This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Wrottesley
On 17th June 1824 Arthur Wrottesley 3rd Baron Wrottesley was born to John Wrottesley 2nd Baron Wrottesley [aged 25].
On 16th March 1841 [his grandfather] John Wrottesley 1st Baron Wrottesley [aged 69] died. His son [his father] John [aged 42] succeeded 2nd Baron Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire, 10th Baronet Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire.
On 18th July 1861 Arthur Wrottesley 3rd Baron Wrottesley [aged 37] and Augusta Elizabeth Denison Baroness Wrottesley [aged 28] were married. They were sixth cousins.
In 1863 [his brother-in-law] William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 28] and Edith Somerset Countess Londesborough [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Baroness Londesborough of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire. She the daughter of Henry Somerset 7th Duke Beaufort and Emily Frances Smith Duchess Beaufort [aged 62]. They were third cousins.
On 27th October 1867 [his father] John Wrottesley 2nd Baron Wrottesley [aged 69] died. His son Arthur [aged 43] succeeded 3rd Baron Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire, 11th Baronet Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire. [his wife] Augusta Elizabeth Denison Baroness Wrottesley [aged 34] by marriage Lady Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire.
On 18th September 1873 [his son] Victor Alexander Wrottesley 4th Baron Wrottesley was born to Arthur Wrottesley 3rd Baron Wrottesley [aged 49] and [his wife] Augusta Elizabeth Denison Baroness Wrottesley [aged 40].
The London Gazette 24071. 2nd March 1874. St. James's Palace, March 2, 1874.
The Queen [aged 54] has been pleased to appoint to be Lords in Waiting in Ordinary to Her Majesty:-
Charles Adolphus, Earl of Dunmore [aged 32], in the room of Gavin, Earl of Breadalbane [aged 22], resigned.
Robert, Earl of Roden [aged 27], in the room of Valentine Augustus, Earl of Kenmare [aged 48], resigned.
Cornwallis, Viscount Hawarden [aged 56], in the room of Albert Edmund, Earl of Morley [aged 30], resigned.
William, Lord Bagot [aged 62], in the room of Thomas, Lord Camoys [aged 76], resigned.
Dudley Charles, Lord De Ros [aged 46], in the room of Charles, Lord Lurgan, resigned.
William Buller Fullerton, Lord Elphinstone [aged 45], in the room of Frederick Henry Paul, Lord Methuen [aged 56], resigned.
Thomas, Lord Walsingham [aged 30], in the room of Arthur, Lord Wrottesley [aged 49], resigned.
On 28th September 1877 [his son] Walter Bennet Wrottesley was born to Arthur Wrottesley 3rd Baron Wrottesley [aged 53] and [his wife] Augusta Elizabeth Denison Baroness Wrottesley [aged 44].
The London Gazette 24843. St. James's Palace, May 10, 1880. THE Queen has been pleased to appoint to be Lords in Waiting in Ordinary to Her Majesty:-
Frederick Henry Paul [aged 62], Lord Methuen in the room of William, Lord Bagot [aged 69], resigned.
Lawrance [aged 35], Earl of Zetland, in the room of Charles Adolphus [aged 39], Earl of Dunmore, resigned.
William [aged 46], Earl of Listowel, in the room of Dudley Charles FitzGerald [aged 53], Lord de Ros, resigned.
Thomas [aged 25], Lord Ribblesdale, in the room of William Buller Fullerton [aged 51], Lord Elphinstone, resigned.
Charles Douglas Richard [aged 39], Lord Sudeley, in the room of John Major [aged 37], Lord Henniker, resigned.
Arthur [aged 55], Lord Wrottesley, in the room of Cornwallis [aged 63], Viscount Hawarden, resigned.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1887 [his brother-in-law] William Henry Forester Denison 1st Earl Londesborough [aged 52] was created 1st Earl Londesborough in Yorkshire. Edith Somerset Countess Londesborough [aged 48] by marriage Countess Londesborough in Yorkshire.
On 20th January 1887 [his wife] Augusta Elizabeth Denison Baroness Wrottesley [aged 54] died.
On 28th December 1910 Arthur Wrottesley 3rd Baron Wrottesley [aged 86] died. His son Victor [aged 37] succeeded 4th Baron Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire, 12th Baronet Wrottesley of Wrottesley in Staffordshire.
Kings Wessex: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 21 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 27 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 30 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 15 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 28 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Wrottesley 3rd Baronet 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Wrottesley 4th Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Wrottesley 7th Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Grey 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Grey Lady Wrottesley 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Ward 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Wrottesley 8th Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Baron Gower 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Gower 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Manners Baroness Gower 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Leveson-Gower Lady Wrottesley 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Evelyn Pierrepont 1st Duke Kingston upon Hull 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Evelyn Pierrepont Baroness Gower 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Fielding Countess Kingston upon Hull 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: John Wrottesley 1st Baron Wrottesley 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Courtenay 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Courtenay 6th Earl Devon 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Boevey
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Courtenay 7th Earl Devon 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Bertie 1st Earl of Abingdon 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Bertie Countess Devon 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Lee Countess Abingdon 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Courtenay Lady Wrottesley 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Heneage Finch 1st Earl Aylesford 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Heneage Finch 2nd Earl Aylesford 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Banks Countess Aylesford
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Finch Countess Devon 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Clement Fisher 3rd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Fisher Countess Aylesford
Father: John Wrottesley 2nd Baron Wrottesley 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Bennet 1st Earl Tankerville 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Bennet 2nd Earl Tankerville 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Grey Baroness Ossulston 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Bennet 3rd Earl Tankerville 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Colville
Great x 3 Grandmother: Camilla Colville Countess Tankerville
Great x 1 Grandfather: Charles Bennet 4th Earl Tankerville 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Astley 1st Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Astley 2nd Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Astley Countess Tankerville 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Caroline Bennett Lady Wrottesley 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Colebrooke
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Colebrooke 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandmother: Emma Colebrooke Countess Tankerville
Arthur Wrottesley 3rd Baron Wrottesley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland