Person Page - 44

     Henrietta Heane Masefield was born in 1848 at Ledbury, Herefordshire. She died in 1880.

     John Basil Masefield was born in 1849.

     Frances Anne Masefield was born in 1851 at Ledbury, Herefordshire. She died in 1881.

     Caroline "Carrie" Parker was born in 1852 at Great Comberton, Worcestershire. As of circa 1874,her married name was Masefield. She married George Edward Masefield, son of George Edward Masefield and Frances Maria Holbrook, circa 1874. Caroline "Carrie" Parker died on 20 January 1885.

     Reginald Masefield was born in 1875 at Ledbury, Herefordshire.

     Frances E Masefield was born in 1877 at Ledbury.

     John Edward "Jack" Masefield was born on 1 June 1878. He married Constance Crommelin on 23 July 1903. John Masefield was Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death. He is most famous for his poem Sea-Fever, but he wrote numerous books, plays, poems and books of poetry. See John Masefield: A Life by Constance Babington Smith, pub. Macmillan 1978. John Edward "Jack" Masefield died on 12 May 1967 at age 88.

     George H Masefield was born in 1880 at Ledbury.

     Her married name was Masefield. Ellen Mary Tosswill married William Masefield, son of Robert Masefield and Margaret Catherine Miller. Ellen Mary Tosswill was born on 9 February 1881 at St. Peter' s Church, Akaroa, New Zealand.

     Margaret Masefield was born in 1899 at Ceylon. She died before 1990.

     Frances Ann Masefield was born in 1901 at Broughty Ferry, Forfar, Scotland. She died before 1995.

     Valentine Harry Masefield was born in 1903 at Broughty Ferry, Forfar, Scotland. He died before 1990.

     Rev Charles Hubert Parker was born in 1800 at Great Cumberton. He died in 1883.

     Ethel Masefield was born in 1876.

     Charles Masefield was born in 1881 at Ledbury, Hereford.

     Nora Masefield was born in 1885 at Ledbury, Hereford.

     Constance Crommelin was born in 1866. As of 23 July 1903,her married name was Masefield. She married John Edward "Jack" Masefield, son of George Edward Masefield and Caroline "Carrie" Parker, on 23 July 1903. Constance Crommelin died in 1960.

     Mary, Queen of Scots, was born in 1542. Only a few days old when she became queen (reigned 1542-67), her mother, Mary of Guise, was Regent and struggled to maintain the French connection against the pro-English faction which was growing in strength as Protestantism took hold. At the age of 6 she was sent to France; still as a child she was wedded to the French heir, Louis, and actually reigned with him as Queen of France (he was titular head of France). But he died in 1561 and as a 19-year old widow she came home to meet the rigours of the climate, the domestic arrangements and the Protestant Reformers. She married Lord Darnley and produced a son and heir (James VI). Darnley was found strangled in the garden of his blazing house, and Mary later married the Earl of Bothwell, considered by many to be an unscrupulous Border warlord. The increasingly violent demands for Protestant reform opened up wide divisions in the country, while Mary remained a staunch Catholic. Her enemies combined in rebellion against her and her son became the ward of the Protestant party. Mary was imprisoned, forced to abdicate, escaped from a castle on Loch Leven, and sought sanctuary with her cousin, Elizabeth I, Queen of England. She remained a captive for 19 years. Mary, Queen of Scots, died in 1587. She was tried and executed for treason.

     James V was born in 1512. The new king was one year old (reigned 1513-41). His English mother (Margaret Tudor) was briefly regent, then the Duke of Albany took over and brought the boy up under the aegis of the French alliance. Seeking a bride with a rich dowry, he married first Madeleine, daughter of the French king Francis I, who died almost immediately, then another Frenchwoman, Mary of Guise. James V ruled vigorously and with an eye to enlarging the royal treasure chest. During his reign there were further improvements in the operation of the law. He extended his father's palaces at Stirling, Falkland and Linlithgow. He antagonized Henry VIII to the point where an English army was sent to invade, and defeated the Scots in the ramshackle battle of Solway Moss. James V, Stewart King of Scotland died in September 1542 shortly afterward in Falkland Palace. He was still a young man; his daughter was only a few days old.

     James IV was born in 1471. James IV (reigned 1488-1513) - eager, affable, popular, he ranged the country as none of its kings had done before. He spoke Gaelic, and managed to achieve somewhat more control in the Highlands and Islands. Even in the disturbed years of the first Jameses, Scotland had seen the foundation of universities (St. Andrews was founded in 1411 under James I) and the growth of a national literature. Under James IV the new learning took great steps forward. But James also looked abroad and wanted to play a part in European diplomacy and war. He amasses armaments, especially ships, far beyond what the country could afford. When Henry VIII and Louis XII of France went to war, James took a great army south to support the French. James IV, Stewart King of Scotland died in 1513; at the Battle of Flodden, fighting the English.

     James III was born in 1452. Here was yet another boy-king, (reigned 1460-88) and also destined for a violent death. It was through his marriage to Margaret of Denmark that Scotland gained Orkney and Shetland, pledged against a dowry that was never paid. In England, warring Yorkists and Lancastrians both sought Scottish alliances and powerful lords in Scotland were prepared to see the kingdom broken up to secure control of their own dominion. Eventually a group of warring lords combined against him, using his son as its figurehead, and he was killed in battle by an unknown hand. James III died in 1488.

     James II was born in 1430. James II, (reigned 1437-60) at the age of six was crowned king - the first to be crowned in Edinburgh and not at Scone. As a young man he asserted his authority and became a prime mover of events. With his own dagger he stabbed the Earl of Douglas in Sterling Castle, and destroyed the power of the "Black Douglases" who controlled the Border and much of the south. James II maintained the policies begun by his father, when he was killed by an exploding cannon while trying to retrieve Roxburgh Castle from the English. James II died in 1460.

     James I was born in 1394. As king of Scotland following his father's death in 1406, James I was held in captivity by the English until he was nearly 30 years old when he returned to rule (see Robert III). His uncle, the Duke of Albany, ruled in his absence until his return to Scotland in 1423. His reign set the pattern for the Stewart kings that followed him: coming to the throne as children, emerging from youth to assert themselves while in their teens. With limited resources they had to establish control of powerful and unscrupulous barons. The young king was brought up in the life-style of a lord: instructed in the code of chivalry, trained to hunt and joust as well as to read and write. From earliest youth he knew his own significance. He was taught the fundamentals of Scotland's situation, its relations with Ireland, England, France and the North Sea states. Surrounded by tutors and advisers, some of them concerned for his and the country's welfare, others only for their own advantage, he had to learn judgement. But above all he had to impose himself, or become the prisoner of events. James I died in 1437.

     Robert III was born in 1337. Like his father, Robert III (reigned 1390-1406) was a weak and ineffective ruler. His 16-year reign was marred by plagues, battles, raids and counter-raids. Just before his death he was given the news that his 11-year olf son, James, who had been sent to France for security, had been captured at sea by the English. On his deathbed he asked to be buried on a dungheap with the epitaph: "Here lies the worst of kings and the most wretched of men". Robert III died in 1406.

     Robert II was born in 1316 to Marjorie and Walter (the) Steward. David II died childless, so Robert II became the first Stewart king of Scotland. Robert II (reigned 1371-90) revitalized the Scottish union with France, and French troops landed in Scotland to help against English attack. When not fighting the English, the Scottish barons fought among themselves. It was a troubled and unruly period. Robert was a weak king; he had neither the ability nor the will to impose his authority. Robert II died in 1390.

     Marjory Bruce was born in 1296. As of 1315,her married name was Steward.