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: Cavendish
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Vaux 1465
In 1524 [his father] William Cavendish [aged 19] and Margaret Bostock [aged 16] were married.
In 1542 [his father] William Cavendish [aged 37] and Elizabeth Parker were married. They had three children, none of which survived to adulthood.
In 1543 Robert Barlow aka Barley [aged 14] and [his mother] Bess of Hardwick [aged 16] were married.
On 20th August 1547 [his father] William Cavendish [aged 42] and [his mother] Bess of Hardwick [aged 20] were married. The difference in their ages was 22 years.
On 27th December 1552 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire was born to [his father] William Cavendish [aged 47] and [his mother] Bess of Hardwick [aged 25].
On 25th October 1557 [his father] William Cavendish [aged 52] died.
Around 27th August 1559 [his step-father] William St Lo [aged 41] and [his mother] Bess of Hardwick [aged 32] were married. They were half third cousin twice removed.
Around 1564 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 11] educated at Clare College, Cambridge University.
In January 1565 [his step-father] William St Lo [aged 47] died suddenly in the company of his brother Edward St Lo [aged 46]. He was buried in St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate. Given that he had been suspected of poisoning William's wife [his mother] Bess of Hardwick [aged 38] five years before it is possible Edward had poisoned William. Edward St Lo contested his brother's will unsuccessfully.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 6th February 1568 [his brother-in-law] Gilbert Talbot 7th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 15] and [his sister] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 12] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 41]. He the son of [his step-father] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 40] and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. They were sixth cousins.
Three days later on Gilbert and Mary would become step-siblings when their father and mother respectively George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Bess of Hardwick were married. She by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford. It is likely the latter marriage a condition of the former. He the son of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Dacre. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
In 1574 [his brother-in-law] Charles Stewart 5th Earl Lennox [aged 16] and [his sister] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Lennox. She the daughter of [his father] William Cavendish and [his mother] Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 47]. He the son of Matthew Stewart 4th Earl Lennox and Margaret Douglas Countess Lennox [aged 58].
Around 21st March 1580 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 27] and Anne Keighley [aged 17] were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 53].
On 21st January 1582 [his sister] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox [aged 26] died.
In 1586 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 33] was elected MP Liverpool.
In 1588 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 35] was elected MP Newport.
Around 1590 [his son] William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire was born to William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 37] and [his wife] Anne Keighley [aged 27]. He married 10th April 1608 Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire and had issue.
On 18th November 1590 [his step-father] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 62] died. He was buried at Sheffield Cathedral [Map]. His son [his brother-in-law] Gilbert [aged 37] succeeded 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl Waterford, 12th Baron Furnivall, 16th Baron Strange Blackmere, 13th Baron Talbot. [his sister] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 34] by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
Around 1593 [his daughter] Frances Cavendish was born to William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 40] and [his wife] Anne Keighley [aged 30]. She married 1608 William Maynard 1st Baron Maynard.
In 1595 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 42] was appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire.
Before 1603 Richard Wortley [aged 37] and [his future wife] Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 34] were married.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1603 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 50] was appointed Justice of the Peace Derbyshire.
After 1603 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 50] and Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 35] were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 76].
In 1605 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 52] was created 1st Baron Cavendish Hardwick. [his wife] Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 37] by marriage Baroness Cavendish Hardwick.
In 1608 [his son-in-law] William Maynard 1st Baron Maynard [aged 21] and Frances Cavendish [aged 15] were married. Their 3 children predeceased him. She the daughter of William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 55] and Anne Keighley [aged 45].
On 13th February 1608 Bess of Hardwick [aged 81] died. She was buried in All Saints Church, Derby [Map]. Her monument, which she had constructed before her death, was designed by Robert Smythson [aged 38]. She left nothing in her will for her 'bad son' Henry Cavendish [aged 57]. He did, however, inherit Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map] which he subsequently sold in 1609 to his brother William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 55] for £10,000.
The date of her funeral somewhat complicated. Rawsons 1910 book "Bess of Hardwick and her Circle" quotes Simpson's National Records of Derby for 1608: "The old Countess of Shrewsbury died about Candlemas this year, whose funeral was about Holy Thursday. A great frost this year. The witches of Bakewell hanged." Holy Thursday, the Feast of the Ascension, is thirty-nine days after Easter. Easter in 1608 was on the 6th of April, putting Holy Thursday on the 15th of May.
Ethel Carleton Williams "Bess of Hardwick", 1959, has a note: "9. The date of Bess of Hardwick's funeral is uncertain. The date on the coffin plate is said to be February 1608 (Cox and Hope, Chronicles of the Collegiate Church of All Saints, Derby), but on 31 March 1608 Gilbert Talbot wrote to Robert Cecil, excusing himself for not attending St George's Feast on the ground that his mother-in-law's funeral was to be on St George's Day (23 April). Later, on 3rd of April, the Earl of Arundel wrote to Gilbert (his father-in-law), 'the funeral at Derby is appointed to be either on the fourth or fifth of May, which Garter yet knoweth not, but rather thinketh on the fourth because the other is a holy day'".
Neither of which provide a definite answer. The former being around the 15th of May, the latter 'rather thinketh' the 4th of May. Are there any other contemporary sources available?
On 10th April 1608 William Cavendish 2nd Earl Devonshire [aged 18] and Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire were married. He the son of William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 55] and Anne Keighley [aged 45].
In or before 1611 Henry Crofts [aged 20] and [his step-daughter] Elizabeth Wortley [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Richard Wortley and [his wife] Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 42].
In 1613 [his daughter] Frances Cavendish [aged 20] died.
On 18th January 1618 [his son] John Cavendish died.
On 2nd August 1618 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 65] was created 1st Earl Devonshire, at the Bishop's Palace, Salisbury Cathedral. [his wife] Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 50] by marriage Countess Devonshire.
In 1625 [his wife] Anne Keighley [aged 62] died.
On 3rd March 1626 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 73] died. His son William [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Earl Devonshire, 2nd Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire by marriage Countess Devonshire. On 12th October 1616 Henry Cavendish died. Both were buried at St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].
The monument was behind the altar in the original church but moved to a separate chapel in the new church.
Monument formed two bodies under a low four-poster with black Ionic columns and black covering slab. The monument has been attributed to Maximilian Colt [aged 51].
In 1642 [his former wife] Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 74] died.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
[his son] John Cavendish was born to William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire and Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire.
[his son] Gilbert Cavendish was born to William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire and Anne Keighley.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 11 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 17 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 12 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cavendish 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Cavendish
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Odingsells
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Cavendish
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Clopton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Clopton
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ivetta Grey 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Cavendish
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Staventon
GrandFather: Thomas Cavendish 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Scudamore
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Scudamore 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gruffudd Fychan II Mathrafal
Great x 3 Grandfather: Owain ap Gruffudd "Glyndŵr" Mathrafal Prince Powys 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elen 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alys Mathrafal 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: David Hamner
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Hamner
Father: William Cavendish 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Carrington Smith
GrandMother: Alice Smith
William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Harwick
GrandFather: John Hardwick 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Pinchbeck
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Pinchbeck 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Green 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Green 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Talbot 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Greene 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary aka Marina Bellers
Mother: Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Simon Leeke
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Leeke of Gotham
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Leeke of Lakeford
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Leeke of Hasland 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Chaworth 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Chaworth 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Clifford 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Chaworth 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Leeke 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Vaux 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Vaux
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Vaux of Harrowden
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Vaux