April's Tree & Leo's Tree
Richard III lived from 1001 to 1028 in Normandy, France. He married Adela, (the granddaughter of Hugh Capet, King of France), and they had two daughters, Elena and Avelina.
Elena is my husband's 29th great-grandmother, and Avelina is my 27th great-grandmother. Which means that about thirty generations ago, my husband and I had mutual ancestors, who were nobility in the Kingdom of France. Richard III and Adela also had an ancestor in common: Charlemagne.
I have had bursts of laughter all afternoon. I don't expect anyone else to believe this, because I'm not sure I believe it myself - and I'm the one who did the research, the oh-so-careful research, checking every unknown place-name, verifying with other published trees, looking up source material.
So, what are odds? Perhaps I really am just a little bit French, for suddenly I glimpse the absurdity of life.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A Renaissance Man - before the Renaissance
Leo's Tree
Sir Walter Hungerford, soldier, diplomat and politician was adviser to three kings of the Middle Ages. Sheriff of two counties, ambassador to kings, Treasurer of England, renowned warrior, Admiral of the Fleet: he was a leader among men of strength and power. His personal library was in English, Latin and French - at a time famous for illiteracy. He was a scholarly knight, and a knightly scholar; his castle hall "was hung round with suits of armour worn by its martial possessors, and with the spoils from the fields of Cressy, Poictiers, Agincourt, and Calais."(1)
Sir Walter was Knighted by King Henry IV, and created a Knight of the Garter by King Henry V. "As a close associate of the late King [Henry V], an active executor of his will and a guardian of his heir, Hungerford was naturally appointed by the first Parliament of Henry VI’s reign as one of the new council of Regency in England. He was sworn in on 26 Jan. 1423, and in the following year his annual stipend was fixed at £100. He was to remain a royal councillor for the next 26 years, and records show that (except when abroad) he attended frequently".(2)
By the time of his death at age seventy-one in 1449, "Hungerford had already built a new church at Farleigh Hungerford, founded chantries at Farleigh, in Salisbury cathedral, at Heytesbury and Chippenham, Wiltshire, and at St. Stephen’s, Westminster, and constructed a causeway over the Standerwick marshes near Warminster"(3).
Baron Walter Hungerford, KG, is 20th gr-grandfather to my children.
(1) J. Mason; "Youth's Instruction" page 363
(2), (3) The History of Parliament
(4) History of Farleigh Hungerford Castle in Somerset by Charles Oman (1926)
(5) image of Farleigh Hungerford Castle by Author nicksarebi
Date 27 November 2009 Wikimedia Commons.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Mists of Ancient Ireland
April's Tree
The Annals of Ulster, The Annals of the Four Masters, Marianus Scotus, The Annals of Clonmacnoise, the Chronicon Scottorum, Simeon of Durham; they ring in my mind as if set to music, these fabulous histories of Ireland.
At first I wasn't going to include my legendary Irish ancestors in my family tree. Even their bones were dust, their stone carvings were dust, how could any confidence be found in records that were copies of translations (or translations of copies)?
But how can I resist? There is little question I am connected to these ancient Irish roots, even at a distance of nearly 900 years. When Aoife (Eve) MacMurchada, descendant of Irish kings, married Richard (Strongbow) de Clare, descendant of a Duke of Normandy and a king of France, 29 Aug 1170 in the Cathedral at Waterford, Ireland, all of her legendary Irish ancestry became my genetic heritage.
How could I ignore such riches? What if there is a degree of uncertainty in the dates once one is in the 600's? So what if there are no extant birth, death or marriage certificates? And if the generations seem to skip over some people? A mere trifle. The fact is, no one can be one hundred percent certain of their ancestry, and after a number of centuries, the uncertainty factor becomes larger than the certainty.
Still, I can read of the exploits of people who may have been, and most likely were, some of my ancestors. As the famous social historian Cathy Sturdevant says: "No Pride; No Shame; No Credit; No Blame". My only connection to these legendary people of Ireland is in the genes they left me, and in my admiration for their strength. They cannot add to, or reduce, whatever I may have done with my life.
They can, however, inspire me to expect more from myself.
The Annals of Ulster, The Annals of the Four Masters, Marianus Scotus, The Annals of Clonmacnoise, the Chronicon Scottorum, Simeon of Durham; they ring in my mind as if set to music, these fabulous histories of Ireland.
At first I wasn't going to include my legendary Irish ancestors in my family tree. Even their bones were dust, their stone carvings were dust, how could any confidence be found in records that were copies of translations (or translations of copies)?
But how can I resist? There is little question I am connected to these ancient Irish roots, even at a distance of nearly 900 years. When Aoife (Eve) MacMurchada, descendant of Irish kings, married Richard (Strongbow) de Clare, descendant of a Duke of Normandy and a king of France, 29 Aug 1170 in the Cathedral at Waterford, Ireland, all of her legendary Irish ancestry became my genetic heritage.
How could I ignore such riches? What if there is a degree of uncertainty in the dates once one is in the 600's? So what if there are no extant birth, death or marriage certificates? And if the generations seem to skip over some people? A mere trifle. The fact is, no one can be one hundred percent certain of their ancestry, and after a number of centuries, the uncertainty factor becomes larger than the certainty.
Still, I can read of the exploits of people who may have been, and most likely were, some of my ancestors. As the famous social historian Cathy Sturdevant says: "No Pride; No Shame; No Credit; No Blame". My only connection to these legendary people of Ireland is in the genes they left me, and in my admiration for their strength. They cannot add to, or reduce, whatever I may have done with my life.
They can, however, inspire me to expect more from myself.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The tangled relationships of Runnymede
As I uncover the extended familial relationships of the Barons of 1215, I am frequently surprised by finding cross-generational support for Magna Carta. A son or son-in-law might be joined on the fateful field by the Thames River by his wife's father or perhaps even her grand-father.
The most stressful relationship of all must have fallen to Sir William Marshall, Fourth Earl of Pembroke and King John's "Marshall of England", standing loyally by King John, and William Marshall Jr., Fifth Earl of Pembroke, who was one of the twenty-five Barons of the Sureties of Magna Carta. King John must not have held a grudge, because he later gave William, Jr. the office his father had held, Marshall of England, and twelve years after Magna Carta, King John gave William Jr his daughter, Eleanor of England, in marriage.
So far I have identified four of my ancestors among the gathering at Runnymede.
The most stressful relationship of all must have fallen to Sir William Marshall, Fourth Earl of Pembroke and King John's "Marshall of England", standing loyally by King John, and William Marshall Jr., Fifth Earl of Pembroke, who was one of the twenty-five Barons of the Sureties of Magna Carta. King John must not have held a grudge, because he later gave William, Jr. the office his father had held, Marshall of England, and twelve years after Magna Carta, King John gave William Jr his daughter, Eleanor of England, in marriage.
So far I have identified four of my ancestors among the gathering at Runnymede.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Arguing with Myself!
The puzzle of why and how I so often find myself on two sides of a question is solved. I'm so often at war with myself because it is in my genes.
Doing research on my Civil War ancestors, I was surprised to discover I have family on both sides of the war. The famous "brother against brother" tragedy was literally true in one of my families, where half fought for the North and the other half fought for the South.
Going back to the Revolutionary War, I have so far found only American Patriots, but I wouldn't be surprised to discover some ancestors who stayed loyal to England.
Although two of the twenty-five barons standing for Magna Carta in 1215 were my direct ancestors, it turns out that one of my ancestors was standing on the other side of the dispute. King John's 'right-hand man', Sir William Marshall, stood by his side at Runneymede. Marshall is my 23xgr-grandfather.
Now I understand why I often argue "with myself" over a problem. It is an inherited talent.
Doing research on my Civil War ancestors, I was surprised to discover I have family on both sides of the war. The famous "brother against brother" tragedy was literally true in one of my families, where half fought for the North and the other half fought for the South.
Going back to the Revolutionary War, I have so far found only American Patriots, but I wouldn't be surprised to discover some ancestors who stayed loyal to England.
Although two of the twenty-five barons standing for Magna Carta in 1215 were my direct ancestors, it turns out that one of my ancestors was standing on the other side of the dispute. King John's 'right-hand man', Sir William Marshall, stood by his side at Runneymede. Marshall is my 23xgr-grandfather.
Now I understand why I often argue "with myself" over a problem. It is an inherited talent.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Better than Diamonds
April's Tree
For an amateur family tree enthusiast, and history buff, the discovery I made last night was better than finding diamonds.
I found my 21xgr-grandfather, Sir John de Lacy, 7th Earl of Lincoln, was one of the twenty-five feudal barons who made an oath that they would "stand fast for the liberty of the church and the realm". They witnessed King John affixing his seal to Magna Carta, promising rights to every freeman. Although the king soon reneged on his promise, the document became the model for future constitutional proclamations, including the Constitution of the United States of America.
Wow. From 1215 to 2012, the freedoms proclaimed in that charter have been reaffirmed by people everywhere. The rights to due process, a timely trial by one's peers, the use of standard weights and measures, fair taxation, and property rights were spelled out as basic human rights, to a king who recognized no rights but his own.
Freedom is better than gold, and finding a Magna Carta baron in my family tree is better than finding diamonds.
For an amateur family tree enthusiast, and history buff, the discovery I made last night was better than finding diamonds.
I found my 21xgr-grandfather, Sir John de Lacy, 7th Earl of Lincoln, was one of the twenty-five feudal barons who made an oath that they would "stand fast for the liberty of the church and the realm". They witnessed King John affixing his seal to Magna Carta, promising rights to every freeman. Although the king soon reneged on his promise, the document became the model for future constitutional proclamations, including the Constitution of the United States of America.
Wow. From 1215 to 2012, the freedoms proclaimed in that charter have been reaffirmed by people everywhere. The rights to due process, a timely trial by one's peers, the use of standard weights and measures, fair taxation, and property rights were spelled out as basic human rights, to a king who recognized no rights but his own.
Freedom is better than gold, and finding a Magna Carta baron in my family tree is better than finding diamonds.
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