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.
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Paternal Family Tree: Fane
After 28th April 1668 [his father] Henry Fane [aged 18] and [his mother] Elizabeth Southcott were married.
In January 1676 Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane was born to Henry Fane [aged 26] and Elizabeth Southcott.
On 30th January 1676 Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane was baptised.
On 3rd April 1693 Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 17] was educated at Wadham College, Oxford University.
Before 12th January 1706 [his father] Henry Fane [aged 56] died. He was buried on 12th January 1706.
On 19th November 1707 Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 31] and Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 21] were married.
Around 1708 [his son] Charles Fane 2nd Viscount Fane was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 31] and [his wife] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 22]. He married 7th June 1749 Susanna Marriott Viscountess Fane.
In 1711 [his daughter] Elizabeth Fane was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 34] and [his wife] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 25].
In 1713 [his daughter] Lucy Fane died.
On 24th February 1713 [his brother-in-law] James Stanhope 1st Earl Stanhope [aged 40] and Lucy Pitt Countess Stanhope [aged 21] were married.
In 1714 [his son] James Fane died.
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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On 22nd March 1717 [his daughter] Dorothy Fane Countess Sandwich was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 41] and [his wife] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 31]. She married 14th March 1741 John Montagu 4th Earl Sandwich and had issue.
In 1718 [his daughter] Charlotte Fane was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 41] and [his wife] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 32].
On 14th April 1718 [his brother-in-law] James Stanhope 1st Earl Stanhope [aged 45] was created 1st Earl Stanhope. Lucy Pitt Countess Stanhope [aged 26] by marriage Countess Stanhope.
On 22nd April 1718 Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 42] was created 1st Viscount Fane, 1st Baron Fane of Loughguyre in the County of Limerick. [his wife] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 32] by marriage Viscountess Fane.
On 5th February 1721 [his brother-in-law] James Stanhope 1st Earl Stanhope [aged 48] died. His son Philip [aged 6] succeeded 2nd Earl Stanhope.
On 14th March 1741 [his son-in-law] John Montagu 4th Earl Sandwich [aged 22] and [his daughter] Dorothy Fane Countess Sandwich [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Sandwich.
On 4th July 1744 Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane [aged 68] died. His son Charles [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Viscount Fane, 2nd Baron Fane of Loughguyre in the County of Limerick.
In 1762 [his former wife] Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane [aged 76] died.
[his son] James Fane was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane and Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane.
[his daughter] Mary Fane was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane and Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane.
[his daughter] Lucy Fane was born to Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane and Mary Stanhope Viscountess Fane.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 16 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 17 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 15 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Fane 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Fane
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Waller of Groombridge
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Waller
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Fane 1st Earl of Westmoreland 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Neville 5th and 3rd Baron Abergavenny 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Neville 6th and 4th Baron Abergavenny 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Stafford Baroness Bergavenny 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Neville 7th and 5th Baroness Abergavenny 3rd Baroness Despencer 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Manners Baroness Bergavenny 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandFather: George Fane 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Mildmay 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Mildmay
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Read
Great x 2 Grandfather: Anthony Mildmay 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Walsingham
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Walsingham 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joyce Denny 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Mildmay Countess of Westmoreland 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Sharington of Cranworth in Norfolk
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Sharington of Lacock in Wiltshire
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Pyrton
Great x 2 Grandmother: Grace Sharington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Paggett of Lacock Abbey
Father: Henry Fane 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Charles Fane 1st Viscount Fane 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Southcott
GrandFather: Thomas Southcott
Mother: Elizabeth Southcott