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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Biography of Charles Wellesley 1808-1858

Paternal Family Tree: Colley

1809 Battle of Talavera

1812 Battle of Salamanca

On 10th April 1806 [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 36] and [his mother] Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham Duchess Wellington [aged 33] were married at Dublin [Map]. He the son of [his grandfather] Garrett Wellesley 1st Earl Mornington and [his grandmother] Anne Hill Countess Mornington [aged 63].

On 16th January 1808 Charles Wellesley was born to [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 38] and [his mother] Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham Duchess Wellington [aged 35].

Battle of Talavera

                    Between 27th July 1809 and 28th July 1809 the Battle of Talavera, part of the Peninsular War, was fought between an Anglo Spanish army commanded by [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 40] against the French. The French army withdrew at night after several of its attacks had been repulsed. Following the battle Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington was created 1st Viscount Wellington of Talavera.
                
                    Hugh Gough 1st Viscount Gough [aged 29] commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot.
                
                    General Henry Fane [aged 30] commanded the 3rd Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards, 4th Queen's Own Dragoons.
                
                    Charles Henry Farrington 2nd Baronet [aged 14] fought.

Battle of Salamanca

On 22nd July 1812 the Battle of Salamanca was fought at which an Anglo-Portuguese army under the [his father] Earl of Wellington [aged 43] defeated Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces at Arapiles [Map].

Brother General Thomas Bradford [aged 34] and Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Hollis Bradford [aged 31] fought.

Major-General John Le Marchant [aged 46] was killed in action. Wellington is reported as saying to Le Marchant that he must take the first favourable opportunity to engage the enemy's infantry, "You must then charge at all hazards" was his final instruction. Following up the attack of the 5th Infantry Division Le Marchant led the 3rd and 4th Dragoons and the 5th Dragoon Guards in what was probably the most destructive charge made by a single brigade of cavalry in the whole Napoleonic period. The left wing of the French army were on the point of being defeated by the 3rd and 5th divisions of Anglo-Portuguese infantry when Le Marchant's dragoons charged in and destroyed battalion after battalion. Many of the French infantrymen sought the protection of the British infantry to escape the sabres of the dragoons. Le Marchant, knowing he had achieved a magnificent success, was leading a squadron against the last of the formed French infantry when he was shot and his spine broken. See Fletcher's "Galloping at Everything: The British Cavalry in the Peninsula and at Waterloo 1808-15". Spellmount, Staplehurst. ISBN 1-86227-016-3. 1999, pp. 185–188.

On 11th May 1814 [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 45] was created 1st Duke Wellington. [his mother] Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham Duchess Wellington [aged 41] by marriage Duchess Wellington.

Around 1818 Charles Wellesley [aged 9] educated at Eton College [Map].

On 29th June 1822 Henry Somerset 7th Duke Beaufort [aged 30] and Emily Frances Smith Duchess Beaufort [aged 22] were married. She being the younger half-sister of his first wife Georgiana Frederica Fitzroy both of whom's mother was [his aunt] Anne Wellesley [aged 54] sister of [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 53]. An example of a man marrying two sisters, albeit in this case half-sisters. He the son of Henry Charles Somerset 6th Duke Beaufort [aged 55] and Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower Duchess Beaufort [aged 51].

On 24th April 1831 [his mother] Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham Duchess Wellington [aged 58] died.

In 1839 [his brother] Arthur Wellesley 2nd Duke Wellington [aged 31] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Hay Duchess Wellington [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of George Hay 8th Marquess Tweedale [aged 51] and Susan Montagu Marchioness Tweddale [aged 38]. He the son of [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 69] and [his mother] Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham Duchess Wellington.

In 1842 Charles Wellesley [aged 33] was elected MP South Hampshire.

On 9th July 1844 Charles Wellesley [aged 36] and Augusta Sophia Anne Pierrepoint were married. He the son of Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 75] and Catherine "Kitty" Pakenham Duchess Wellington.

On 5th April 1846 [his son] Henry Wellesley 3rd Duke Wellington was born to Charles Wellesley [aged 38] and [his wife] Augusta Sophia Anne Pierrepoint at Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner. He married 7th March 1882 Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams Duchess Wellington.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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On 15th March 1849 [his son] Arthur Charles Wellesley 4th Duke Wellington was born to Charles Wellesley [aged 41] and [his wife] Augusta Sophia Anne Pierrepoint. He married 24th October 1872 Kathleen Emily Bulkeley Williams Duchess Wellington and had issue.

In 1852 Charles Wellesley [aged 43] was elected MP Windsor.

On 14th September 1852 [his father] Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke Wellington [aged 83] died at Deal Castle [Map]. His son [his brother] Arthur [aged 45] succeeded 2nd Duke Wellington, 2nd Viscount Wellington of Talavera. [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Hay Duchess Wellington [aged 31] by marriage Duchess Wellington.

George Gammon Adams [aged 31] took the death mask of the Duke of Wellington, the marble bust he executed from it being highly regarded by the Duke's heirs.

On 9th October 1858 Charles Wellesley [aged 50] died.