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 Dysart is in Earl.
In 1643 William Murray 1st Earl Dysart (age 43) was created 1st Earl Dysart.
On 30th September 1680 Lionel Tollemache 3rd Earl Dysart (age 31) and Grace Wilbraham Countess Dysart (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess Dysart. He the son of Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 54).
On 5th June 1698 Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 71) died at Ham House, Richmond, Surrey. She was buried at Church of St Peter Petersham, Surrey. Her son Lionel (age 49) succeeded 3rd Earl Dysart.
On 23rd February 1727 Lionel Tollemache 3rd Earl Dysart (age 78) died. His grandson Lionel (age 18) succeeded 4th Earl Dysart, 5th Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk.
In 1729 Lionel Tollemache 4th Earl Dysart (age 20) and Grace Carteret Countess Dysart (age 15) were married. She by marriage Countess Dysart. They had sixteen children of which only seven reached adulthood. She the daughter of John Carteret 2nd Earl Granville (age 38) and Frances Worsley Countess Granville (age 36). They were sixth cousins.
On 10th March 1770 Lionel Tollemache 4th Earl Dysart (age 61) died. His son Lionel (age 35) succeeded 5th Earl Dysart, 6th Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk. Charlotte Walpole Countess Dysart (age 32) by marriage Countess Dysart.
On 20th February 1799 Lionel Tollemache 5th Earl Dysart (age 64) died at Ham House, Richmond, Surrey without issue. His brother Wilbrahim (age 59) succeeded 6th Earl Dysart, 7th Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk.
On 9th March 1821 Wilbrahim Tollemache 6th Earl Dysart (age 81) died. His sister Louisa (age 75) succeeded 7th Countess Dysart. Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk extinct. Her grandson William Manners aka Tollemache 1st Baronet (age 54) assumed the name Tollemache.
On 22nd September 1840 Louisa Tollemache 7th Countess Dysart (age 95) died without issue. Her grandson Lionel (age 45) succeeded 8th Earl Dysart. Maria Elizabeth Toone Countess Dysart by marriage Countess Dysart.
On 23rd September 1878 Lionel Tollemache 8th Earl Dysart (age 83) died. His grandson William (age 19) succeeded 9th Earl Dysart, 3rd Baronet Tollemache of Hanby Hall in Lincolnshire.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 22nd November 1935 William Tolemache 9th Earl Dysart (age 76) died. His nephew Wenefryde (age 46) succeeded 9th Earl Dysart. His second cousin Lyonel (age 81) succeeded 4th Baronet Tollemache of Hanby Hall in Lincolnshire.
