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).
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