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: Bligh
On 25th June 1912 [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 25] and [her mother] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 21] were married. He the son of [her grandfather] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 53] and [her grandmother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 52].
On 24th April 1913 Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye was born to [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 26] and [her mother] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 22].
In 1920 [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 33] and [her mother] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 29] were divorced; they had separated in 1913.
On 11th October 1923 [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 37] and Nancy Ellinor Kidston Countess Darnely [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Countess Darnley. He the son of [her grandfather] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 64] and [her grandmother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 63].
In 1927 [her grandfather] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley [aged 68] died. His son [her father] Esme [aged 40] succeeded 9th Earl Darnley.
On 3rd August 1934 Claud Dobree Strickland [aged 25] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 47] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 44].
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 21]..
During the 1930s Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 21] modelled for advertisements for Pond's cream, Will's Gold Flake, Kirbigrips, and Horlicks. Although she was a non-smoker and rarely drank alcohol, Lady Marguerite was often featured in cigarette and alcohol advertisements of the 1930s.
In 1936 [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 49] and Nancy Ellinor Kidston Countess Darnely [aged 35] were divorced.
8th January 1936. Bassano Ltd. Photograph of Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 22].
1937. Paul Tanqueray [aged 31]. Photograph of Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 23].
In 1937 Elizabeth Bligh 17th Baroness Clifton [aged 37] died. Her first cousin [her father] Esme [aged 50] succeeded 18th Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire
1937. Paul Tanqueray [aged 31]. Photograph of Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 23].
On 2nd February 1938. Cover of "Sketch" magazine with Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 24] "face-to-face with her bas-relief".
1939. Gerald Leslie Brockhurst [aged 48]. "By the Hills". Model Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 25]. The painting achieved top price at the Royal Academy summer exhibition that year.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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On 27th October 1939 [her future husband] Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 30] and Ann Todd [aged 32] were married.
On 30th November 1940 [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 54] and [her step-mother] Rosemary Potter Countess Darnley [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Darnley. The difference in their ages was 29 years. He the son of [her grandfather] Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley and [her grandmother] Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley [aged 80].
In February 1941 Claud Dobree Strickland [aged 31] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 27] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 54] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 50].
On 27th October 1941 [her husband] Claud Dobree Strickland [aged 32] was killed by flak during a raid on targets along the Belgian/Dutch coast in Hurricane IIb Z3826. He was buried at Bredene Churchyard, Belgium.
On 30th April 1942 Gordon Stanley Keith Haywood and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 29] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 55] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 51].
On 18th January 1948 [her mother] Daphne Rachel Mulholland [aged 57] died.
On 12th March 1949 [her future husband] Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 39] and Ann Todd [aged 42] were divorced.
On 21st May 1949 David Lean [aged 41] and Ann Todd [aged 42] were married. Both third weddings. She had divorced her second husband Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 40], his second cousin1, ten weeks before.
Note 1. Her first husband Nigel Trevithick Tangye was a great grandson of Joseph Tangye who was a grandfather of David Lean's mother Helena Tangye [aged 77].
In 1951 Gordon Stanley Keith Haywood and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 37] were divorced.
On 3rd May 1951 Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 42] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 38] were married. She the daughter of Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 64] and Daphne Rachel Mulholland.
On 29th May 1955 [her father] Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley [aged 68] died. His son [her brother] Peter [aged 39] succeeded 10th Earl Darnley, 19th Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire.
In 1964 Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 54] and Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 50] were divorced.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 15th June 1980 Major Peter Stuart Bligh 10th Earl of Darnley [aged 64] died. His half brother Adam [aged 38] succeeded 11th Earl Darnley, 20th Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire.
In 1988 [her former husband] Nigel Trevithick Tangye [aged 78] died.
On 10th October 2002 Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 89] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 32 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 30 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bligh 3rd Earl Darnley 
12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Bligh 4th Earl Darnley 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Bligh 5th Earl Darnley 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Stuart Bligh 6th Earl Darnley 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Parnell 2nd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Parnell 1st Baron Congleton 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Laetitia Charlotte Brooke 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Emma Jane Parnell Countess Darnley 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Dawson 1st Earl Portarlington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Caroline Dawson Baroness Congleton 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Caroline Stuart Countess Portarlington 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
GrandFather: Ivo Bligh 8th Earl Darnley 8 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Pelham 1st Earl Chichester 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Pelham 2nd Earl Chichester 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Frankland Countess Chichester 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Pelham 3rd Earl Chichester 6 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne Countess Chichester 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Harriet Mary Pelham Countess Darnley 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 6th Earl Cardigan 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Bishopp 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Brudenell Countess Chichester 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George John Cooke 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Penelope Cooke Countess Cardigan 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Penelope Bowyer of Harefield Park, London 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Father: Esme Ivo Bligh 9th Earl of Darnley 9 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Stephen Morphy
GrandMother: Florence Bligh Countess of Darnley
Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
GrandFather: Alfred John Mulholland
Mother: Daphne Rachel Mulholland
Great x 1 Grandfather: Llewellyn Traherne Bassett Saunderson 
GrandMother: Mabel Charlotte Saunderson