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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Paternal Family Tree: Courtenay
Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington was born to [her father] Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon and [her mother] Maud Camoys Countess Devon. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 20th February 1374 Hugh Courtenay [aged 29] died. His first cousin [her father] Edward [aged 17] succeeded 4th Baron Courtenay.
On 2nd May 1377 Hugh Courtenay 2nd or 10th Earl Devon [aged 73] died at Exeter, Devon [Map]. His grandson [her father] Edward [aged 20] succeeded 3rd Earl Devon, 6th Baron Okehampton.
In or before 1385 [her father] Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon [aged 27] and [her mother] Maud Camoys Countess Devon were married. She by marriage Countess Devon.
On 21st May 1406 Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington [aged 50] died at Aldingham Furness, Lancashire. His son [her future husband] John [aged 22] succeeded 4th Baron Harington.
Before 1414 [her brother] Hugh Courtenay 4th or 12th Earl Devon [aged 24] and [her sister-in-law] Anne Talbot Countess Devon [aged 20] were married. He the son of [her father] Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon [aged 56] and [her mother] Maud Camoys Countess Devon. They were third cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 12th December 1414 [her future husband] William Bonville 1st Baron Bonville [aged 22] and Margaret Grey [aged 17] were married. They were sixth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
After 1418. Monument to [her future husband] John Harrington 4th Baron Harington [aged 34] and Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington. Finely carved alabaster. Monument of the Early Plate Bascinet and Gorget Period. Decorated orle and the plate gorget (throat protection), Hip Belt and the Horses Head Crest. She wearing a Crespine Headress. Chunky Lions Mane. Angels Supporting Pillow.
John Harrington 4th Baron Harington: In 1384 he was born to Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington and Isabel Loring Baroness Harington. On 21st May 1406 Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington died at Aldingham Furness, Lancashire. His son John succeeded 4th Baron Harington. On 11th April 1418 John Harrington 4th Baron Harington died. He was buried in the Lady Chapel of St Dubricius Church, Porlock [Map]. His brother William succeeded 5th Baron Harington. After 17th February 1461 John Harrington 4th Baron Harington and Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington were married. She by marriage Baroness Harington. She the daughter of Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon and Maud Camoys Countess Devon.
On 11th April 1418 [her future husband] John Harrington 4th Baron Harington [aged 34] died. He was buried in the Lady Chapel of St Dubricius Church, Porlock [Map]. His brother William [aged 28] succeeded 5th Baron Harington.
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 5th December 1419 [her father] Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon [aged 62] died. His son [her brother] Hugh [aged 30] succeeded 4th Earl Devon, 7th Baron Okehampton, 5th Baron Courtenay. [her sister-in-law] Anne Talbot Countess Devon [aged 26] by marriage Countess Devon.
On 16th June 1422 [her brother] Hugh Courtenay 4th or 12th Earl Devon [aged 33] died. His son [her nephew] Thomas [aged 8] succeeded 5th Earl Devon, 8th Baron Okehampton, 6th Baron Courtenay. Margaret Beaufort Countess Devon [aged 13] by marriage Countess Devon.
Before 9th October 1427 William Bonville 1st Baron Bonville [aged 35] and Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington were married. She the daughter of Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon and Maud Camoys Countess Devon.
Before 1442 [her step-son] William Bonville [aged 21] and Elizabeth Harrington [aged 18] were married.
On 10th March 1449 [her husband] William Bonville 1st Baron Bonville [aged 56] was created 1st Baron Bonville. Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington by marriage Baroness Bonville.
In 1451 William Tailboys 7th Baron Kyme [aged 36] and [her step-daughter] Elizabeth Bonville Baroness Kyme [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Baroness Kyme. They were half third cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 17th February 1461 the Lancastrian army defeated the Yorkist army at Second Battle of St Albans and rescued King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 39]. The Lancastrian army was commanded by Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter [aged 30] and included Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland [aged 39], John Mowbray 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 45], Henry Grey 4th or 7th Baron Grey of Codnor [aged 26], Henry Roos and Richard Welles 7th Baron Welles, Baron Willoughby [aged 33].
Thomas Ros 9th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 33], William Tailboys 7th Baron Kyme [aged 46], John Talbot 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 12] and Thomas Tresham [aged 41] were knighted.
The Yorkist army included Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 32], William Fitzalan 9th or 16th Earl of Arundel [aged 43], John Wenlock 1st Baron Wenlock [aged 61] and Henry Bourchier 2nd Count of Eu 1st Earl Essex [aged 57]. John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu [aged 30] was captured. Robert Poynings [aged 42] and James Luttrell [aged 34] were killed.
John Grey [aged 29] was killed fighting for Lancaster. A death that was to have far reaching consequences; his widow Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 24] subsequently married King Edward IV of England [aged 18].
During the battle [her husband] William Bonville 1st Baron Bonville [aged 68] and Thomas Kyriell [aged 65] were assigned to the protection of the King Henry VI. After the battle both were beheaded against all decent laws of battle.
William Bonville 1st Baron Bonville was beheaded. His great granddaughter Cecily succeeded 2nd Baroness Bonville.
Thomas Kyriell was beheaded.
William Cotton [aged 21] was killed.
After 17th February 1461 John Harrington 4th Baron Harington and Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington were married. She by marriage Baroness Harington. She the daughter of Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon and Maud Camoys Countess Devon.
18th October 1471 Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington died. She was buried at St Dubricius Church, Porlock [Map].
Kings Wessex: Great x 11 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Courtenay 2nd Baron Okehampton 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 3rd Baron Okehampton 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Vere Baroness Okehampton 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 1st or 9th Earl Devon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Despencer 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Despencer Baroness Okehampton 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Aline Basset 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 2nd or 10th Earl Devon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert St John 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John St John
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Cantilupe 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Agnes St John Countess Devon
Great x 4 Grandfather: Reginald Fitzpiers
Great x 3 Grandmother: Agnes Fitzpiers
GrandFather: Edward Courtenay Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 3rd Earl Hereford 2nd Earl Essex
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor de Braose 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex
Great x 4 Grandfather: Enguerrand Ingleram Fiennes 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Fiennes Countess Essex and Hereford
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Provence 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Bohun Countess Devon Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry III of England 
Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon 
Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Dammartin Queen Consort Castile and Leon
Father: Edward Courtenay 3rd or 12th Earl Devon 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Elizabeth Courtenay Baroness Bonville and Harington 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Mother: Maud Camoys Countess Devon