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: Montagu
Maternal Family Tree: Emma de Dinan 1136-1208
Around 1684 George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax was born to Edward Montagu [aged 35] and Elizabeth Pelham [aged 34].
In 1694 Godfrey Kneller [aged 47]. Portrait of George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 10].
In 1700 [his uncle] Charles Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 38] was created 1st Baron Halifax with special remainder to his nephew George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 16].
In 1706 George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 22] and Ricarda Posthuma Saltonstale [aged 17] were married.
In 1711 [his wife] Ricarda Posthuma Saltonstale [aged 22] died.
After 1711 George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 27] and Mary Lumley Countess Halifax [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Richard Lumley 1st Earl Scarborough [aged 61] and Frances Jones Countess Scarborough [aged 43]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
In 1715 George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 31] was created 1st Earl Halifax. [his wife] Mary Lumley Countess Halifax [aged 24] by marriage Countess Halifax.
In 1715 [his father] Edward Montagu [aged 66] died.
On 19th May 1715 [his uncle] Charles Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 54] died. Earl Halifax extinct. His nephew George [aged 31] succeeded 2nd Baron Halifax.
On 6th October 1716 [his son] George Montagu Dunk 2nd Earl Halifax was born to George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 32] and [his wife] Mary Lumley Countess Halifax [aged 25]. He married 1741 Anne Richards.
In 1718 [his daughter] Mary Montagu was born to George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 34] and [his wife] Mary Lumley Countess Halifax [aged 27]. She married 25th September 1740 Danvers Osborn 3rd Baronet and had issue.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 17th December 1721 [his father-in-law] Richard Lumley 1st Earl Scarborough [aged 71] died of apoplexy at Gerard Street, Soho. His son [his brother-in-law] Richard [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Earl of Scarborough, 3rd Viscount Lumley, 2nd Baron Lumley.
On 23rd May 1723 James Saunderson 1st Earl Castleton [aged 56] died unmarried. Earl Castleton and Viscount Castleton extinct. His estates were inherited by his cousin [his brother-in-law] Thomas Lumley-Saunderson 3rd Earl Scarborough [aged 32] who added Saunderson to his surname.
On 13th July 1723 [his mother] Elizabeth Pelham [aged 73] died.
On 27th June 1724 [his brother-in-law] Thomas Lumley-Saunderson 3rd Earl Scarborough [aged 33] and Frances Hamilton Countess Scarborough were married. She the daughter of George Hamilton 1st Earl Orkney [aged 58] and Elizabeth Villiers Countess Orkney [aged 67]. He the son of [his father-in-law] Richard Lumley 1st Earl Scarborough and [his mother-in-law] Frances Jones Countess Scarborough. They were fourth cousins.
On 12th December 1726 [his wife] Mary Lumley Countess Halifax [aged 35] died.
In 1728 [his son-in-law] Francis North 1st Earl Guildford [aged 23] and Lucy Montagu Baroness Guildford were married. She the daughter of George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 44] and Ricarda Posthuma Saltonstale. They were fourth cousins.
In 1734 [his daughter] Lucy Montagu Baroness Guildford died.
On 1st January 1739 [his son-in-law] Roger Burgoyne 6th Baronet [aged 28] and Frances Montagu Lady Burgoyne were married. She by marriage Lady Burgoyne of Sutton in Bedfordshire. She the daughter of George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 55] and Mary Lumley Countess Halifax. They were fifth cousins.
On 9th May 1739 George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax [aged 55] died. His son George [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Earl Halifax, 3rd Baron Halifax.
[his father] Edward Montagu and [his mother] Elizabeth Pelham were married. They were fourth cousins.
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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[his daughter] Frances Montagu Lady Burgoyne was born to George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax and Mary Lumley Countess Halifax. She married 1st January 1739 her fifth cousin Roger Burgoyne 6th Baronet, son of Roger Burgoyne 4th Baronet, and had issue.
[his daughter] Lucy Montagu Baroness Guildford was born to George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax and Ricarda Posthuma Saltonstale. She married 1728 her fourth cousin Francis North 1st Earl Guildford, son of Francis North 2nd Baron Guildford and Alicia Brownlow Baroness Guildford, and had issue.
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 20 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 24 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 16 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Montagu 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Montagu 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Dudley 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Montagu 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Roper of Well Hall 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Helen Roper
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Montagu 1st Earl Manchester 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Alexander Harrington 
17 x Great Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Harrington 18 x Great Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Moton
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Harrington 19 x Great Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Sidney 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Lucy Sidney
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Pakenham
GrandFather: George Montagu 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Crouch of Corneyborough
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Crouch Countess Manchester
Father: Edward Montagu 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Anthony Irby
Great x 1 Grandfather: Anthony Irby 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Peyton of Isleham in Cambridgeshire 
9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Peyton 1st Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Rich 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Peyton 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Osborne 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Osborne
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hewett
GrandMother: Elizabeth Irby 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Wray
Great x 3 Grandfather: Christopher Wray
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Jackson
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Wray 1st Baronet
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas Girlington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Girlington
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Wray 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Drury 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Drury 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Audrey Rich
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Drury Lady Glentworth 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Stafford 
12 x Great Grand Son of King David I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stafford 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Stafford 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Pelham
Great x 3 Grandfather: Nicholas Pelham 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Carew 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Pelham 1st Baronet 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Sackville 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Sackville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Boleyn 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Pelham 2nd Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Walsingham
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Walsingham
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Gouter
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Walsingham Baroness Pelham Laughton 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Guildford 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothy Guildford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Barbara West 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
GrandFather: John Pelham 3rd Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Mother: Elizabeth Pelham 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Sidney
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Sidney
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Pakenham
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Sidney 1st Earl of Leicester 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Dudley 1st Duke Northumberland 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Dudley 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Guildford Duchess Northumberland 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Sidney 2nd Earl of Leicester 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Gamage of Coity Castle 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Gamage of Coity Castle 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Barbara Gamage Countess Leicester 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandMother: Lucy Sidney Baroness Pelham Laughton 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Percy 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Percy 8th Earl of Northumberland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Harbottle 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Neville 4th Baron Latimer of Snape 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Neville Countess Northumberland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Lucy Somerset Baroness Latimer Snape 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothy Percy Countess Leicester 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Devereux 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Hastings 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Knollys 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Carey 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England