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: Liddell
In 1555 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle was born to [his father] Thomas Liddell of Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1572 [his father] Thomas Liddell of Newcastle upon Tyne was appointed Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map].
On 9th September 1576 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 21) and Margaret Watson (age 20) were married at St Nicholas Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne [Map].
In 1577 [his father] Thomas Liddell of Newcastle upon Tyne died.
In 1578 [his son] Thomas Liddell 1st Baronet was born to Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 23) and [his wife] Margaret Watson (age 22). He married 1596 Isabel Anderson and had issue.
In 1586 [his wife] Margaret Watson (age 30) died.
On 13th January 1586 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 31) and Jane Mitford (age 13) were married in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
In 1592 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 37) was appointed High Sheriff of Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1596 [his son] Thomas Liddell 1st Baronet (age 18) and [his daughter-in-law] Isabel Anderson were married. They had fourteen children most of whom predeceased him.
In 1597 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 42) was appointed Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map].
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 12th July 1602 [his wife] Jane Mitford (age 29) died.
In 1607 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 52) bought Ravensworth Castle, North Yorkshire [Map].
In 1609 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 54) was appointed Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map].
On 19th August 1619 Thomas Liddell of Ravensworth Castle (age 64) died.