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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Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes is in Painters.
In 1793 Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes was born to [her father] Captain Alexander Geddes and [her mother] Harriet Easton.
In 1812 Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 19) was awarded a medal by the Society of Arts for one of her copies of the head of a boy.
In 1814 Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 21) exhibited a portrait of Lord Folkestone at the Royal Academy
Around 1817. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 24). Self-Portrait.
In 1817 William Hookham Carpenter (age 24) and Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 24) were married.
Around 1830. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 37). Portrait of George Leicester aka Warren 2nd Baron Tabley (age 18).
Around 1836. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 43). Portrait of Harriet Georgiana Brudenell Countess Howe (age 37).
Around 1836. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 43). Portrait of Augusta Ada Byron Countess Lovelace (age 20).
Around 1839. After Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 46). Portrait Robert Needham Cust (age 17).
Robert Needham Cust: On 24th February 1821 he was born to Henry Cockayne-Cust and Anna Maria Needham. On 27th October 1909 Robert Needham Cust died.
1850. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 57). Portrait of Selina Hayes.
Selina Hayes: she was born to John Macnamara Hayes 1st Baronet. On 3rd August 1812 Robert Fitzwygram 2nd Baronet and she were married. On 22nd August 1866 she died.
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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1850. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 57). "The Morning Walk" aka Miss Theobald. Portrait of (probably) Georgiana Theobald (age 21).
Georgiana Theobald: On 1st November 1828 she was born. In 1850 Charles Sabine Thellusson and she were married. On 20th March 1883 she died.
1850. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 57). Portrait of Mrs Charles Sabine Thelusson aka Georgiana Theobald (age 21).
Around 1852. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 59). Self-Portrait.
Before 1866. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 72). Portrait of her husband [her husband] William Hookham Carpenter (age 73).
William Hookham Carpenter: On 2nd March 1792 he was born. In 1817 he and Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes were married. In July 1866 he died.
Before 1866. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 72). Portrait of John Gibson (age 75).
In July 1866 [her husband] William Hookham Carpenter (age 74) died.
Before 1872. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 78). Portrait Eleonora Montagu Poore (age 68).
Eleonora Montagu Poore: In or after 1803 she was born to Edward Poore and Elizabeth Gibson. On 1st December 1900 she died.
Before 1872. Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 78). Portrait Mary Bailie-Hamilton Countess Aberdeen (age 57).
Mary Bailie-Hamilton Countess Aberdeen: On 4th August 1814 she was born to George Bailie. On 5th November 1840 George John Hamilton-Gordon 5th Earl Aberdeen and she were married. He the son of George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl Aberdeen and Harriet Douglas Countess Aberdeen. On 14th December 1860 George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl Aberdeen died. His son George succeeded 5th Earl Aberdeen. She by marriage Countess Aberdeen. On 3rd April 1900 Mary Bailie-Hamilton Countess Aberdeen died.
On 13th November 1872 Margaret Sarah Carpenter nee Geddes (age 79) died.