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.
Paternal Family Tree: Gladstone
On 30th September 1875 [his father] William Henry Gladstone (age 35) and [his mother] Gertrude Stuart (age 25) were married.
On 14th July 1885 William Glynne Charles Gladstone was born to [his father] William Henry Gladstone (age 45) and [his mother] Gertrude Stuart (age 35). He was educated at Eton College [Map] and New College, Oxford University.
On 4th July 1891 [his father] William Henry Gladstone (age 51) died.
In 1907 William Glynne Charles Gladstone (age 21) was President of the Oxford Union.
On 26th September 1911 William Glynne Charles Gladstone (age 26) was elected MP Kilmarnock Boroughs which seat he held until his death in 1915.
1915. Photograph of William Glynne Charles Gladstone (age 29).
The London Gazette 29137. SPECIAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS. RESERVE UNITS. INFANTRY. 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, The undermentioned Second Lieutenants (on probation) are confirmed in their rank:
William G. C. Gladstone (age 29).
Alfred E. Watkin.
Francis Jones-Bateman.
The undermentioned Second Lieutenants to be Lieutenants: Dated 7th April, 1915.
William G. C. Gladstone (since killed in action).
Richard Gambier-Parry.
Henry F. G. Williams.
William I. G. Farren.
Eric I. Jones.
Alfred E. Watkin.
Francis Jones-Bateman.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
On 13th April 1915 William Glynne Charles Gladstone (age 29) was killed in action near Laventie; shot by a sniper. He was initially buried in France, but permission was granted by King George V for his body to be brought back to the United Kingdom. Nine days after his death, his body was disinterred and re-buried in the churchyard of St Deiniol's, Hawarden. His body was the last to be officially repatriated to the United Kingdom during the First World War. As a memorial, a rood was installed at St Deiniol's, Hawarden, and a new theatre and wards at Chester Royal Infirmary. Gladstone is also commemorated on Panel 8 of the Parliamentary War Memorial in Westminster Hall, one of 22 MPs who died during the War to be named on that memorial.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 21 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 15 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Gladstones
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Gladstone 1st Baronet
GrandFather: William Ewart Gladstone
Great x 2 Grandfather: Andrew Robertson
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne MacKenzie Robertson
Father: William Henry Gladstone 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Stephen Glynne 3rd Baronet 15 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Glynne 6th Baronet 16 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sophia Evelyn Lady Glynne of Bicester aka Bisseter
Great x 2 Grandfather: Stephen Glynne 7th Baronet 17 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 1 Grandfather: Stephen Richard Glynne 8th Baronet 18 x Great Grand Son of
GrandMother: Catherine Glynne 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Aldworth of Stanlake 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Aldworth aka Neville aka Griffin 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Neville 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Griffin 2nd Baron Braybrook 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Calandrini
Great x 3 Grandmother: Magdalen Calandrini
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Griffin 9 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Granville 
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Granville
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Granville 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Wyndham 3rd Baronet 
13 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Wyndham 7 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Seymour 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of
William Glynne Charles Gladstone 12 x Great Grand Son of
Mother: Gertrude Stuart 