William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke

 The Titan of the Middle Ages: William Marshal

The Forge of the Father

Before he was the "Greatest Knight," he was a boy standing at the foot of a gallows. His father, John Marshal, was a man of iron and ice. When King Stephen threatened to hang young William to end a siege, John famously snarled, "I have the anvils and hammers to forge still better sons." John Marshal didn’t just survive the civil war known as The Anarchy; he profited from it. He married Sybil of Salisbury to cement his power, and from that alliance of stone and strategy, William was born into a world of blood and betrayal.

The Marriage that Shook the Earth

William didn't just marry a girl; he married a kingdom. Isabel de Clare was the 17-year-old "heiress of Ireland," the daughter of the conqueror Strongbow. When the 43-year-old William took her hand in 1189, he became one of the most powerful men in the Western world. Together, they founded a dynasty that would define the Plantagenet era.

The Curse of the Five Sons

This is where the history turns into a horror novel. Despite William’s peerless strength, a shadow followed his house. The Bishop of Ferns cursed William for seizing Irish church lands, prophesying that the Marshal name would be "blotted out" in a single generation.

The prophecy came true with terrifying precision. William and Isabel had five sons—men of power and prestige—who all died in rapid succession without leaving a single child:

William (The Elder): Died suddenly at 41.

Richard (The Rebel): Murdered in Ireland after a brutal ambush.

Gilbert (The Priest-turned-Knight): Killed in a tournament when his horse threw him.

Walter: Died childless, only years later.

Anselm: The final blow. He died only 18 days after his brother Walter, before he could even be formally invested as Earl.

The Name Died. The Blood Survived. Because the sons were gone, the massive Marshal empire was torn apart and shared between their five sisters. It is through these women—Matilda, Isabel, Sibyl, Eve, and Joan—that the "Marshal blood" flowed into the Berkeley line and eventually down through the centuries to the Spann and Norwood lines.

I have Sir William Marshal listed on both sides of the Bryant/Spann timeline. It is no wonder that horses are so important in my life. Marshal originally meant keeper of the horses, although as time went on his duties expanded to more than just a marhsal and a knight.

Ancestry

William I Marshal 1144-1219

24th great-grandfather

Isabel Marshall 1203-1239

Daughter of William I Marshal

Richard de Clare 1222-1262

Son of Isabel Marshall

Gilbert "The Red Earl" Clare 1243-1299

Son of Richard de Clare

Alianore de Clare 1292-1337

Daughter of Bilberd "The Red Earl" Clare

Elizabeth Despencer 1322-1389

Daughter of Alianore de Clare

James de Berkeley 1355-1405

Son of Elizabeth Despencer

James de Berkeley 1394-1463

Son of James de Berkeley

Maurice Berkeley 1436-1506

Son of James de Berkeley

Thomas Berkeley 1472-1532

Son of Maurice Berkeley

Muriel Berkeley 1510-1541

Daughter of Thomas Berkeley

Catherine Throckmorton 1532-1581

Daughter of Muriel Berkeley

William Norwood 1548-1632

Son of Catherine Throckmorton

Richard Norwood -1618

Son of William Norwood

Francis Norwood 1590-1625

Son of Richard Norwood

William Stewart Norwood 1620-

Son of Francis Norwood

Richard Norwood 1664-1735

Son of William Stewart Norwood

Mary Norwood 1700-1770

Daughter of Richard Norwood

Richard Spann 1729-1770

Son of Mary Norwood

William SPANN 1768-1843

Son of Richard Spann

Hartwell Spann 1801-1880

Son of William SPANN

Benjamin Franklin Spann 1827-1901

Son of Hartwell Spann

Margaret Jane Spann 1868-1928

Daughter of Benjamin Franklin Spann

Eliza Jane Bryant 1888-1941

Daughter of Margaret Jane Spann

Auburn Edward King 1912-1990

Son of Eliza Jane Bryant

WikiTree

Mom is the daughter of Auburn Edward King (1912-1990)

3. Auburn is the son of Eliza Jane (Bryant) King (1888-1941)

4. Eliza is the daughter of Henry Granville Bryant (1866-1936)

5. Henry is the son of James Morgan Bryant (1845-1889)

6. James is the son of Morgan Bryant (1805-)

7. Morgan is the son of Lydia (Litton) Bryant (abt.1775-aft.1840)

8. Lydia is the daughter of Elizabeth (Laughlin) Smith (1757-1828)

9. Elizabeth is the daughter of James H. Laughlin (1736-1810)

10. James is the son of John William Laughlin (abt.1710-1783)

11. John is the son of Iain Laughlin (abt.1648-abt.1758) 

12. Iain is the son of Seumas Laughlin (abt.1629-) 

13. Seumas is the son of Iain McLachlan (1600-) 

14. Iain is the son of Isabel Lamont (1572-)

15. Isabel is the daughter of James Lamont (1548-1614)

16. James is the son of Duncan Lamont (abt.1526-1578)

17. Duncan is the son of John Lamont (abt.1460-)

18. John is the son of Duncan Lamont (abt.1435-)

19. Duncan is the son of Duncan Lamont (abt.1410-1448)

20. Duncan is the son of Celestin Lamont (abt.1400-1433)

21. Celestin is the son of Anne MacDonald (abt.1380-)

22. Anne is the daughter of Mary Leslie (abt.1365-abt.1440)

23. Mary is the daughter of Euphame (Ross) Ross Lady Buchan (abt.1345-bef.1398)

24. Euphame is the daughter of William (Ross) de Ross Fifth Earl of Ross (abt.1309-1372) 

25. William is the son of Maud (Brus) de Brus Countess of Ross (abt.1272-1326) 

26. Maud is the daughter of Robert (Bruce) Lord of Annandale and Earl of Carrick jure uxoris (abt.1243-bef.1304) 

27. Robert is the son of Isabel (Clare) de Brus (1226-aft.1264) 

28. Isabel is the daughter of Isabel (Marshal) of Cornwall (1200-1240) 

29. Isabel is the daughter of Isabel (Clare) Marshal (abt.1172-abt.1220) 

This makes Isabel the 27th great grandmother of B Note: B is descended from Isabel in more than one way (62). 

The Berkeley Manuscripts

The Berkeley Manuscripts 

The Berkeley Manuscripts: A Digital Archive for Ancestral Research

What are The Berkeley Manuscripts?

Published in 1883 by Sir John Maclean, this three-volume set is the life’s work of John Smyth of Nibley (1567–1640). Smyth served as the steward for the Lords of Berkeley Castle for decades. He didn't just write a history book; he spent his life meticulously documenting every record, land grant, and pedigree he could find in the castle’s massive medieval archives.

The collection is primarily split into two parts:

The Lives of the Berkeleys: Detailed biographies and lineages of the Lords of Berkeley from the Norman Conquest (1066) through 1618.

The Description of the Hundred of Berkeley: A "boots-on-the-ground" look at the inhabitants, manors, and families living in the surrounding Gloucestershire area.

Why I Use This as a Critical Reference

For those of us tracking the "Virginia to Carolina Trail," these manuscripts are more than just English history—they are a bridge.

The Virginia Connection: John Smyth was one of the original promoters of the Berkeley Hundred in Virginia. Many of the families documented in these pages eventually left Gloucestershire for the colonies.

Target Lineages: If you are researching names like Norwood, Spann, Smyth/Smith, or Berkeley, these records provide the "Old World" proof needed to bridge the gap to the American South.

The Peerage Link: This is a primary source for verifying claims to the Plantagenet or Marshal lines, as the Berkeleys were deeply intermarried with the highest levels of the English peerage.

How to Use This Archive

I am uploading these 400+ pages in digital format and am offering them here as a free resource to help other researchers "close the gaps" on sites like WikiTree.

Browse the Index: Use the links below to navigate to specific pedigrees or historical accounts.

Search for Names: I have transcribed key sections to ensure that ancestral names are searchable within this blog.

As uploading the pages and linking them to the entries on this blog will take time, feel free to download the full PDF: You can download my full digital copies for your private research via the link below.

[Download Link: The 1883 Berkeley Manuscripts - 400 Page PDF]

Volume II: The Later Lords (1066-1618)

This volume continues the biographies of the Berkeley family through the Tudor era. It is essential for understanding the political climate that led many Gloucestershire families to look toward the Virginia colonies.

[Download Volume II Link]

Volume III: The Hundred of Berkeley & Its Inhabitants

This is the "People's History." It contains a detailed description of the parishes and the families living in the Gloucestershire countryside during John Smyth's time. This is a primary source for non-noble genealogy in the region.

[Download Volume III Link]

A Note for my Fellow Researchers

I am currently using these manuscripts and others to verify the Norwood to Plantagenet trail and to cross-reference my own DNA matches with the "Ancient Samples" found in the Gloucestershire records.

You can find searchable content on a growing site for The Berkeley Manuscripts right here. The content is growing and will be available. It's 1200 pages or so and I'll add some per day. I will also be adding the out of copyright Peerage pages and other books. I will be uploading information that is available to the public or with permission from the originals if still in copyright so you don't have to pay a damn fortune to find data.

If you find a connection to the families mentioned in these pages, please leave a comment—I’d love to compare notes on our shared bloodlines.