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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Vetusta Monumenta is in Society of Antiquaries of London Publications.
Vetusta Monumenta is a series of papers on ancient buildings, sites and artefacts, published at irregular intervals between 1718 and 1906 by the Society of Antiquaries of London.
The full title is Vetusta monumenta quae ad Rerum Britanicarum memoriam conservandam Societas Antiquariorum Londini sumptu suo edenda curavit ie The Society of Antiquaries of London has undertaken to publish, at its own expense, the ancient records which preserve the memory of British things.
Note. The text describing the Plates sourced from University of Missouri.
Plates 3.12-3.17 of Vetusta Monumenta depicts three of the twelve monuments that Edward I ordered to be built between 1291 and 1294 to commemorate the funeral procession of Queen Eleanor. Plates 3.12-3.13 depict the Hardingstone Cross and its details; Plates 3.14-3.15, Geddington Cross and its details; and Plates 3.16-3.17, Waltham Cross and its details. Waltham Cross was erected at a junction outside the village of Cheshunt near Waltham Abbey, where the town of Waltham Cross later developed. Then as now, these are the only three to survive of the twelve crosses originally erected by Edward I. Engravings by James Basire Sr after drawings by Jacob Schnebbelie. 476 x 320 mm, 315 x 475 mm, 476 x 320 mm, 477 x 320 mm, 480 x 320 mm, and 480 x 320 mm. Published by the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1791. Current locations: Hardingstone Cross is in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, UK; Geddington Cross is in Geddington, Northamptonshire, UK; and Waltham Cross is in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, UK, while the three original Waltham sculptures are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK.
