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: Duncombe
Around 1695 Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham was born to [his father] Anthony Duncombe.
On 4th April 1708 [his father] Anthony Duncombe died.
On 9th April 1711 [his uncle] Charles Duncombe [aged 63] died. He was at the time the richest commoner in England. His great wealth was inherited, half each, by his sister [his aunt] Mary aka Ursula Duncombe [aged 51] and his nephew Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 16]. She, Ursula, became the progenitor of Baron Feversham of Duncombe Park in Yorkshire.
In 1713 Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 18] and Margaret Verney Baroness Feversham Downton [aged 1] were married.
In 1747 Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 52] was created 1st Baron Feversham Downton in Wiltshire. [his wife] Margaret Verney Baroness Feversham Downton [aged 35] by marriage Baroness Feversham Downton in Wiltshire.
In October 1755 [his wife] Margaret Verney Baroness Feversham Downton [aged 43] died.
In 1756 Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 61] and Frances Bathurst Baroness Feversham Downton were married. She by marriage Baroness Feversham Downton in Wiltshire.
In 1757 [his daughter] Frances Duncombe 1757 was born to Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 62] and [his wife] Frances Bathurst Baroness Feversham Downton.
In 1758 Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 63] and Anne Hales Baroness Feversham Downton [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Baroness Feversham Downton in Wiltshire. The difference in their ages was 41 years.
After 1758 [his daughter] Anne Duncombe Countess Radnor was born to Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 63] and [his wife] Anne Hales Baroness Feversham Downton [aged 22]. She married 24th January 1777 Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie 2nd Earl Radnor, son of William Pleydell-Bouverie 1st Earl Radnor and Harriet Pleydell, and had issue.
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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On 18th June 1763 Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham [aged 68] died without male issue. Baron Feversham Downton in Wiltshire extinct.
In 1774 Philip Hales 5th Baronet [aged 39] was elected MP Downton. His brother-in-law Anthony Duncombe 1st Baron Feversham was influential in the result. He was successful only after petitioning against the original result; he took his seat in February 1775.
In 1795 [his former wife] Anne Hales Baroness Feversham Downton [aged 59] died.
In 1827 [his former wife] Frances Bathurst Baroness Feversham Downton died in childbirth.
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Duncombe 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Duncombe
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Duncombe
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Duncome
GrandFather: Alexander Duncombe of Drayton Bucks
Father: Anthony Duncombe