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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Earl Kildare is in Earl Ireland.
Before 1281 John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare [aged 30] and Blanche La Roche Countess Kildare [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 16th August 1312 Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and Joan Burgh Countess Kildare [aged 12] were married at Greencastle, County Down. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Richard "Red Earl" Burgh 2nd Earl of Ulster [aged 53] and Margaret Burgh Countess Ulster. He the son of John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare [aged 62] and Blanche La Roche Countess Kildare [aged 57].
On 10th September 1316 John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare [aged 66] died. His son Thomas succeeded 2nd Earl Kildare.
On 9th April 1328 Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare died. His son Richard [aged 11] succeeded 3rd Earl Kildare.
On 7th July 1329 Richard Fitzgerald 3rd Earl of Kildare [aged 12] died. His brother Maurice [aged 11] succeeded 4th Earl Kildare.
On 25th August 1390 Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare [aged 72] died. His son Gerald succeeded 5th Earl Kildare.
In 1427 John Fitzgerald 6th Earl of Kildare died. His son Thomas [aged 6] succeeded 7th Earl Kildare.
On 16th October 1432 Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare died. She was buried at Grey Abbey, County Kildare. His uncle John succeeded 6th Earl Kildare.
On 30th March 1463 David Fleming 6th Baron Slane [aged 40] died. His first cousin James [aged 21] succeeded 7th Baron Slane. Elizabeth Welles Countess Kildare by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 25th March 1478 Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare [aged 57] died. His son Gerald [aged 22] succeeded 8th Earl Kildare.
Before 1487 Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare [aged 30] and Alice Fitzeustace Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare.
In or after 1496 Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare [aged 39] and Elizabeth St John Countess Kildare [aged 36] were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Before 8th July 1503, the date Mrgrate Tudor left on her journet to Scotland, Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare [aged 16] and Elizabeth Zouche Countess Kildare were married at Collyweston Palace [Map]. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare [aged 47] and Alice Fitzeustace Countess Kildare.
On 3rd September 1513 Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare [aged 57] died. His son Gerald [aged 26] succeeded 9th Earl Kildare.
Around 1522 Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare [aged 35] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Kildare [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset and Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset [aged 61]. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare and Alice Fitzeustace Countess Kildare.
On 12th December 1534, some sources say the 13th, Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare [aged 47] died whilst imprisoned at the Tower of London [Map]. He was buried at the St Peter ad Vincula Church, Tower of London [Map]. His son Thomas [aged 21] succeeded 10th Earl Kildare. His son, and five of his brothers were executed just over two years later - see Execution of the Fitzgeralds.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 14th May 1554. The xiiij day of May was creatyd my lord Garrett [aged 29] the yerle of Kyldare. [Note. This was a restoration rather than creation.]
Note. P. 63. Lord Garrett created earl of Kildare. Gerald Fitzgerald, reckoned as the eleventh earl in succession of his family. His father [Note. brother?] Thomas was executed at Tyburn, together with his five uncles, on the 2d Feb. 1535; his grandfather [Note. father?] Gerald the ninth earl having died a prisoner in the Tower of London on the 12th Dec. preceding; and was subsequently pronounced attainted by an act of Parliament in Ireland passed in May 1536. The young lord Garrett, or FitzGerald, having been educated abroad, is said to have been introduced to the court of king Edward the Sixth, and knighted by him in 1552 (Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, by Archdall, vol. i. p. 94); but we have seen (p. 334) that the latter statement is erroneous, and it is more probable that he did not return before his kinsman and patron cardinal Pole and other eminent members of the old communion. His patent of restoration was dated May 13, 1554, (Lodge,) and in the following November he returned to Ireland. He was now thirty years of age, and he died in London, Nov. 16, 1585.
On 14th May 1554 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare [aged 29] was restored 11th Earl Kildare.
On 28th May 1554 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare [aged 29] and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare [aged 18] were married at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Grey Countess Kildare. They were third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 16th November 1585 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare [aged 60] died. His son Henry [aged 23] succeeded 12th Earl Kildare.
In 1589 Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare [aged 27] and Frances Howard Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham [aged 53] and Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham [aged 39]. He the son of Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare [aged 53]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
On 1st August 1597 Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare [aged 35] died. His brother William succeeded 13th Earl Kildare.
In April 1599 William Fitzgerald 13th Earl of Kildare drowned. His first cousin Gerald succeeded 14th Earl Kildare. Elizabeth Nugent Countess Kildare by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 11th February 1612 Gerald Fitzgerald 14th Earl of Kildare died at Maynooth, County Kildare. His son Gerald [aged 1] succeeded 15th Earl Kildare.
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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In 1620 George "Fairy Earl" Fitzgerald 16th Earl of Kildare [aged 7] succeeded 16th Earl Kildare. Joan Boyle Countess Kildare [aged 9] by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 29th May 1660 George "Fairy Earl" Fitzgerald 16th Earl of Kildare [aged 48] died. His son Wentworth [aged 26] succeeded 17th Earl Kildare. Elizabeth Holles Countess Kildare by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 5th March 1664 Wentworth Fitzgerald 17th Earl of Kildare [aged 30] died. His son John [aged 3] succeeded 18th Earl Kildare.
Before 1683 John Fitzgerald 18th Earl of Kildare [aged 21] and Mary O'Brien Countess Kildare [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Wentworth Fitzgerald 17th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Holles Countess Kildare. They were third cousin twice removed.
On 12th June 1684 John Fitzgerald 18th Earl of Kildare [aged 23] and Elizabeth Jones Countess Kildare [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Richard Jones 1st Earl Ranelagh [aged 43] and Elizabeth Willoughby Countess Ranelagh [aged 51]. He the son of Wentworth Fitzgerald 17th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Holles Countess Kildare. They were second cousins.
On 9th November 1707 John Fitzgerald 18th Earl of Kildare [aged 46] died. His first cousin Robert [aged 32] succeeded 19th Earl Kildare.
On 7th March 1709 Robert Fitzgerald 19th Earl of Kildare [aged 33] and Mary O'Brien Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of William O'Brien 3rd Earl Inchiquin [aged 47] and Mary Villiers Countess Inchiquin. They were second cousin once removed.
On 20th February 1743 Robert Fitzgerald 19th Earl of Kildare [aged 67] died. His son James [aged 21] succeeded 20th Earl Kildare.
John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare was created 1st Earl Kildare.
Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare and Margaret Rocheford Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghesh Countess Kildare.
Thomas "Silken" Fitzgerald 10th Earl of Kildare and Frances Fortescue Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Zouche Countess Kildare.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare and Agnes Darcy Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghesh Countess Kildare. They were third cousin twice removed.
Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghesh Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and Joan Burgh Countess Kildare. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
John Fitzgerald 6th Earl of Kildare and Margaret Herne Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and Joan Burgh Countess Kildare.