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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MP Bodmin is in Member Parliament. See Bodmin, Devon.
In 1614 during the Addled Parliament Charles Thynne (age 46) was elected MP Lymington. John "Black Sir John" Egerton (age 63) was elected MP Lichfield. Mervyn Tuchet 2nd Earl Castlehaven (age 21) was elected MP Dorset. Richard Edgecumbe (age 44) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1621 John Trevor (age 58) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1624 Thomas Stafford (age 50) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1624 Charles Berkeley 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge (age 24) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1625 Thomas Stafford (age 51) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1625 Henry Jermyn 1st Earl St Albans (age 19) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1628 Robert Killigrew (age 48) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1660 Hender Robartes (age 24) was elected MP Bodmin during the Convention Parliament.
In 1661 John Carew 3rd Baronet (age 25) was elected MP Bodmin.
On 8th May 1661 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 30) summoned his second Parliament.
John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston (age 44) was elected MP Wallingford.
James Thynne (age 56) was elected MP Wiltshire.
Adam Browne 2nd Baronet (age 35) was elected MP Surrey.
Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne (age 30) was elected MP Northumberland.
William Compton (age 36) was elected MP Cambridge.
Thomas Coventry 1st Earl Coventry (age 32) was elected MP Camelford.
Charles Berkeley 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge (age 61) was elected MP Bath and Heytesbury.
Edward Hungerford (age 28) was elected MP Chippenham.
Robert Pierrepont (age 24) was elected MP Nottingham.
John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 75) was elected MP Weymouth.
Giles Strangeways (age 45) was elected MP Dorset.
John Strangeways (age 24) was elected MP Bridport.
William Wyndham 1st Baronet (age 29) was elected MP Taunton.
James Herbert (age 38) was elected MP Queenborough.
William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington (age 21) was elected MP Cambridge.
William Bowes of Streatlam (age 4) was elected MP Durham.
Robert Brooke (age 24) was elected MP Aldeburgh.
Josiah Child (age 30) was elected MP Dartmouth.
Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet (age 73) was elected MP Nottinghamshire.
Thomas Crew 2nd Baron Crew (age 37) was elected MP Brackley.
Richard Jennings (age 42) was elected MP St Albans.
Robert Kemp 2nd Baronet (age 33) was elected MP Norfolk.
Edward Phelips (age 48) was elected MP Somerset.
Robert Robartes (age 27) was elected MP Bossiney.
Hender Robartes (age 25) was elected MP Bodmin.
Clement Fisher 2nd Baronet (age 48) was elected MP Coventry.
William Portman 6th Baronet (age 17) was elected MP Taunton.
John Robinson 1st Baronet (age 46) was elected MP Rye.
In 1689 John Cutler 1st Baronet (age 86) was elected MP Bodmin which seat he held until 1693.
In 1702 Francis Robartes (age 51) was elected MP Bodmin.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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In 1710 Francis Robartes (age 59) was elected MP Bodmin.
On 26th February 1718 Charles Beauclerk 2nd Duke St Albans (age 21) was elected MP Bodmin.
On 9th February 1733 John Heathcote 2nd Baronet (age 44) was appointed MP Bodmin.
In 1807 William Oglander 6th Baronet (age 38) was elected MP Bodmin which seat he held until 1812.
In 1832 Samuel Thomas Spry (age 27) was elected MP Bodmin which seat he held until 1841.
In 1858 Edward Frederick Leveson-Gower (age 38) was elected MP Bodmin.
In 1900 Lewis William Molesworth 11th Baronet (age 46) was elected MP Bodmin which seat he held until 1906.
In January 1906 Thomas Agar-Robartes (age 25) was elected MP Bodmin but lost his seat in June 1906 following an election petition.