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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On 13th August 1792 Queen Adelaide of England was born to [her father] Georg I Duke of Saxe Meiningen [aged 31].
On 24th December 1803 [her father] Georg I Duke of Saxe Meiningen [aged 42] died. His son [her brother] Bernhard [aged 3] succeeded II Duke Saxe Meiningen.
On 11th July 1818 King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 52] and Queen Adelaide of England [aged 25] were married at Kew, Surrey. She by marriage Duchess Clarence and St Andrews. The difference in their ages was 26 years. He the son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 80].
On 27th March 1819 [her daughter] Charlotte Augusta Louisa Hanover died.
On 27th March 1819 [her daughter] Charlotte Augusta Louisa Hanover was born to [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 53] and Queen Adelaide of England [aged 26]. She died aged less than one years old.
On 5th September 1819 [her daughter] Stillborn Hanover was born to [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 54] and Queen Adelaide of England [aged 27] at Calais [Map].
On 18th October 1819 [her illegitimate step-son] George Fitz-Clarence 1st Earl Munster [aged 25] and Mary Wyndham Countess Munster [aged 27] were married. She the illegitmate daughter of George O'Brien Wyndham 3rd Earl Egremont [aged 67] and Elizabeth Ilive Countess Egremont [aged 50]. He the illegitmate son of [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 54] and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan".
On 23rd January 1820 [her brother-in-law] Edward Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn [aged 52] died at Woolbrook Cottage Sidmouth, Devon.
On 29th January 1820 [her father-in-law] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 81] died at Windsor Castle [Map]. His reign the third longest after Victoria and Elizabeth II. His son [her brother-in-law] George [aged 57] succeeded IV King Great Britain and Ireland. Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 51] by marriage Queen Consort England.
On 10th December 1820 [her daughter] Elizabeth Georgiana Adelaide Hanover was born to [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 55] and Queen Adelaide of England [aged 28]. She died aged less than one years old.
On 4th March 1821 [her daughter] Elizabeth Georgiana Adelaide Hanover died.
On 19th May 1821 [her illegitimate step-son] Frederick Fitz-Clarence [aged 21] and Augusta Boyle [aged 19] were married. He the illegitmate son of [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 55] and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan".
Before 18th October 1821 William Hay 18th Earl Erroll [aged 20] and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Elizabeth Fitz-Clarence Countess Erroll [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Erroll. She the illegitmate daughter of [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 56] and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan". He the son of William Hay 17th Earl Erroll and Alicia Eliot Countess Erroll.
On 8th April 1822 [her son] Stillborn twins Fitz-Clarence was born to [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 56] and Queen Adelaide of England [aged 29] at Bushy Park Richmond, Surrey.
On 13th August 1825 Philip Sidney 1st Baron De Lisle and Dudley [aged 25] and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Sophia Fitz-Clarence Baroness De Lisle and Dudley [aged 29] were married. She the illegitmate daughter of [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 59] and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan".
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In 1827 John Kennedy-Erskine and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Augusta Fitz-Clarence [aged 23] were married. She the illegitmate daughter of [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 61] and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan".
On 5th July 1827 John Kennedy Erskine [aged 25] and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Augusta Fitz-Clarence [aged 23] were married. She the illegitmate daughter of [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 61] and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan". He the son of Archibald Kennedy 1st Marquess of Ailsa [aged 57] and Margaret Erskine Marchioness Ailsa [aged 55].
Kingston Bridge [Map] is a bridge over the River Thames opened on 17th July 1828 by the future Queen [aged 35] then Duchess of Clarence.
On 26th June 1830 [her brother-in-law] King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 67] died. His brother [her husband] William [aged 64] succeeded IV King Great Britain and Ireland. Duke Clarence and St Andrews merged with the Crown. Queen Adelaide of England [aged 37] by marriage Queen Consort England.
He was attended by Jonathan Wathen Phipps aka Waller 1st Baronet [aged 60].
On 27th December 1830 Lucius Cary 10th Viscount Falkland [aged 27] and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Amelia Fitz-Clarence Viscountess Falkland [aged 23] were married at the Brighton Royal Pavilion. [her husband] King William IV [aged 65] gave away his daughter. The service was conducted by Bishop Charles Richard Sumner. She the illegitmate daughter of King William IV of the United Kingdom and Dorothea Bland aka "Mrs Jordan".
On 2nd May 1831 [her brother-in-law] Prince Augustus Frederick Hanover 1st Duke Sussex [aged 58] and Cecilia Gore aka Underwood Duchess of Inverness [aged 46] were married contrary to the Royal Marriages Act. On the same day she assumed the surname Underwood by Royal Licence. She did not assume the title Duchess of Sussex. She the daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore 2nd Earl Arran and Elizabeth Underwood Countess of Arran. He the son of [her father-in-law] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England.
On 8th September 1831 [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 66] was crowned IV King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham [aged 63] attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard being ill.
Thomas William Anson 1st Earl Lichfield [aged 35] was created 1st Earl Lichfield. Louisa Barbara Catherine Phillips Countess Lichfield [aged 31] by marriage Countess Lichfield.
On 13th January 1835 Philip Sidney 1st Baron De Lisle and Dudley [aged 34] was created 1st Baron De Lisle and Dudley. [her illegitimate step-daughter] Sophia Fitz-Clarence Baroness De Lisle and Dudley [aged 38] by marriage Baroness De Lisle and Dudley.
On 10th April 1837 [her illegitimate step-daughter] Sophia Fitz-Clarence Baroness De Lisle and Dudley [aged 40] died.
On 20th June 1837 [her husband] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 71] died at Windsor Castle [Map]. His niece Victoria [aged 18] succeeded I Queen Great Britain and Ireland. His brother [her brother-in-law] Ernest [aged 66] succeeded King Hanover. Frederica Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort Hanover [aged 59] by marriage Queen Consort Hanover.
At 5am Francis Nathaniel Conyngham 2nd Marquess Conyngham [aged 40] and Archbishop William Howley [aged 71] went to Kensington Palace to inform the Princess she was now Queen. Francis Nathaniel Conyngham 2nd Marquess Conyngham was the first to address her as 'Your Majesty'.
10th February 1840. George Hayter [aged 47]. Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Hayter included portraits of fifty-six of those present at the occasion and sittings took place over the next year. The Queen [aged 20] sat for him in March in her 'Bridal dress, veil, wreath & all', and Prince Albert [aged 20] also posed for his portrait several times during the following months. Hayter's family too helped out with his son, Henry, modelling the Prince's costume, while his daughter Mary posed for the Queen's arm and wearing the veil. Victoria's aunt Queen Adelaide [aged 47], however, was unwilling to co-operate and the artist had to refer to a miniature for her likeness. Hayter included himself in the painting, on the lower right, with his sketchbook and pencil.
In 1841 Queen Adelaide of England [aged 48] visited Belton House [Map]. She stayed in the Queen's Room in which the great canopied Rococo-style bed in which the Queen slept has a royal monogram "AR" for Adelaide Regina embroidered on the bedhead.
From 1843 to 1846 Queen Adelaide of England [aged 50] lived at Witley Court, Worcestershire.
Adeline Horsey Recollections. When we left Bretby, we posted to Lord Howe's at Gopsall, twenty miles away, where we found another large party. Lord Howe [aged 47] had married Lord Cardigan's [aged 46] sister, and his three daughters were named, not after his or her relatives, but after three of his former loves; Lady Georgina Fane [aged 42], Queen Adelaide [aged 51], and Emily Bagot. A propos of Lord Howe's affection for the Queen Dowager, the story goes that when some malicious scandal-mongers circulated a rumour that she had had a child by him, everybody exclaimed, "Lord! How(e) can it be? ".
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 2nd December 1849 Queen Adelaide of England [aged 57] died.
25th January 1918. All Saints Church, Sudbury [Map]. Grave of William Tildsley Groom in the Service of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager who was accidentally killed in the incautious use of a gun aged twenty-one.
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bernhard I Duke of Saxe Meiningen
GrandFather: Anton Ulrich Duke of Saxe Meiningen
Father: Georg I Duke of Saxe Meiningen