Round 2 12 May- 2 July 2026
Hello again. After 3 years, it's time to go back to resume my genealogy journey with my ancestors. This time my trip is going to start out in the West Midlands of England, and work it's way North to Chester. This is the land of the English Marcher Lords.
English Motte and Bailey Castle diagram
Today, many of these castles are ruined, but many exist as English Heritage properties and museums. They provide a snapshot into medieval life from 1100-1500, and are an important part of English history. They are also places where my ancestors lived, died, and were buried. I will also be visiting a couple of English battlefields (Shrewsbury and Evesham), as well as many cathedrals and churches where my ancestors were buried.
What was a Marcher Lord you may ask? After William the Bastard defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he needed to divy up the lands of the previous Anglo-Saxon nobility, to prevent any uprisings or attempts to take back what he had fought for. Securing his Kingdom became the most important action to take to safeguard his conquests.
Not only were previous Anglo-Saxon nobles a threat, so were the Scots and the Welsh. Castles needed to be constructed to support his own Norman Noble Lords, to protect his possessions. This was the beginning of the medieval fuedal system.
The Marcher Lords were given the lands bordering Wales, also called the Welsh Marches. From Bristol to Liverpool, many Motte and Bailey Castles were erected, and most were made of wood. As time went on, many of these castles were built with stone, and were garrisoned by Knights loyal to the Marcher Lords. Each Lordship came with an obligation of taxes and "Knights fees", which were the required number of knights that the Lord had to produce to the King when called upon.
Many castles were built along the border between Wales and England, but one Lord couldn't man them all, so he relied upon his knights to do this. His knights would hire and train men at arms to assist in the defense of these castles, and they would follow the Lord into clashes with the Welsh as they tried to subdue and conquer the Welsh people.
Many of my ancestors were these Marcher Lords. The greatest marcher lords included the earls of Chester, Gloucester, Hereford, Pembroke, and Shrewsbury. There was a lot of inter-marriage between the offspring and heirs of these Marcher Lords, to princely Welsh families, to help legitimize their rule. Names like Mortimers, de Braose, de Lacy, de Clares, Greys, and Talbots acquired much Welsh blood through these marriages.
After 3 weeks in the Welsh borderlands, I will go from the West Midlands across to Eastern England. Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk are some of the locations I'll be visiting. At the one month point, I'll drive to London, and pick up my wife Terry. We are planning to spend 10 days in York, visit Highclere Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath, then finish it off with a week in London. I am looking forward to sharing my stories with anyone who is interested in reading about them, and hope that this blog provides you with historical information that gives you a glimpse of where my heritage started from.
