Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Around 1734 Mary Lyttelton was born to Launcelot Lyttelton.
On 2nd June 1753 [her future brother-in-law] Henry Roper 11th Baron Teynham [aged 20] and Maria Wilhelmina Head were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Anna Gabriella Head would subsequently marry his brother John Roper [aged 18]. Further, their two younger brothers Francis Roper [aged 15] and Philip Roper Roper [aged 13] also married siblings Mary Lyttelton [aged 19] and Barbara Lyttelton respectively.
On 21st March 1760 [her future brother-in-law] John Roper [aged 25] and Anna Gabriella Head were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Maria Wilhelmina Head had previously married his brother Henry Roper 11th Baron Teynham [aged 26]. Further, their two younger brothers Francis Roper [aged 22] and Philip Roper Roper [aged 20] also married siblings Mary Lyttelton [aged 26] and Barbara Lyttelton respectively.
On 27th June 1765 Francis Roper [aged 27] and Mary Lyttelton [aged 31] were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Mary Lyttelton would subsequently marry his brother Philip Roper Roper [aged 25].
On 21st March 1766 [her brother-in-law] Philip Roper Roper [aged 26] and Barbara Lyttelton were married. A Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings; her sister Mary Lyttelton [aged 32] was previously married to his brother Francis Roper [aged 28]. Further, their two older brothers John Roper [aged 31] and Henry Roper 11th Baron Teynham [aged 32] also married siblings Anna Gabriella Head and Maria Wilhelmina Head respectively.
On 9th May 1767 [her son] Henry Francis Roper-Curzon 14th Baronet was born to [her husband] Francis Roper [aged 29] and Mary Lyttelton [aged 33]. He married (1) 21st May 1788 Bridget Hawkins Baroness Teynham and had issue (2) 16th July 1828 Sarah Brabazon Baroness Teynham.
On 21st May 1788 [her son] Henry Francis Roper-Curzon 14th Baronet [aged 21] and [her daughter-in-law] Bridget Hawkins Baroness Teynham were married. She by marriage Baroness Teynham of Teynham in Kent.
On 13th August 1793 [her husband] Francis Roper [aged 55] died.
On 16th July 1828 [her son] Henry Francis Roper-Curzon 14th Baronet [aged 61] and [her daughter-in-law] Sarah Brabazon Baroness Teynham were married. She by marriage Baroness Teynham of Teynham in Kent.
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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On 15th July 1834 Mary Lyttelton died.