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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton is in Belton, Grantham [Map], Churches in Lincolnshire.
On 21st July 1638 Richard Brownlow (age 85) died in Enfield [Map]. Monument to Richard Brownlow in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map] sculpted by Joshua Marshall (age 10).
Richard Brownlow: On 2nd April 1553 he was born. On 12th April 1553 Richard Brownlow was baptised at St Andrew's Church, Holborn [Map]. On 9th October 1591 he was appointed Chief Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas which office he held until heis death which made him a very wealthy.
On or before 8th September 1666 Elizabeth Duncombe (age 64) died. On 8th September 1666 she was buried at St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
On 3rd July 1668 Richard Brownlow 2nd Baronet (age 25) died. His son John (age 9) succeeded 3rd Baronet Brownlow of Humby in Lincolnshire.
Monument St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Armorial 
Brownlow Arms with a canton of the Rad Hand of Ulster impaled his wife's Freke Arms.
Richard Brownlow 2nd Baronet: Before 1643 he was born to William Brownlow 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Duncombe. Before 26th June 1659 Richard Brownlow 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Freke Lady Brownlow were married. In 1666 William Brownlow 1st Baronet died. His son Richard succeeded 2nd Baronet Brownlow of Humby in Lincolnshire. Elizabeth Freke Lady Brownlow by marriage Lady Brownlow of Humby in Lincolnshire.
After 24th November 1679. St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Monument to John "Old Sir John" Brownlow 1st Baronet (deceased) sculpted by William Stanton (age 40).
On 16th July 1697 John Brownlow 3rd Baronet (age 38) committed suicide after suffering from severe gout. His brother William (age 31) succeeded 4th Baronet Brownlow of Humby in Lincolnshire and inherited Belton House [Map]. Dorothy Mason Baroness Brownlow (age 30) by marriage Lady Brownlow of Humby in Lincolnshire.
Monument in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map] sculpted by William Stanton (age 58).
After 1721. Monument to Alice Brownlow in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 1726. Monument to William Brownlow in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 1726. Monument to Anne Drury in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
On 24th January 1770 John Cust 3rd Baronet (age 51) died. His son Brownlow (age 25) succeeded 4th Baronet Cust of Stamford in Lincolnshire and inherited Belton House [Map].
Monument in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Sculpted by William Tyler (age 41).
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 7th December 1788 Anne Cust (age 17) died. Monument in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Sculpted by John "The Elder" Bacon (age 48) in 1793.
Anne Cust: In 1771 she was born to Brownlow Cust 1st Baron Brownlow and Jocosa Drury Lady Cust.
On 25th December 1807 Brownlow Cust 1st Baron Brownlow (age 63) died. His son John (age 28) succeeded 2nd Baron Brownlow of Belton in Lincolnshire, 5th Baronet Cust of Stamford in Lincolnshire, and inherited Belton House [Map]. Monument in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map] sculpted by Richard "The Elder" Westmacott (age 60).
After 21st February 1814. Monument to Amelia Sophia Hume (deceased) in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Sculpted by Antonio Canova (age 56).
After 4th July 1824. Monument to Caroline Fludyer Countess Brownlow (deceased) in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
Caroline Fludyer Countess Brownlow: On 5th June 1794 she was born to George Fludyer and Mary Fane. Before 1819 John Cust 1st Earl Brownlow and she were married. She by marriage Countess Brownlow. On 4th July 1824 she died.
After 1827. Monument to Katherine and Mary Cust in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 15th September 1853. Monument to Richard Brownlow 2nd Baronet in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map] sculpted by Baron Pietro Carlo Marochetti (age 48).
After 26th July 1856. Monument to Lucy Cust in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 1864. Monument to Richard Cust in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Sculpted by William "The Younger" Theed (age 60).
On 2nd March 1867 John William Spencer Brownlow Egerton-Cust 2nd Earl Brownlow (deceased) was buried in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
On 2nd March 1917 Henry John Cockayne-Cust (age 55) died. His monument at St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map] sculpted by his wife Emmeline "Nina" Welby-Gregory (age 50).
Henry John Cockayne-Cust: On 10th October 1861 he was born to Henry Cockayne-Cust and Sara Jane Cookson. On 11th October 1893 Henry John Cockayne-Cust and Emmeline "Nina" Welby-Gregory were married.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 16th March 1917 Adelaide Chetwynd-Talbot Countess Brownlow died. Monument in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 17th March 1921. Monument to Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust 3rd Earl Brownlow (deceased) in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust 3rd Earl Brownlow: On 19th August 1844 he was born to John Hume Egerton and Marianne Margaret Compton. On 20th February 1867 John William Spencer Brownlow Egerton-Cust 2nd Earl Brownlow died in Mentone Italy. His brother Adelbert succeeded 3rd Earl Brownlow, 3rd Viscount Alford, 4th Baron Brownlow of Belton in Lincolnshire, 7th Baronet Cust of Stamford in Lincolnshire, and inherited Belton House [Map]. In 1868 Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust 3rd Earl Brownlow and Adelaide Chetwynd-Talbot Countess Brownlow were married. She by marriage Countess Brownlow. She the daughter of Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot 3rd Earl Talbot 18th Earl of Shrewsbury and Sarah Elizabeth Beresford Countess Talbot Shrewsbury Waterford. They were half fifth cousins. On 17th March 1921 Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust 3rd Earl Brownlow died. Earl Brownlow, Viscount Alford extinct. His second cousin Adelbert succeeded 5th Baron Brownlow of Belton in Lincolnshire, 8th Baronet Cust of Stamford in Lincolnshire, and inherited Belton House [Map]. Maud Buckle Baroness Brownlow by marriage Baroness Brownlow of Belton in Lincolnshire.
On 19th January 1931 Charles Leopold Cust 3rd Baronet (age 66) died. He was buried at St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map]. Baronet Cust of Leasowe Castle in Cheshire extinct.
On 19th September 1936 Maud Buckle Baroness Brownlow (age 65) died. She was buried at St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 1966. Monument to Amelia Sophia Hume in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 1966. Monument to Dorothy Carlotta in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].
After 1993. Monument to Richard Brownlow Purey-Cust and Patricia Purey-Cust in St Peter and St Paul Church, Belton [Map].