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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Suicide is in Death.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Suicide, Jumped in front of a train
On 08 Sep 1945 Cecil Reginald John Manners (age 77) committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at Crowborough Railway Station Crowborough East Sussex.
The Liverpool Echo reported on the 11 Sep 1945: "A fully loaded six-chambered revolver was found on the body of a man believed to be Lord Cecil Manners, it wa stated at the inquest at Cromborough (Sussex), to-day. The man was killed by a train at Crowborough Station on Saturday. Detective-Constable Gray said he found an identity card on the body with the name Cecil R. J. Manners. A visiting card bore the name of Lord Cecil Manners, Tunbridge Wells. The coroner said he was satisfied that the man was Lord Cecil Manners. He recorded a verdict of "Death by decapitation by throwing himself in front of a train while the balance of mind was disturbed."
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Suicide, Shot himself
On 04 Sep 1701 Charles Granville 2nd Earl Bath (age 40) shot himself; he was found dead in a chair in his bedroom, wounded in the head, with two pistols, one of which had been fired. His son William (age 9) succeeded 3rd Earl Bath, 3rd Baron Granville of Kilkhampton and Biddeford.
On 01 Jan 1755 Henry Bromley 1st Baron Montfort (age 49) shot himself. He was buried at the Trinity Chapel, Conduit Street. Baron Montfort of Horseheath extinct. He left debts of £30,000 with an estate out of repair and in a very ruinous condition.
In 15 Aug 1776 John Damer (age 32) shot himself at the Bedford Arms Covent Garden being heavily in debt.
On 13 Feb 1818 Richard Croft 6th Baronet (age 56) shot himself as a consequence of the death of Princess Charlotte Augusta Hanover to whom he had been physician during her labour. A copy of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost was found open with the passage (Act V, Scene II): "Fair Sir, God save you! Where is the Princess?". He was buried at St James' Church, Piccadilly.His son Thomas (age 19) succeeded 7th Baronet Croft of Croft Castle in Herefordshire.
On 17 Jan 1848 Henry St John-Mildmay 4th Baronet (age 60) shot himself. His reason for committing suicide believed to be financial difficulties. His son Henry (age 38) succeeded 5th Baronet St John-Mildmay of Farley in Southampton.
On 04 Feb 1941 John Lambton (age 20) shot himself.
Sydney Morning Herald, 5th February 1941: "Viscount Lambton, who was found shot on the lawn of his family's home in Northumberland on Tuesday, was found by the coroner to have committed suicide while temporarily unbalanced. It was stated in evidence that he had been an abnormal child and had tried to turn night into day, sleeping in the daytime and working at night.
On 04 Mar 1952 Vivian Tyrell Champion de Crespigny 8th Baronet (age 44) shot himself in the head. Baronet Champion de Crespigny of Champion Lodge in Surrey extinct.
On 22 Oct 1983 Thomas Craven 7th Earl Craven (age 26) shot himself. His brother Simon (age 22) succeeded 8th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 8th Viscount Uffington, 14th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
Captain Clarence Trelawny shot himself.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Suicide, Stabbed himself to death
On 01 Aug 30BC Mark Antony 83BC 30BC (age 53)stabbed himself with his sword in the mistaken belief that Cleopatra had already done so. When he found out that Cleopatra was still alive, his friends brought him to Cleopatra's monument in which she was hiding, and he died in her arms.
On 14 Oct 1618 Gervase Clifton 1st Baron Clifton (age 48) stabbed himself to death in the Fleet Prison [Map]. His daughter Katherine (age 26) succeeded 2nd Baroness Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire. According to a letter from Reverend Thomas Lorkin the date was the 5th of October and the location "at his lodgings in Holborn" - see Letter.
