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: Stawell
On 27th January 1725 Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell was born to [her father] Edward Stawell 4th Baron Stawell.
On 23rd January 1742 [her uncle] William Stawell 3rd Baron Stawell [aged 60] died. His brother [her father] Edward succeeded 4th Baron Stawell of Somerton in Somerset.
In 1747 [her future husband] Wills Hill 1st Marquess Downshire [aged 28] and Margaretta Fitzgerald were married. She the daughter of Robert Fitzgerald 19th Earl of Kildare and Mary O'Brien Countess Kildare.
On 13th April 1755 [her father] Edward Stawell 4th Baron Stawell died. Baron Stawell of Somerton in Somerset extinct. His daughter Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell [aged 30] inherited his estates. She was created Baron Stawell of Somerton in Somerset in 1760.
In or before 1757 Henry Bilson Legge [aged 48] and Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell [aged 31] were married. He the son of William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth and Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth.
In 1757 [her son] Henry Bilson Legge 2nd Baron Stawell was born to [her husband] Henry Bilson Legge [aged 48] and Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell [aged 31]. He married 1779 Mary Curzon Baroness Stawell, daughter of Assheton Curzon 1st Viscount Curzon and Esther Hanmer Baroness Curzon, and had issue.
In 1760 Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell [aged 34] was created 1st Baroness Stawell of Somerton in Somerset. She the daughter of [her father] Edward Stawell 4th Baron Stawell.
On 23rd August 1764 [her husband] Henry Bilson Legge [aged 56] died.
In 1766 Wills Hill 1st Marquess Downshire [aged 47] and Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell [aged 40] were married.
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 2nd December 1773 James Cecil 1st Marquess Salisbury [aged 25] and [her step-daughter] Mary Amelia Hill Marchioness Salisbury [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of [her husband] Wills Hill 1st Marquess Downshire [aged 55] and Margaretta Fitzgerald. He the son of James Cecil 6th Earl of Salisbury [aged 60] and Elizabeth Keet Countess of Salisbury [aged 52]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
In 1779 [her son] Henry Bilson Legge 2nd Baron Stawell [aged 22] and [her daughter-in-law] Mary Curzon Baroness Stawell [aged 17] were married.
On 29th July 1780 Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell [aged 55] died. Her son Henry [aged 23] succeeded 2nd Baron Stawell of Somerton in Somerset. Mary Curzon Baroness Stawell [aged 19] by marriage Baroness Stawell of Somerton in Somerset.
On 7th October 1793 [her former husband] Wills Hill 1st Marquess Downshire [aged 75] died. His son [her former step-son] Arthur [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Marquess Downshire. Mary Sandys Marchioness Downshire [aged 29] by marriage Marchioness Downshire.
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 25 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 22 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 12 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 28 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Stawell of Cothelstone Manor
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Stawell 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Tuchet 10th Baron Audley, 7th Baron Tuchet 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Tuchet 1st Earl Castlehaven 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Sneyd Baroness Audley Heighley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tuchet 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Mervyn
Great x 3 Grandmother: Lucy Mervyn Baroness Audley and Tuchet
GrandFather: Ralph Stawell 1st Baron Stawell 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Hext
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Hext
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Parker 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Parker
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hext
Father: Edward Stawell 4th Baron Stawell 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Pitt
GrandMother: Abigail Pitt Baroness Stawell
Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England