genealogy

Ewelme Manor, Henry VII and what the manor house may have looked like….

Sep 28, 2022

buildings, genealogy

almshouses, banishment, confiscation, Country Life, de la Poles, Dukes of Suffolk, Edmund de la Pole, Ewelme, haunting, Henry VII, parsimony, royal palaces

“….Henry VII, doubtless after having taken good stock of the amenities of Ewelme Manor, during his self-proposed visit to Edmund de la Pole before the latter’s banishment, decided that it would be well-fitted for a country retreat, later on to be converted into a Royal Palace. In fact, it may have become to the King…
The Touchet/Audley Family in the Fifteenth Century.

Sep 26, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, law, religion

Alionore Holland, Arundels, Barnet, Battle of Bosworth, Battles of Sandwich, Bishop Edmund Audley, Bishop of Hereford, Blore Heath, Buckingham rebellion, Calais, Cheshire, Constance of York, Despensers, Dukes of Somerset, Edmund Holland, Edward I, Edward III, Edward IV, Edward of Lancaster, executions, Fitzalans, Francis Viscount Lovell, Heighley Castle, Henry III, Henry VII, Isabel Mylbery, James Lord Audley, Joan Bourchier, Joan of Kent, John Lord Audley, Lord High Treasurer, Ludlow Castle, Margaret Darrell, Margaret of Anjou, Margaret Roos, Mortimer’s Cross, Parliament’s power to determine legitimacy, Red Castle, Richard Duke of York, Richard III, Sir Humphrey Audley, surnames, Tewkesbury, Towton, Welsh Marches, Wydevilles

James Touchet, Lord Audley, was born about 1398. He was not in the first rank of magnates but nevertheless had significant estates, notably Heighley Castle, near Madeley in Staffordshire, and the Red Castle (Hawkstone) in Shropshire, as well as two small Marcher lordships in Wales. His first marriage was to Margaret Roos, daughter of Lord Roos…
Identifying another King

Sep 24, 2022

anniversaries, archaeology, battles, buildings, genealogy, religion, Science, sources

Bannockburn, Bruces of Clackmannan, david II, Declaration of Arbroath, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Dunfermline Abbey, Dupplin Moor, facial reconstruction, Foundation for Mediaeval Genealogy, FTB15831, genetic markers, Graham Holton, Ireland, Melrose Abbey, mtDNA evidence, Register of the Great Seal, Richard III, Robert I, royal remains, Scotland, University of Strathclyde, Y-chromosome

The monarch in question is Robert I (Bruce) and the investigation, as part of the Foundation for Mediaeval Genealogy’s Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project, is being carried out by the University of Strathclyde: Graham Holton has reported good progress in this press release: Genetic marker discovered for descendants of Bruce clan, January 2022.A distinct…
‘Great magician, damned Glendower'(Part 4.)

Sep 19, 2022

battles, genealogy, sources

Anglesey, Archbishop Scrope, archers, Battle of Shrewsbury, Catrin ferch Owain, Cheltenham, Constance of York, executions, France, Glyn Dwr rebellion, Henry IV, Henry V, Hotspur, Lord Grey of Ruthin, maredydd ap owain, Mortimers, Owain Glyn Dwr, Percies, Pilleth, R.R. Davies, ransom, siege of harlech, Sir Edmund Mortimer, Sir John Scudamore, Thomas Percy Earl of Worcester, Tripartite Alliance, Wales, Worcester

It is not my purpose to describe the Glyndŵr Rising in detail. The story is far too complex to be contained within a blog post. The reader who is interested in the full tale would do well to consult (for example) The Revolt Of Owain Glyn Dŵr by R.R Davies, an excellent work. The initial…
‘Great magician, damned Glendower'(Part 1.)

Sep 16, 2022

anniversaries, battles, genealogy, law, The play’s the thing

“Tudor” era, bards, Clwyd, Dee Valley, Glyndyfrdwy, Henry IV, Henry VII, imprisonment, Iolo Goch, judges, lawyers, Marcher Lords, Mortimers, Owain Glyn Dwr, Prince of Wales, rebellions, Richard II, Sir David Hanmer, Sycharth, Tower of London, Wales

‘Great magician, damned Glendower’ is how Shakespeare makes Henry IV refer to his elusive Welsh adversary. Of course, we all know that Shakespeare was principally a dramatist and a great distorter of historical truth. Nonetheless, it’s likely that this quote accurately reflects Bolngbroke’s feelings of frustration as he struggled to deal with Owain ap Gruffudd…
A Bruce mystery

Sep 15, 2022

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy, law, religion

Berwick, dowry, Edward Bruce, Edward I, executions, James III, James V, Ken Bruce, Laurence Bruce, Margarethe of Denmark, Muness Castle, Neil Bruce, Nigel Bruce, property sales, Robert I, Scotland, Shetlands, Stewarts, Unst

Here is a Daily Record article about a rather nice Scottish castle for sale, that was apparently built for Laurence Bruce, half-brother of Robert I … except that we can find no evidence that he ever existed. By both the same parents, Robert’s brothers were Thomas, Alexander, Neil (all executed in 1306-7) and Edward, the…
Richard III’s mystery daughter….

Sep 7, 2022

anniversaries, genealogy, law, religion, travel

“Queen Elizabeth”, Edward IV, executions, Henry VIII, Mynydd Maen, mysteries, Penarth, priests, Richard III, Wales

Here is an extract from this article: “….Apparently a priest lived there [Mynydd Maen] during the Middle Ages and after an argument with Queen Elizabeth who was the daughter of King Richard III, he was hanged on the moor….” Eh? When did Richard beget a Queen Elizabeth???????? Which one? Elizabeth of York or Elizabeth…
A wonderful old house with de la Pole history….

Sep 5, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy

Country Life, de la Pole family, Earls of Suffolk, John Earl of Lincoln, Kingston-upon-Hull, Lord Chancellor, Michael de la Pole, Poitiers, property sales, Richard II, Richard III, Sir john Wingfield, Suffolk, Wingfield College

The above illustration is of Wingfield College, which is on the market for an incredible £1.75million. (Surely that’s an error?) Oh my, it’s a dream residence for anyone who loves things medieval. Even more desirable is the fact that it has some significant historic connections. It was first granted to Sir John de Wingfield,…
“Yolanding”?

Sep 4, 2022

anniversaries, battles, genealogy

Alexander III, Bannockburn, Clackmannan, Dukes of Brittany, Fife, Forth, Freedom’s Sword, Gilbert Earl of Gloucester, Guardian of Scotland, Kathryn Warner, Kinghorn, Margaret of Norway, marriages, Maud de Burgh, Peter Traquair, questionable pregnancies, Robert I, rumours, Scotland, Yolande de Dreux

From 1281, the widowed Alexander III lost his three children and remarried to remedy the situation. His second wife was Yolande de Dreux, who he married in autumn 1285, but Scotland was plunged into the unknown within five months when he broke his neck, falling from a horse, travelling across the Forth to Kinghorn in…
Was Elizabeth Woodville a witch….?

Aug 12, 2022

anniversaries, battles, genealogy, law, religion

“Princes”, Arthur, Bermondsey Abbey, bias, Edward V, Elizabeth Wydeville, executions, Henry VII, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Lady Margaret Beaufort, Merlin, plotting, Richard III, Sir William Stanley, Tower of London, witchcraft

Royalty and magic (black or otherwise). Well, the connection isn’t new, after all, King Arthur had Merlin. And when it suited one’s enemies, a charge of witchcraft was always a guaranteed spanner in the works. The first section of this article this article deals with Elizabeth Woodville, and is perhaps of most interest to…