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: Bouverie
On or after 12th September 1682, the date of the licence, [his father] William des Bouverie 1st Baronet [aged 25] and Mary Edwards [aged 20] were married. There was no issue from the marriage.
On 29th April 1686 [his father] William des Bouverie 1st Baronet [aged 29] and [his mother] Anne Urry Lady Bouverie [aged 21] were married.
On or before 14th October 1694, the day he was baptised at St Katharine Cree Church, Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone was born to [his father] William des Bouverie 1st Baronet [aged 38] and [his mother] Anne Urry Lady Bouverie [aged 29].
In 1708 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 13] admitted at Middle Temple.
On 20th October 1711 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 17] was educated at Christ Church College, Oxford University.
On 19th May 1717 [his father] William des Bouverie 1st Baronet [aged 60] died. He was buried at St Katharine Cree Church. His son [his brother] Edward [aged 27] succeeded 2nd Baronet Bouverie of St Catherine Cree Church in London.
On 31st January 1724 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 29] and Mary Clarke were married at St Paul's Cathedral [Map].
On 26th February 1725 [his son] William Pleydell-Bouverie 1st Earl Radnor was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 30] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. He married (1) 14th January 1748 Harriet Pleydell and had issue (2) 5th September 1751 Rebecca Alleyne Viscountess Folkestone and had issue.
On 29th April 1726 [his daughter] Mary Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 31] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. She died aged two in 1729.
On 3rd April 1727 [his son] Jacob Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 32] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. He died aged three in 1731.
On 6th April 1728 [his son] Bartholomew Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 33] and [his wife] Mary Clarke.
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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In 1729 [his daughter] Mary Bouverie [aged 2] died.
On 7th October 1729 [his daughter] Anne Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 34] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. She married before 26th October 1769 George Talbot, son of Charles Talbot 1st Baron Talbot and Cecil Mathew Baroness Talbot, and had issue.
On 2nd October 1730 [his daughter] Mary Bouverie Countess Shaftesbury was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 35] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. She married before 17th September 1761 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury, son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury and Jane Ewer Countess Shafetsbury, and had issue.
On 15th March 1731 [his son] Jacob Bouverie [aged 3] died.
On 2nd October 1731 [his daughter] Harriet Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 36] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. She died aged less than one years old.
On 13th December 1731 [his daughter] Harriet Bouverie died.
On 11th November 1732 [his daughter] Charlotte Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 38] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. She married 30th June 1788 John Grant.
On 18th January 1734 [his son] Edward Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 39] and [his wife] Mary Clarke.
On 17th October 1736 [his daughter] Harriet Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 42] and [his wife] Mary Clarke. She married 1775 James Long aka Tylney-Long 7th Baronet, son of Robert Long 6th Baronet and Emma Tylney Lady Long.
On 21st November 1736 Edward des Bouverie 2nd Baronet [aged 46] died at Aix in France. He was buried at St Peter's Church, Britford [Map]. His brother Jacob [aged 42] succeeded 3rd Baronet Bouverie of St Catherine Cree Church in London.
On 5th September 1738 [his son] Edward Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 43] and [his wife] Mary Clarke.
On 5th June 1739 [his mother] Anne Urry Lady Bouverie [aged 74] died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 16th November 1739 [his wife] Mary Clarke died. She was buried at Britford, Wiltshire [Map].
In 1741 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 46] was elected MP Salisbury.
On 6th March 1741 [his son] Bartholomew Bouverie [aged 12] died.
On 21st April 1741 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 46] and Elizabeth Marsham Viscountess Fokestone [aged 29] were married at Swanscombe, Kent.
On 4th June 1742 [his son] Jacob Bouverie was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 47] and [his wife] Elizabeth Marsham Viscountess Fokestone [aged 30]. He died aged two in 1745.
On 4th February 1745 [his son] Jacob Bouverie [aged 2] died.
On 8th October 1746 [his son] Philip Bouverie-Pusey was born to Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 51] and [his wife] Elizabeth Marsham Viscountess Fokestone [aged 35]. He married 20th August 1798 Lucy Sherard Lady Cave, daughter of Robert Sherard 4th Earl Harborough, and had issue.
In 1747 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 52] was elected MP Salisbury.
On 29th June 1747 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 52] was created 1st Viscount Folkestone, 1st Baron Longford. [his wife] Elizabeth Marsham Viscountess Fokestone [aged 35] by marriage Viscountess Folkestone.
On 14th January 1748 [his son] William Pleydell-Bouverie 1st Earl Radnor [aged 22] and [his daughter-in-law] Harriet Pleydell were married.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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On 8th November 1750 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 56] was appointed Deputy Lieutenant Wiltshire.
On 5th September 1751 [his son] William Pleydell-Bouverie 1st Earl Radnor [aged 26] and [his daughter-in-law] Rebecca Alleyne Viscountess Folkestone [aged 25] were married.
On 17th February 1761 Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone [aged 66] died. His son William [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Viscount Folkestone, 2nd Baron Longford, 4th Baronet Bouverie of St Catherine Cree Church in London. Rebecca Alleyne Viscountess Folkestone [aged 35] by marriage Viscountess Folkestone.
On 25th September 1782 [his former wife] Elizabeth Marsham Viscountess Fokestone [aged 71] died.
GrandFather: Edward des Bouverie
Father: William des Bouverie 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Jacob de la Forterie
GrandMother: Anne de la Foterie
Jacob Bouverie 1st Viscount Folkestone
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Urry of Mill Place, Isle of Wight
GrandFather: David Urry
Mother: Anne Urry Lady Bouverie