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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Disease is in Death.
On 26th March 1889 Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos [aged 65] died from diabetes at 2 Queen Anne Street aka Chandos House Marylebone. Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Marquess Buckingham, Marquess of Chandos, Earl Temple, Earl Nugent extinct.
William Stephen Temple Gore-Langton 4th Earl Temple [aged 41] succeeded 4th Earl Temple of Stowe according to the special remainder in its patent. Helen Mabel Graham-Montgomery Countess Temple of Stowe by marriage Countess Temple of Stowe.
Charles Lyttelton 8th Viscount Cobham [aged 46] succeeded 8th Viscount Cobham. Mary Susan Cavendish Viscountess Cobham [aged 36] by marriage Viscountess Cobham.
On 17th March 1867 Henry Peter Pitt-Rivers 5th Baron Rivers [aged 17] died from lung disease in Torquay, Devon. His uncle George [aged 52] succeeded 6th Baron Rivers of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
On 17th May 1633 Penelope Noel [aged 22] died of blood poisoning after having pricked herself with a needle whilst sewing with silk thread. Monument in St James' Church, Chipping Campden [Map]. Sculpted by John Christmas [aged 34] or possibly his brother Mathias. The material held in her left hand may represent the material she was sewing
"The most exquisite model of natures best workmanship, ye richest magazine of all divine and moral vertues, Penelope Noel having added to the nobilitie of her birth, a brighter shyne of true noblesnesse, ye exemplary sweetness of her conversation, he contempt of earthly vanities and her zealous affection towards heaven, after 22 yeares devotions, commended her virgin sowle into ye hands of its true brydegroome Jesus Christ, May 17th AD 1633 over whose pretious dust here reserved, her sad parents Edward Lord Noel, Viscount Campden and the Lady Julian his wife, dropt theyr teares and erected this marble to the deare memorie of theyre unvaluable losse - Superata tellus Sidera donat i.e. The earth, once conquered, grants the stars."
Penelope Noel: On 22nd August 1610 she was born to Edward Noel 2nd Viscount Campden and Juliana Hicks Viscountess Campden.
On 11th November 1931 Archie Primrose [aged 21] died of blood poisoning at Oxford, Oxfordshire [Map].
On 1854 Walter Deverell [aged 27] died of Bright's Disease.
On 9th April 1873 Charles Allston Collins [aged 45] died of cancer. He was buried at Brompton Cemetery, Kensington.
On 2nd July 1908 Henry Arthur Cadogan [aged 40] died of cancer at Temple House, Theobalds Park.
On 14th September 1997 Andrew Douglas Algernon Fountaine [aged 78] died of cancer possibly at Swaffham Hospital otherwise at Narford Hall without issue. His brother John Brigg Charles Fountaine [aged 74] inherited Narford Hall.
On 16th May 1832 Casimir Pierre Périer [aged 54] died of cholera.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 5th August 1834 Richard King 2nd Baronet [aged 59] died of cholera at Sheerness Isle of Sheppey [Map]. His son Richard [aged 29] succeeded 3rd Baronet King of Bellevue in Kent.
On 12th August 1854 Robert Jocelyn [aged 38] died of cholera.
On 29th June 1879 Charles Bennet [aged 28] died of cholera at India.
On 3rd October 1675 Catherine Laura Stewart died of convulsions.
In 1749 Maria Lanove died of diptherea. Two of her children with Captain Philip Thicknesse [aged 30] also died of the same disease.
On 17th October 1893 Violet Hyacinth Bowes-Lyon [aged 11] died of diptherea.
On 5th November 1624 James Wriothesley [aged 19] died of fever at Roosendaal. On 28th December 1624 he was buried at Titchfield, Hampshire [Map].
In April 1741 Borlace Wallop [aged 20] died of fever.
Around March 1577 a virulent outbreak of gaol fever occurred in Oxford killing around 300 people.
After 25th July 1577 Robert Bell [deceased] died of gaol fever.
In July 1577 Thomas D'Oyly died.
In March 1586 a virulent outbreak of gaol fever occurred during the Assizes in Exeter, Devon [Map]. The cause according to modern medical opinion was typhus transmitted by the human body-louse. Among the dead victims were eight judges, eleven of the twelve jurors, several constables, and the surrounding population which was ravaged by the disease for several months.
Edward Flowerdew died of gaol fever.
On 28th March 1586 Thomas Carew of Haccombe [aged 70] died of gaol fever.
On 31st March 1586 John Chichester died of gaol fever.
On 1st April 1586 Robert Carey [aged 71] died of gaol fever.
On 2nd April 1586 Arthur Bassett [aged 45] died of gaol fever.
On 10th April 1586 Bernard Drake [aged 58] died of gaol fever.
In 1592 Robert Denys [aged 64] died of gaol fever contracted whilst serving as a magistrate at the Lent Black Assizes of Exeter in 1586 which accounted for a number of deaths, including several other prominent Devonshire magistrates and visiting circuit judges.
On 16th August 1661 Thomas Fuller [aged 53] typhus at his lodgings in Covent Garden [Map]. He was buried in St Dunstan Church, Cranford.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In March 1691 John Riley [aged 45] died of gout. He was buried in St Botolph's without Bishopgate.
On 3rd March 1709 Thomas Felton 4th Baronet [aged 59] died of gout. His brother Compton [aged 59] succeeded 5th Baronet Felton of Playford in Suffolk.
On 29th September 1719 Henry Johnson Baron Wentworth [aged 58] died of gout at Bath, Somerset [Map].
On 23rd May 1828 Cecil Weld-Forester 1st Baron Forester [aged 61] died of gout at Belgrave Square, Belgravia. His son John [aged 26] succeeded 2nd Baron Forester of Willey Park in Shropshire.
On 3rd January 1894 Hungerford Crewe 3rd Baron Crewe [aged 81] died of influenza unmarried. Baron Crewe of Crewe in Cheshire extinct. His estates were inherited by his nephew Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe Milnes 1st Marquess of Crewe [aged 35] who adopted the additional surname Crewe.
On 10th June 1584 Francis Valois Duke Anjou [aged 29] died of malaria unmarried.
On 18th March 1900 General William Lockhart [aged 58] died of malaria. His funeral occurred the following day and the service was taken by James Welldon the Bishop of Calcutta, and former headmaster of Harrow School. Lockhart's good friend and Viceroy Lord Curzon [aged 41] attended.
On 28th April 1921 Alastair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower [aged 31] died of malaria while taking part in a big game expedition in Rhodesia.
On 8th September 1524 Charlotte Valois [aged 7] died of measles. She had been in the care of her aunt Marguerite Valois Orléans Queen Consort Navarre [aged 32] who was with her when she died.
In January 1661 Anne Ogilvy Countess Glancairn died of measles.
On 12th February 1712 Maria Adelaide Savoy [aged 26] died of measles at Versailles.
On 18th February 1712 Louis Bourbon Duke Burgundy [aged 29] died of measles contracted when nursing his wife Maria Adelaide Savoy who had died six days previously.
On 8th March 1712, their eldest son, heir to the throne, Louis Bourbon Duke Brittany [aged 5] died of measles.
The heir to the French throne their only remaining son Louis [aged 1], aged two, great-grandson of the reigning monarch Louis "Sun King" XIV King France [aged 73] who succeeded his great-grandfather three years later in 1715.
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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In 1842 Emily Burgh Countess Howth died of measles.
On 14th June 1939 Johanna Hesse Darmstadt [aged 2] died of meningitis.
On 28th May 1948 Unity Valkyrie Mitford [aged 33] died of meningitis caused by the cerebral swelling around the bullet that had lodged in her brain after she had shot herself in December 1939.
On 9th June 1511 William Courtenay 1st Earl Devon [aged 36] died of pleurisy. His son Henry [aged 15] succeeded 2nd Earl Devon. His widow Catherine York Countess Devon [aged 31] subsequently took a vow of celibacy in the presence of Bishop Richard Fitzjames on 13th July 1511.
On 19th February 1625 Arthur Chichester 1st Baron Chichester [aged 61] died of pleurisy. He was buried in St Nicholas' Church, Carrickfergus, County Antrim.
In 1876 Beatrice Charlotte Elizabeth Vesey died of pleurisy at Brook Street.
On 25th March 1650 Archbishop John Williams [aged 68] died of quinsy.
On 27th March 1714 Charlotte Amalie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [aged 63] died of scarlet fever.
On 8th July 1779 Robert Bertie 4th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven [aged 22] died of scarlet fever unmarried at Grimsthorpe, South Kesteven. His uncle Brownlow [aged 50] succeeded 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven, 5th Marquess Lindsay, 8th Earl Lindsey. His sister Priscilla [aged 18] succeeded 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
On 30th April 1810 Charles James Yorke [aged 12] died of scarlet fever.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In 1835 Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley [aged 39] died of scarlet fever at King's Bench Prison [Map].
On 24th March 1843 Louisa Rous [aged 43] died of scarlet fever.
In 1867 Mary Spencer-Stanhope [aged 7] died of scarlet fever. She was buried at the English Cemetery, Florence. Her headstone was designed by her father.
On 30th May 1903 Edmund Hay [aged 23] died of scarlet fever.
On 2nd July 1660 Samuel Crew died of spotted fever.
In 1644 Oliver Cromwell [aged 22] died of typhoid.
On 10th November 1669 Elizabeth de St Michel [aged 29] died of typhoid.
On 1st December 1871 George Philip Cecil Arthur Stanhope 7th Earl Chesterfield [aged 40] died of typhoid unmarried. His third cousin George [aged 49] succeeded 8th Earl Chesterfield, 8th Baron Stanhope of Shelford in Nottinghamshire. He had been staying at Londesborough Lodge Scarborough with the Prince of Wales [aged 30] who also contracted typhoid but survived.
On 26th June 1878 Maria de las Mercedes Queen Consort Spain [aged 18] died of typhoid.
On 1st December 1893 Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Duke Leinster [aged 42] died of typhoid. His son Maurice [aged 6] succeeded 6th Duke Leinster.
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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On 8th March 1916 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Arthur Clowes [aged 48] died of typhoid whilst on active service at Cairo. He was buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery Plot D.344.
On 15th September 1846 Eustace Arkwright [aged 27] died of typhus at Geneva.
On 13th December 1848 John Ternouth [aged 52] died of typhus. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His grave is marked by a Carrara marble stela with a classical relief of a grieving draped woman embracing an urn-topped pedestal. This may be one of his own works.
On 15th December 1849 Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este [aged 28] died of typhus.
On 16th September 1746 Thomas Davers [aged 57] died of yellow fever in Jamaica.
On 24th November 1807 Lieutenant Nevile Fane [aged 19] died of yellow fever at Bridgetown, Barbados where he was buried.
In 1808 Lieutenant Charles Cecil Bisshop [aged 23] died of yellow fever in Jamaica after the frigate Muros was wrecked whilst endeavouring to destroy some batteries near Havana, Cuba.
In 1825 Augustus James Champion de Crespigny died of yellow fever.
In 1862 Bishop Charles Caulfield [aged 58] died of yellow fever.
On 20th November 1863 James Bruce 12th Earl Kincardine 8th Earl Elgin [aged 52] died of a heart attack while crossing a swinging rope and wood bridge over the river Chadly, on the lap between Kullu and Lahul in Himachal Pradesh. He was buried at St John in the Wilderness Church, Dharamshala. His son Victor [aged 14] succeeded 13th Earl Kincardine, 9th Earl Elgin.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 15th June 1884 William Bromley-Davenport [aged 62] died of a heart attack while seeking to quell disturbances in Lichfield caused by members of his Staffordshire Yeomanry. They were on a training week under his command but indulged in riotous behaviour.