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: Heathcote
On 22nd June 1749 [his father] Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet [age 29] and Margaret Yorke Lady Heathcote [age 16] were married. She the daughter of Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke [age 58] and Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke.
In 1770 [his father] Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet [age 49] and [his mother] Elizabeth Hudson Lady Heathcote [age 15] were married. She by marriage Lady Heathcote of London. The difference in their ages was 34 years.
On 6th October 1773 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet was born to [his father] Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet [age 53] and [his mother] Elizabeth Hudson Lady Heathcote [age 18].
On 2nd November 1785 [his father] Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet [age 65] died. His son Gilbert [age 12] succeeded 4th Baronet Heathcote of London. Monument St Mary's Church, Edith Weston, Rutlandshire [Map].
Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet: After 1720 he was born to John Heathcote 2nd Baronet. On 22nd June 1749 Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet and Margaret Yorke Lady Heathcote were married. She the daughter of Philip Yorke 1st Earl of Hardwicke and Margaret Cocks Countess Hardwicke. In 1770 Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Hudson Lady Heathcote were married. She by marriage Lady Heathcote of London. The difference in their ages was 34 years.
On 16th August 1793 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet [age 19] and Catherine Sophia Manners Lady Heathcote were married. She by marriage Lady Heathcote of London. She the daughter of John Manners and Louisa Tollemache 7th Countess Dysart [age 48].
In 1795 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet [age 21] was appointed High Sheriff of Rutlandshire.
On 16th January 1795 [his son] Gilbert John Heathcote 1st Baron Aveland was born to Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet [age 21] and [his wife] Catherine Sophia Manners Lady Heathcote at Normanton Hall, Rutlandshire. He married 8th October 1827 his sixth cousin Clementina Drummond Willoughby 24th Baroness Willoughby of Eresby Baroness Aveland, daughter of Peter Drummond Burrell 2nd Baron Gwydyr 22nd Baron Willoughby and Clementina Sarah Drummond Baroness Gwydyr and Willoughby, and had issue.
In 1796 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet [age 22] was appointed MP Lincolnshire.
On 15th August 1802 Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [age 36] and [his sister-in-law] Louisa Grace Manners Duchess St Albans [age 25] were married. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. She the daughter of John Manners and [his mother-in-law] Louisa Tollemache 7th Countess Dysart [age 57]. He the son of Aubrey Beauclerk 5th Duke St Albans and Catherine Ponsonby Duchess St Albans. They were half third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
In 1812 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet [age 38] was appointed MP Rutland.
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 14th July 1813 [his mother] Elizabeth Hudson Lady Heathcote [age 58] died.
On 19th February 1816 [his sister-in-law] Louisa Grace Manners Duchess St Albans [age 39] died. The same day her son Aubrey Beauclerk 7th Duke St Albans died. His uncle William [age 49] succeeded 8th Duke St Albans, 8th Earl Burford, 8th Baron Heddington, 5th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. Maria Janetta Nelthorpe Duchess St Albans by marriage Duchess St Albans. Both at the home of her sister Laura Manners Countess Stair and her husband John Dalrymple 7th Earl of Stair [age 31] at Portman Square Marylebone.
On 28th May 1825 [his wife] Catherine Sophia Manners Lady Heathcote died.
In 8th October 1827 [his son] Gilbert John Heathcote 1st Baron Aveland [age 32] and [his daughter-in-law] Clementina Drummond Willoughby 24th Baroness Willoughby of Eresby Baroness Aveland [age 18] were married. They were sixth cousins.
On 26th March 1851 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet [age 77] died. His son Gilbert [age 56] succeeded 5th Baronet Heathcote of London.
Great x 2 Grandfather: Gilbert Heathcote
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gilbert Heathcote 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ann Dickens
GrandFather: John Heathcote 2nd Baronet
Father: Gilbert Heathcote 3rd Baronet
GrandFather: Robert Hudson
Mother: Elizabeth Hudson Lady Heathcote