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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.

Elizabeth Brooke (nee Colepeper) was the maternal grandmother of Nathaniel Bacon, and therefore my 10th great grandmother. She was a famous religious writer.

Patrick Gordon's father was a descendant of the Gordons of Birsemoir (a cadet branch of the Gordon Earl's of Huntly). While there is not a lot of information about his Birsemoir ancestors, there is certainly enough evidence to prove the connection to Alexander Gordon, the 3rd Earl of Huntly.

Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly was a member of Parliament, a member of the Privy Council and a member of the Regency Council during the minority of James V of Scotland.

William or Guillaume Chambrelan, Peter Chamberlen the younger's father lived in Paris, France. According to the 1634 Visitation of London which was attested by his grandson Dr. Peter Chamberlen, William was a younger son of a Chamberlayne of Tankerville, Normandy.