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: Pope
On 15th October 1573 William Pope 1st Earl Downe was born to [his father] John Pope [aged 53].
On 24th June 1583 [his father] John Pope [aged 63] died.
In 1585 Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth [aged 26] and [his future wife] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Baroness Wentworth. They were fourth cousins.
In 1595 William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 21] and Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 34] were married.
In 1595 [his son] William Pope was born to William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 21] and [his wife] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 34]. He married 1615 Elizabeth Watson Lady Penyston and had issue.
In 1598 [his son] Thomas Pope 3rd Earl Downe was born to William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 24] and [his wife] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 37]. He married 20th April 1636 Beatrix Poole and had issue.
After 1603 [his son] Colonel Nathaniel Pope was born to William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 29] and [his wife] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 42] at Gloucestershire.
On 23rd July 1603 King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 37] created a number Knights at the Royal Gardens Whitehall Palace:
Henry Savile 1st Baronet [aged 24], William Morgan [aged 43], George Carew, Baptist Hicks 1st Viscount Campden [aged 46], Richard Musgrave 1st Baronet [aged 18], James Calthorpe [aged 44], Thomas Gresham [aged 56], George Fane of Burston [aged 22], Francis Fane 1st Earl of Westmoreland [aged 23], Robert Chichester [aged 25], William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 29], Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet [aged 15], Thomas Berkeley [aged 28], Edward Montagu 1st Baron Montagu [aged 40], William Herbert 1st Baron Powis [aged 30], Anthony Irby [aged 26], Drue Drury of Eccles and Rollesby in Norfolk and Arnold Lygon [aged 45].
24th July 1603 Richard Browne [aged 64].
Before 1612 [his step-son] Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland [aged 20] and Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland were married. She by marriage Baroness Wentworth. They were second cousin once removed.
In 1615 William Pope [aged 20] and Elizabeth Watson Lady Penyston [aged 15] were married. He the son of William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 41] and Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 54].
Before 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 67]. Portrait of William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 45].
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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On 10th May 1625 [his wife] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth [aged 64] died.
On 16th October 1628 William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 55] was created 1st Earl Downe.
Before 2nd June 1631 [his son] William Pope [aged 36] died.
On 2nd June 1631 William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 57] died. His grandson Thomas [aged 8] succeeded 2nd Earl Downe.