non sibi sed toti	Parsons Family and Friends

The link with King James IV of Scotland Something about King James IV He was a true prince of the Renaissance in developing the military power of his country. The people were instructed to practise archery instead of golf and football. James was a learned man with many interests, which included sports, clothes, music, hunting, the arts, and architecture. James granted the barbers and physicians the right to form a guild and the sole right to sell whiskey which was a medicine. Each year the guild was also given the corpse of a hanged criminal in order to learn more about human anatomy. James was interested in surgery and himself extracted a tooth, set a broken leg, bled a patient. He was even interested in alchemy and financed an adventurer who thought he could find out how to produce gold. Under James Aberdeen university was founded, the printing press came to Scotland, architecture flourished with the remodeling of palaces at Falkirk and Stirling Castle. A navy was established and James felt great pride for the Great Michael, the largest warship ever to have been built in Scotland. It was reported to the King of Spain that James "is exceptionally clever, and can speak Latin, French, German, Flemish, Italian and the barbarian Gaelic, the native tongue of nearly all his subjects. He knows the Bible well and is conversant with most subjects. He is a good historian and reads Latin and French history, committing much to memory. He does not cut his hair or his beard. He is devout and says all his prayers. He maintains that the oath of a king should be his royal word, as was the case in bygone times. He is active and works hard, when he is not at war he hunts in the mountains. He is courageous. I have seen him undertake most dangerous things in the last wars. On such occasions he does not take the least care of himself." Read about the strange death of his grandfather James II here. Lines of descent from James to some friends and relatives Note: there is another line of descent through Catherine Stewart, another daughter of James. The name Stewart comes from Steward, the office of James'ancestors. The spelling Stuart came later and was used by the Stuart Kings of England. King James IV of Scotland + Margaret Drummond 1472/3 - 1513 (not married) Killed on Flodden Field | Margaret Stewart m John Gordon | Elizabeth Keith m George Gordon 1513-1567 | George Gordon m Anne Hamilton -1576 Claude Abercorn Lord Strabane m Jean Gordon 1605-1638 | Catherine Abercorn m Owen Wynne 1623- 1620-71 ____________|___ | | John ffolliott m Lucy Wynne Lewis Wynne m Rebecca Bingham -1736 1667- | | Catherine ffollitt m Owen Wynne 1685-1778 1686-1756 | Owen Wynne m Anne Maxwell 1723-1789 _________|__________ | | Katherine Eckersall m Rev Henry Wynne Robert Wynne m Elizabeth Singleton 1765- -1828 1760-1838 -1834 __________________|___________________ ____________ |________ | | | | Henry Wynne m Marlene Richards Owen Wynne m S.Cole Clara Wynne m George Wynne From Henry is descended From Owen is descended From George and Clara Graham Wynne Lady Stella L'Estrange are descended David Dorothy and Robert Parsons Gordon ancestors John Gordon traced his ancestry back to Richard de Gordon who lived in the early 12th century. Several of our direct ancestors played a part in Scottish history. Adam Gordon died on Crusade early in the 13th century. His son, Sir Adam Gordon, with his tenants, joined the army led by John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, in the spring of 1296, which invaded and wasted the North of England. Gordon’s lands were plundered by Edward I and forfeited to the English Crown. Sir Adam fell in the battle of Dunbar on the 26th of April, 1296. The following year his son, yet another Adam, joined Sir William (Braveheart) Wallace, and later Robert the Bruce, and fought at Bannockburn. He visited the Pope on behalf of the Scottish parliament. His grandson John was imprisoned in the Tower of London for 11 years by King Edward III. John's son Adam fell while leading a charge against the English at the battle of Homildon, 14th of September, 1402. This Adam was 3rd great grandfather to the John who married Margaret Stewart. Alexander Gordon, Third Earl of Huntly, was John's father, and commanded the Scottish left wing at the Battle of Flodden. As a matter of interest, John's aunt Catherine married Perkin Warbeck, the pretender to the English throne. Football George Gordon, husband of Anne Hamilton, died after a game of football. James IV's opposition to football cannot have been very effective. Indeed, I believe the game is played in Scotland to this day. (Did someone mention Celtic and Rangers?) James' grandfather cannoned James II was killed at the siege of Roxburgh Castle when a cannon he was supervising exploded. He was trying to retrieve Roxburgh and Berwick Castles from the English and had raised an army for that purpose. Cannons were introduced in battle for the first time and he was proud of them and was standing too close when one exploded.