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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Beckett
On 14th December 1814 [his father] Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 27) and [his mother] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 19) were married.
On 12th May 1816 Edmund Beckett 1st was born to [his father] Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 29) and [his mother] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 21) at Carlton Hall, Newark on Trent.
On 7th October 1845 Edmund Beckett 1st (age 29) and Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett (age 22) were married. She the daughter of Bishop John Lonsdale (age 57) and Sophia Bolland.
On 17th November 1872 [his uncle] Thomas Beckett 3rd Baronet (age 93) died. He was buried at Corringham, Lincolnshire, 22nd November 1872. His brother [his father] Edmund (age 85) succeeded 4th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
On 27th March 1874 [his mother] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 78) died.
On 24th May 1874 [his father] Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 87) died. His son Edmund (age 58) succeeded 5th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
Around 1880. The West Facade of St Albans Cathedral [Map] designed by amateur architect Edmund Beckett 1st (age 63) replacing an earliesr design with the now lost Wheathampstead window.
In 1886 Edmund Beckett 1st (age 69) was created 1st Baron Grimthorpe. [his wife] Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett (age 62) by marriage Baroness Grimthorpe.
On 8th December 1901 [his wife] Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett (age 78) died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 29th April 1905 Edmund Beckett 1st (age 88) died after a fall. He was buried at St Albans Cathedral [Map]. His nephew Ernest (age 48) succeeded 2nd Baron Grimthorpe, 6th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
Great x 2 Grandfather: Gervase Beckett of Barnsley
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Beckett
Great x 3 Grandfather: Jonas Clarke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Clarke
GrandFather: John Beckett 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Joseph wilson of Monk Bretton
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Wilkson
Father: Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Wilson
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bishop Christopher Wilson
GrandMother: Mary Wilson Lady Beckett
Great x 2 Grandfather: Bishop Edmund Gibson
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Gibson
Edmund Beckett 1st Baron Grimthorpe
GrandFather: William Beverley
Mother: Maria Beverley Lady Beckett
Great x 1 Grandfather: Johnathan Midgley
GrandMother: Mary Midgeley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Stephen Harrison
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Harrison
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Smithson
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roundell Smithson
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Smithson