The New Murrey and Blue blog

A Fiennes distinction?

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Having seen this article in a recent Daily Mail Weekend magazine, as a feature on the television page about Ralph Fiennes, his acting/ directing family and his explorer cousin Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, I have now tested the genealogical claims within. As you can see, it would have been more precise to claim James IV as their most recent royal common ancestor than James II – in fact they are twice descended from James IV and his mistresses, then a branch of the Hamilton family.

Interestingly, they are can also trace descent from the Powerscourt family, who are connected through the (Thomas) Cromwells and Nevilles to Edward III.

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  1. Robin Stanley Taylor Avatar
    Robin Stanley Taylor

    Last summer I read Sir Ranulph’s book ”
    Mad Dogs and Englishmen: An Expedition Round My Family”. It was a long trek through British history with emphasis on his own ancestors. The book was overall enjoyable, though there were moments when I felt that the author was exaggerating his ancestors’ tenuous connection to great national events. I also spotted a couple of historical errors – such as calling Richard II a Yorkist, getting Edward IV’s brothers mixed up (He thought Gloucester was the middle son and Clarence was the youngest.) and miscounting the Is when referring to the Tudor kings.

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