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: Moyle aka Copley
On 23rd September 1757 [her father] Joseph Moyle aka Copley 1st Baronet (age 42) and [her mother] Mary Buller Lady Copley (age 30) were married.
In November 1759 Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn was born to [her father] Joseph Moyle aka Copley 1st Baronet (age 44) and [her mother] Mary Buller Lady Copley (age 32).
On 15th August 1778 [her father] Joseph Moyle aka Copley 1st Baronet (age 63) was created 1st Baronet Copley Sprotborough. [her mother] Mary Buller Lady Copley (age 50) by marriage Lady Copley Sprotborough.
On 20th June 1779 John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 22) and Catherine Moyle (age 19) were married at St Marylebone Church.
In 1781 [her daughter] Harriet Margaret Hamilton was born to [her husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 24) and Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 21).
On 16th April 1781 [her father] Joseph Moyle aka Copley 1st Baronet (age 66) died. His son [her brother] Lionel (age 14) succeeded 2nd Baronet Copley Sprotborough.
On 10th January 1784 [her daughter] Catherine Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Aberdeen was born to [her husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 27) and Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 24). She married 28th July 1805 George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl Aberdeen and had issue.
On 28th February 1785 [her daughter] Maria Hamilton was born to [her husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 28) and Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 25).
On 7th October 1786 [her son] James Hamilton was born to [her husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 30) and Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 26). He married 25th November 1809 Harriet Douglas Countess Aberdeen and had issue.
On 3rd March 1787 [her mother] Mary Buller Lady Copley (age 59) died.
On 1st November 1787 [her son] Claud Hamilton was born to [her husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 31) and Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 28).
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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On 9th October 1789 James Hamilton 8th Earl Abercorn (age 76) died. His nephew [her husband] John (age 33) succeeded 9th Earl Abercorn. Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 29) by marriage Countess Abercorn.
On 15th October 1790 [her husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 34) was created 1st Marquess Abercorn. Catherine Moyle (age 30) by marriage Marchioness Abercorn.
On 13th September 1791 Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn (age 31) died.
On 4th March 1792 [her former husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 35) and Cecil Hamilton (age 21) were married. She by marriage Marchioness Abercorn. They were divorced in April 1799. She married the [her brother] Joseph Copley 3rd Baronet (age 22) the following month; he being the brother of the Marquess' first wife Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn. They were first cousins.
On 23rd May 1799 [her brother] Joseph Copley 3rd Baronet (age 30) and Cecil Hamilton Marchioness Abercorn (age 29) were married. She by marriage Lady Copley Sprotborough. He was the younger brother of her first husband's [[her former husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 42)] first wife Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn.
In 1800 [her former husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 43) and Anne Jane Gore (age 36) were married. She by marriage Marchioness Abercorn. She the daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore 2nd Earl Arran (age 65) and Catherine Annesley.
On 27th January 1818 [her former husband] John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn (age 61) died. His grandson [her grandson] James (age 7) succeeded 2nd Marquess Abercorn, 10th Earl Abercorn.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
GrandFather: Joseph Moyle
Father: Joseph Moyle aka Copley 1st Baronet 15 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Averley Copley 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Copley 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Godfrey Copley 1st Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Godfrey Copley 2nd Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
GrandMother: Catherine Copley 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Purcell Lady Copley Sprotborough
Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Buller 
GrandFather: John Francis Buller
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Pollexfen of Nutwell in Woodbury in Devon
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Pollexfen
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Duncombe of Weston 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Duncombe
Mother: Mary Buller Lady Copley 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Johnathan Trelawny 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Trelawny 1st Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Killigrew 
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Jonathan Trelawny 2nd Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bishop Jonathan Trelawny 3rd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Seymour 1st Baronet 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Seymour 2nd Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Champernowne Baroness Seymour
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Seymour 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Killigrew
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothy Killigrew Baroness Seymour 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Cooke 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandMother: Rebecca Trelawny 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England