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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1900-1910 Edward VII is in 20th Century Events.
On 29th October 1900 Christian Victor Oldenburg [aged 33] died of enteric fever during the Boer War.
From 5th February 1900 to 7th February 1900. The Battle of Vaal Krantz was fought at Vaal Krantz, Natal between General Redvers Buller's British army and Louis Botha's army of Boer irregulars and lift the Siege of Ladysmith. Buller tried, unsuccessfully, to force a bridgehead across the Tugela River.
John Spencer Cavendish [aged 24] was present.
Lieutenant Charles Duncombe Shafto [aged 22] was killed in action whilst serving with the Durham Light Infantry.
Between 14th February 1900 and 27th February 1900 the Battle of Tugela Heights aks Pieters Hill was a series of military actions in which General Buller's [aged 60] British army forced Louis Botha's Boer army to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
John Spencer Cavendish [aged 24] was present.
On 22nd January 1901 Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [aged 81] died at Osborne House, Isle of Wight. Her son Edward [aged 59] succeeded VII King of the United Kingdom.
On 9th August 1902 King Edward VII of the United Kingdom [aged 60] was crowned VII King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Alexandra of Denmark Queen Consort England [aged 57] was crowned Queen Consort by Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan [aged 76].
Winifred, Duchess of Portland [aged 38], wearing the Portland Diamond Tiara, commissioned esppecially for the event, served as a canopy bearer to Queen Alexandra.
On 17th December 1903 the Wright brothers, Edgar and Orville, completed the first powered flight, piloted by Orville, at Kitty Hawk Dare County North Carolina.
On 10th February 1904 Alexander Teck 1st Earl Athlone [aged 30] and Princess Alice Countess Athlone [aged 20] were married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map]. She the daughter of Leopold Saxe Coburg Gotha 1st Duke Albany and Helena Waldeck Duchess Albany. They were second cousin once removed. He a great grandson of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland. She a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
On 29th January 1906 King Christian IX of Denmark [aged 87] died. His son Frederick [aged 62] succeeded VIII King of Denmark. Louise of Sweden Queen Consort Denmark [aged 54] by marriage Queen Consort Denmark.
On 1st July 1906, at 2:40 in the morning, the Salisbury Railway Disaster resulted in the death of twenty-eight people including a number from America and Canada.
A boat train from Plymouth to London failed to negotiate a sharp bend at more than twice the speed limit and crashed into a milk train. The curve had a maximum permitted speed of 30 miles per hour, but the express had been travelling at a much higher speed.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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After 1st July 1906. Salisbury Cathedral [Map]. Tablet in memory of those who lost their lives in the Salisbury Railway Disaster.
28th August 1907. The Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7. c. 47) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, allowing a man to marry his dead wife's sister, which had previously been forbidden.
On 1st February 1908 Henry FitzWalter Plumptre 20th Baron FitzWalter [aged 47] and Emily Harriett Jemima Baird [aged 46] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She being the older sister of his previous wife Maude Dora Gertrude Baird; an example of Married to Two Siblings. Marriage to your later wife's sister had recently become legal - see Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907.
On 1st February 1908 King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir Prince Luís Filipe were assassinated by two members of a revolutionary society called the Carbonária. Prince Luís Filipe's younger brother succeeded as King Portugal; he was wounded in the attack. He reigned for two and a half years being deposed on 5th October 1910.