Why a blog in English and dedicated to history and genealogy? Well, one of my ancestors is Jeremy Duncombe, a lieutenant in the army of the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century. And Jeremy proved to be English. Through him I have links to both Saxon and Norman ancestry. Jeremy's story is interesting in itself, but so are the stories of some of his ancestors or the times they lived in. The sixteenth century ("Tudor Time") is one of the most interesting periods in English history, full of stories. I will try to share some of these stories here...

Why did I choose the word Englishry as the name for this blog? It's one of the terms I had to get acquainted with when reading about the history of England. In 1066 William the Conqueror became King of England, which meant that the Normans became the dominant people in this country. If some one was found slain, it was assumed he was of Norman birth. And the people where he was found would be fined heavily. Unless they could prove the corpse was English. When I first started to research Jeremy Duncombe in the Netherlands, I too had to prove his Englishry. Hence my choice for this title...

Most of Jeremy's ancestors are from the county of Buckinghamshire, and some of my relatives have made their mark in English history. Others were pretty common, nothing out of the ordinary. Some were Protestants, others Catholics. I have relatives dying in their beds, and others executed on Tower Hill. I will try to share some of the stories and some of the data. I hope that my stories will give the readers some joy.