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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William Beechey is in Painters.
On 12th December 1753 William Beechey was born.
1789. William Beechey (age 35). Portrait of Paul Sandby (age 58).
1789. William Beechey (age 35). Portrait of Isabella Caroline Howard Baroness Cawdor (age 18).
Isabella Caroline Howard Baroness Cawdor: In 1771 she was born to Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle and Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle. On 28th July 1789 John Campbell 1st Baron Cawdor and she were married. She the daughter of Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle and Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle. On 21st June 1796 John Campbell 1st Baron Cawdor was created 1st Baron Cawdor of Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire. She by marriage Baroness Cawdor of Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire. In 1848 Isabella Caroline Howard Baroness Cawdor died.
Before 1790. William Beechey (age 36). Portrait of George Brudenell aka Montagu 1st Duke Montagu (age 77) in the Windsor Uniform.
In 1797. William Beechey (age 43). Portrait of Princess Amelia Hanover (age 13).
Princess Amelia Hanover: On 7th August 1783 she was born to King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England. On 2nd November 1810 Princess Amelia Hanover died. Before September 1823 Elizabeth Boughton Baroness Templetown was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Princess Amelia Hanover.
In 1797. William Beechey (age 43). Portrait of Princess Sophia Hanover (age 19).
Princess Sophia Hanover: On 3rd November 1777 she was born to King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England. On 27th May 1848 Princess Sophia Hanover died at Vicarage Place Kensington. Princess Augusta Hesse-Kassel Duchess Cambridge and Marie Luise Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Kent and Strathearn were present.
Around 1800. William Beechey (age 46). Portrait of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland (age 61).
1800. William Beechey (age 46). Self-Portrait.
1803. William Beechey (age 49). Portrait of Henry Addington 1st Viscount Sidmouth (age 45).
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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Around 1815. William Beechey (age 61). Portrait of Harriet Mellon Duchess St Albans (age 37).
1818. William Beechey (age 64). Portrait of Princess Augusta Hesse-Kassel Duchess Cambridge (age 20).
1826. William Beechey (age 72). Portrait of Thomas Assheton-Smith of Ashley in Cheshire (age 74).
Around 1830. William Beechey (age 76). Portrait of King William IV of the United Kingdom (age 64).
Before 1835 . William Beechey (age 81). Portrait of Joseph Nollekens. An autographed replica by Beechey of the work which now hangs in the Tate Britain, London
Before 1839. William Beechey (age 85). Portrait of Elizabeth Charlotte Eden Baroness Godolphin (age 58).
Elizabeth Charlotte Eden Baroness Godolphin: In 1780 she was born to William Eden 1st Baron Auckland and Eleanor Elliot. On 31st March 1800 Francis Osborne 1st Baron Godolphin and she were married. He the son of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds and Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers. On 14th May 1832 Francis Osborne 1st Baron Godolphin was created 1st Baron Godolphin of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire. She by marriage Baroness Godolphin of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire. In 1847 Elizabeth Charlotte Eden Baroness Godolphin died.
Before 28th January 1839. William Beechey (age 85). Portrait of Charles Brudenell 1st Marquess Ailesbury (age 65).
On 28th January 1839 William Beechey (age 85) died.