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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Marquess Exeter is in Marquessates of England Alphabetically.
There have been two creations of Marquess Exeter:
1st. 18th June 1525. Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter. Forfeit. 9th December 1538. Exeter Conspiracy.
2nd. February 1801. Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter. Extant.
Marquess Exeter is also in Marquessates of England Chronologically, Forfeit Marquessates of England.
Summary
18th June 1525. Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 29] created. See Knighting of Henry Fitzroy.
9th December 1538. Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter forfeit. See Exeter Conspiracy.
On 18th June 1525 Henry Fitzroy [aged 6] was taken by barge to Bridewell Palace [Map] where he was enobled by his father King Henry VIII of England and Ireland [aged 33].
In the morning Henry Fitzroy was created 1st Earl Nottingham.
In the afternoon Henry Fitzroy was created 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset.
Henry Percy 5th Earl of Northumberland [aged 47] carried the Sword of State. Thomas More [aged 47] read the patents of nobility. Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 41], Thomas Grey 2nd Marquess Dorset [aged 47],
Henry Courtenay [aged 29] was created 1st Marquess Exeter. Gertrude Blount Marchioness of Exeter [aged 22] by marriage Marchioness Exeter.
Henry Clifford [aged 32] was created 1st Earl of Cumberland, Warden of the West Marches and Governor of Carlisle Castle.
Thomas Manners [aged 33] was created 1st Earl of Rutland. Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland [aged 30] by marriage Countess of Rutland. He was given the Earldom of Rutland to reflect his descent from Anne York Duchess Exeter sister of the previous Earl of Rutland. At the same time his arms 
Manners Arms were augmented with the 
Manners Augmented Arms
Henry Brandon [aged 2] was created 1st Earl Lincoln.
Robert Radclyffe [aged 42] was created 1st Viscount Fitzwalter.
Thomas Boleyn 1st Earl Wiltshire and Ormonde [aged 48] was created 1st Viscount Rochford. Elizabeth Howard Countess of Wiltshire and Ormonde [aged 45] by marriage Viscountess Rochford.
Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 52], William Fitzalan 11th or 18th Earl of Arundel [aged 49] and John de Vere 14th Earl of Oxford [aged 25] attended.
On 9th December 1538 at Tower Hill [Map]:
Edward Neville [aged 67] was beheaded
Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 42] was beheaded with a sword. Marquess Exeter, Earl Devon, Earl Devon, Baron Okehampton forfeit as a consequence of his attainder.
Henry Pole 1st Baron Montagu [aged 46] was beheaded
Marquess Exeter is also in Marquessates of England Chronologically, Extant Marquessates of England.
Summary
February 1801. Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 46] created.
1st May 1804. Son Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter [aged 8] succeeded.
16th January 1867. Son William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter [aged 41] succeeded.
14th July 1895. Son Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter [aged 45] succeeded.
9th April 1898. Son William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter [aged 21] succeeded.
1956. Son David George Brownlow-Cecil 6th Marquess Exeter [aged 50] succeeded.
22nd October 1981. Brother William Martin Alleyne Brownlow-Cecil 7th Marquess Exeter [aged 72] succeeded.
12th January 1988. Son Michael Cecil 8th Marquess of Exeter [aged 52] succeeded.
In February 1801 Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 46] was created 1st Marquess Exeter. Elizabeth Anne Burrell Duchess Hamilton Duchess Brandon [aged 43] by marriage Marchioness Exeter.
On 1st May 1804 Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 50] died. His son Brownlow [aged 8] succeeded 2nd Marquess Exeter, 11th Earl Exeter, 12th Baron Burghley.
On 12th May 1824 Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter [aged 28] and Frances Isabella Selina Poyntz Marchioness of Exeter [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Exeter. He the son of Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter and Sarah Hoggins Countess Exeter.
On 16th January 1867 Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter [aged 71] died. His son William [aged 41] succeeded 3rd Marquess Exeter, 12th Earl Exeter, 13th Baron Burghley. Georgina Sophia Pakenham Marchioness Exeter [aged 39] by marriage Marchioness Exeter.
He was buried at St Martin's Church, Stamford [Map].
Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter: On 2nd July 1795 he was born to Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter and Sarah Hoggins Countess Exeter. On 1st May 1804 Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter died. His son Brownlow succeeded 2nd Marquess Exeter, 11th Earl Exeter, 12th Baron Burghley. On 12th May 1824 Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter and Frances Isabella Selina Poyntz Marchioness of Exeter were married. She by marriage Marchioness Exeter. He the son of Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter and Sarah Hoggins Countess Exeter. In 1827 he was appointed 664th Knight of the Garter by King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 14th July 1895 William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter [aged 70] died. His son Brownlow [aged 45] succeeded 4th Marquess Exeter, 13th Earl Exeter, 14th Baron Burghley. Monument in the Church of St John the Baptist, Barnack [Map].
Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter: On 20th December 1849 he was born to William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter and and Georgina Sophia Pakenham Marchioness Exeter. On 7th September 1875 Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter were married at St Denys' Church, Aswarby. He the son of William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter.
On 9th April 1898 Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter [aged 48] died. His son William [aged 21] succeeded 5th Marquess Exeter, 14th Earl Exeter, 15th Baron Burghley. Monument in the Church of St John the Baptist, Barnack [Map].
William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter: On 27th October 1876 he was born to Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter. On 16th April 1901 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter and Myra Rowena Sibell Orde-Powlett Marchioness of Exeter were married. She by marriage Marchioness Exeter. He the son of Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter. In 1937 he was appointed 885th Knight of the Garter by King George VI of the United Kingdom. In 1956 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter died. His son David succeeded 6th Marquess Exeter, 15th Earl Exeter, 16th Baron Burghley.
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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On 16th April 1901 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter [aged 24] and Myra Rowena Sibell Orde-Powlett Marchioness of Exeter [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Exeter. He the son of Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter [aged 44].
In 1956 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter [aged 79] died. His son David [aged 50] succeeded 6th Marquess Exeter, 15th Earl Exeter, 16th Baron Burghley.
On 22nd October 1981 David George Brownlow-Cecil 6th Marquess Exeter [aged 76] died. His brother William [aged 72] succeeded 7th Marquess Exeter, 16th Earl Exeter, 17th Baron Burghley.
On 12th January 1988 William Martin Alleyne Brownlow-Cecil 7th Marquess Exeter [aged 78] died. His son Michael [aged 52] succeeded 8th Marquess Exeter, 17th Earl Exeter, 18th Baron Burghley.