genealogy

Newport and the lucky/unlucky Staffords….

Dec 20, 2022

battles, buildings, genealogy, law

Battle of Shrewsbury, Buckingham rebellion, Earls of Stafford, executions, Gwent, Henry of Buckingham, Hugh Earl of Stafford, John Holland, murder, Newport Castle, pilgrimage, Ralph Stafford, Richard II, Richard III, Scottish campaign 1385, Staffords, William Howard Viscount Stafford

It seems to me, looking at the list in this article about Newport Castle, that a few members of the Stafford family came to sticky ends, some deserved, some apparently not. They may have been unlucky, but the family was wealthy and titled, so perhaps not that hard done by. In 1377 Hugh, Earl of…
The Wandering Butler: John, 6th Earl of Ormond

Dec 14, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, law, religion, sources

“Perkin”, Act of Resumption, Anne Boleyn, Anne Welles, Archbishop Talbot, attainders, bastardy, Battle of Bosworth, Battle of Northampton, Burgundy, Butlers, Butlers of Desmond, Captain of Calais, Charles the Bold, Chief Butler of Ireland, Cockermouth Castle, consanguinity, County Kilkenny, Earls of Desmond, Earls of Ormond, Edmund MacRichard Butler, Edward of Lancaster, Edward V, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Elizabeth of York, Ellice Barry, entail mail, First Battle of St. Albans, Guisnes, Henry of Buckingham, Ireland, Jerusalem, Joan Beauchamp, Joan Chaworth, justiciar of Ireland, Kilkenny Castle, Killone Abbey, languages, law studies, Lincoln’s Inn, Lord Grey of Codnor, Louis XI, Ludford Bridge, Margaret of Burgundy, marriages, Munster. Avice Stafford, naval fleet, nuns, ODNB, Peerage of Ireland, Piers Butler, Piltown, Portugal, Pronothary of Bourbon, Raghnailt, Readeption, Richard III, Rome, royal pensions, Sandwich, Scotland, Sir Edmund Mortimer, Sixtus IV, Statute of Kilkenny, Stephen Ellis, Tadhg King of Thomond, Thomas Earl of Desmond, Tipperary, Wars of the Roses, Waterford, Wydevilles

FAMILY BACKGROUND The Lancastrian leader who faced – or failed to face – Thomas, Earl of Desmond, at the Battle of Piltown in 1462 was the fourth of the five children born to James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond (otherwise known as the White Earl), and his countess Joan Beauchamp, daughter of William Beauchamp, Lord…
The Talbot Dog

Dec 10, 2022

anniversaries, genealogy, heraldry

Anne Mowbray, aristocracy, books, dogs, Earls of Shrewsbury, greyhounds, hunting, legh family, Lyme Mastiffa, Margaret of Anjou, Talbot hound

The origins of the Talbot dog breed are shrouded in mystery. ‘Talbot’ was one of many names which we know were given to individual dogs – the equivalent of ‘Rover’ or ‘Bonzo’. What is less clear is when exactly the Talbot dog breed emerged, It appears the Talbots were short-legged, usually white coated and of…
The Stanley Cup: Guess Who’s The Great Grandaddy

Dec 9, 2022

anniversaries, battles, culture, genealogy

Canada, Earls of Derby, golf, ice hockey, J.R.R. Tolkein, Stanley Cup, Stanleys, Thomas Lord Stanley, trophies

All ice hockey fans, especially Canadians, are aware of the famous Stanley Cup, awarded to Canadian amateur ice hockey teams from 1893 onwards (American teams now also participate). The cup is known variously as Lord Stanley’s Mug and The Holy Grail of Hockey. And yes, the Lord Stanley in question is, in fact, a direct…
The Rise of the Stanley family.

Dec 5, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, law

Anne Neville, Battle of Bosworth, Battle of Shrewsbury, Blore Heath, Cheshire, Constable of England, Earl of Arundel, Eleanor Neville, extortion, France, heiresses, Henry IV, Henry of Buckingham, Ireland, Isobel Lathom, justiciar of Ireland, King of Mann, Knights of the Garter, Lancashire, Lathom House, Lord Audley, Lord Deputy of Ireland, Margaret of Anjou, Master Forester, murder, pardons, Prior of Burscough, Richard II, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, Robert de Vere Duke of Ireland, Roger Mortimer 4th Earl of March, Roxburgh Castle, Scotland, Sheriff of Anglesea, Sir John Stanley, Sir William Stanley, Stanleys, Tewkesbury, Thomas Lord Stanley, Thomas Mowbray Earl of Norfolk, Wirral

In the late 14th Century, the Stanleys were a gentry family, their power base lying chiefly in Cheshire, notably in the Wirral. Their ancestry might fairly be described as ‘provincial’. There were certainly no kings in their quarterings. This is not to say they were unimportant, but their influence was of a local rather than…
Five interesting archaeological discoveries….

Dec 1, 2022

archaeology, battles, buildings, genealogy, religion, Science

Ancient Egypt, Bosworth, child sacrifice, Georgia, John Ashdown-Hill, Leicester dig, Leicester Greyfriars, Leicester University, maps, mtDNA, mummified remains, Peru, Philippa Langley, Queen Nerfertari, radio carbon dating, Rameses II, Richard III, Saint Belec Slab, Tblisi, winemaking, wounds

According to this article there have been five interesting archaeological discoveries in the past decade. First among them, of course, is the finding of Richard III’s remains:- “….When King Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, he was buried in the church of the Grey Friars. In 2012, The Richard III Society…
Were the English, Welsh, Irish and Scots once all Celts…?

Nov 29, 2022

anniversaries, culture, genealogy, religion

“Tudor” propaganda, “Tudors”, American War of Independence, Anglo-Saxons, Ben Nevis, Brittany, Carrauntoohil, Celts, Merriam-Webster, mountains, Normans, Patrick Sims-Williams, Pilgrim Fathers, Roman Britain, Scafell Pike, Simon Jenkins, Snowdon, Times Literary Supplement

I haven’t read Sir Simon Jenkins’ book The Celts: A Sceptical History, and to be honest I don’t think I’m likely to. Like Jenkins, I too am half-Welsh and half-English, but I don’t fancy being descended from “sociable sailors”. What’s the old saying about sailors having a girl in every port? I should imagine…
The Death and Burial of Constance of York

Nov 28, 2022

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy, law, religion, sources

Anne Beauchamp the Younger, burial, Constance of York, delayed burial, Despensers, Henry I, intestacy, Reading Abbey, Richard Beauchamp, Tewkesbury Chronicle, The Yorkist Age

(Reblogged from The Yorkist Age.) According to the Tewkesbury Chronicle Constance died in 1417 ( recte November 1416) but was not buried until 1420. This is hard to explain, and may simply be an error. However, given that Constance left no will behind her, there is a good possibility that her death was sudden and unexpected. She…
Lady Mary Howard married the bastard son of Henry VIII….

Nov 25, 2022

anniversaries, archaeology, buildings, genealogy, religion, sources

“Tudors”, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Admiral Thomas Seymour, Anne Boleyn, Arthur “Tudor”, Bess Holland, Countess of Nottingham, Devonshire Manuscript, Duchess of Richmond, Duchess of Somerset, Edward VI, Eric Ives, Exhumation, Henry Fitzroy, Howards, illegitimate children, John Foxe, Kenninghall, Lady Mary Howard, Lissa Bryan, Mary I, non-consummation, Reigate Castle, royal marriages, St. Michael’s Church Framlingham, Thomas Earl of Surrey, Victorians

I found the article below at this site where the numerous posts are Tudor-oriented (Henry VIII), but very interesting and informative. The article is given in full to tempt you into visiting the site to read all the others:- “….On November 25th or 26th, 1533, Henry FitzRoy married Lady Mary Howard. “….Mary Howard…
Pembroke didn’t pop the Weasel when it should have….!

Nov 23, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, law, religion

“Perkin”, “Princes”, “Tudor” propaganda, Arthur, attainders, Battle of Bosworth, Brittany, Cadwallader, Catherine de Valois, Edmund “Tudor”, Edward IV, Edward of Warwick, Elizabeth of York, French mercenaries, Henry V, Henry VII, Jasper “Tudor”, Lady Margaret Beaufort, parsimony, Pembroke Castle, pike wall, Richard Duke of York, Richard III, statues, Titulus Regius, Wales

Well, the first part of a riveting, absolutely factual series about Henry VII was warning enough. I confess to having had to read the first sentence twice, because first time around I thought Edmund Tudor was fighting against the Duke of York’s men and Edmund’s own wife, Margaret Beaufort, who was Henry’s underage mother. Shame on…