More Royal ancestry

Who do you think you are? has now completed eighteen series as British television’s predominant genealogy programmes. In that time, with an average of eight episodes per series, they have uncovered many celebrities with interesting lineage and some unexpected royal descendants, including Alexander Armstrong, Clare Balding, Danny Dyer, Frank Gardner and Sir Matthew Pinsent. Now… Continue reading More Royal ancestry

An unexpected conclusion

Who do you think you are? is always an interesting programme and is disappointing to see only eight episodes in the series. In the past, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Frank Gardner, Danny Dyer and Clare Balding have all been revealed as proven descendants of Edward I. That has not happened in 2019 and few lines have… Continue reading An unexpected conclusion

Some more Despenser connections

Last year, we showed how Anne Neville (and thus Edward of Middleham) were descended from Hugh Despenser the Elder, Earl of Winchester. Having followed up Kathryn Warner’s suggestion, this file allows us to add another Queen Consort, a King, a Lord Protector and a Lord High Admiral to the list of that Earl’s descendants. This can… Continue reading Some more Despenser connections

Interesting roots

“Who do you think you are?” has returned and the third episode of the new series (20 July) featured Clare Balding. After last year’s programmes , this one and this other recent one, it is no surprise that tracing this racing presenter’s royal ancestry is a little easier. Clare’s great-grandmother was Lady Victoria (hence the middle… Continue reading Interesting roots

As it turned out …

Last week, just hours before the actor Danny Dyer appeared on “Who do you think you are?” to reveal his descent from Thomas Cromwell and Edward III – in the latter case, via the Mortimer, Percy, Seymour (Jane’s sister), Cromwell (Thomas’ grandson Henry), Tollemache (of Helmingham hall) and Gosnold (Robert Gosnold V, 1611-58) of Otley… Continue reading As it turned out …

A “Tudor” marriage and a contemporary journalist who is the bride’s collateral descendant.

Janet Wertman writes here about Emma Stanhope’s marriage to Edward Seymour, the Lord Protector to Edward VI. Seymour was ousted and executed in January 1552 alongside Emma’s brother, Sir Michael Stanhope. As shown in the last series of “Who do you think you are?”, Sir Michael was the ancestor of the BBC Security Correspondent Frank… Continue reading A “Tudor” marriage and a contemporary journalist who is the bride’s collateral descendant.

More Lord Protectors and Defenders of the Realm

Many readers of Carson’s “Richard Duke of Gloucester as Lord Protector and High Constable of England” will be curious, given “Tudor” criticism of the Duke’s twin roles in 1483, of their practice in the next century, by comparison. The occasion in question was, of course, the accession of Edward VI as the only surviving son… Continue reading More Lord Protectors and Defenders of the Realm