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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Calendar of State Papers Charles II is in Calendars.
28th February 1662. Warrant to pay to Lady Cornwallis, widow of Lord Cornwallis, £533. 6s. 8d., as a free gift out of the privy seal for £10,000, for secret services. [Ent. Book 5, p. 169.]
28th February 1662. Grant to Major Edward Knightley [possibly Edward Knightley [aged 68]] of pardon for being engaged in a quarrel near Dunkirk wherein William [Thos.] Carleton was slain. [Ent. Books 5, p. 183; and 48, p. 1.]
28th February 1662. Grant of pardon to Captain Francis Bromwich, engaged in the same quarrel. Minute. [Lunt Book 5, p. 184.]
28th February 1662. The King to Lord Rutherford. Has pardoned Capt. Francis Bromwich for his engaging in the unhappy quarrel near Dunkirk, in which Thos. Carleton was slain. Requests that he be continued in command of his foot company as before. With note of similar letters on behalf of Major Edw. Knightley [possibly Edward Knightley [aged 68]]. [Ent. Book 2, pp.18,19.]
28th February 1662. Commission for Edw. Knightley [possibly Edward Knightley [aged 68]] to be Major of Lord Rutherford's regiment in Dunkirk. Minute. [Ent. Book 2, p. 19.]
March 1662. 143. Request of Johannes Sibertus Kuffeler and Jacob Drebble, for a trial of their father Cornelius Drebble's secret of sinking or destroying ships in a moment, and if it succeed, for a reward of £10,000. The secret was left them by will, to preserve for the English Crown before any other State. [Adm. Paper.]
1st July 1662. 6. Woolwich, Kent [Map]. 6. William Hughes to the Same [Navy Commissioners]. Mr. Dering's cable is unfit for Woolwich. service. [Adm. Paper.]
18th August 1662. 59. -to [Lord Conway]. Welcomes him to Dublin. Hopes he has received the tender of his brother Dering's service. The Doctors are both at Tunbridge, and are going to Italy. The writer's cousin, Hugh Cholmley [aged 30], has fought a duel with Edward Montague [aged 27], without harm, and Henry Jermyn [aged 26] and Giles Rawlins against one of the Howards [aged 31] and Lord Dillon's son; it was fought in St. James's Fields, Pall Mall, at 11am. Rawlins is slain, Jermyn wounded, and the other two fled. The King intends to proclaim Tangiers a free port for five years. The London ministers who will not conform have parted from their congregations with great temper. Damaged.
5th September 1662. 22. Tender by E. Dering of tar, plank, &c, for the King's service. [Adm. Paper.]
15th July 1667. 127. Thomas Pointer to Sam. Pepys. Arrival of ships. The Swallow is leaky, and the company being unwilling to go to sea in her present condition, Mr. Blaydes will go aboard to stop the leak if possible. The garrison is to receive the gunners' stores of the Little Victory, Hopes they will order the victualler's agent to receive her provisions, for disposal to the Hampshire. Capt. Hogg has brought in a great prize, laden with Canary wine; also Capt. Reeves of the Panther, and the Fanfan, whose commander is slain, have come in with their prizes. [Adm. Paper.]
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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October 1667 101. Sir William Coventry [aged 39] to Pepys [aged 34]. Besides the 30,£000 received by Lord Anglesey from the East India Company on the seamen's wages, the Treasury Comrs. are sure of 20,£000 more from them on another assignment before January, which is intended for wages, so are desirous that he should pay in the river as well as at Chatham, Kent [Map], as fast as he can, to cut off the growing charge, beginning first with those ships where the least money will cut off the most charge. No day, except Sunday, should be neglected in this work, and the certificates be returned to the Treasury chamber of what money is weekly paid. [Adm. Paper.].
October 1667. 102. Proposals by Sir Thomas Strickland [aged 45] to the Navy Comrs., to build three third-rate frigates in Foudray Pill, to be completed by 1 Aug. 1671, upon a similar contract to that of Mr. Baylie, of Bristol. [Adm. Paper.] Enclosing,.
102. i. Edward Tyldesley to Sam. Pepys [aged 34]. Robt. Withers [aged 49] and the writer have viewed Foudray Pill, where they proposed to build ships for the King's service. Sends a draft sketch thereof, leaving the rest of the business to be transacted by his partners, Sir Thomas Strickland and Mr. Withers. Has such timber as all England cannot show. Lodge in the Forest of Meirscough, 1st October 1667.
102. ii. Sketch of Walney Island, the pill, bar, &c., in coloured chalks.
27th January 1688. Whitehall. Warrant for a pardon to George, Duke of Buckingham, of all treason, misprision of treason, felony, &c., especially concerning the killing of William Jenkins, and assaults on Francis Earl of Shrewsbury, or Sir John Talbot [aged 57], whether or not they have died or shall die of the same; with non-obstante of the statutes requiring security for good behaviour. [Ibid. No. 90.]
27th January 1688. Draft of the above. [Ibid. No. 91.]
27th January 1688. Entry of the above. [SP. Dom., Entry Book 30, f. 5.]
27th January 1688. Petition of John Bennett, high bailiff of the city and liberties of Westminster, to the King. By the accidental killing of William Jenkins, in a late duel between the Duke of Buckingham and Earl of Shrewsbury, the Duke forfeits all his goods, chattels, and personal estate to the King, a considerable part of which, being in Westminster, would come to the petitioner; but as he loses it by his Majesty's pardon to the Duke, he begs to be recommended to his Grace for some compensation. [Ibid. No. 93.]
27th January 1688? Petition of John Bennett, high bailiff of Westminster, to the King, for similar recommendation to Bernard Howard [aged 47], Sir John Talbot [aged 57], and Sir Robert Holmes [aged 66], who were engaged in the encounter in which William Jenkins was slain, but his Majesty is inclined to pardon them before conviction. [Ibid. No. 94.]
28th January 1688. Whitehall. Warrant for a grant to Francis Earl of Shrewsbury of pardon for killing William Jenkins, and for all duels, assaults, or batteries on George Duke of Buckingham, Sir John Talbot [aged 57], Sir Robert Holmes [aged 66], or any other, whether indicted or not for the same, with restitution of lands, goods, &. [S.P. Dom., Entry Book 28, f. 12.]
30th January 1688. Woolwich. William Acworth to Sam. Pepys [aged 54]. Desires that his coming up to the Woolwich. Board on Clayford's complaint may be deferred till after the survey by Col. Middleton of the provisions in the stores; wants a copy of Clayford's petition, and his Royal Highmess's reference, that he may have time to clear himself; is receiving 100 tons of hemp from Sir John Shaw, and 40 from Mr. Hayle. [Ibid. No. 124.]
25th March 1668. Petition of the poor whores, bauds, pimps, and panders, to the most splendid, illustrious, serene, and eminent lady of pleasure, the Countess of Castlemaine [aged 27], for protection against the company of London apprentices, through whom they have sustained the loss of habitations, trades, and employments, and for a guard of "French, Irish, and English Hectors," who are their approved friends. Will contribute to her, as their sisters at Rome and Venice do the Pope. 'Signed by us, Madam Cresswell and Damaris Page, in the behalf of our sisters and fellow sufferers (in this day of our calamity), in Dog and Bitch Yard, Lukener's Lane, Saffron Hill, Moorfields,. Chiswell Street, Rosemary Lane, Nightingale Lane, Ratcliffe Highway, Well Close, Church Lane, East Smithfield," &c [Printer Ibid. No. 60]
26th March 1668. Woolwich. Ann Pett to Sam. Pepys [aged 35]. My husband [aged 47] died last Sunday, and has left me in a mean condition, having spent by losses and sickness my own estate and his, and I have 4 children and am £300. in debt. His sickness has cost, since he came to Woolwich, £700., besides what is now to pay. I intreat you to assist me in obtaining £500. due to my husband, as also money owing in the yard, and to stand my friend to the Navy Commissioners, that I may continue in my house some time longer; my husband always attended to his Majesty's service, and never looked after his own concerns. [Ibid. No. 71.]
Answer of Thomas Yeabsley and John Lanyon to the information of Rich. Mitchell and Isaac Burton, vindicating themselves from any design to defraud the King, in reference to the freighting of the ship Tiger. [lbid. No. 171.]
30th September 1670. [Unknown] to the Navy Commissioners. We have noticed a paper on the Treasury Office door in Broad Street, that all seamen who were discharged before Dec. 1665 are to bring in their tickets this day, and that only they, their wives, brothers, or sisters, are to attend to receive the money, otherwise the tickets will be detained and the persons punished. Such limitations have often been published to small purpose, and it is well known that, notwithstanding such provisoes, much water goes beside the mill. The paper so affixed on the doors will serve only to adopt your clerks and others to be wives, brethren, and sisters of the persons to whom such tickets belong as shall be brought in, and from 5s. to 8s. in the pound will still be paid as formerly on such tickets, as you and the authors of such restrictions know.
What is it to you, or what prejudice is it to the nation, if you pay to such as present them, provided they give security that the seamen who did the service shall never demand the money for them? You may be sure they did not part with their tickets without some consideration, and if it was only 10s. in the pound, they who pleasured them ran a great adventure as to their own interest, and showed more charity than those who cry out against them and make laws to afflict them, to which end the inquisition [Committee of Accounts] at Brooke House was erected, and the money spent by those Commissioners would have paid many a poor man's ticket. We know several that have at small rates supplied the seamen in their necessities, and some who have accommodated their friends, in whose hands they left their concerns while again at sea, without 1s. profit, and who are yet unpaid, because they will not allow 5s. or 6s. in the pound on the amount by them disbursed for little or no profit.
We have heard many seamen wish they had allowed 10s., or a noble in the pound at first, to have had ready money. You may notice that for years your clerks could not honestly have lived at the rate they do upon their salaries.
We hear that many great ships have to be provided by the spring, but where are your men? or if they were all before you, what encouragement have they to go, or to show themselves valiant, when they have but small hopes of receiving their pay on their return now, when they were so shamefully neglected at the first engagement, when above two millions were ordered for the service? And what encouragement have their friends to supply them again, who have suffered so deeply for pleasuring them before? As we see and know more than you do, we advise you to pay all the arrears, whoever brings the tickets, provided they be known persons, or give security that the owners of the tickets shall not demand it again. Noted as picked up in the Navy Office by Capt. Shales, and delivered by him to Lord B[rouncker] [aged 50], then in the office, 4 Oct. [14 pages. S.P. Dom., Car. IT. 285, No. 154.]
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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26th October 1670. Chatham, Kent [Map]. William Rand and Ph. Pett to Sir Jer. Smith and Sam. Pepys [aged 37]. We send a copy of Sir William Batten's account, but that wherein Commissioner Pett and Capt. Taylor made that extravagant allowance to themselves is in Mr. Shales' hands, who also had copies of the documents enclosed, they being letters of more than ordinary importance. We hope Commissioner Cox will be at the Council, and Capt. Brooke and Mr. Mynors waiting upon him, which will make a sufficient number to appear on the chest's behalf. We cannot send the letters which passed between the Board and our supervisors, they being committed to a chest with 5 locks, whose keys are distributed amongst so many persons that they cannot be readily collected; but we conceive there will be no need of them, the case being so evident by the accounts. [S.P. Dom., Car. IT. 286, No. 64.]
1st December 1670. Certificate by Capt. Silas Taylor [aged 46], that Christopher Goodale, master of the Good Hope flyboat, who was employed by William Wood to transport masts from Harwich to Portsmouth, had some twice-laid rope and 3-inch plank out of the stores at Harwich, which he has not redelivered, according to promise. With note that the Board remitted him the rope, Justice Wood having urged that a greater quantity of his own was expended about the masts. ([Ibid. No. 175.]
1st December 1670. Navy Office. Certificate by Joseph Smith, that Capt. John Shales, purser of the Princess, has no account standing out for provisions, moneys, or stores committed to his charge. [Ibid. No. 177.]