In a previous article, I showed how one of Rebecca Luther's ancestors was John Howard, the first Howard Duke of Norfolk. John was descended from both Edward I and his younger brother Edmund Crouchback. In this article I will describe that ancestry.
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John Howard was an English nobleman, soldier, politician and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk. He was born about 1425, the son of Sir Robert Howard of Tendring Hall, Suffolk, by his wife Margaret eldest daughter of Sir Thomas de Mowbray the 1st Duke of Norfolk (of the first creation). His father Sir Robert Howard was probably a retainer of Sir John de Mowbray the 2nd Duke of Norfolk, which would have explained why he had married the Duke's sister.
Edward was born on 13th November 1312 at Windsor Castle, the eldest son of Edward II and his wife Isabella, daughter of King Philip IV of France, so through Edward I am also descended from French Royalty. Prior to his accession to the throne he was known as Edward of Windsor after his birthplace.
Those of you who are scholars of the Wars of the Roses will recognize the family name - Beaufort, as Margaret Beaufort, was a pivotal player on the Lancastrian side and the mother of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland, was Margaret's aunt, the daughter of John Beaufort, 1^st^ Earl of Somerset. Margaret was the only daughter of John's second son, John, the 3^rd^ Earl of Somerset. The Beaufort's were descended from John of Gaunt, King Edward III's 3^rd^ son, and thus Joan is a direct descendant of Edward III.
James I of Scotland was my 15th great grandfather through the Taylors and Gordons. In this article I will describe briefly the life of James I. As with most royalty, one could write a book on their life, but I will stick to the major events.
As I described in a previous chapter on the Gordons of Birsemoir and Cluny, Alexander Gordon of Strathaven, was my 12^th^ great grandfather, and he was the 5^th^ great grandfather of John Taylor, through John's mother Philadelphia Gordon, the daughter of Governor Patrick Gordon. I will start this story with Alexander and show how he was the descendent of both English and Scottish Royalty.
The Paston family were a prominent Norfolk family during the Wars of the Roses. The collection of letters that has survived is a primary source for information about life during that turbulent time as experienced by a newly prosperous ambitious family. The letters focus on 3 generations of the Paston family and their disputes with other ambitious newly prosperous families in Norfolk and the Earls of Norfolk and Suffolk.
Sir Thomas Wyndham of Felbrigg was an English sea captain and Vice-Admiral of England. Thomas was born in about 1466 to Sir John Wyndham and Margaret Howard, daughter of John Howard, the 1st Duke of Norfolk. The Wyndhams were a prominent family in Norfolk.
Sir Thomas is best known for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason and executed. He was eventually canonized in 1935 as a martyr by by Pope Pius XI
Sir Nicholas Bacon, while not a direct ancestor, was very prominent during the reign of Elizabeth I, as he was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of the Great Seal during the first half of her reign.