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: Somerville
On 11th August 1801 or 1st October 1801 [his father] Marcus Somerville 4th Baronet and [his mother] Mary Anne Gorges-Meredyth were married.
In 1802 William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney was born to [his father] Marcus Somerville 4th Baronet and [his mother] Mary Anne Gorges-Meredyth.
Around 7th April 1825 [his father] Marcus Somerville 4th Baronet and [his step-mother] Elizabeth Geale Countess Fortescue were married.
On 11th July 1831 [his father] Marcus Somerville 4th Baronet died. His son William (age 29) succeeded 5th Baronet Somerville of Somerville in County Meath.
On 22nd December 1832 William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 30) and Maria Harriet Conyngham were married. She the daughter of Henry Conyngham 1st Marquess Conyngham (age 65) and Elizabeth Denison Marchioness Conyngham (age 63).
On 28th December 1832 [his father-in-law] Henry Conyngham 1st Marquess Conyngham (age 66) died. His son [his brother-in-law] Francis (age 35) succeeded 2nd Marquess Conyngham in Donegal, 4th Baron Conyngham, 2nd Baron Minster of Minster Abbey in Kent. Jane Paget Marchioness Conyngham (age 34) by marriage Marchioness Conyngham in Donegal.
On 21st June 1834 [his daughter] Elizabeth Jane Somerville Countess Charlemont was born to William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 32) and [his wife] Maria Harriet Conyngham. She married 18th December 1856 James Molyneux Caulfeild 3rd Earl Charlemont.
On 3rd December 1843 [his wife] Maria Harriet Conyngham died.
On 18th December 1856 [his son-in-law] James Molyneux Caulfeild 3rd Earl Charlemont (age 36) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Jane Somerville Countess Charlemont (age 22) were married.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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On 16th October 1860 William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 58) and Maria Georgiana Elizabeth Jones (age 29) were married. The difference in their ages was 29 years.
On 14th December 1863 William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 61) was created 1st Baron Athlumney of Somerville and Dollarstown in County Meath.
On 23rd March 1865 [his son] James Somerville 2nd Baron Meredyth and Athlumney was born to William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 63) and [his wife] Maria Georgiana Elizabeth Jones (age 33).
On 3rd May 1866 William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 64) was created 1st Baron Meredyth of Dollardstown in County Meath.
On 8th December 1873 William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney (age 71) died. His son James (age 8) succeeded 2nd Baron Athlumney of Somerville and Dollarstown in County Meath, 2nd Baron Meredyth of Dollardstown in County Meath, 6th Baronet Somerville of Somerville in County Meath.
On 6th January 1899 [his former wife] Maria Georgiana Elizabeth Jones (age 67) died.
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Somerville 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Quaile Somerville 2nd Baronet
GrandFather: James Quaile Somerville 3rd Baronet
Father: Marcus Somerville 4th Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Marcus Lowther-Crofton 1st Baronet
GrandMother: Catherine Crofton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Crofton 3rd Baronet
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Crofton
William Meredyth Somerville 1st Baron Meredyth and Athlumney
GrandFather: Richard Gorges-Meredyth 1st Baronet
Mother: Mary Anne Gorges-Meredyth