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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Marquess Lindsay is in Marquessates of England Alphabetically, Marquessates of England Chronologically, Extinct Marquessates of England.
Summary
1706. Robert Bertie 1st Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 45) created.
26th July 1723. Son Peregrine Bertie 2nd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 37) succeeded.
1st January 1741. Son Peregrine Bertie 3rd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 27) succeeded.
12th August 1778. Son Robert Bertie 4th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 21) succeeded.
8th July 1779. Uncle Brownlow Bertie 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 50) succeeded.
8th February 1809. Brownlow Bertie 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven extinct.
In 1706 Robert Bertie 1st Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 45) was created 1st Marquess Lindsay. Albinia Farington Duchess Ancaster and Kesteven by marriage Marchioness Lindsay.
On 26th July 1723 Robert Bertie 1st Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 62) died. His son Peregrine (age 37) succeeded 2nd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, 2nd Marquess Lindsay, 5th Earl Lindsey, 18th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. Jane Brownlow Duchess Ancaster and Kesteven by marriage Duchess Ancaster and Kesteven.
On 1st January 1741 Peregrine Bertie 2nd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 54) died. His son Peregrine (age 27) succeeded 3rd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, 3rd Marquess Lindsay, 6th Earl Lindsey, 19th Baron Willoughby de Eresby.
On 12th August 1778 Peregrine Bertie 3rd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 64) died. His son Robert (age 21) succeeded 4th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, 4th Marquess Lindsay, 7th Earl Lindsey, 20th Baron Willoughby de Eresby.
On 8th July 1779 Robert Bertie 4th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 22) died of scarlet fever unmarried at Grimsthorpe, South Kesteven. His uncle Brownlow (age 50) succeeded 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, 5th Marquess Lindsay, 8th Earl Lindsey. His sister Priscilla (age 18) succeeded 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
On 8th February 1809 Brownlow Bertie 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 79) died without male issue at Grimsthorpe, South Kesteven. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Swinstead [Map] on 17th February 1809. Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, Marquess Lindsay extinct. His third cousin Albermarle (age 64) succeeded 9th Earl Lindsey.
Sculpted by Richard Westmacott (age 33). A handsome white marble wall tablet in Grecian style depicting deceased and wife on a catafalque with mourning female figure, flanked by mother, children and angel. Above a scrolled cornice with Ducal coronet and palm. Beneath a rectangular inscription panel, flanked by scrolled brackets.
