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: Upton
Around 1650 Mary Upton Countess Suffolk was born to [her father] Ambrose Upton [aged 40].
On 20th December 1667 Charles Vermuyden [aged 29] and Mary Upton [aged 17] were married.
Before 1670 [her future husband] Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 42] and Mary Stewart [aged 29] were married. He the son of Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk.
Before 10th December 1673 [her husband] Charles Vermuyden [aged 35] died. He left his entire estate to his wife Mary Upton [aged 23]. Spoken 28 Aug 1673, Heard and witnessed by Hugh Upton and William Carstairs. Probate 10 Oct 1673
On 2nd June 1680 John Maynard [aged 76] and Mary Upton [aged 30] were married. The difference in their ages was 46 years.
After 10th May 1682 [her future husband] Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 54] and Mary Ronkswood were married. He the son of Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk.
In March 1685 Captain Robert Stewart 6th Baron Castle Stuart died. His son Andrew [aged 13] de jure 7th Baron Castle Stuart of County Tyrone althougvh he didn't claim the title since the ancestrals lands had been given away as part of the dowry when Mary Stewart married [her future husband] Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 57].
In 1688 [her father] Ambrose Upton [aged 78] died.
On 25th October 1689 [her step-son] Joseph Maynard [aged 49] died.
On 9th October 1690 [her husband] John Maynard [aged 86] died.
On 21st April 1691 George Howard 4th Earl Suffolk [aged 65] died. His brother [her future husband] Henry [aged 63] succeeded 5th Earl Suffolk. Mary Upton Countess Suffolk [aged 41] by marriage Countess Suffolk.
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.'
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On 22nd November 1691 Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 64] and Mary Upton Countess Suffolk [aged 41] were married. The difference in their ages was 22 years. He the son of Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk.
On 11th March 1705 [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Northumberland [aged 82] died.
In April 1705 [her step-son] Henry Howard 6th Earl Suffolk [aged 35] and Henrietta Somerset Countess Suffolk [aged 36] were married. She the daughter of Henry Somerset 1st Duke Beaufort and Mary Capell Duchess Beaufort [aged 74]. He the son of [her husband] Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 77] and Mary Stewart. They were fifth cousins.
On 2nd March 1706 [her step-son] Charles Howard 9th Earl Suffolk [aged 31] and Henrietta Hobart Countess Suffolk [aged 17] were married at St Benet's Church, Paul's Wharf [Map]. He the son of [her husband] Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 78] and Mary Stewart.
On 10th December 1709 [her husband] Henry Howard 5th Earl Suffolk [aged 82] died. His son [her step-son] Henry [aged 39] succeeded 6th Earl Suffolk. Henrietta Somerset Countess Suffolk [aged 40] by marriage Countess Suffolk.
In January 1721 Mary Upton Countess Suffolk [aged 71] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: Arthur Upton
GrandFather: John Upton 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bartholomew Fortescue 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Fortescue
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh Fortescue
Great x 1 Grandmother: Gertude Fortescue 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Chichester 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Chichester 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bourchier 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Chichester 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Great" Courtenay 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Gertrude Courtenay 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Gainsford
Father: Ambrose Upton 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Mary Upton Countess Suffolk 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England