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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Earl Bessborough is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
1739. Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough [aged 60] created.
4th July 1758. Son William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 54] succeeded.
11th March 1793. Son Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 35] succeeded.
3rd February 1844. Son John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 62] succeeded.
16th May 1847. Son John George Brabazon Ponsonby 5th Earl Bessborough [aged 37] succeeded.
28th January 1880. Brother Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby 6th Earl Bessborough [aged 64] succeeded.
11th March 1895. Brother Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby 7th Earl Bessborough [aged 73] succeeded.
24th February 1906. Son Edward Ponsonby 8th Earl Bessborough [aged 54] succeeded.
1st December 1920. Son Vere Brabazon Ponsonby 9th Earl Bessborough [aged 40] succeeded.
1956. Son Frederick Edward Neuflize Ponsonby 10th Earl Bessborough [aged 42] succeeded.
5th December 1993. First Cousin Arthur Mountifort Longfield Ponsonby 11th Earl Bessborough [aged 80] succeeded.
5th April 2002. Son Myles Fitzhugh Ponsonby 12th Earl Bessborough [aged 61] succeeded.
In 1739 Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough [aged 60] was created 1st Earl Bessborough.
On 4th July 1758 Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough [aged 79] died. His son William [aged 54] succeeded 2nd Earl Bessborough, 3rd Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 3rd Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny. Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough [aged 39] by marriage Countess Bessborough.
On 27th November 1780 Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 22] and Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Bessborough. She the daughter of John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 45] and Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 43]. He the son of William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 76] and Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough. They were fifth cousins.
On 11th March 1793 William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 89] died. His son Frederick [aged 35] succeeded 3rd Earl Bessborough, 4th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 4th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 3rd February 1844 Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 86] died. His son John [aged 62] succeeded 4th Earl Bessborough, 5th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 5th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 16th May 1847 John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 65] died. His son John [aged 37] succeeded 5th Earl Bessborough, 6th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 6th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 4th October 1849 John George Brabazon Ponsonby 5th Earl Bessborough [aged 39] and Caroline Amelia Gordon-Lennox Countess Bessborough [aged 30] were married. She by marriage Countess Bessborough. She the daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox 5th Duke Richmond [aged 58] and Caroline Paget Duchess Richmond [aged 53]. He the son of John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough and Maria Fane. They were fifth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 28th January 1880 John George Brabazon Ponsonby 5th Earl Bessborough [aged 70] died. His brother Frederick [aged 64] succeeded 6th Earl Bessborough, 7th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 7th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 11th March 1895 Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby 6th Earl Bessborough [aged 79] died. His brother Walter [aged 73] succeeded 7th Earl Bessborough, 8th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 8th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny. Louisa Susan Cornwallis Eliot Countess Bessborough [aged 69] by marriage Countess Bessborough.
On 24th February 1906 Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby 7th Earl Bessborough [aged 84] died. His son Edward [aged 54] succeeded 8th Earl Bessborough, 9th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 9th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny. Blanche Vere Guest Countess Bessborough [aged 59] by marriage Countess Bessborough.
On 1st December 1920 Edward Ponsonby 8th Earl Bessborough [aged 69] died. His son Vere [aged 40] succeeded 9th Earl Bessborough, 10th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 10th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
In 1956 Vere Brabazon Ponsonby 9th Earl Bessborough [aged 76] died. His son Frederick [aged 42] succeeded 10th Earl Bessborough, 11th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 11th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 5th December 1993 Frederick Edward Neuflize Ponsonby 10th Earl Bessborough [aged 80] died. His first cousin Arthur [aged 80] succeeded 11th Earl Bessborough, 12th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 12th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 5th April 2002 Arthur Mountifort Longfield Ponsonby 11th Earl Bessborough [aged 89] died. His son Myles [aged 61] succeeded 12th Earl Bessborough, 13th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 13th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.