Another Eureka find.

[guest189040]

What is our aim in researching our family history?

A who is who listing?

Learning of social facts and interaction at the time?

Putting names to the old photographs?

Your reasons are probably as mixed up as ours.

Well for my Wife and I we have been researching our family history side by side for quite a few years now and in her family tree a 4x Grandfather appears to have lived in a small village outside Blackburn UK before moving to Manchester where he married a lady who was also from the same village.

We thought that his Wife was related to a well known Lancastrian family but we were unsure of the proof.

A few months ago a visit to Lancashire Archives as part of an organized group trip resulted in us staying on and researching.

Eureka, in the archives was a printed family tree and entries in said tree were for the couple concerned, further documents supported the tree and a legal case between the couple and a third party was also documented and this very legal case was part of family history that had been handed down the generations.

Going back to the family tree in the Archives I noticed a name, a bit of online searching got another surname, then another surname then the big one John Duke of Lancaster aka John of Gaunt son of Edward III.  Now just you try researching nobility and you end up in every country in Europe, it is never ending there is only so many Kings, Queens, Dukes, Emperors, Popes and Saints that one can include in a family tree before you realize that if you were to printout the resultant tree a small forest would have yo be felled to supply the paper.

Now to say that there is now no living with my Mrs is an understatement, I have to bend the knee and doff the cap in her presense (I do not really but it makes a better tale).  Once we started to look further, murder, Sainthood, Execution, scheming, cousins marring cousins, it seems as though with all the families in the North West of England there are links to my Mrs.

So it goes to show that six degrees of seperation that was all the rage a few years ago works if only the links can be found.

Stick it it and maybe you and I will get our own Eureka find 

[Maiden Stone]

So your Mrs is one of those people descended from Edward III.

To which "well-known Lancastrian family" was your wife's ancestor's wife (her 4xGGM?) related? I've already tied myself in a knot. 

[River Tyne Lass]

The lady I often sit next to at Church has told me she is a descendant of one of the King Edwards .. I think that it is this one.. who would have thought it .. the descendant of a King and the descendant of a poor Irish tinker (me) sitting side by side one day .. 

[Viktoria]

Ah yes BUT John Of Gaunt was not very nice, and his son Henry Bolinbroke usurped the throne and imprisoned his elder brother’s son,Richard of Bordeaux (RichardII)son of Edward of Woodstock The Black Prince, who had already died.


Richard is believed to have been starved to death in Pontefract castle.
Henry IV was cruel and ruthless but did encourage The Arts
Not much else good to say about him.
It is a mixed blessing being related to well known historic people,I should imagine.
But well done with your research.
Viktoria

[guest189040]

We are all related it is a question of finding the links.

My Wife is a descendent of the Osbaldestons of Lancashire, a family riddled by dept, malice, pursecution, martyrdom, Sainthood, even one being hung drawn and quartered.

If that was not bad enough many of those inflicting grief were also ancestors of my Wife from a different line.

That said any in positions of power only stayed their through intrigue, murder, threats, violence and fear, and that includes the Church.

Twas a very hard time for our peasant ancestors.

[Viktoria]

So nothing changes!
Wow,that is quite a list,you are having us on!
How did Christmas day go?
Quiet?

If I dare ask what are the families doing now?
Only joking
Viktoria.My lot are boring.

[guest189040]

Viktoria

My lot are also pretty typical, mundane and boring.

[Viktoria]

As Norah Batty said in Last of the  Summer Wine :-

“There’s nowt wrong with boring,you know where you are with boring.
I trained Wally for forty years to be boring.”
          Viktoria.
You wouldn’t argue with her !