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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Earl Harborough is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
8th May 1719. Bennet Sherard 1st Earl Harborough [aged 44] created.
16th October 1732. First Cousin Once Removed Philip Sherard 2nd Earl Harborough [aged 52] succeeded.
20th July 1750. Son Bennet Sherard 3rd Earl Harborough [aged 40] succeeded.
23rd February 1770. Brother Robert Sherard 4th Earl Harborough [aged 57] succeeded.
21st April 1799. Son Philip Sherard 5th Earl Harborough [aged 32] succeeded.
1807. Son Robert Sherard 6th Earl Harborough [aged 9] succeeded.
28th July 1859. Robert Sherard 6th Earl Harborough extinct.
On 8th May 1719 Bennet Sherard 1st Earl Harborough [aged 44] was created 1st Earl Harborough.
On 16th October 1732 Bennet Sherard 1st Earl Harborough [aged 57] died. His first cousin once removed Philip [aged 52] succeeded 2nd Earl Harborough, 2nd Viscount Sherard, 4th Baron Sherard of Leitrim, 2nd Baron Sherard of Harborough. Anne Pedley Countess Harborough [aged 57] by marriage Countess Harborough.
On 20th July 1750 Philip Sherard 2nd Earl Harborough [aged 70] died. His son Bennet [aged 40] succeeded 3rd Earl Harborough, 3rd Viscount Sherard, 5th Baron Sherard of Leitrim, 3rd Baron Sherard of Harborough.
On 2nd July 1757 Bennet Sherard 3rd Earl Harborough [aged 47] and Frances Noel Countess Harborough [aged 17] were married at St George's Church, Bloomsbury. She by marriage Countess Harborough. The difference in their ages was 30 years. He the son of Philip Sherard 2nd Earl Harborough and Anne Pedley Countess Harborough.
On 21st March 1761 Bennet Sherard 3rd Earl Harborough [aged 51] and Margaret Hill Countess Harborough [aged 31] were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. She by marriage Countess Harborough. He the son of Philip Sherard 2nd Earl Harborough and Anne Pedley Countess Harborough.
On 9th October 1767 Bennet Sherard 3rd Earl Harborough [aged 58] and Elizabeth Cave Countess Harborough [aged 26] were married at St Nicholas' Church, Stanford-on-Avon [Map]. She by marriage Countess Harborough. The difference in their ages was 31 years. He the son of Philip Sherard 2nd Earl Harborough and Anne Pedley Countess Harborough. They were fifth cousin once removed.
On 23rd February 1770 Bennet Sherard 3rd Earl Harborough [aged 60] died. His brother Robert [aged 57] succeeded 4th Earl Harborough, 4th Viscount Sherard, 6th Baron Sherard of Leitrim, 4th Baron Sherard of Harborough. Jane Reeve Countess Harborough [aged 29] by marriage Countess Harborough.
On 21st April 1799 Robert Sherard 4th Earl Harborough [aged 86] died. His son Philip [aged 32] succeeded 5th Earl Harborough, 5th Viscount Sherard, 7th Baron Sherard of Leitrim, 5th Baron Sherard of Harborough.
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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In 1807 Philip Sherard 5th Earl Harborough [aged 40] died. His son Robert [aged 9] succeeded 6th Earl Harborough, 6th Viscount Sherard, 8th Baron Sherard of Leitrim, 6th Baron Sherard of Harborough.
On 27th November 1843 Robert Sherard 6th Earl Harborough [aged 46] and Mary Eliza Temple Countess Harborough were married. She by marriage Countess Harborough. He the son of Philip Sherard 5th Earl Harborough.
On 28th July 1859 Robert Sherard 6th Earl Harborough [aged 61] died. Earl Harborough, Viscount Sherard and Baron Sherard of Harborough extinct. His fifth cousin Henry [aged 55] succeeded 9th Baron Sherard of Leitrim.