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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MP Wigan is in Member Parliament.
In 1559 William Gerard [aged 36] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1563 William Gerard [aged 40] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1571 William Gerard [aged 48] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1572 Edward Fitton [aged 24] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1584 William Gerard [aged 33] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1586 William Gerard [aged 35] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1593 William Gerard [aged 42] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1614 Gilbert Gerard 1st Baronet [aged 26] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1614 Richard Molyneux 1st Viscount Molyneux [aged 20] was elected MP Wigan.
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 1761 Simon Luttrell 1st Earl Carhampton [aged 48] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1768 George Byng [aged 33] was elected MP Wigan.
In 1774 George Byng [aged 39] was elected MP Wigan.
On 21st June 1800 George William Gunning 2nd Baronet [aged 37] was elected MP Wigan which seat he held until 1802.
In 1882 Algernon Fulke Leveson-Gower aka Egerton [aged 56] was elected MP Wigan.