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: Obrien Inchiquin
In 1726 Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond was born to [his father] James O'Brien (age 25).
In 1753 Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 27) and Mary O'Brien 3rd Countess Orkney and Inchquin (age 32) were married. She the daughter of William O'Brien 4th Earl Inchiquin (age 53) and Anne Hamilton 2nd Countess Orkney and Inchiquin. They were first cousins.
On 4th September 1755 [his daughter] Mary O'Brien 4th Countess Orkney was born to Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 29) and [his wife] Mary O'Brien 3rd Countess Orkney and Inchquin (age 34). Coefficient of inbreeding 8.42%. She married 1777 Thomas Fitzmaurice Earl Orkney, son of John Petty-Fitzmaurice 1st Earl Shelburne and Mary Fitzmaurice Countess Shelburne, and had issue.
On 6th September 1756 [his mother-in-law] Anne Hamilton 2nd Countess Orkney and Inchiquin died. Her daughter [his wife] Mary (age 35) succeeded 3rd Countess Orkney.
On 18th December 1771 [his father] James O'Brien (age 70) died.
In 1777 [his son-in-law] Thomas Fitzmaurice Earl Orkney (age 34) and [his daughter] Mary O'Brien 4th Countess Orkney (age 21) were married. She the daughter of Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 51) and [his wife] Mary O'Brien 3rd Countess Orkney and Inchquin (age 56). He the son of John Petty-Fitzmaurice 1st Earl Shelburne and Mary Fitzmaurice Countess Shelburne.
On 18th July 1777 Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 51) succeeded 5th Earl Inchiquin. [his wife] Mary O'Brien 3rd Countess Orkney and Inchquin (age 56) by marriage Countess Inchiquin.
On 10th May 1790 [his wife] Mary O'Brien 3rd Countess Orkney and Inchquin (age 69) died. Her daughter [his daughter] Mary (age 34) succeeded 4th Countess Orkney. [his son-in-law] Thomas Fitzmaurice Earl Orkney (age 47) by marriage Earl Orkney.
On 25th July 1792 Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 66) and Mary Palmer Marchioness Thomond (age 42) were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years.
On 23rd August 1792 Joshua Reynolds (age 69) died at his home in Leicester Fields. He was buried in St Paul's Cathedral [Map]. He bequesthed his niece [his wife] Mary Palmer Marchioness Thomond (age 42) £100,000 in his will.
In December 1800 King George III of Great Britain and Ireland (age 62) created a number of peers who supported the Act of Union...
On 21st December 1800 Charles Stanley Monck 1st Viscount Monck (age 46) was created 1st Viscount Monck.
On 29th December 1800....
Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 74) was created 1st Marquess Thomond. [his wife] Mary Palmer Marchioness Thomond (age 50) by marriage Marchioness Thomond.
Charles Tottenham aka Loftus 1st Marquess Ely (age 62) was created 1st Marquess Ely in County Wexford. Jane Myhill Marchioness Ely by marriage Marchioness Ely in County Wexford.
James Alexander 1st Earl Caledon (age 70) was created 1st Earl Caledon in County Tyrone.
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 10th February 1808 Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond (age 82) died. His nephew William (age 43) succeeded 2nd Marquess Thomond, 6th Earl Inchiquin. Rebecca Trotter Marchioness Thomond (age 33) by marriage Marchioness Thomond.
On 7th September 1820 [his former wife] Mary Palmer Marchioness Thomond (age 70) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 17 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 20 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 25 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 3 Grandfather: Dermod McMurrough O'Brien 5th Baron Inchiquin
Great x 2 Grandfather: Murdough O'Brien 1st Earl Inchiquin
Great x 1 Grandfather: William O'Brien 2nd Earl Inchiquin 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Warham St Leger 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William St Leger 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth St Leger Countess Inchiquin 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: William O'Brien 3rd Earl Inchiquin 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Roger Boyle 1st Earl Orrery
Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Fenton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Fenton Countess Cork
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Boyle Countess Inchiquin 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Howard Countess Orrery 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Home 1st Earl Dunbar
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Gordon Countess Dunbar 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Father: James O'Brien 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Villiers of Brooksby Leicestershire 
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Villiers of Brokesby
Great x 4 Grandmother: Collette Clarke
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Villiers
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Saunders of Harrington Northamptonshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Audrey Saunders
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Villiers 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas St John 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John St John 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Blount 
13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Barbara St John 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Hungerford 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Lucy Hungerford 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Dormer 
GrandMother: Mary Villiers Countess Inchiquin 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Audley Duchess Norfolk 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Knyvet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stumpe
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Howard 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alexander Manderston Home
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Home 1st Earl Dunbar
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alexander Gordon 3rd of Gight 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Gordon Countess Dunbar 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Beaton
Murrough O'Brien 1st Marquess Thomond 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England