Courtenay 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Cheney
Great x 2 Grandmother: Gertrude Courtenay 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Gainsford
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Gainsford
Great x 4 Grandmother: Audrey Shaa
GrandFather: Lieutenant-Colonel John Chichester 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Copleston
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Copleston
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Biston
Father: Arthur Chichester 2nd Earl Donegal 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Roger Jones 1st Viscount Ranelagh
GrandMother: Mary Jones
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Moore of Mellifont
Great x 2 Grandfather: Garret Moore 1st Viscount Moore of Drogheda
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Moore
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Colley of Carbury Castle
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Colley Viscountess Moore and Wilmot
Arthur Chichester 3rd Earl Donegal 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Osbourne Echingham
Great x 1 Grandfather: Charles Echingham of Dunroby
GrandFather: John Ichyngham of Dunbrody in Wexford
Mother: Jane Ichyngham Countess Donegall