What It Means To Remember: Or, Why I Do Genealogy

Florence Mary Wiltse, 1905-1957
Big Moose Lake, New York, 1950Descendant of kings, fishermen, and farmers

What does it mean to remember? It is to live in more than one world, to prevent the past from fading and to call upon the future to illuminate it. It is to revive fragments of existence, to rescue lost beings, to cast harsh light on faces and events, to drive back the sands that cover the surface of things, to combat oblivion and to reject death.
Elie Weisel, "All Rivers Run to the Sea: Memoirs."

Eulogy for Edward III

"This King Edward was of surpassing goodness, and very full of grace even by comparison with all the worthy men of the world: for by his virtue and the grace given to him by God, he surpassed and shone above all his predecessors, who were themselves noble and worthy men. And he was of hearty courage, for he never dread any mishaps, nor harms, nor evil fortune that might befall a noble warrior...And in all battles and engagements, with surpassing glory and honor, he had ever the victory."

The English Brut, 2:333, quoted in Clifford Rogers' The Wars of Edward III {Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1999}, p. 202

Coronation Chair, Westminster Abbey

The chair was commissioned in 1296 by King Edward I to contain the coronation stone of Scotland — known as the Stone of Scone — which he had captured from the Scots who had kept it at Scone Abbey. The chair was named after England's only canonized king, Edward the Confessor, and was kept in his shrine of St Edward's Chapel at Westminster Abbey.

The high backed gothic style arm chair was carved from oak by a carpenter known as Master Walter, who was paid the considerable sum of 100 shillings for his work. Four gilded lions act as legs to the chair; these are a comparatively modern restoration executed in 1727. They replace similar lions added in the 16th century. [Frederick Litchfield, Illustrated History of Furniture From the Earliest to the Present Time (1899), pp. 30-32]

Under the seat of the chair is a platform and cavity which until 1996 contained the Stone of Scone; this has now been returned to Scotland with the proviso that it be returned to the chair on the occasion of the next coronation.

Coins of the Plantagenet Realm

Edward III's gold noble

Edward's noble was the first gold coin to be produced in any quantity in England. The coin was a great success, and thousands were minted, giving numismatists today about 20 different varieties from which to choose. Smaller gold denominations--the half noble and quarter noble--completed the monetary reform. The gold noble was to be the standard English denomination for the next 150 years. The example shown is a quarter noble, value three shillings, 4 pence, wt. 34.5 grains. Treaty Period (1363-1369), London Mint. The obverse features Edward's royal shield [The American Numismatic Association].

For More Plantagenet Coins, Click Here

Links of Interest

Edward III in Knights of the Garter regalia

Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud
Castles of Wales
Castles on the Web
CastleXplorer
Edward II Blog
House of Plantagenet: Trivia

Internet Medieval Sourcebook
List of the Knights & Ladies of the Garter

Medieval English Genealogy

Wars of the Roses
Web Gallery of Art
Westminster Abbey

Databases Containing Plantagenet Ancestry

Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII

Here are a few useful family tree databases that I've found online. Most of these are regularly updated, and, unlike your typical family tree published online, these are actually SOURCED!

Ancestors of Paul Bailey McBride "Ancestors of Note," with bibliography, citations & index.

Banks-Dean Genealogy [Gordon Banks]. With tables, citations and index. Over 12,000 entries.

The Ancestry of Elizabeth FitzAlan & Her Sister Joan [John Blythe Dobson]. Tables with sources.

Genealogics [Leo van de Pas]. Massive compendium of medieval and modern-era descendants of the Plantagenets and other royal houses. Searchable.

Genealogy of Homer Beers James. Database arranged by epoch and geography.

Useful Books and Journals

Here are a few selected books and journals that I've found useful in my research. These are both genealogical and historical. If you've found some books of use in your research, please let me know so that I can update this list!

Monographs and Series

Allmand, C. Henry V. English monarchs 10. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1992.

Ashley, M. The mammoth book of British kings & queens: the complete biographical encyclopedia of the kings and queens of Britain. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1998.

Asch, R., and Birke, A., eds. Princes, patronage, and the nobility: the court at the beginning of the modern age, c. 1450-1560. Studies of the German Historical Institute, London. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Brown, A. The governance of late medieval England, 1272-1461. The governance of England 3. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1989.

Burke's Peerage. Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry. Edited by Peter Townend. 18th ed. London, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., 1969.

Ibid. Burke's royal families of the world. London: Burke's Peerage, 1977- .

Burns, J. Lordship, kingship and empire: the idea of monarchy, 1400-1525. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992.

Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. The Oxford illustrated history of the British monarchy. New York: Oxford UP, 1998.

Cantor, N., ed. The encyclopedia of the middle ages. New York: Viking, 1999.

Chrimes, S., Ross, C. and Griffiths, R., ed. Fifteenth-century England, 1399-1509: studies in politics and society. Manchester: Manchester University Press; New York, Barnes and Noble Books, 1972.

Cockayne, G. The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 2000. 6 v., microprint edition. Originally published in 13 volumes (many publishers consider parts I & II of v. 12 as one book) from 1910 to 1938. Volume XIV: Addenda and Corrigenda, ed. Peter W. Hammond. UK: Sutton Publishers, 1998.

Collins, A. The baronage of England. London: W. Innys et al., 1750. 6 v.

Coss, P. The knight in medieval England, 1000-1400. UK: Sutton Publishing, 1993.

Coss, P. The lady in medieval England, 1000-1500. UK: Sutton Publishing, 1998.

Crawford, A. Letters of the queens of England. UK: Sutton Publishing, 2002.

Crouch, D. William Marshal: court, career and chivalry in the Angevin empire, 1147-1219. UK: Longman, 1990.

Denton, J., ed. Orders and hierarchies in late medieval and renaissance Europe. Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto Press, 1999.

DeVries, K. Medieval military technology. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 1992.

Duby, Georges. The three orders: feudal society imagined. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Dugdale, W. The baronage of England. Hildesheim ; New York : G. Olms, 1977. 2 v.

Earwaker, J. East Cheshire: past and present; or a history of the hundred of Macclesfield in the county palatine of Chester. London: Wyman & Sons, 1877. 2 v.

Evans, J., ed. The flowering of the middle ages. New York: Bonanza Books, 1985.

Faris, D. Plantagenet ancestry of seventeenth-century colonists, 2nd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996.

Froissart, J. Chronicles. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.

Gibson, J. Anatomy of the castle. New York: Metro Books, 2001.

Gies, F. & J. A medieval family: the Pastons of fifteenth-century England. New York: Harper Collins, 1999.

Goodlich, M., ed. Other middle ages: witnesses at the margins of medieval society. The Middle Ages Series. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998.

Goodman, A. John of Gaunt: the exercise of princely power in fourteenth-century Europe. UK: Longman Group, 1992.

Gransden, A. Legends, traditions and history in medieval England. London: Hambledon, 1992.

Graves, E., ed. A bibliography of English history to 1485. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975.

Haines, R. King Edward II. London: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003.

Hallam, E., ed. Chronicles of the age of chivalry. New York: Welcome Rain Books, 2000.

Hallam, E. Chronicles of the crusades. New York: Welcome Rain Books, 2000.

Howell, M. Eleanor of Provence: queenship in thirteenth-century England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1998.

Hume, D. The history of England. Boston: Phillips Sampson, 1851. 6 v.

Johnson, P. The life and times of Edward III. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1973.

Johnstone, H. Edward of Carnarvon, 1284-1307. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1946.

Jordan, W. Louis IX and the challenge of the crusade. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1979.

Keats-Rohan, K. Domesday descendants : a prosopography of persons occurring in English documents, 1066-1166, v. II. Woodbridge, Suffolk ; Rochester, NY : Boydell Press, 2002.

Keats-Rohan, K. Domesday people : a prosopography of persons occurring in English documents, 1066-1166, v. I. Woodbridge, Suffolk ; Rochester, NY : Boydell Press, 1999.

Maclagan, M. Lines of succession. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2002.

Moriarty, G., Jr. The Plantagenet ancestry of King Edward III and Queen Philippa. Salt Lake City, UT: Mormon Pioneer Genealogy Society, 1985.

Moor, Rev. C. The knights of Edward I. London: the publications of the Harleian society., 1929-1932. 5 v.

Nicolas, N. Testamenta vetusta: being illustrations from wills, of manners, customs, &c. as well as of the descents and possessions of many distinguished families. From the reign of Henry the Second to the accession of Queen Elizabeth. London, Nichols & son, 1826. 2 v.

Ormerod, G. The history of the county palatine and city of Chester. 2nd ed., revised by Thomas Helsby, Esq. London: George Routledge & Sons, 1882. 3 v.

Ormrod, W. The reign of Edward III. Charleston, SC: Tempus Publishing, Inc., 2000.

Packe, M. King Edward III. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983.

Parsons, J. Eleanor of Castile: queen and society in thirteenth-century England. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.

Paul, J. B. The Scots peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1904-14.

Perroy, E. The Hundred Years War. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1962.

Platt, C. The atlas of medieval man. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1979.

Prestwich, M. The three Edwards: war and state in England, 1272-1377. London: Routledge, 1993.

Razi, Z. Life, marriage, and death in a medieval parish: economy, society, and demography in Halesowen, 1270-1400. Past and Present. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980.

Redlich, M. von, Langston, A., Buck, J., Beard, T., Order of the Crown of Charlemagne. Pedigrees of some of the Emperor Charlemagne's descendants. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1972- .

Richardson, D. Plantagenet ancestry: a study in colonial and medieval families. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.

Richardson, G. A pride of bastards: a history of the Beaufort family, their origins, and their part in the Agincourt War and the Wars of the Roses. Shipley, Yorks: Baildon Books, 2002.

Roberts, G. The royal descents of 600 immigrants to the American colonies or the United States. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.

Ross, Charles, ed. Patronage, pedigree, and power in later medieval England. Ed. Charles Ross. Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1979.

Runciman, S. The Sicilian vespers: a history of the Mediterranean world in the later thirteenth century. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Sanders, I. English baronies: a study of their origin and descent, 1086-1327. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1963.

Seward, Desmond. The Hundred Years War: the English in France, 1337-1453. New York: Atheneum, 1978.

Stephen, L., and Lee, S., eds. Dictionary of national biography. 21 vols. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1908-1909. [plus various supplements.]

Strayer, J., ed. Dictionary of the middle ages. 13 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1982-1989.

Storey, R. I. The end of the House of Lancaster. New York: Stein and Day, 1967.

Szarmach, P., and M. Tavormina, J. Rosenthal, eds. Medieval England: an encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing, 1998.

Tuchman, B. A distant mirror: the calamitous 14th century. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1979.

Turton, W. H. The Plantagenet ancestry. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968.

Underhill, Frances A. For her good estate: the life of Elizabeth de Burgh. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.

Van Houts, E. The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni. Oxford Univerity Press, 1992-95, 2 v.

Virgo, R. Private life in the fifteenth century: illustrated letters of the Paston family. New York: Weidenfeld & Nicholas, 1989.

Waugh, Scott L. England in the reign of Edward III. Cambridge Medieval Textbooks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Weis, F. Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700. 7th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992.

Weis, F. The Magna Charta sureties, 1215. 5th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999.

Journals

Speculum: a journal of medieval studies. Cambridge, MA: Mediaeval Academy of America. Published quarterly. January 1926--.

The New England historical and genealogical register. Boston, MA: The New England Historic Genealogical Society. Published quarterly. January 1883--. Online access is available by subscription at New England Ancestors.org.

The American genealogist (TAG). New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, ed. Published quarterly. July 1937--.

Newsgroups and Listservs

Here are some subscribed newsgroups that may be useful for the exchange of ideas and information about medieval-era history and genealogy.

Plantagenet-Descendants-Project-L
The title is somewhat of a misnomer, as there is no "project" per se connected with the list. Searchable archives database.

Gen-Medieval Mailing List Archives
Useful tool for locating citations to secondary works. Searchable database. Warning: flame wars are a regular occurence on this list.

Medieval-Gen Mailing List

A moderated list, promising to maintain a civil dialogue on the subject of medieval genealogy.

British Archival Databases

Here are listed two useful sources for original, or primary, sources in medieval English genealogy. Using these resources, you can order copies of original documents (fee-based).

A2A [Access to Archives]
Administered by UK's PRO, the catalogs in the A2A database have been drawn up over time by the archivists who care for the archives they describe. The level of detail provided in the catalogs varies.

Documents Online
An extremely profitable method for instantly locating and downloading facsimile copies of medieval-era PCC wills.

Useful Internet Resources

These are some Internet sites that I've found useful in my research. I'd appreciate hearing about any quality resources that are not on this list!

Abbreviations in Medieval Genealogy

Cyndi's List: Royalty & Nobility Genealogy Sites

Dictionary of the City of London
A gazeteer of over 6,000 street and place names in London; their location, origin and changes. Medieval references are frequent. An invaluable reference work.

Europaische Stammtafeln Notes
The Europäische Stammtafeln is a collection of genealogical tables for important families that played a role in continental European history. A complete index to all volumes of ES is found at Stammtafeln Register.

Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
Objectives: to promote rigorous scholarship in the field of medieval genealogical, prosopographical, and related research. Membership is required to view some of the resources; however, of particular value are the publicly-available corrections to Keats-Rohan's two-volum prosopographical series, Domesday People and Domesday Descendants.

GEN UKI
The aim of GEN UKI is to serve as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland.

The Monumental Brass Society
Photographs and illustrations of medieval monumental brasses. Another excellent site with images of brasses can be found at The Gothic Eye.

The Herald's Visitations
Linked from Nigel Batty-Smith's Website, United Kingdom Genealogy. Surveys online include Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wilts, Worcester, Hertford, London, Norfolk, Kent & Berks.

Internet Medieval Sourcebook
History, music, literature and genealogy of the medieval era across continents, from Fordham University.

The Labyrinth
From Georgetown University's Medieval Studies Program. Easy-to-use menus and links provide connections to databases, services, texts, and images on other servers around the world.

Latin Genealogical Word List
This general word list includes words commonly seen in genealogical sources. Numbers, months, and days of the week are listed both here and in separate sections that follow this list.

Latin Translator ["Words by William Whitaker"]
Short phrases can be translated by this limited program.

Libro: The Library of Iberian Resources Online
Researchers will find a study of Iberian resources of interest because of the region's connections to the Plantageney dynasty. Emphasis on peninsular history from the 5th to the 17th centuries.

Medieval Names Archive
Etymology of English, Old English and Anglo-Norman names.

NetSerf
A pathfinder for medieval resources. Includes a searchable glossary of medieval terms.

Old English Links
A finding aide for everything from abbreviations to paleography.

The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies
From Berkeley, written and maintained by medieval scholars for the benefit of their fellow instructors and serious students.

Some Corrections and Additions to The Complete Peerage
A link from the below listed site, "Some Notes," etc. Discusses additional corrections to CP since the publication of the 14th volume, "Addenda and Corrigenda," in 1998.

Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy
Extensive online compendium authored by Chris Phillips. Includes published records, medieval source material, monumental brasses, medieval English families on the Internet, and a "What's New" section.

Example of a Royal Pedigree

My research into the Rudyard family's Plantagenet connections took about 4 years from start to publication. Thomas Rudyard, Esq. (1640-1692) was an attorney for the London Society of Friends (Quakers) and a personal friend of William Penn; original proprietor of Pennsylvania; deputy-governor of East Jersey; and attorney-general of New York. *This is not one of my personal lines, but was researched for a friend.

Thomas Rudyard's Descent from Edward III

1. Edward III of England, b. 13 November 1312, Windsor Castle, co. Berks., d. 21 June 1377, Shene Palace, Richmond, Surrey = Philippa of Hainault, b. 24 June 1311, Valenciennes, France, d. 15 August 1369, Windsor Castle, co. Berks., da. of William III, count of Hainault by Jeanne de Valois [descendant of Henry II]. [18] [22] [30] [36] [38] [39]
2. John of Gaunt, 2nd duke of Lancaster, b. March 1339/40, St. Bavon's Abbey, Ghent, Flanders, d. 3 February 1398/99, Leicester Castle, co. Leicester = Katherine de Roet, b. abt. 1350, d. 10 May 1403, da. of Sir Payn de Roet. [18] [19] [22] [26] [30] [36] [38] [39]
3. John Beaufort, 2nd earl of Somerset, b. abt. 1371, Kettlethorpe Manor, nr. Pottersgate, co. Lincoln, d. 16 March 1409/10, St. Catherine-by-the-Tower Hospital, London = Margaret de Holand, b. abt. 1381, Upholand, co. Lancs., d. 30 December 1439, St. Saviour's Monastery, Bermondsey, Surrey, da. of Thomas de Holand, K.G., earl of Kent [descendant of Edward I] by Alice fitz Alan [descendant of Henry III]. [18] [19] [22] [25] [26] [30] [36] [38]
4. Edmund Beaufort, 2nd duke of Somerset, b. abt. 1406, Westminster, co. Middlesex, d. 22 May 1455, 1st Battle of St. Alban's = Alianore de Beauchamp, b. September 1408, Walthamstow, co. Essex, d. 6 March 1466/67, Baynard's Castle, London, da. of Richard de Beauchamp, K.G., K.B., earl of Warwick [descendant of Edward I] by Elizabeth de Berkeley [descendant of Edward I], baroness of Lisle & Teyes. [18] [19] [22] [26] [30] [36] [38]
5. Anne Beaufort, b. 24 Mar. 1443 Baynard's Castle, Blackfriars, London, d. bef. 17 Sept. 1496, London = William Paston, Gent., Justice of the Court of Common Pleas; b. 28 May 1434, Paston, co. Norfolk, d. bet. 17 Sept. - 28 Nov. 1496, Warwick Inn, London; son of William Paston by Agnes, da. of Sir Edmund Berry. [12] [17] [19] [22] [23] [24] [26] [29] [30] [33] [35] [36] [37]
6. Anne Paston, d. bef. 19 Oct. 1542 = Sir Gilbert Talbot, Knt., b. abt. 1476, d. 22 Oct. 1542, Grafton Manor, co. Worcs.; son of Gilbert Talbot, Knt., of co. Salop by Elizabeth, da. of Ralph, baron Greystoke [descendant of Edward III] [1] [12] [15] [17] [18] [19] [22] [24] [25] [26] [27] [29] [30] [37] [38] [39]
7. Elizabeth Talbot, d. bef. 19 Oct. 1542 = John Lyttleton, Esq., of Frankley Manor, co. Worcs., b. abt. 1499, d. 17 May 1532; son of William Lyttleton, Knt., of Frankley Manor by Mary Whittington. [1] [5] [10] [11] [15] [17] [24] [25] [26] [27] [29] [30] [37]
8. Roger Lyttleton, Esq., b. bef. 14 May 1531, d. bet. 22 July 1553-11 Jan. 1588/89, Groveley, Kings Norton, co. Worcs. = Elizabeth Stanley, da. of John Stanley [descendant of Edward I] of Bromwich Hall, co. Staffs. by Cecily Freebody. [2] [5] [9] [10] [11] [17] [24] [25] [27] [30]
9. Bridget Lyttleton, d. aft. 11 Sept. 1621 = Henry James, Gent., of Kingswinford, co. Staffs. & Forfield [Fairfield] Court, Belbroughton, co. Worcs., bd. 17 Mar. 1586, Belbroughton, son of Edmund James, Gent. of Wollaston, co. Worcs. & Kingswinford, by Ann Ramsay. [3] [4] [6] [8] [9] [14] [16] [17] [24] [27] [30] [33]
10. Anne James, bp. 9 Jan. 1571/2, Belbroughton, co. Worcs., d. aft. 11 Sept. 1621 = Thomas Rudyard, Esq., d. bet. 11 Sept. 1621-18 Feb. 1622, of Dieulacress, Leek, co. Staffs., son of Thomas Rudyard of Rudyard [descendant of Henry II] by Elizabeth, da. of John Osbaldeston of Nethercote, co. Oxon. [6] [14] [20] [24] [30] [33] [34]
11. Anthony Rudyard, Esq., b. abt. 1610, Dieulacress, Leek, co. Staffs, d. Mar. 1661/62, Dieulacress, Leek; magistrate of Leek, 1654-60 = Anne Newton, b. abt. 1615, Wilmslow, co. Cheshire, d. Mar. 1657/58, da. of William Newton of Wilmslow [descendant of Edward III] by Margery, da. of Laurence Wright, Gent., of Nantwich, co. Cheshire. [13] [14] [20] [21] [30] [31] [33]
12. Thomas Rudyard, Esq., b. 1640, Leek, co. Staffs., d. Oct.-Nov. 1692, Bridgetown, Barbados; attorney in the Guildhall, London; while acting as William Penn's counsel, probably authored "The peoples ancient and just liberties asserted in the tryal of William Penn and William Mead" [1670]; Rudyard's own habeas corpus trial, detailed in his "Second part of the people's liberties" is cited in the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution; original proprietor of Pennsylvania and East Jersey; deputy-governor of East Jersey, 1682-84; attorney-general of New York, 1684. = Alice Boscowen. Several legit. ch., and one son, John Rudyard, Esq., by an unknown mistress. [7] [13] [16] [20] [28] [30] [31] [32] [33]

Sources

Charters:
[1] Counterpart of an indenture between John Lyttelton of Frankeley, esq., and Gylbert Talbotte, knt., and John Talbotte knt., being a settlement on the marriage of the said John Lyttelton and Elizabeth, daughter of the said Gylbert of the manors of Frankeley and Collesdon, co. Worc. lands, tenements, etc., in Frankeley, Collesdon, Rugeacre and Droitwyche and the manor of Cressage, Co. Salop, 12 May 23 Hen. VIII [1531]. Birmingham City Archives: Lyttelton of Hagley Hall, MS # 3279/351486 [lines 6-7].
[2] Indenture between Edward Newport; and John Littelton, esq., Roger Littelton and others. Grant of Manor of Hanley William etc., 22 July 1553. Worchestershire Archives: Hanley Court Estate, MS # 3312/396627 [line 8].
[3] Counterpart of a lease for the term of three lives from Edmund James of Kings Swinford, co. Staff., esq., and Henry his son, to Henry Halle of Romsley, co. Worc., Mylner [Miller], Joan his wife and Henry his son, of a mill, called Shutte Mylle in Romsley and lands in Romsley and the tythe hay of Romsley. 16 April 13 Eliz. [1571]. Birmingham City Archives: Lyttelton of Hagley Hall, MS # 3279/351685 [line 9].
[4] Grant from Edmund James of Kyngesswinford, co. Staff., esq., and Henry his son, to William Haye of Chadwiche [Chadwick] co. Worc., husbandman, of the reversion of a corn mill, with appurtenances, in Romesley, called the Shutmylle and lands in Romesley 12 September 13 Eliz. [1571]. Birmingham City Archives: Lyttelton of Hagley Hall, MS # 3279/351686 [line 9].
Inquisitions Post Mortem:
[5] Lyttelton, John [C 142/56/12]. Worcestershire, July 1532. Mentions his wife, Elizabeth, seven sons [including Roger] and two daughters [lines 7-8].
Parish Registers:
[6] Church of the Holy Trinity, Belbroughton, co. Worcs. Christenings, marriages, burials, 1540-1812. FHC #0546142 [lines 9-10].
[7] Saint Clement Danes, London. Marriages, 1653-1675, v. 3, p. 101. FHC #0574264 [line 12].
PCC Wills [http://www.documentsonline.pro.gov.uk/]:
[8] James, Edmonde, Gent., of Wollaston, proved 7 Feb. 1586 [11/69 Windsor]. Includes bequests to his son, Henry [line 9].
[9] Lyttelton, George, of the Inner Temple, London, proved 11 June 1600 [11/96 Wallop]. He gives to "Sister James fyve pounds" [lines 8-9].
[10] Lyttelton, John, Esq., of Frankley, proved 25 June 1532 [11/24 Thower, see "last will"]. Mentions his wife, Elizabeth, his seven sons [including Roger] and two daughters [lines 7-8].
[11] Lyttelton, John, Knt., of Frankley, proved 8 May 1590 [11/75 Drury]. Among the legatees are "George Littleton eldest sonne of my deare and loving brother Roger Littleton esquire, deceastd" and "Humphrey Littleton one other of the sonnes of my said brother Roger Littleton" [lines 7-8].
[12] Paston, William, Gent., of London, proved 28 Nov. 1496 [11/11 Horne]. Desires burial "in the church of blak friars in London, at the north end of the high altar there by my Lady Anne late my wife" [lines 5-6].
[13] Rudyard, Anthony, of Dieulacress, co. Staffs., proved 18 Feb. 1663 [11/310 Juxon]. Includes bequests to "my eldest sonne, Thomas" [lines 11-12].
[14] Rudyard, Thomas, of Dieulacress, co. Staffs., proved 18 Feb. 1622 [11/139 Savile]. Legatees include "Anne, my well beloved wife," and Anthony Rudyard, one of his "younger sonnes." Devises to "Mrs. Brigett James, my mother in lawe, my best nagg or mare which I shall fortune to have at the tyme of my death" [lines 9-11].
[15] Talbot, Gilbert, Sir, of Grafton, proved 15 June 1543 [11/29 Spert]. Mentions "Elizabeth Lytleton, the other of my daughters" [lines 6-7].
Secondary References
[16] Braithwaite, A. "Thomas Rudyard: early Friends' 'Oracle of Law.'" Journal of the Friends' Historical Society [London: Autumn 1956], pp. 5-19 [line 12].
[17] Butler, A., ed. The visitation of Worcestershire 1634 [London: Harleian Society Publications, 1938], p. 62 [lines 7-9], pp. 133-34 [lines 5-7].
[18] Cockayne, G. The complete peerage [London: St. Catherine Press, 1949], IV, pp. 39-44 [lines 1-3], VII, pp. 410-16 [lines 1-2]; XI, pp. 569, 706 note (a), 717 note (d), 731 chart [line 6], XII/1, pp. 49-53 [line 4], XII/2, p. 552 [lines 4-6].
[19] Dugdale, W. The baronage of England [originally published 1675-76. Hildesheim ; New York: G. Olms, 1977], v. 1, pp. 325 chart, 331 [line 6], 742 [Greystoke, line 6]; v. 2, pp. 114-19, 121-4 [lines 2-5].
[20] Dugdale, W., Rylands, W., & Armytage, G., eds. Staffordshire pedigrees based on the visitation of that county [London: Harleian Society Publications, 1912], v. 63, p. 95 [lines 10-12]. [21] Earwaker, J. East Cheshire: past and present [London: privately printed, 1877], v. 1, p. 128 [line 11].
[22] Faris, D. Plantagenet ancestry of seventeenth-century colonists, 2nd ed. [Boston: NEHGS, 1999], pp. 109, 162-63, 285-86, 332-33, 350 [lines 1-6].
[23] Gies, F. & J. A medieval family: the Pastons of fifteenth-century England [New York: Harper Collins, 1999], p. 368 [line 5].
[24] Grazebrook, H. S. The heraldry of Worcester: being a roll of the arms borne by the several noble, knightly, and gentle families, which have had property or residence in that county, from the earliest period to the present time; with genealogical notes, collected from the heralds' visitations, ancient manuscripts, heraldic dictionaries, church monuments, personal seals, and other trustworthy sources [London: J. R. Smith, 1873], v. 1, pp. 312, 362 [lines 7-10], v. 2, p. 562 [lines 5-7].
[25] Jeayes, I. Descriptive catalogue of the charters & muniments of the Lyttelton family [London: Chas. J. Clark, 1893], pp. xv, xvi, 107-08 (see also [1]) [lines 6-8].
[26] Nicolas, N. Testamenta vetusta: being illustrations from wills, of manners, customs, &c. as well as of the descents and possessions of many distinguished families. From the reign of Henry the Second to the accession of Queen Elizabeth [London: Nichols & son, 1826], v. 1, pp. 140-45 [John of Gaunt], 230-31 [John Greystoke]; v. 2, pp. 654 [John Lyttelton, Esq.], 695-96 [Gilbert Talbot, Jr.]. [lines 2-7].
[27] Phillimore, W., ed. The visitation of the county of Worcester made in the year 1569 [London: Harleian Society, 1888], pp. 94, 133-34.Online at: http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/england/Worcestershire/visitations/index.html [lines 6-9].
[28] Raimo, J. Biographical directory of American colonial and revolutionary governors 1607-1789 [Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1980], p. 205 [line 12].
[29] Reade, C. The house of Cornewall [Hereford: Jakeman & Carver, 1908], p. 219 [lines 5-7].
[30] Roberts, G. The royal descents of 600 immigrants to the American colonies or the United States : who were themselves notable or left descendants notable in American history [Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2004], p. 223 [lines 1-12].
[31] Rudgers, D. "Governor Thomas Rudyard of East Jersey and his descendants in New York." The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record [Oct. 1990], v. 121, pp. 193-94 [lines 11-12].
[32] Rudyard, T. "The second part of the peoples ancient and just liberties asserted in the proceedings against, and tryals of Tho. Rudyard, Francis Moor, Rich. Mew [and others] at the session begun and held at the Old-Baily in London...in the year 1670 against the arbitrary procedure of that court, and justices there" [London: privately printed, 1670] [line 12].
[33] Sleigh, J. A history of the ancient parish of Leek in Staffordshire [London: Bemrose & Sons, 1883], pp. 126, 129 [lines 9-12].
[34] Turner, W. The visitations of the county of Oxford [London: Harleian Socity Publications, 1871], p. 203 [line 10].
[35] Venn, J & J. A. Alumni Cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1751, v. 3 (1924), p. 317 [line 5].
[36] Virgo, R., ed. Private life in the fifteenth century: illustrated letters of the Paston family [New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989], pp. 8-9, 22, 32, 198 [lines 1-5].
[37] Wambaugh, E. Littleton's tenures in English [Littleton, CO: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 1985], intro, p. li [lines 5-7].
[38] Weis, F. Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700. 7th ed., additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. ; asst. by David Faris [Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992], pp. 3, 10 [lines 1-4, 6].
[39] Weis, F. The Magna Charta sureties, 1215 : the barons named in the Magna Charta, 1215, and some of their descendants who settled in America during the early Colonial years, 5th ed., with additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr., M. S. with William R. Beall [Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1999], pp. 32, 190 [lines 1-2, 6].

Thoughts on Royal Ancestry

Charles II of Sicily & Maria of Hungary:
great-grandparents of Queen Philippa

"That nirvana of genealogical research, demonstrated descent from a royal family." -- Steve Olson

“Think not that the nobilitie of your ancestors doth free you to doe all that you list, contrariwise, may it bindeth you more to follow vertue.” -- Pierre Erondell

"Anyone who believes that they belong to one race, or that their ancestors were fine people, hasn't done enough genealogy." -- Mark Humphrys

"It is difficult to be involved in the genealogical community in any capacity without hearing distinguished ancestor stories. It seems that almost everyone has a distinguished, often royal, ancestor who is somehow rumored to be connected to a distant but often vague branch of the family. Countless hours of research are spent searching for these elusive connections often at the expense of more achievable goals. Even more distressing is the undeniable underworld of genealogy catering to this desire to be connected to "important" ancestors. Gustave Anjou, active in the first quarter of the 20th century, is known to have forged hundreds of distinguished pedigrees that are estimated to have tainted the lineages of over two thousand surnames. Anjou was just one of several known forgers and unfortunately the family pedigrees that these unscrupulous individuals created have become part of the vast collection of ancestral records so readily available on the Internet today. It is difficult to estimate the number of researchers that are being misled by these spurious ancestries. It is well established that hundreds of thousands of North Americans are genuinely descended from the royal families of Europe, but it is most important that these ancestral links be carefully established with primary source material from several sources if possible. This is the only way in which you can have confidence in your research and if this arduous path does indeed lead to distinguished ancestors then you can be well pleased with your efforts. And if it doesn't, then you can delight in those ancestors you have found and join the happy majority of researchers." -- Ron Wild, "10 Frequently Asked Questions at Family History Centers." Family History Chronicle, Nov/Dec. 2000.

Welcome and an Introduction

The idea for this blog had its inception in a Web-based pathfinder project during my days as a graduate student in library studies at SUNY Buffalo. A few of you may even remember my Website that evolved from the project, which was recently taken off-line when I changed Internet service providers. A blog seems a much more interactive and user-friendly approach to managing the information I've gathered. Since I'm a newbie to the "blogosphere," I beg your indulgence while I learn my way around the scene here. SCOPE NOTE: This blog will focus upon discussing resources, both print and online, of medieval European genealogy and biography. I have a particular interest in the Holand family, descendants of John of Gaunt via his daughter, Elizabeth of Lancaster--my entry point to the Plantagenets.

Opinions expressed concerning the veracity of source materials and their usefulness to the researcher are entirely my own, and are intended solely as a helpful guide. I own, or have utilized, many of the resources that will be mentioned on this blog. While most of the materials that will receive mention on this blog are non-fiction in nature, I also solicit contributions from readers concerning their favorite Plantagenet-era fiction works.

I invite comments and contributions from anyone, novice or experienced, interested in this most fascinating period in history.