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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In 1766 Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton was born to [her father] Joshua Smith of Erlestoke Merchant [aged 34].
On 18th August 1787 Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton [aged 27] and Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton [aged 21] were married. He the son of Spencer Compton 8th Earl of Northampton [aged 49] and Jane Lawton Countess Northampton.
On 7th April 1796 [her father-in-law] Spencer Compton 8th Earl of Northampton [aged 57] died. His son [her husband] Charles [aged 36] succeeded 9th Earl of Northampton. Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton [aged 30] by marriage Countess of Northampton.
In 1812 [her husband] Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton [aged 51] was created 1st Marquess Northampton, 1st Earl Compton of Compton in Warwickshire, 1st Baron Wilmington of Wilmington in Sussex. Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton [aged 46] by marriage Marchioness Northampton.
On 20th March 1819 [her father] Joshua Smith of Erlestoke Merchant [aged 87] died.
On 24th May 1828 [her husband] Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton [aged 68] died. His son Spencer [aged 38] succeeded 2nd Marquess Northampton, 10th Earl of Northampton, 2nd Earl Compton of Compton in Warwickshire, 2nd Baron Wilmington of Wilmington in Sussex. Margaret Douglas-Maclean-Clephane Marchioness Northampton [aged 36] by marriage Marchioness Northampton.
On 14th March 1843 Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton [aged 77] died.
Floor tiles at Church of St Mary Magdalen, Castle Ashby [Map]: Here lies the bodies of Jane the first wife of Spencer Compton 8th Earl of Northampton, Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton, Mary his wife also of Spencer Second Marquis of Northampton and Margaret his wife and also his grandchildren.
Jane Lawton Countess Northampton: In 1758 Spencer Compton 8th Earl of Northampton and she were married. On 18th October 1763 Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton died. His brother Spencer succeeded 8th Earl of Northampton. She by marriage Countess of Northampton. On 26th November 1767 she died.