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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Paternal Family Tree: Stewart of Donegal
Maternal Family Tree: Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry 1800-1865
In 1804 [her father] Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 26] and Catherine Bligh [aged 29] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She the daughter of John Bligh 3rd Earl Darnley. He the son of [her grandfather] Robert Stewart 1st Marquess Londonderry [aged 64] and [her grandmother] Frances Pratt Marchioness Londonderry [aged 53].
On 3rd April 1819 [her father] Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 41] and [her mother] Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 19] were married at Bruton Street. The difference in their ages was 22 years. He the son of [her grandfather] Robert Stewart 1st Marquess Londonderry [aged 79] and [her grandmother] Frances Pratt Marchioness Londonderry [aged 68].
On 15th April 1822 Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough was born to [her father] Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 44] and [her mother] Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 22].
On 12th August 1822 [her uncle] Robert Stewart 2nd Marquess Londonderry [aged 53] committed suicide at Loring Hall, Kent. His half brother [her father] Charles [aged 44] succeeded 3rd Marquess Londonderry. [her mother] Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 22] by marriage Marchioness Londonderry.
On 12th July 1843 John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 21] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 65] and Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 43]. He the son of George Spencer-Churchill 6th Duke of Marlborough [aged 49] and Jane Stewart Duchess of Marlborough [aged 45].
On 13th May 1844 [her son] George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 21] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 22]. He married 1869 his third cousin once removed Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough, daughter of James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn and Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn, and had issue.
On 2nd February 1846 [her son] Frederick John Winston Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 23] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 23]. He died aged four in 1850.
On 3rd August 1846 [her brother] George Henry Vane-Tempest 5th Marquess Londonderry [aged 25] and [her sister-in-law] Mary Cornelia Edwards Marchioness Londonderry [aged 17] were married. He the son of [her father] Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 68] and [her mother] Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 46].
On 3rd September 1847 [her brother-in-law] Henry John Reuben Dawson-Damer 3rd Earl of Portarlington [aged 24] and [her sister] Alexandrina Octavia Maria Vane Countess Portarlington [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Portarlington. She the daughter of [her father] Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 69] and [her mother] Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 47].
On 17th September 1847 [her daughter] Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill Baroness Wimborne was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 25] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 25]. She married 25th May 1868 Ivor Bertie Guest, son of John Josiah Guest 1st Baronet and Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie, and had issue.
Around 1848 [her daughter] Rosamond Jane Frances Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 25] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 25]. She married 12th July 1877 her sixth cousin William Henry Fellowes 2nd Baron de Ramsey of Ramsey Abbey, son of Edward Fellowes 1st Baron de Ramsey of Ramsey Abbey and Mary Julia Milles Baroness de Ramsay, and had issue.
On 13th February 1849 [her son] Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 26] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 26] at 3 Wilton Terrace, Belgravia. He married 15th April 1874 Jenny Jerome and had issue.
On 5th August 1850 [her son] Frederick John Winston Spencer-Churchill [aged 4] died.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 29th January 1853 [her daughter] Fanny Octavia Louise Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 30] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 30]. She married 9th June 1873 Edward Marjoribanks 2nd Baron Tweedmouth, son of Dudley Marjoribanks 1st Baron Tweedmouth and Isabella Hogg, and had issue.
On 6th March 1854 [her father] Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry [aged 76] died at Londonderry House Park Lane. His son [her half-brother] Frederick [aged 48] succeeded 4th Marquess Londonderry.
Monument at St Mary's Church, Long Newton [Map].
Frederick William Robert Stewart 4th Marquess Londonderry: On 7th July 1805 he was born to Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry and Catherine Bligh. On 25th November 1872 Frederick William Robert Stewart 4th Marquess Londonderry died. His half brother George succeeded 5th Marquess Londonderry. Mary Cornelia Edwards Marchioness Londonderry by marriage Marchioness Londonderry.
On 14th November 1854 [her daughter] Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill Duchess Roxburghe was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 32] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 32]. She married 11th June 1874 James Henry Robert Innes-Kerr 7th Duke Roxburghe, son of James Innes-Kerr 6th Duke Roxburghe, and had issue.
In 1856 [her son] Charles Ashley Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 33] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 33]. He died aged two in 1858.
On 1st July 1857 [her father-in-law] George Spencer-Churchill 6th Duke of Marlborough [aged 63] died. His son [her husband] John [aged 35] succeeded 7th Duke Marlborough, 7th Marquess of Blandford, 7th Earl of Marlborough, 7th Baron Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, 9th Earl of Sunderland, 11th Baron Spencer Wormleighton. Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 35] by marriage Duchess Marlborough.
On 11th March 1858 [her son] Charles Ashley Spencer-Churchill [aged 2] died.
On 4th July 1858 [her daughter] Augustus Robert Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 36] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 36]. She died aged less than one years old.
On 12th May 1859 [her daughter] Augustus Robert Spencer-Churchill died.
On 14th May 1860 [her daughter] Georgiana Elizabeth Spencer-Churchill Countess Howe was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 37] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 38]. She married 4th June 1883 her sixth cousin Richard George Penn Curzon 4th Earl Howe, son of Richard William Penn Curzon Howe 3rd Earl Howe and Isabella Maria Katherine Anson Countess Howe, and had issue.
On 20th January 1865 [her mother] Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry [aged 65] died at Seaham Hall, County Durham. Memorial at St Mary's Church, Long Newton [Map].
Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry: On 17th January 1800 she was born to Henry Vane-Tempest 2nd Baronet at St James' Church, Piccadilly. On 3rd April 1819 Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry and she were married at Bruton Street. The difference in their ages was 22 years. He the son of Robert Stewart 1st Marquess Londonderry and Frances Pratt Marchioness Londonderry. On 12th August 1822 Robert Stewart 2nd Marquess Londonderry committed suicide at Loring Hall, Kent. His half brother Charles succeeded 3rd Marquess Londonderry. She by marriage Marchioness Londonderry.
On 4th July 1865 [her daughter] Sarah Isabella Augusta Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 43] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 43]. She married 21st November 1891 Gordon Chesney Wilson.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
After 6th August 1866 John Charles Pratt 3rd Marquess Camden [aged 26] and [her sister-in-law] Clementina Augusta Spencer-Churchill Countess Camden [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Camden, Countess Brecknock. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] George Spencer-Churchill 6th Duke of Marlborough and Charlotte Augusta Flower Duchess of Marlborough. He the son of George Pratt 2nd Marquess Camden [deceased] and Harriet Murray Marchioness Camden.
On 25th May 1868 [her son-in-law] Ivor Bertie Guest [aged 32] and Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill Baroness Wimborne [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 45] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 46].
In 1869 George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough [aged 24] and Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn [aged 57] and Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn [aged 56]. He the son of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 46] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 46]. They were third cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 25th November 1872 [her half-brother] Frederick William Robert Stewart 4th Marquess Londonderry [aged 67] died. His half brother George [aged 51] succeeded 5th Marquess Londonderry. Mary Cornelia Edwards Marchioness Londonderry [aged 43] by marriage Marchioness Londonderry.
On 9th June 1873 [her son-in-law] Edward Marjoribanks 2nd Baron Tweedmouth [aged 23] and Fanny Octavia Louise Spencer-Churchill [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 51] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 51].
On 15th January 1874 [her sister] Alexandrina Octavia Maria Vane Countess Portarlington [aged 50] died.
On 15th April 1874 Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill [aged 25] and Jenny Jerome [aged 20] were married at British Embassy, Paris. Regarded by some as the original Dollar Princess although there are much earlier examples. He the son of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 51] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 52].
On 11th June 1874 [her son-in-law] James Henry Robert Innes-Kerr 7th Duke Roxburghe [aged 34] and Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill Duchess Roxburghe [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Duchess Roxburghe. She the daughter of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 52] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 52]. He the son of James Innes-Kerr 6th Duke Roxburghe [aged 57].
On 12th July 1877 [her son-in-law] William Henry Fellowes 2nd Baron de Ramsey of Ramsey Abbey [aged 29] and Rosamond Jane Frances Spencer-Churchill [aged 29] were married. She the daughter of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 55] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 55]. They were sixth cousins.
Life's Ebb And Flow Chapter IV. [30th April 1881]. Our dear friend, the Bishop of St. Albans [aged 72] (Claughton), helped by our neighbour the rector of Little Easton [Map], the Rev. G. Tufnell, along with two London clergy, officiated at our wedding. It pleased me very much to have the benediction pronounced by Dean Stanley [aged 65], who had kept in the background during the ceremony. The register was signed by the Prince of Wales [aged 39], Prince Leopold [aged 28], and Lords Warwick and Rosslyn. Our honeymoon was spent at beautiful Ditton Park, which was lent us by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, and there, in lovely May weather, we had a fortnight on the river, boating and canoeing. But, alas for romance, there was one worldly honour given us that demanded all our self-control. We were commanded to dine at Windsor Castle on the day after our wedding, and I was asked to wear my bridal dress, orange blossoms and all! I must confess that Her Majesty's [aged 61] kindness on that occasion went far to soothe the shyness of a bride in her teens. The Queen took from my corsage a spray of orange blossom to keep as a souvenir and said many charming things about the beauty of my frock. Her Majesty so much admired what she was pleased to call the "lovely" dress, that I had a note next day from Lady Churchill [aged 59], then in waiting, to say that the Queen wished so very much to possess a photograph of me if I would have myself taken in the gown, and hoping I was not too tired from the long standing.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 4th June 1883 [her son-in-law] Richard George Penn Curzon 4th Earl Howe [aged 22] and Georgiana Elizabeth Spencer-Churchill Countess Howe [aged 23] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She the daughter of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 61] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 61]. He the son of Richard William Penn Curzon Howe 3rd Earl Howe [aged 61] and Isabella Maria Katherine Anson Countess Howe [aged 51]. They were sixth cousins.
On 5th July 1883 [her husband] John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 61] died. His son George [aged 39] succeeded 8th Duke Marlborough, 8th Marquess of Blandford, 8th Earl of Marlborough, 8th Baron Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, 10th Earl of Sunderland, 12th Baron Spencer Wormleighton. Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough [aged 36] by marriage Duchess Marlborough.
On 6th November 1884 [her brother] George Henry Vane-Tempest 5th Marquess Londonderry [aged 63] died. His son [her nephew] Charles [aged 32] succeeded 6th Marquess Londonderry. Theresa Susey Helen Chetwynd-Talbot Marchioness Londonderry [aged 28] by marriage Marchioness Londonderry.
On 21st November 1891 [her son-in-law] Gordon Chesney Wilson [aged 26] and Sarah Isabella Augusta Spencer-Churchill [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 69].
On 9th November 1892 George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough [aged 48] died. His son Charles [aged 20] succeeded 9th Duke Marlborough, 9th Marquess of Blandford, 9th Earl of Marlborough, 9th Baron Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, 11th Earl of Sunderland, 13th Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
On 24th January 1895 [her son] Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill [aged 45] died. He was buried at St Martin's Church, Bladon [Map].
On 2nd April 1895 Clarissa Hall [aged 70] died. Her funeral was held at the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair on 5th April 1895 attended by her daughters Clarita "Clara" Jerome [aged 44], [her former daughter-in-law] Jenny Jerome [aged 41] and Leonie Blanche Jerome Lady Leslie [aged 36], her grandsons Winston Churchill [aged 20] and John Strange "Jack" Spencer-Churchill [aged 15] and the Dowager Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 72].
On 16th April 1899 Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 77] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 31 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Stewart of Ballylawn in County Donegal 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Alexander Stewart
GrandFather: Robert Stewart 1st Marquess Londonderry
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Cowan
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Cowan
Father: Charles William Vane 3rd Marquess Londonderry 
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Pratt
Great x 1 Grandfather: Charles Pratt 1st Earl Camden
GrandMother: Frances Pratt Marchioness Londonderry
Great x 4 Grandfather: Watkin Jeffreys of Baillie Cwmdwr in Breconshire
Great x 3 Grandfather: Jeffrey Jeffreys
Great x 2 Grandfather: Nicholas Jeffreys of The Priory Breconshire
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Jeffreys
Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Vane of Long Newton 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Lionel Vane 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Maddison
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Vane of Long Newton 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Fletcher 2nd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Fletcher 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Hare 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Vane 1st Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ann Machon
GrandFather: Henry Vane-Tempest 2nd Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Colonel William Tempest Old Durham 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Tempest Old Durham
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Tempest of Sherburne Durham
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Tempest
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Shuttleworth of Gawthorpe Hall and Forcett
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Shuttleworth
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Clerke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Shuttleworth
Great x 4 Grandfather: Colonel William Tempest Old Durham
Great x 3 Grandmother: Emma Tempest
Mother: Frances Vane Tempest Marchioness Londonderry 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England