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: Fane
On 19th November 1707 [his father] Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane (age 31) and [his mother] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane (age 21) were married.
Around 1708 Charles Fane 2nd was born to [his father] Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane (age 31) and [his mother] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane (age 22).
On 22nd April 1718 [his father] Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane (age 42) was created 1st Viscount Fane, 1st Baron Fane of Loughguyre in the County of Limerick. [his mother] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane (age 32) by marriage Viscountess Fane.
In 1726 William Juxon 2nd Baronet (age 66) and [his future wife] Susanna Marriott Viscountess Fane were married. She by marriage Lady Juxon of Aldbourne.
In 1734 Charles Fane 2nd (age 26) was elected MP Reading which seat he held until 1747.
On 14th March 1741 [his brother-in-law] John Montagu 4th Earl Sandwich (age 22) and [his sister] Dorothy Fane Countess Sandwich (age 23) were married. She by marriage Countess Sandwich.
On 4th July 1744 [his father] Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane (age 68) died. His son Charles (age 36) succeeded 2nd Viscount Fane, 2nd Baron Fane of Loughguyre in the County of Limerick.
On 7th June 1749 Charles Fane 2nd (age 41) and Susanna Marriott Viscountess Fane were married at St Benet's Church, Paul's Wharf [Map]. She by marriage Viscountess Fane.
In 1754 Charles Fane 2nd (age 46) was elected MP Berkshire which seat he held until 1761.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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In 1762 [his mother] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane (age 76) died.
Around 24th January 1766 Charles Fane 2nd (age 58) died without issue. Viscount Fane and Baron Fane of Loughguyre in the County of Limerick extinct. His estates were divided between his surviving sisters [his sister] Mary Fane and [his sister] Dorothy Fane Countess Sandwich (age 48).
Kings Wessex: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 17 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 23 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 18 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 16 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 20 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 24 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Fane 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Fane
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Waller
Great x 2 Grandfather: Francis Fane 1st Earl of Westmoreland 6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Neville 6th and 4th Baron Abergavenny 
4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Neville 7th and 5th Baroness Abergavenny 3rd Baroness Despencer 5 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Manners Baroness Bergavenny 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Fane 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Mildmay 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Mildmay 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Walsingham 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Mildmay Countess of Westmoreland 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Sharington of Lacock in Wiltshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Grace Sharington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Paggett of Lacock Abbey
GrandFather: Henry Fane 8 x Great Grand Son of
Father: Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Southcott
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Southcott
GrandMother: Elizabeth Southcott
Charles Fane 2nd Viscount Fane 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Michael Stanhope 
4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Stanhope 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Rawson
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Stanhope 6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Port
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Port
Great x 1 Grandfather: Philip Stanhope 1st Earl Chesterfield 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Giles Alington
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Alington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Middleton
Great x 2 Grandmother: Cordelia Alington
GrandFather: Alexander Stanhope 8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Pakington 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Pakington of Hampton Lovett
Great x 2 Grandfather: John "Lusty" Pakington
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Pakington Countess Chesterfield
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Smith of Withcote in Leicestershire
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ambrose Smith of Withcote in Leicestershire
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Cave
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Smith
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Coe of Coggleshall in Essex
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Coe
Mother: Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane 9 x Great Grand Daughter of