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 Lincolnshire is in Member Parliament.
In 1539 John Heneage (age 54) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1545 Robert Tyrwhitt Master (age 42) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1614 Peregrine Bertie (age 30) was appointed MP Lincolnshire.
In 1614 George Manners 7th Earl of Rutland (age 34) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1625 John Wray 2nd Baronet (age 38) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1626 William Armine 1st Baronet (age 32) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1628 William Armine 1st Baronet (age 34) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1628 John Wray 2nd Baronet (age 41) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In April 1640 Edward Hussey 1st Baronet (age 54) was elected MP Lincolnshire in the Short Parliament.
In April 1640 John Wray 2nd Baronet (age 53) was elected MP Lincolnshire during the Short Parliament.
In November 1640 John Wray 2nd Baronet (age 53) was elected MP Lincolnshire during the Long Parliament.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1653 Richard Cust 1st Baronet (age 30) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1654 John Wray 3rd Baronet (age 34) was elected MP Lincolnshire during the First Protectorate Parliament.
In 1685 Thomas Hussey 2nd Baronet (age 46) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1689 Thomas Hussey 2nd Baronet (age 50) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1690 Thomas Hussey 2nd Baronet (age 51) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1695 Thomas Hussey 2nd Baronet (age 56) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1699 Thomas Willoughby 1st Baron Middleton (age 26) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1708 Peregrine Bertie 2nd Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 21) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1727 Thomas Lumley-Saunderson 3rd Earl Scarborough (age 36) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1761 Brownlow Bertie 5th Duke Ancaster and Kesteven (age 31) was elected MP Lincolnshire.
In 1796 Gilbert Heathcote 4th Baronet (age 22) was appointed MP Lincolnshire.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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In 1802 Charles Chaplin (age 42) was elected MP Lincolnshire which seat he held until his death in 1816.
In 1816 William Cust (age 28) was elected MP Lincolnshire.