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 Eldon is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
6th July 1821. John Scott 1st Earl Eldon (age 70) created.
13th January 1838. Grandson John Scott 2nd Earl Eldon (age 32) succeeded.
18th September 1854. Son John Scott 3rd Earl Eldon (age 9) succeeded.
1926. Grandson John Scott 4th Earl Eldon (age 26) succeeded.
20th October 1976. Son John Scott 5th Earl of Eldon (age 39) succeeded.
30th January 2017. Son John Francis Scott 6th Earl of Eldon (age 55) succeeded.
The London Gazette 17722. Whitehall, July 6, 1821. The King has been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal, for granting the dignities of a Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to John Baron Elton (age 70), Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, and the heirs, male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, stiles, and titles of Viscount Encombe of Encombe, in the county of Dorset, and Earl of Eldon, in the county palatine of Durham.
On 13th January 1838 John Scott 1st Earl Eldon (age 86) died. His grandson John (age 32) succeeded 2nd Earl Eldon, 2nd Viscount Encoumbe of Encombe in Dorest, 2nd Baron Eldon of Eldon in County Durham. Louisa Duncombe Countess Eldon (age 30) by marriage Countess Eldon.
On 18th September 1854 John Scott 2nd Earl Eldon (age 48) died. His son John (age 9) succeeded 3rd Earl Eldon, 3rd Viscount Encoumbe of Encombe in Dorest, 3rd Baron Eldon of Eldon in County Durham.
In 1926 John Scott 3rd Earl Eldon (age 81) died. His grandson John (age 26) succeeded 4th Earl Eldon, 4th Viscount Encoumbe of Encombe in Dorest, 4th Baron Eldon of Eldon in County Durham.
On 10th April 1934 John Scott 4th Earl Eldon (age 35) and Magdalen Mary Charlotte Fraser Countess Eldon (age 20) were married. She by marriage Countess Eldon.
On 20th October 1976 John Scott 4th Earl Eldon (age 77) died. His son John (age 39) succeeded 5th Earl Eldon, 5th Viscount Encoumbe of Encombe in Dorest, 5th Baron Eldon of Eldon in County Durham.
On 30th January 2017 John Scott 5th Earl of Eldon (age 79) died. His son John (age 55) succeeded 6th Earl Eldon, 6th Viscount Encoumbe of Encombe in Dorest, 6th Baron Eldon of Eldon in County Durham.