More On Gateway Ancestors

    This isn't every family history buff's gin-and-tonic, but IF you're into looking for a connection back to the Landed Who's Who of European history, there's some names that are just about a dead set cert to get you there if you have enough connecting data.  And when I say "connecting data", I mean working out an unbroken line one generation at a time back from you - assuming you're not already a part of Royalty - to one of the lesser sons and daughters of one of the lesser sons and daughters of... and all that.

    Mostly the record of "ordinary" working-to-middle-class folks tends to fizzle out around 1650-1700, but IF you can find a "Name" marrying in early enough, you may just be able to then connect him/her back to all the big houses of Europe, because from about 800 AD to 1600 they systematically married only among each other with frightening regularity, just to ensure that the "blood line" and the estate and the money and the power and all that important stuff stayed in the hands of the Privileged Few.

    Many years ago I sucked down a heap of stuff from the Mormon's "Medieval Register" because a girl named MONKTON married in to the Skinners (she was a very lesser Monkton daughter, but from that family in Kent, a big name and still is) and she dragged all the Royal Houses of Europe in with her.  It was quite a journey through history, and once you have one Big Wheel, you have the lot! - England, Scotland, Denmark, Wales, France, Spain, blah blah blah - kings and princesses, earls and barons, and yep, some serious headkickers from the Vikings.

    So, the names.  Not a total list but all well worth pursuing if you fall over one, but mind that spellings change, and the strongest ones are underlined....

Monckton, Gascoyne, Boulton, Bigod, Marshall, Clifford, Greystoke, FitzHenry, Neville, Fitzwilliam, Audley, Mortimer, Fiennes, Beauchamp, Berkeley, Ferrers, Bohun, Botiller, Holland, Seagrave, laZouche, deRos, Stafford, Badelsmere, deClare, Percy, FitzAllen, Dacre, Clavering, Longspee, St Quintin, Constable, Warren, deBulmer, Lascelles, Cumberworth, Bruce, Umfreville, Bassett, Manderville, Llewellyn, Geneville, deLacy.

    And once you see "Plantagenet" you're home free! - your genetic mix will include William "The Conqueror", Alfred "The Great", Llewellyn "The Great", and Rognvald "The Wise" Eysteinsson, all of whom had brilliant PR people.

    Okay, a bit of fun, give it a shot.