1000 Ancestors

RED SOCKS, ghost of Broughton Hall WIKI , Staffordshire Relationship: Distant cousin.  He is unnamed in the folk stories but was probably a son of the Broughton family living there in the C17th. The first Ghost story I ever learned about, the story of Red Socks… During the Civil War in England, he was the young son of a Royalist household in Staffordshire. When Cromwellian soldiers came down the drive, he leant out of the window and shouted ‘I’m for the King!’ and was promptly shot for his defiance. He staggered into the next room, where a pool of blood spilt on his death. Supposedly that blood stain comes and goes, despite repeated scrubbing, and the ghost of a boy in bright red stockings has been seen over the centuries, often playing games such as ‘hide and seek’ with the current house owners and guests. When I last visited, it was the home of an order of Nuns who still pointed out the stain (if I remember, just off the main staircase). Before that it was the home ...

The first castle on my Blog would be the local CHARTLEY CASTLE WIKI , near the village of Stowe-by-Chartley WIKI BLOG  on the main road between Stafford and Uttoxeter. It is an imposing ruin, but there are no easy places to stop, and the site is not open to the public, so I have no personal photo. One year, I used to drive past these ruins every day to work.  photo by Stephen Jones, posted to Flickr, used on Wikipedia Built: c1100 by the Earls of Chester; rebuilt in 1220; abandoned late 15th century Grade II* Listed LINK Ancestors who lived/stayed here: HUGH de KEVELIOC, 5th Earl of Chester (1147-1181) WIKI BLOG WILLIAM de FERRERS, 5th Earl of Derby (c1193-1254) WIKI BLOG Other guests: The adjacent Chartley Manor was acquired by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex WIKI . It was here that Mary, Queen of Scots WIKI was imprisoned 1585-6. She was staying here when Sir Francis Walsingham WIKI , Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, decided to arrest Mary for treason. While she was out...

As I work through my Scottish Ancestors, I've started to make a list of all those who had fought and died at FLODDEN FIELD  WIKI , near Branxton, Northumberland. It was a bloodbath! Photo (c) by Ronnie Leask found on Geograph / 1092815 So far the dead include (with approximate ages in order) : Age 61    ARCHIBALD EDMONSTONE Age 53    MATTHEW STEWART, 2nd Earl of Lennox WIKI Age 52    WILLIAM LESLIE, 3rd Earl of Rothes WIKI Age 48    ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, 2nd Earl of Argyll WIKI Age c48     JAMES STEWART of Traquair Age c45  JOHN ROSS, 2nd Lord Ross of Halkhead WIKI Age c43  ANDREW STEWART, 1st Lord Avandale WIKI Age 40    JAMES IV, King of Scotland WIKI Age 36    WILLIAM MAITLAND of Lethington Age 33      WALTER LINDSAY Age 33    JOHN MONCREIFFE, 9th of that Ilk Age 32    WILLIAM DOUGLAS, 6th Baron of Drumlanrig Age 32   ...