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: Beckett
On 3rd March 1774 [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 30) and [his mother] Mary Wilson (age 25) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Bishop Christopher Wilson (age 60) and [his grandmother] Anne Gibson (age 47).
In 1785 Anne Smithson died. Her estates and those of her late husband passed to her great-niece Mary Harrison, then to her daughter Mary Midgeley (age 10) and then to her daughter [his future wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett and her husband Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet who adopted the surname Denison.
On 29th January 1787 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet was born to [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 43) and [his mother] Mary Wilson Lady Beckett (age 38).
On 2nd November 1813 [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 70) was created 1st Baronet Beckett of Leeds. [his mother] Mary Wilson (age 64) by marriage Lady Beckett of Leeds.
On 14th December 1814 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 27) and Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 19) were married.
In 1816 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 28) took the additional surname Denison in 1816 in accordance with the terms of the will of his wife's great-great-aunt, but reverted to Beckett only by royal licence when he succeeded his elder brother as 4th baronet in 1872.
On 12th May 1816 [his son] Edmund Beckett 1st Baron Grimthorpe was born to Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 29) and [his wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 21) at Carlton Hall, Newark on Trent. He married 7th October 1845 Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett, daughter of Bishop John Lonsdale and Sophia Bolland.
In 1823 [his mother] Mary Wilson Lady Beckett (age 74) died.
In 1826 [his father] John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 82) died. His son [his brother] John (age 50) succeeded 2nd Baronet Beckett of Leeds. Anne Lowther Lady Beckett by marriage Lady Beckett of Leeds.
On 10th September 1826 [his son] William Beckett-Denison was born to Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 39) and [his wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 31). He married 1855 Helen Duncombe, daughter of William Duncombe 2nd Baron Feversham and Louisa Stewart Baroness Feversham Duncombe Park, and had issue.
In 1841 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 53) was elected MP West Riding of Yorkshire which seat he held until 1847.
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 7th October 1845 [his son] Edmund Beckett 1st Baron Grimthorpe (age 29) and [his daughter-in-law] Fanny Catherine Lonsdale Baroness Beckett (age 22) were married. She the daughter of Bishop John Lonsdale (age 57) and Sophia Bolland.
In 1848 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 60) was elected MP West Riding of Yorkshire which seat he held until 1859.
In 1855 [his son] William Beckett-Denison (age 28) and [his daughter-in-law] Helen Duncombe (age 23) were married.
On 17th November 1872 [his brother] Thomas Beckett 3rd Baronet (age 93) died. He was buried at Corringham, Lincolnshire, 22nd November 1872. His brother Edmund (age 85) succeeded 4th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
On 27th March 1874 [his wife] Maria Beverley Lady Beckett (age 78) died.
On 24th May 1874 Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet (age 87) died. His son Edmund (age 58) succeeded 5th Baronet Beckett of Leeds.
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gervase Beckett of Barnsley
GrandFather: John Beckett
Great x 2 Grandfather: Jonas Clarke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Clarke
Father: John Beckett 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Joseph wilson of Monk Bretton
GrandMother: Elizabeth Wilkson
Edmund Beckett aka Denison 4th Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Wilson
GrandFather: Bishop Christopher Wilson
Mother: Mary Wilson Lady Beckett
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bishop Edmund Gibson
GrandMother: Anne Gibson