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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St Paul's Church, Covent Garden is in Bedford Street Covent Garden.
In or before 1611 Thomas The Red Pepys [aged 38] and Anne Cope were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.
On 20th July 1654 John Skeffington 2nd Viscount Massereene and Mary Clotworthy were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.
On 24th January 1655 Thomas Spencer 3rd Baronet [aged 16] and Jane Garrard Lady Spencer [aged 17] were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. She by marriage Lady Spencer of Yarnton in Oxfordshire.
On 4th December 1659 John Brereton 4th Baron Brereton and Mary Tipping Baroness Brereton [aged 4] were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. She by marriage Baroness Brereton.
On 1st May 1662 Francis Brereton 5th Baron Brereton was born to William Brereton 3rd Baron Brereton [aged 30] and Frances Willoughby Baroness Brereton [aged 37]. He was baptised at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden on 2nd May 1662.
On 17th April 1664 Aubrey de Vere was born to Aubrey de Vere 20th Earl of Oxford [aged 37] and Hester Davenport Countess of Oxford [aged 22]. He was baptised on 15th May 1664 at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.
John Evelyn's Diary. 6th March 1670. Dr. Patrick preached in Covent Garden Church. I participated of the Blessed Sacrament, recommending to God the deplorable condition of my dear brother [aged 47], who was almost in the last agonies of death. I watched late with him this night. It pleased God to deliver him out of this miserable life, toward five o'clock this Monday morning, to my unspeakable grief. He was a brother whom I most dearly loved, for his many virtues; but two years younger than myself, a sober, prudent, worthy gentleman. He had married a great fortune, and left one only daughter, and a noble seat at Woodcot, near Epsom. His body was opened, and a stone taken out of his bladder, not much bigger than a nutmeg. I returned home on the 8th, full of sadness, and to bemoan my loss.
On 7th December 1671 Henry Heron [aged 58] and Dorothy Long [aged 21] were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. The difference in their ages was 37 years.
On 10th July 1672 Thomas Broughton 2nd Baronet [aged 22] and Rhoda Amcotts Lady Broughton [aged 18] were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.
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 17th March 1674 Thomas Burman [aged 56] died in the parish of St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. He was buried at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th October 1686. Dr. Patrick, Dean of Peterborough [aged 60], preached at Covent Garden Church on Ephes. v. 18, 19, showing the custom of the primitive saints in serving God with hymns, and their frequent use of them upon all occasions: touching the profane way of mirth and intemperance of this ungodly age. Afterward I visited my Lord Chief Justice of Ireland [aged 53], with whom I had long and private discourse concerning the miserable condition that kingdom was like to be in, if Tyrconnel's [aged 56] counsel should prevail at Court.
On or before 8th March 1688 John Conduit was born. He was baptised on 8th March 1688 at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. In June 1701 he was admitted to Westminster School [Map]. In 1705 he was elected a Queen's scholar to Trinity College, Cambridge University [Map].
On or before 26th May 1689 Mary Wortley-Montagu née Pierrepont was born to Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke Kingston upon Hull [aged 34] and Mary Fielding Countess Kingston upon Hull [aged 21]. On 26th May 1689 she was baptised at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. She married 1712 Edward Wortley-Montagu and had issue.
Before 8th January 1715 Joseph Moyle aka Copley 1st Baronet was born to Joseph Moyle [aged 35] and Catherine Copley. On 8th January 1715 he was baptised at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. He married 23rd September 1757 Mary Buller Lady Copley and had issue.
On 23rd April 1775 Joseph Mallord William Turner was born to William Turner [aged 30] and Mary Marshall at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden. He was baptised on 14th May 1775 at the St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. His father was a barber and wig maker.
On 21st April 1792 Kemeys Radcliffe [aged 26] and Mary Magdalana Tealing of Putney were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. His aunt Emilia Anne Pond was witness.
On 14th August 1797 Reverend Robert Behoe Radcliffe was baptised at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.