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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Piccadilly is in Westminster [Map].
On 17th December 1846 Thomas Granville [aged 90] died at Piccadilly.
On 12th March 1749 or 13th March 1749 William Robert Fitzgerald 2nd Duke Leinster was born to James Fitzgerald 1st Duke Leinster [aged 27] and Emilia Mary Lennox Duchess Leinster [aged 17] at Arlington Place. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. He married 4th November 1775 his sixth cousin Emilia St George Duchess Leinster, daughter of St George Ussher aka St George 1st Baron Saint George, and had issue.
On 30th May 1805 William Johnstone aka Pulteney 5th Baronet [aged 75] died intestate in Bath House. His nephew John succeeded 6th Baronet Johnstone of Westerhall in Dumfries.
On 18th July 1889 Alexander Hugh Baring 4th Baron Ashburton [aged 54] died at Bath House. His son Francis [aged 22] succeeded 5th Baron Ashburton of Ashburton in Devon.
On 5th November 1792 Thomas Wentworth Beaumont was born to Colonel Thomas Richard Beaumont [aged 34] and Diana Wentworth [aged 27] at Old Burlington Street. He married 22nd November 1827 Henrietta Jane Emma Hawks Atkinson and had issue.
On 5th June 1800 Henry Bridgeman 1st Baron Bradford [aged 74] died at Old Burlington Street. His son Orlando [aged 38] succeeded 2nd Baron Bradford in Shropshire, 6th Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire.
On 10th April 1670 Edward Montagu 3rd Earl Sandwich was born to Edward Montagu 2nd Earl Sandwich [aged 22] and Mary Anne Boyle [aged 25] at Burlington House. He married 8th July 1689 his fifth cousin once removed Elizabeth Wilmot Countess Sandwich, daughter of John Wilmot 2nd Earl Rochester and Elizabeth Malet Countess Rochester, and had issue.
On 19th March 1853 Mary Susan Cavendish Viscountess Cobham was born to William George Cavendish 2nd Baron Chesham [aged 37] and Henrietta Frances Lascelles Baroness Chesham at Burlington House. She married 1878 her third cousin once removed Charles Lyttelton 8th Viscount Cobham, son of George William Lyttelton 4th Baron Lyttelton and Mary Glynne Lady Lyttelton, and had issue.
On 28th February 1799 Charles Arbuthnot [aged 31] and Marcia Clapcote Lisle [aged 24] were married at Cholmondeley House.
On 28th February 1825 William Cholmondeley 3rd Marquess Cholmondeley [aged 24] and Marcia Emma Georgiana Arbuthnot Marchioness Cholmondeley [aged 21] were married at Cholmondeley House. He the son of George Cholmondeley 1st Marquess Cholmondeley [aged 75] and Georgina Charlotte Bertie Marchioness Cholmondeley [aged 63].
In 1759 Coventry House, Piccadilly [Map] was built in 1759 as home for Sir Hugh Hunlocke.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1764 Coventry House, Piccadilly [Map], the site of the old "Greyhound Inn", was bought by George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [aged 41] from Hugh Hunlocke for £10,000.
On 26th March 1831 George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 72] died at Coventry House, Piccadilly [Map]. His son George [aged 46] succeeded 8th Earl Coventry. Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 39] by marriage Countess Coventry.
Devonshire House [Map] was built between 1734 and about 1740 on the site of Berkeley House which was built between 1665 and 1673.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th September 1672. I dined at Lord John Berkeley's [aged 70], newly arrived out of Ireland, where he had been Deputy; it was in his new house [Map], or rather palace; for I am assured it stood him in near £30,000. It was very well built, and has many noble rooms, but they are not very convenient, consisting but of one Corps de Logis; they are all rooms of state, without closets. The staircase is of cedar, the furniture is princely: the kitchen and stables are ill placed, and the corridor worse, having no report to the wings they join to. For the rest, the fore-court is noble, so are the stables; and, above all, the gardens, which are incomparable by reason of the inequality of the ground, and a pretty piscina. The holly hedges on the terrace I advised the planting of. The porticos are in imitation of a house described by Palladio; but it happens to be the worst in his book, though my good friend, Mr. Hugh May [aged 50], his Lordship's architect, effected it.
John Evelyn's Diary. 27th October 1675. Lord Berkeley [aged 47] coming into Council, fell down in the gallery at Whitehall [Map], in a fit of apoplexy, and being carried into my Lord Chamberlain's [aged 57] lodgings, several famous doctors were employed all that night, and with much ado he was at last recovered to some sense, by applying hot fire pans and spirit of amber to his head; but nothing was found so effectual as cupping him on the shoulders. It was almost a miraculous restoration. The next day he was carried to Berkeley House [Map]. This stopped his journey for the present, and caused my stay in town. He had put all his affairs and his whole estate in England into my hands during his intended absence, which though I was very unfit to undertake, in regard of many businesses which then took me up, yet, upon the great importunity of my lady [aged 23] and Mr. Godolphin [aged 30] (to whom I could refuse nothing) I did take it on me. It seems when he was Deputy in Ireland, not long before, he had been much wronged by one he left in trust with his affairs, and therefore wished for some unmercenary friend who would take that trouble on him; this was to receive his rents, look after his houses and tenants, solicit supplies from the Lord Treasurer [aged 43], and correspond weekly with him, more than enough to employ any drudge in England; but what will not friendship and love make one do?.
Around 1690 Daniel Finch 2nd Earl Nottingham 7th Earl Winchilsea [aged 42] commissioned the building of Burley-on-the-Hill House as it is known today. Christopher Wren [aged 66] was consulted. The designs of Montague House and Devonshire House [Map] were reviewed.
John Evelyn's Diary. 13th January 1695. The Thames was frozen over. The deaths by smallpox increased to five hundred more than in the preceding week. The King [aged 44] and Princess Anne [aged 29] reconciled, and she was invited to keep her Court at Whitehall, having hitherto lived privately at Berkeley House [Map]; she was desired to take into her family divers servants of the late Queen; to maintain them the King has assigned her £5,000 a quarter.
On 29th August 1785 Harriet Cavendish Countess Granville was born to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 37] and Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 28] at Devonshire House [Map]. She married 24th December 1809 her half fourth cousin once removed Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Granville, son of Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford and Susanna Stewart Marchioness Stafford, and had issue.
On 30th March 1806 Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 48] died at Devonshire House [Map]. She was buried at Derby Cathedral [Map]. Her husband William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 58], her mother Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 68], her sister Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 44] and her eight months pregnant daughter Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle [aged 22] were present, as was Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 48], her husband's mistress and future wife.
On 24th June 1774 Caroline Hanover was born to William Henry Hanover 1st Duke Gloucester and Edinburgh [aged 30] and Maria Walpole Duchess Gloucester and Edinburgh [aged 37] at Gloucester House. She a great granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. She died aged less than one years old.
On 17th March 1904 Prince George Hanover 2nd Duke Cambridge [aged 84] died at Gloucester House without issue. Duke Cambridge extinct.
On 30th November 1869 James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn was born to James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn [aged 31] and Mary Anna Curzon Howe Duchess Abercorn [aged 21] at Hamilton Place. He married 1st November 1894 his third cousin Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham Duchess Abercorn, daughter of Charles George Bingham 4th Earl Lucan and Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox Countess Lucan, and had issue.
14th June 1913. The Central News reported:
Emily Wilding Davison's [deceased] funeral procession passing Piccadilly Circus [Map], 14th June 1913. Following her tragic death, Davison was instantly embraced as a martyr to the cause. On 14 June 1913 her body was borne on an open hearse through London to a memorial service at St George's Church, Bloomsbury before being taken by train to Morpeth, Northumberland [Map] for a family funeral. The funeral procession (the last great suffrage march) was organised by fellow suffragette Grace Roe, and the memorial service was presided over by clergy from the Church League for Women's Suffrage.
On 28th July 1791 Emma Sophie Edgecumbe Countess Brownlow was born to Richard Edgecumbe 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 26] and Sophia Hobart Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 23] in Portugal Street. She married 17th July 1828 John Cust 1st Earl Brownlow, son of Brownlow Cust 1st Baron Brownlow and Frances Bankes Baroness Brownlow.
On 22nd October 1792 Caroline Anne Edgecumbe was born to Richard Edgecumbe 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [aged 28] and Sophia Hobart Countess Mount Edgcumbe [aged 24] in Portugal Street. She married April 1812 Reginald George Macdonald Macdonald.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1675 Thomas Betterton produced Otway's [aged 22] first play Alcibades at the Dorset Garden Theatre.
On 4th February 1858 Thomas Campbell [aged 68] died in 1 Great Castle Street, Westminster.
On 3rd May 1934 Courtenay Morgan 1st Viscount Tredegar [aged 67] died at the Ritz Hotel. His son Evan [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Viscount Tredegar, 4th Baron Tredegar of Tredegar in Monmouthshire, 6th Baronet Morgan of Tredegar.
On 21st January 1940 Henry Robin Ian Russell 14th Duke Bedford was born to John Ian Robert Russell 13th Duke Bedford [aged 22] and Clare Bridgman [aged 37] at Ritz Hotel. He married 20th June 1961 Henrietta Joan Tiarks Duchess Bedford and had issue.
On 9th August 1801 John Weld-Forester 2nd Baron Forester was born to Cecil Weld-Forester 1st Baron Forester [aged 34] and Katherine Mary Manners Baroness Forester at Sackville Street. King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 38] was his godfather. He married 10th June 1856 Alexandrina Julia Gräfin von Maltzan.
On 25th August 1804 Henry Pelham 3rd Earl Chichester was born to Thomas Pelham 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 48] and Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne Countess Chichester [aged 27] at Stratton Street. He married 18th August 1828 his fifth cousin Mary Brudenell Countess Chichester, daughter of Robert Brudenell 6th Earl Cardigan and Penelope Cooke Countess Cardigan, and had issue.
On 10th April 1874 Ulick Burgh 1st Marquess Clanricarde [aged 71] died at Stratton Street. His son Hubert [aged 41] succeeded 2nd Marquess Clarincade, 15th Earl Clanricarde, 2nd Baron Somerhill of Somerhill in Kent.