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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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William Frend De Morgan 1839-1917

On 3rd August 1837 [his father] Augustus de Morgan [aged 31] and [his mother] Sophia Elizabeth Frend [aged 27] were married.

On 16th November 1839 William Frend De Morgan was born to Augustus de Morgan [aged 33] and Sophia Elizabeth Frend [aged 30].

In December 1854 Henry Holiday [aged 15] entered the Royal Academy Schools as a probationer. His fellow students included Simeon Solomon [aged 14], Albert Moore [aged 13], William Blake Richmond [aged 12], William De Morgan [aged 15], Frederick Walker, and Marcus Stone [aged 14].

On 18th March 1871 [his father] Augustus de Morgan [aged 64] died.

On 5th March 1887 William Frend De Morgan [aged 47] and Evelyn de Morgan aka Mary Evelyn Pickering [aged 31] were married.

On 5th January 1892 [his mother] Sophia Elizabeth Frend [aged 82] died.

1893. [his wife] Evelyn de Morgan aka Mary Evelyn Pickering [aged 37]. Portrait of the artist's husband William Frend De Morgan [aged 53].

1909. [his wife] Evelyn de Morgan aka Mary Evelyn Pickering [aged 53]. Portrait of the artist's husband William Frend De Morgan [aged 69].

On 15th January 1917 William Frend De Morgan [aged 77] died. He was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking.

On 2nd May 1919 [his former wife] Evelyn de Morgan aka Mary Evelyn Pickering [aged 63] died. She was buried in the same grave of her husband William Frend De Morgan at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking. Her headstone, which depicts 'an angel with outstretched arms, pleading with a female figure of Death, with inverted torch, who turns her back', was carved by George Frampton [aged 58].

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Annals of Kings Richard II and Henry IV 1393-1406

The Annals of Kings Richard II and Henry IV offers a vivid contemporary account of one of the most turbulent periods in late medieval England. Covering the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, the chronicle records royal ceremonies, political conflict, rebellion, war, taxation, religious controversy, executions, popular unrest and remarkable portents. Its pages include a detailed description of Richard II’s coronation, the fall and deposition of the king, Henry IV’s seizure of the throne, the Percy rebellion, the execution of Archbishop Richard Scrope, the campaigns of Owain Glyndŵr, and England’s relations with Scotland, France, Portugal and Scandinavia. Alongside affairs of state, the annalist preserves reports of miracles, eclipses, prophecies, supernatural events and the experiences of ordinary townspeople, clergy, soldiers and travellers. Written from a monastic perspective, the work combines political observation with moral judgement, presenting victories and disasters as evidence of divine favour or punishment. At once a historical record and a reflection of medieval belief, the Annals provides an invaluable window into the challenges, ceremonies and conflicts of England at the turn of the fifteenth century.

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St Michael's Church, Rocester [Map]. East Window, and two windows in the chancel, by William Frend De Morgan restored 1991. One of the windows signed "DM".

Ancestors of William Frend De Morgan 1839-1917

Father: Augustus de Morgan

William Frend De Morgan

Grandfather: William Frend

Mother: Sophia Elizabeth Frend