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: Manners
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Merbury
On 2nd July 1536 three weddings between the Neville, and Manners and Vere families, were celebrated at one mass at Holywell Priory [Map]:
[his uncle] Henry Neville 5th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 11] and [his aunt] Anne Manners Countess of Westmoreland [aged 9] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland [aged 44] and Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland [aged 41]. He the son of Ralph Neville 4th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 38] and Katherine Stafford Countess of Westmoreland [aged 37]. They were half fourth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
[his father] Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland [aged 9] and [his mother] Margaret Neville Countess Rutland were married. She the daughter of Ralph Neville 4th Earl of Westmoreland and Katherine Stafford Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland and Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland. They were half fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
John de Vere 16th Earl of Oxford [aged 20] and Dorothy Neville Countess of Oxford were married. She the daughter of Ralph Neville 4th Earl of Westmoreland and Katherine Stafford Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford [aged 65] and Elizabeth Trussell Countess of Oxford.
Those present included Thomas Audley 1st Baron Audley Walden [aged 48], Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 63], Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 52], Henry Grey 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 19], Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 40], John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford and Ralph Neville 4th Earl of Westmoreland.
On 2nd July 1549 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland was born to [his father] Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland [aged 22] and [his mother] Margaret Neville Countess Rutland.
On 10th August 1557 [his father] Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland [aged 30] fought being Captain-General of the cavalry at the Battle of St Quentin.
Jean Bourbon Count Soissons and Enghien [aged 29] was killed at the Battle of St Quentin. His brother Louis [aged 27] succeeded Count Soissons.
Henry Dudley [aged 26] was killed.
After 1559 [his father] Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland [aged 32] and [his step-mother] Bridget Hussey Countess Bedford [aged 33] were married. He the son of [his grandfather] Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland and [his grandmother] Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland. They were fourth 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 17th September 1563 [his father] Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland [aged 36] died. He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map]. His son Edward [aged 14] succeeded 3rd Earl of Rutland, 14th Baron Ros Helmsley. Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland became a ward of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 30] and was specially under the charge of William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 43].
In August 1564 Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 30] visited Cambridge University accompanied by William Howard 1st Baron Howard [aged 54] and William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 43]. William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley was created Master of Arts: Cambridge University.
John Astley [aged 57] was created Master of Arts: Cambridge University.
On 10th August 1564 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 15] was created Master of Arts: Cambridge University.
On 5th August 1570 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 21] was appointed Constable of Nottingham Castle [Map] and steward, keeper, warden, and chief justice of Sherwood Forest.
In 1571 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 21] was feodary of the duchy of Lancaster for the counties of Nottingham and Derby.
Before 1572 [his brother] John Manners 4th Earl of Rutland [aged 20] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Charlton Countess Rutland [aged 18] were married. He the son of [his father] Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland and [his mother] Margaret Neville Countess Rutland.
On 6th June 1573 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 23] and Isabel Holcroft Countess Rutland [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess of Rutland, Baroness Ros Helmsley. He the son of Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland and Margaret Neville Countess Rutland.
In 1574 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 24] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire.
Around January 1575 [his daughter] Elizabeth Manners 15th Baroness Ros of Helmsley was born to Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 25] and [his wife] Isabel Holcroft Countess Rutland [aged 25]. She married January 1589 her fifth cousin William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter, son of Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter and Dorothy Neville Countess Exeter, and had issue.
On 17th June 1577 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 27] was placed on the ecclesiastical commission for the province of York.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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In 1579 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 29] was on the Council of the North.
In 1584 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 34] was appointed 366th Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 50].
On 14th June 1585 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 35] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire.
On 14th October 1586 Henry Compton 1st Baron Compton [aged 42], Lewis Mordaunt 3rd Baron Mordaunt [aged 48], Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth [aged 28], Christopher Wray [aged 62], John Stourton 9th Baron Stourton [aged 33] and Edward Zouche 11th Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 30] sat in judgement on Mary Queen of Scots [aged 43] in the Presence Chamber of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu [aged 57], George Clifford 3rd Earl of Cumberland [aged 28], Henry Clinton 2nd Earl Lincoln [aged 45], Henry Grey 6th Earl Kent [aged 45], Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 37], Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby [aged 55], Ambrose Dudley 3rd Earl Warwick [aged 56], George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 58], Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford [aged 36], William Somerset 3rd Earl of Worcester [aged 60], William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 66], Henry Herbert 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 48] and Thomas Bromley [aged 56] were present on the side of the Presence Chamber of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
John St John 2nd Baron St John [aged 51] was present on the left side of the Presence Chamber of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
John Stourton 9th Baron Stourton was a juror.
Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland was a commissioner.
On 14th April 1587 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [aged 37] died at his home Ivy Bridge on the Strand [Map] or at Puddle Wharf aka Dock [Map]. He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map]. His daughter Elizabeth [aged 12] succeeded 15th Baroness Ros Helmsley. His brother John [aged 36] succeeded 4th Earl of Rutland. Elizabeth Charlton Countess Rutland [aged 34] by marriage Countess of Rutland. He would be Earl for ten months only dying on 24 Feb 1588.
Robert Constable [aged 65] was one of the principal mourners at his funeral.
After 14th April 1587. Elizabethan Period monument to Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland [deceased] and [his former wife] Isabel Holcroft Countess Rutland [aged 37] sculpted by Gerard Johnson The Elder [aged 37] in the Chancel of St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map].
Isabel Holcroft Countess Rutland: In 1550 she was born to Thomas Holcroft. On 6th June 1573 Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland and she were married. She by marriage Countess of Rutland, Baroness Ros Helmsley. He the son of Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland and Margaret Neville Countess Rutland. Around 16th January 1606 she died.
Detail of the sculpture of their only child Elizabeth Manners 15th Baroness Ros of Helmsley [aged 12].
His feet resting on a Bulls Head with a chained coronet around its neck - a change from the Unicorn seen on earlier Manners effigies.
Detail of her Ermine lined mantle and hands clasped in prayer.
Her arms quarterd 1&4 Holcroft 2 Unknown? A squirrel, possibly fox, eating what may be a nut. 3 A black bird and an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Around 16th January 1606 [his former wife] Isabel Holcroft Countess Rutland [aged 56] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 13 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 14 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 6 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Manners 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Manners
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes aka Anne Middleton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Manners 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Ogle
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Ogle 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Matilda Grey 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Manners 11th Baron Ros Helmsley 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Ros 8th Baron Ros Helmsley 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Ros 9th Baron Ros Helmsley 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Beauchamp Duchess Somerset 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Ros 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Tiptoft 1st Baron Tiptoft 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Philippa Tiptoft Baroness Ros of Helmsley 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joyce Charleton Baroness Tiptoft 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Arnold St Leger 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John St Leger 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas St Leger 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Donet
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margery Donet
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne St Leger Baroness Ros of Helmsley 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard of Conisbrough 1st Earl Cambridge 
Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Mortimer 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne York Duchess Exeter 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland 
Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Father: Henry Manners 2nd Earl of Rutland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Paston 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Paston
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Barry
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Paston
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Mautby
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Mautby
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Paston
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Brewes
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margery Brewes
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Debenham
GrandMother: Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Heydon
Great x 1 Grandmother: Bridget Heydon 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Boleyn 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Geoffrey Boleyn
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Bracton
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Boleyn 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Hoo 1st Baron Hoo and Hastings 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ann Hoo 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Wychingham 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Neville 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Holland 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 3rd Earl of Westmoreland 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Holland 2nd Duke Exeter Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Holland Countess Douglas and Avondale 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Stafford Duchess Exeter 
Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Booth of Barton in Lancashire 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger Booth
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabel Booth
GrandFather: Ralph Neville 4th Earl of Westmoreland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Sandes
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Sandes
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Warrener
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Sandes
Great x 1 Grandmother: Edith Sandys Baroness
Mother: Margaret Neville Countess Rutland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Neville Duchess Buckingham Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Beaufort 1st or 2nd Duke of Somerset 
Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Beaufort 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Beauchamp Duchess Somerset 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Woodville 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Woodville 1st Earl Rivers
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Bittelsgate
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Woodville Duchess Buckingham and Bedford 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Luxemburg I Count Saint Pol 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jacquetta of Luxemburg Duchess Bedford 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margherita Baux 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandMother: Katherine Stafford Countess of Westmoreland 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 2nd Earl of Northumberland 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Neville Countess Northumberland Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Poynings 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Poynings Countess Northumberland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Berkeley Countess Arundel 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Percy Duchess Buckingham 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William ap Thomas "Blue Knight of Gwent" Herbert 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Herbert 1st Earl Pembroke
Great x 4 Grandmother: Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam "Star of Abergavenny" Brecon
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Herbert Countess Northumberland 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Devereux 
7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Devereux 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Merbury
