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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Francis Johnston is in Architects.
In 1760 Francis Johnston was born to [his father] William Johnston at Armagh.
In 1789 Francis Johnston (age 29) was commissioned by Archbishop Richard Robinson 1st Baron Rokeby (age 81), and Archbishop of Armagh to design the Armagh Observatory.
1790 Francis Johnston (age 30) designed a new club house for Daly's Club on College Green Dublin.
In 1794 Francis Johnston (age 34) designed Townley Hall Drogheda built between 1794 and 1798.
In 1806 Francis Johnston (age 46) designed Armagh Court House built between 1806 and 1809.
Before 1823 Francis Johnston (age 62) and Anne Barnes (age 53) were married.
1823. Henry Hoppner Meyer (age 42). Drawing of Francis Johnston (age 63) after Thomas Clement Thompson (age 43).
Around 1823. Thomas Clement Thompson (age 43). Portrait of Francis Johnston (age 63).
In 1824 Francis Johnston (age 64) was made president of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts which had been founded the previous year, and he provided headquarters for the academy in Lower Abbey Street Dublin at his own expense.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 14th March 1829 Francis Johnston (age 69) died. He was buried at St George's Church, Dublin.
On 18th August 1841 or 18th August 1842 [his former wife] Anne Barnes (age 72) died.