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: Despencer
Before 1373 [his father] Edward Despencer 1st Baron Despencer, Baron Burghesh (age 37) and [his mother] Elizabeth Burghesh 3rd Baron Burghesh (age 30) were married. She by marriage Baroness Despencer. He by marriage Baron Burghesh. They were half fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
On 22nd September 1373 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester was born to [his father] Edward Despencer 1st Baron Despencer, Baron Burghesh (age 38) and [his mother] Elizabeth Burghesh 3rd Baron Burghesh (age 31). He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England.
On 11th November 1375 [his father] Edward Despencer 1st Baron Despencer, Baron Burghesh (age 40) died at Llanblethian. He was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey [Map]. His son Thomas (age 2) succeeded 2nd Baron Despencer.
In or before 1377 [his brother-in-law] Hugh Hastings 7th Baron Hastings (age 26) and [his sister] Anne Despencer Baroness Hastings, Marshal and Morley (age 18) were married. They were third cousins. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
Before 7th November 1379 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 6) and Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 5) were married. She the daughter of Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York (age 38) and Isabella of Castile Duchess York (age 24). They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1381 [his brother-in-law] Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle (age 8) and Beatrice Burgundy Countess Rutland and Cork (age 8) were married. She the daughter of Ferdinand I King Portugal (age 35) and Leonor Teles Meneses Queen Consort Portugal. He the son of [his father-in-law] Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York (age 39) and [his mother-in-law] Isabella of Castile Duchess York (age 26). They were second cousin once removed. He a grandson of King Edward III of England.
Before 1st August 1385 [his brother-in-law] John Fitzalan Baron Maltravers 2nd Baron Arundel (age 20) and [his sister] Elizabeth Despencer Baroness Zouche, Harringworth, Maltravers and Arundel were married. She by marriage Baroness Maltravers, Baroness Arundel. They were half third cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry III of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In May 1387 [his brother-in-law] Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle (age 14) was appointed 76th Knight of the Garter by King Richard II of England (age 20).
Around 1388 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 14) was appointed 80th Knight of the Garter by King Richard II of England (age 20).
On 25th February 1390 [his brother-in-law] Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle (age 17) was created 1st Earl of Rutland. Beatrice Burgundy Countess Rutland and Cork (age 17) by marriage Countess of Rutland.
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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Before 21st October 1390 [his brother-in-law] Thomas Morley 5th Baron Marshal 4th Baron Morley (age 36) and [his sister] Anne Despencer Baroness Hastings, Marshal and Morley (age 32) were married. She by marriage Baroness Marshal, Baroness Morley. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 23rd December 1392 [his mother-in-law] Isabella of Castile Duchess York (age 37) died. She was buried at King's Langley Priory, Hertfordshire [Map]. She the wife of [his father-in-law] Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York (age 51). Isabella had travelled to England with her sister Constance of Castile Duchess of Lancaster (age 38) who had married Edmund's elder brother John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster (age 52). Isabella and Edmund's marriage was not, apparently, a happy one. She is known to have had an affair with John Holland 1st Duke Exeter (age 40) who may have been the father of [his brother-in-law] Richard of Conisbrough 1st Earl Cambridge (age 7) progenitor of the House of York.
On 2nd November 1393 John Hastings 6th Baron Hastings (age 65) died without issue. His nephew [his brother-in-law] Hugh (age 43) de jure 7th Baron Hastings. [his sister] Anne Despencer Baroness Hastings, Marshal and Morley (age 35) by marriage Baroness Hastings.
In 1394 [his brother-in-law] Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle (age 21) was created 1st Earl Cork. Beatrice Burgundy Countess Rutland and Cork (age 21) by marriage Countess Cork.
Before 4th May 1396 [his brother-in-law] William Zouche 3rd Baron Zouche Harringworth (age 44) and [his sister] Elizabeth Despencer Baroness Zouche, Harringworth, Maltravers and Arundel were married. She by marriage Baroness Zouche Harringworth. They were third cousin once removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 30th November 1396 [his son] Richard Despencer 4th Baron Burghesh was born to Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 23) and [his wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 22). He a great grandson of King Edward III of England. He married before 1414 his second cousin Eleanor Neville Countess Northumberland, daughter of Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland and Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland.
On 29th September 1397 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 24) was created 1st Earl Gloucester. [his wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 23) by marriage Countess Gloucester.
In 1398 [his daughter] Elizabeth Despencer died.
In 1398 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 24) attainder reversed 2nd Baron Despencer, 2nd Baron Despencer.
In 1398 [his daughter] Elizabeth Despencer was born to Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 24) and [his wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 24). She a great granddaughter of King Edward III of England. She died aged less than one years old.
Before 7th October 1398 [his brother-in-law] Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle (age 25) and Philippa Mohun Duchess York (age 31) were married. He the son of [his father-in-law] Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York (age 57) and [his mother-in-law] Isabella of Castile Duchess York.
In or before 1399 [his son] Edward Despencer died.
In or before 1399 [his son] Edward Despencer was born to Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 25) and [his wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 24). He a great grandson of King Edward III of England. He died aged less than one years old.
On 17th December 1399 the conspirators met at Abbey House Westminster Abbey [Map] including Thomas Blount (age 47), Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 26), Thomas Holland 1st Duke Surrey (age 25), John Holland 1st Duke Exeter (age 47), Ralph Lumley 1st Baron Lumley (age 39), John Montagu 3rd Earl Salisbury (age 49), [his brother-in-law] Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle (age 26), Bernard Brocas (age 45). They plotted to capture King Henry IV of England (age 32) at a Tournament in Windsor, Berkshire [Map] on the Feast of Epiphany hence the Epiphany Rising.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 13th January 1400 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 26) was beheaded at Bristol, Gloucestershire [Map].
After 7th January 1400. Henry IV's (age 32) Parliament. 2.30. Also, be it remembered that whereas Thomas Holland, formerly earl of Kent (deceased), John Holland, formerly earl of Huntingdon (age 48), John Montague, formerly earl of Salisbury (deceased), Thomas, formerly Lord Despenser (age 26), and Ralph Lumley (deceased), knight, recently rose up in various parts of England and rode in warlike manner, treacherously, against our lord the king, contrary to their allegiance, to destroy our said lord the king and other great men of the realm, and to populate the said realm with people of another tongue, they were seized and beheaded in their armed uprising by the loyal lieges of oursaid lord the king; and for that reason all the lords temporal present in parliament, by the assent of the king, declared and adjudged the said Thomas, John, John, Thomas, and Ralph to be traitors for their armed uprising against their aforesaid liege lord, and that they should forfeit as traitors all the lands and tenements that they held in fee simple on 5 January, the eve of the feast of the Epiphany of our lord Jesus Christ, in the first year of the reign of our aforesaid lord [1400], or after, as the law of the land requires, together with all their goods and chattels, notwithstanding the fact that they were killed during the said armed uprising without due process of law.
Chronicle of the Betrayal of Richard II. [13th January 1400] ... King Henry sent the [his brother-in-law] Earl of Rutland (age 27) and Sir Thomas Erpingham (age 45) to seize the Lord Despencer (age 26) who was [formerly] Earl of Gloucester,1 who took him and beheaded him; and the Earl of Rutland sent his head also to London.
Note 1. Thomas Despencer, son of Edward Lord Despencer, although he excused himself for the part he had taken on the plea of compulsion (Rot. Pari. iii. 451), was yet degraded from his title of Earl of Gloucester by Henry in his first Parliament. He escaped over the roofs of some houses at Cirencester, and fled to his castle of Cardiff. Hearing that King Henry had despatched a party to bring him to London, willing or unwilling, he disposed his affairs in the best manner he could, and, taking with him his jewels, entered a boat in the Severn; but, when they had reached the middle of the river, the captain refused to carry him anywhere but to Bristol. An altercation then commenced; twenty armed men, concealed in the hold, rushed upon deck; he defended himself manfully, and wounded some of the sailors, but was overpowered, and carried to the mayor of Bristol. Henry wished to have had an interview with him before he was put to death; but the second day after his capture the people cried out, 'Bring forth the traitors!' and, the mayor having failed to appease them, he was beheaded before the market-cross. His body was buried in the choir at Tewkesbury. (Monk of Evesham, Cotton. MS. Tiberius C. ix.) Henry gave to William Flaxman the cloak of motley velvet and furred damask which Lord Despencer wore when he was captured. (Rot. Pat. 1 Hen. IV. p. 5. m. 8.)
Patent Rolls. 13th February 1400. Grant to the king's servant William Flaxman of a furred gown of 'motley Westminster. velvet' of 'damask' late of Thomas, lord le Despenser (deceased), in which he was seized without the house of the mayor of Bristol and which is in the hands of the burgesses. By p.s.
Around 1400 [his son] Hugh Despencer was born to Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 26) and [his wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 26). He a great grandson of King Edward III of England. He died aged one in 1401.
Before 13th January 1400 Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester (age 26) was attainted. Earl Gloucester, Baron Despencer, Baron Despencer, Baron Despencer forfeit. Some sources refer to this as 'degraded' although it isn't clear what the difference is?
On 26th July 1400 [his daughter] Isabel Despencer Countess Warwick and Worcester was born to Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester and [his former wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 26) some six months after her father had been beheaded during the Epiphany Rising. She a great granddaughter of King Edward III of England. She married (1) 27th July 1411 her half fourth cousin Richard Beauchamp 1st Earl of Worcester, son of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Abergavenny and Joan Fitzalan Baroness Bergavenny, and had issue (2) before 1425 her third cousin Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick, son of Thomas Beauchamp 12th Earl Warwick and Margaret Ferrers Countess Warwick, and had issue.
On 29th November 1416 [his former wife] Constance York Countess Gloucester (age 42) died at Reading Abbey, Berkshire [Map].
Kings Wessex: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 7 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 13 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 8 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 17 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 15 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Despencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Despencer
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Basset 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Aline Basset 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hawise Reginar
Great x 1 Grandfather: Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Maudit
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabella Beauchamp
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fitzgeoffrey
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Bigod 
GrandFather: Edward Despencer Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Clare 5th Earl Gloucester 4th Earl Hertford 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard de Clare 6th Earl Gloucester 5th Earl Hertford 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Marshal Countess Cornwall, Gloucester and Hertford 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Lacy Earl Lincoln 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Lacy Countess Gloucester and Hertford 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Quincy 3rd Countess Lincoln and Pembroke 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Clare Baroness Zouche Mortimer Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry III of England 
Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon 
Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Dammartin Queen Consort Castile and Leon
Father: Edward Despencer 1st Baron Despencer, Baron Burghesh 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Gernon Countess Derby 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Ferrers 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger de Quincy 2nd Earl Winchester
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Quincy Countess Derby 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Helen Galloway Countess Winchester 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Ferrers 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Despencer
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Despencer
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Despencer 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Basset 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Aline Basset 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hawise Reginar
GrandMother: Anne Ferrers 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Segrave 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Nicholas Segrave 1st Baron Segrave
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Segrave 2nd Baron Segrave
Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey de Lucy of Newington in Kent 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud de Lucy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Nichole Cantilupe 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Ellen or Margaret Segrave Baroness Ferrers Groby
Great x 2 Grandmother: Christiana Plessey Baroness Segrave
Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Burghesh 1st Baron Burghesh 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bartholomew "The Elder" Burghesh 1st Baron Burghesh
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gunselin Badlesmere 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Badlesmere Baroness Burghesh
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Fitzbernard
GrandFather: Bartholomew "The Younger" Burghesh 2nd Baron Burghesh 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "The Botiller" Verdun 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Theobald Verdun 1st Lord Verdun
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret "Lady of Dulek" Lacy 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Theobald Verdun 2nd Lord Verdun
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margery Bohun Lady Verdun
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor de Braose 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Verdun Baroness Burghesh 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 
Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud de Braose
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Mortimer Lady Verdun 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fiennes 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Fiennes 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Beaumont 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Elizabeth Burghesh 3rd Baron Burghesh 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John de Weyland
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard de Weyland 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "Tadody aka Fatherless" Braose 8th Baron Bramber 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard de de Braose Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margred verch Llewellyn Baroness Clifford Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary de de Braose 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Le Rus
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Le Rus
GrandMother: Cecily Weyland 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England