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.

King Henry II (Henry Curtmantle)

Just popping in some notes for myself.

Henry Curtmantle, aka as King Henry II, is the son of Matilda and George.

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/14009616/person/39004533/facts

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England

My First Podcast Episode

I'm just doing this for fun. I'd love for you to comment and participate. :)

Matilda, Emperor, Queen

allegedly 24th g-grandmother

Notes from https://www.biography.com/people/matilda-9402517

b. 1102 in London
d.
Father: King Henry I of England
Mother: Matilda of Scotland (wikipedia below)
Husband 1: Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V
Husband 2: Geoffrey Plantagenet.

Heir to the throne, but opposed. Elected "lady of the English" by clerical council

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Matilda
*always question facts on here
b. 2/7/1102
d. 9/1167

Known as Empress Matilda and Empress Maude
Mother: Matilda of Scotland
Claim to thrown during the civil war era "the Anarchy"
Her brother William Adelin died in the White Ship disaster of 1120

Matilda's cousin, Stephen of Blois, too the throne.

Uncle is King David I of Scotland

Son  with Geoffrey Plantagenet is Henry II.

Buried at Bec Abbey in 1167.

Granddaughter (maternal) of King Malcolm II of Scotland (West Saxon Royal Family)

"Queen of the Romans" by marriage to Henry V, King of the Romans

Betrothed at 8 years old to Henry V (24 years) but put in custody of Bruno, Archbishop of Trier
Married January 1114 (12 years old)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/matilda_queen.shtml

Married "Geoffrey of Anjou" who is Geoffrey Plantagenet

Died at Rouen in September 1167

Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor and German King

From www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-V-Holy-Roman-emperor

Born: Aug. 11, 1086

Died: May 23, 1125, Utrecht, Friesland, Netherlands

German King from 1099

Holy Roman emperor 1111-1125

Second son of Henry IV and Bertha of Turin

Married Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England in 1114

www.biography.com

Died in the Netherlands

Crowned by Pope Paschal II 4/13/1111 in St. Peters

Friesland is Frisia

According to biography, they have no children.

No relation to me.

First husband of 24th g-grandmother.

Falk, Fulk, Foulques, Geoffrey, Cantilupe Confusion

I have come across a stumbling block. Everything was matching up for the most part until I reached

Geoffrey V "Le Bon" Plantagenet. When I look at the "relationship to me" section of Ancestry it says that he is my 24th g-grandfather and Foulques le Jenue is his father. When I click on the "relationship to me" for Foulques le Jenue who is supposedly my 25th g-grandfather, I am presented with a tree for a person (child of Foulques) named Guarin de Cantilupe and it continues to the same end of the tree to my real maternal grandfather.

I am so confused. I tried going to history books and sometimes the name is Foulques and sometimes the name is Fulk. Sometimes it is different. The dates are the same, but sometimes the kids are different. I also have no idea who this Cantilupe person is and why they're showing up as it should a great-uncle and not g-grandther the way it is setup in Ancestry. I see nothing on google about a Guarin de Cantilupe; however, on Geni.com, some refer to Guarin as Walter de Cantilupe.

It doesn't help that a lot of the text is in French. Now I'm kicking myself for using Spanish in high school instead of French. I never use my Spanish nor am I any good at it.

The Geni web does not mention Canitlupe at all in the family tree of the Plantaganet family nor do I find it on trees at the LDS site. I suppose I will try to branch off, but I'm not sure Ancestry lets me do this. I might have to make a whole new file with a whole new tree. If anyone knows a way to take a portion of an ancestry gedcom file for testing and save it as another tree without rebuilding it, please let me know in the comments. Thank you.

Royal Blood

I don't get to work on this very often so I've been kind reluctant to do anything with the family history. Every once in a while, I get a bug to work on my project. I went back to figure out the Plantaganet timeline because it was confusing for a while, but I think I've figured it out. I know, Royal Blood seems a little pretentious, but I thought it was an amusing title. Obviously, something went a little awry somewhere as I sit here freezing my buns off at 3:00 AM looking up family history in an office designed from a closet.

With a little bit of cross-referencing with the Encyclopedia Britannica and some other sources, I was able to grab some details that I had no idea about such as monarchies, cool surnames, and nicknames. I have at least 26 ancestors to enter on the paternal side. This does not include all of the wives, brothers, sisters, and so on. I think I will start as far back as I information for and enter the tree in here. It will look like spaghetti code for a while until I have a decent index. I would love to do some creative writing with the work, but there is just so much information to gather. I would like to go on a rather long vacation and visit all of the sites, but I can't even afford the yearly Ancestry subscription or the DNA tests.

My mother did take the DNA test and it confirms that we are mainly from that whole area, mostly English, Irish, Scotish, Welsh, and then some other European areas. I will get down to all of that when I take my test one day and I'm able to explore different trees. I'll have my boys take the test too as well as my brother so we can see more info. I'm no expert on the DNA testing, but the male and female tests are different. I'll need to learn about that as well.

Anyway, I'm going to begin with this tree from my maternal father's side because it is the most interesting so far as it takes me back to the Plantagenets and King Henry I - III, I believe as well as the King of Jerusalem who had a French name that I can't think of at the moment.

History has always fascinated me. I have two businesses to run and I'm doing this on the side just for a few hours on the month. I'll figure it out some time. :)

Supposedly Nero is My 52-Great Grandfather

Supposedly Tiberius Claudius Nero is my 52-great grandfather on my mother's paternal side. I find this kind of amusing because his wife Livia Drusilla Julia Agusta is our 52-great grandmother. She was also Caesar's wife at one time and one of my kid's was born on the Ides of March.

I have all of this royalty and no money. LOL Isn't that the truth. I don't know if I believe any of this. I don't know how accurate the information is that I received, but I can tell you that so far it has matched up with what other relatives have found out on their own searches.

Apparently he had his own mother Julia Aggripina "The Younger" executed. More on that later.

Isabel Marshall, 21st Great-Grandmother

My 21st great-grandmother Isabel Marshal was born in 2013 in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales to Isabel FitzGilbert de Clare and William Marshal I, 1st Earl of Pembroke.

**Notes from ancestry.com and wikipedia

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, My 22nd Great-Grandfather

According to Ancestry.com and the gedcom file put together for me, the 1st Earl of Pembroke William Marshal is my 22nd great-grandfather. He was born in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales and was the son of Sibyl de Salisbury and John Marshall de FitzGilbert.

In August 1189 he married Isabel FitzGilbert de Clare. They had 11 children in 16 years. Their daughter, Isabel Marshall, my 21st great-grandmother, was born in 1203 in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Marshal was knighted in 1166. In 1189 he received the title of Earl of Pembroke.

In 1216 he was appointed protector for Henry III who was 9 years old at the time.

Tomb effigy of William Marshal in Temple Church, London
Image - Michel wal

He died on May 14, 1219 at 72 years old in Caversham, Berkshire, Kingdom of England. Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, eulogized him as the "best knight who ever lived." On his deathbed, he was invested into the order of the Knights Templar.

That's all for now, just a few notes from Wikipedia. There is so much more, but I do not have time to add all of it right now. It is all so fascinating so I plan to study more.

For the privacy of living family, I will only go back as far as my great-grandmother in the timeline below.

      

Richard Hyde the Pirate and the Indian Wives

There is a story about a pirate who retired when Blackbeard died. This pirate was named Richard Hyde. He was supposedly employed by James Colbert as a packhorseman after his retirement from piracy. The rumor is that he was escorting the Superintendent of Indian Affairs through Creek Territory and were severely beaten and disfigured by Indian warriors when caught in bed with their wives.

This is told in town history books in both North Carolina and Tennessee, although there is some speculation whether or not it is true due to the birthday of Colbert.

According to the GED file given to me, Richard Hyde is my 8th great-grandfather. He was born approximately 1652 and died around 1710 which doesn't make sense because Blackbeard supposedly died in 1718. It could have been his son, but the information for Richard Hyde IV is either wrong or that isn't his son because Richard Hyde IV was born in 1717, seven years after Richard Hyde the III died (according to my GED file.)

William McClanahan | Historical Atlas of Westmoreland County, Virginia by David Eaton

"Historical Atlas of Westmoreland County, Virginia" by David Eaton, 1942:
"Mary Marshall, born about 1738, married Reverend William McClanahan about 1758.He was a Baptist minister.The early years of their married life were spent in Westmoreland County.Their oldest son, Thomas McClanahan was born there.About the close of the century they moved to Greenville, South Carolina where he died."
"The McClanahan family was intermarried with the Marmaduke, Robinson and Rochester families of Westmoreland County, Virginia.A John McClanahan married Elizabeth P. Marmaduke, a daughter of Vincent Marmaduke. (W.D.B. 28, page 73.)"
"Reverend William McClanahan born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, about 1738, married 1758, Mary Marshall.He raised a company of Baptist Volunteers in Culpeper County during the Revolution and they were called 'The fighting Baptists.'The family removed to Greenville District, South Carolina.He had a son Thomas McClanahan who was a noted Indian fighter.His will was made May 15, 1802 and date of proof not given, but he died 1802."
"John Robinson, born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, married Susan McClanahan, daughter of Reverend William McClanahan and Mary Marshall, in Culpeper County, Virginia, and removed to the Greenville District, South Carolina, and in 1810 moved to Bourbon County, Kentucky, and finally settled in 1825 in Boone County, Missouri. (There is further information on this family.)
"John McClanahan who came to Missouri with the Robinson family, settled in Morgan County, Mo., having come from Kentucky.He married in Kentucky, Priscilla Chisholm, and in their family was born John Marshall McClanahan, November 14, 1846.He married February 28, 1871 to Nannie T. Anthony, at the home of Anderson W. Anthony, by the Rev. James Edward Sims.He died July 21, 1927.He left issue: Vallie Blanch, born August 6, 1874; Vergie Bernice, born November 13, 1879, died November 4, 1925; Harold Anthony Robinson, born January 5, 1882; Samuel Livingston, born April 19, 1884; Priscilla Lillian, born June 14, 1888.

                        

I Need to do More With My Ancestry Blog

I see it has fallen by the wayside. Mostly because I'm a scatterbrain and I don't have a good way to trace anything that has a lot of tree work. Paper just isn't going to cut it. I could make a database, but I loathe spaghetti code. I wish I could just retire and take on this adventure, but that is impossible.

Right now everything I find out will be through links and history books I suppose. I want pictures. I can find very few pictures of the Ruckers and the McClanahans. I know, we didn't have cameras then, but at least paintings? I'm getting old, but one day after my kids are all out of school I want to get in a car and just drive across the country to find these roots of mine. I want to visit museums and find gravesites. I should be saving money, but in this obama economy it has been very difficult to do so.

Perhaps the next President and Congress coming in January 2017 will make a world of difference. ANYWAY, I'm not going to get political on this board except knowing that we were a part of the Revolutionary War and on both sides of the Civil War. And to those who think I need to pay reparations, bite me. Half of my family died fighting for your freedom and the other half didn't fight to keep you enslaved, they fought to become separate from the North. In fact, it is rumored that I'm related to someone who freed all of his slaves and they fought for the South and that another one of my relatives gave his land to a slave in his will. Before you think that all "slave owners" were terrible people understand that many of them were actually just doing what everyone else was doing and they just didn't treat them like slaves. Had they gone to others then maybe they would have been mistreated. Our family supposedly comes from a long line of Baptists who treated people decently because that is what God would have wanted them to do.

I supposed I will just link to different parts of this blog where it is appropriate. I will link names and eras to other pages. If you have any information to offer about the people in these pages please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Don't Tread On Me

I found this fascinating today. Maybe Patriotism is in the bloodline? I've always felt very close to my country and being patriotic. Perhaps today I found out why.

One of my relatives has been doing a lot of research into our heritage. I found out recently that both sides of the family fought in the Revolutionary War. On my mother's side Rev. Lt. Col. William McClanahan was one of the Culpeper Minute Men and one of the first 30 Justices sworn into the United States after the peace treaty was signed in France.

Now THAT is fascinating :)

Oh, and I just found out that the DHS considers you a domestic terrorist if you fly the Gadsden flag? WTH is wrong with you people? It's your history! Also, now some ninnies are saying the flag is racist? Are they STUPID? I fly it high and proud. I am NOT racist. If it weren't for the people flying these flags they would be British and then possibly even speaking German under Hitler so don't tell me that MY family's history flag is wrong or racist. We really need to stop voting for progressives. They're a little crazy in the head.

"Don't Tread On Me"

General Adrian Northcutt

I think I'll start with the most obvious and the most known relative of my past. I didn't know I was related to General Adrian Northcutt until about 6 years ago or so. I believe it was in an email when my mother told me about this. I'm not even sure if she know. No, she must have known because it was a family name on her mother's side. According to Ancestry.com and my own findings, he is my 4th-great grandfather.

He was married to Sarah Cope Northcutt who was born on November 23, 1803. According to one site they have two children together. I've also seen where she was born in 1764. I don't know which is true.

He was born on October 13, 1799 (or some sources say 1798) in Virginia. His parents were John Northcutt and Lynchia England. I have very little information on Lynchia England other than her father was supposedly Richard England. I have a little bit more information on John Northcutt, but not much.

Being a general and a state senator of Tennessee, there is more information about Adrian Northcutt than most of my relatives that I know of. He fought in the War with Mexico and supposedly founded Northcutt's Cove and Altamont, TN. From what I've read, he owned a good portion of Tennessee. He was a Democrat (something I am NOT.) I'll add more later on in the blog as I find out facts and not rumors.

I also find it fascinating that we can find Sarah's and Adrian's tombstones. Now, I would have doubted these were the tombstones for awhile since I hadn't found it myself, but they are buried next to each other. I will need to research with my relatives to see if this is true. Many of them still live in Tennessee.

General Adrian Northcutt died on January 19, 1869 in Grundy County, Tennessee.

General Adrian Northcutt's Tombstone Before Restoration

General Adrian Northcutt's Tombstone After Restoration

Fascinated by Family History

While growing up I was never introduced to our family roots. We just carried on as a family through thick and thin but never worried about where we came from. I knew my mom was from Tennessee and my dad was from Kansas. I was born in California. That was it!

It wasn't until recently that I've learned so much more about our family history. I think a few of my relatives caught the ancestry bug and it just filtered on down through the family. Now as I start on my journey of ancestors I'm going to tell you about a few of mine that I've found as I find them. It seems we have a rich family history in Tennessee and Virginia. Our family has fought in both the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. We have fought in England and other areas of the world.

I don't know if you will follow this blog, but if you do I hope that you share if you find any relation to my kin. It would be rather fun!

I'm not sure if I will do this chronologically or just post information as I find it. Probably the latter. It would be impossible to do it on a timely basis if I relied on just information that may or may not be important or real. In fact, the database I have is from a friend of my sister so I don't even know how accurate it is! I know that my mother's tree is pretty accurate and I have found a lot of information on my dad's side based on the starting of that tree, but he has passed and I barely even know any of my relatives on his side. Where to start? Maybe I'll buy a book off of amazon to get started? Get a DNA test?

I'll just keep trying and maybe you can help out, too :)