Your Family Probably Traces back to English Kings and Nobility
The Tower of London was the given to John Holande by the Prince of Wales 1300-1400s
The drawing is the Courtesy of Londonpast.org.
Oddly enough, I discovered the following details of Anne, the widow of Sir Henry Holland, the last Duke of Exeter, in “ The Paston Letters, A.D. 1422–1509—volume 5 (of 6) by James Gairdner.
Why did this book attract my attention? The letters were dated between 1422 and 1509, before the Great Fire of London in September 1666. This fire swept away parish registers and other vital data. The Paston Letters are a valuable resource for anyone tracing their family history in England.
Here is the source material online. All you need to do is CTRL+F at the beginning of each volume to search for your names!
My interest is Sir Henry Holland, a son of John Holland. John’s stepbrother was King Richard II, a youthful king deposed by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV). Richard II was born January 6, 1367, in Bordeaux, France, and died in February 1400 in Pontefract, Yorkshire (now West Yorkshire), England. He was the King of England from 1377 to 1399. During this time, John Holland (his half-brother) was an heir to the throne of England and John’s son, Sir Henry Holland. Henry Bolingbroke quickly disposed of the Holland heirs.
Sir Henry Holland resided in an elegant home overlooking the Thames River in London.
Ironically, his home was also the Tower of London (given to John Holland by the Prince of Wales), where the Yorkish found him when they convinced him to go with them to France. During the journey, Sir Henry supposedly fell overboard. Later, history writes that he was pushed overboard by Sir Thomas Saint Leger. Afterward, Legal married the widow Anne, and Anne brought proceedings before the new king, Henry IV, for their daughter to inherit all of the estate and wealth of Sir Henry Holland. This request was granted.
But the story does not end here—the marriage between Sir Henry and Anne of York was an unhappy experience. Although Henry was a strong supporter of the Duke of Lancaster, Anne was convinced to marry Henry (because he was to become an heir to the throne). She gave birth to one daughter. However, Sir Henry frequently fought wars in France alongside the Duke of Lancaster.
Volume 2:
“154.1 Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. During the civil war that followed, he adhered to the House of Lancaster, though he married Edward IV’s sister. His herald had probably been seized by Cade’s followers and pressed into their service.”
“321.7 Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. On the 11th of May this year, he was ordered to appear before the Council on the following Thursday (16th May). — See Nicolas’s Privy Council Proceedings, vi. 180.”
“329.3 Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. On the 24th of July, the Duke of York was charged by the Privy Council to convey him to Pomfret Castle. — See Nicolas’s Privy Council Proceedings, vi. 217.”
Volume 4:
“189.1 Anne, eldest daughter of John Montacute, third Earl of Salisbury, married, 1st, Sir Richard Hankford, Knight; 2ndly, Sir Lewis John, Knight (whose will was proved in 1442); and 3rdly, John Holland, who was created Duke of Exeter 6th January 1443, and died in 1446. Fenn erroneously supposed the lady to have been the widow of Thomas Beaufort, a previous Duke of Exeter, who died in 1426. This Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, married Margaret, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Nevill, but his wife did not survive him, as Fenn supposed, for at his death, he was found to have been a tenant of her lands for life by the law of England. However, Fenn’s note on this passage is so interesting that we must quote a part of it. Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, was buried in the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. ‘On digging,’ he says, ‘amongst the ruins of this Abbey, the body of the Duke was found, on the 20th of February 1772, wrapt in the lead, and entire. The face, hair, and every part were perfect, and the flesh solid, but being exposed to the air, the body soon became offensive . . . . . I procured some of the hair, which was of fine brown color and very flexible.”
Volume 5:
“250.2 Anne, daughter of Richard, Duke of York, sister of Edward IV., and widow of Henry Holland, the last Duke of Exeter, her first husband; she died 14th of January 1475 and lies buried with Sir Thomas Saint Leger, Knight, her second husband, in a private chapel at Windsor. — F.”
Volume 6:
“250.1 Richard, Duke of York, second son of King Edward IV., in or before January 1478, married Anne, sole daughter and heir of John Mowbray, late Duke of Norfolk. — Rolls of Parliament, vi. 168. She was at that time only in her sixth year, and she died early.”
“250.2 Anne, daughter of Richard, Duke of York, sister of Edward IV., and widow of Henry Holland, the last Duke of Exeter, her first husband; she died 14th of January 1475 and lies buried with Sir Thomas Saint Leger, Knight, her second husband, in a private chapel at Windsor. — F.”
These notations fill in some of the gaps on my family group sheet.
Once the ancestors are discovered in the early records of the American Colonies, it behooves the genealogist to search further. The first settlers to Jamestown came from England.
Although it is possible to find much more data in the surviving parish registers, once the names on your chart belong to the 15th to 25th generation (cousins), the probability of nobility exists in the lineage. It has been said many times that American families can trace their lineage to King Edward I. This is certainly true of the Holand/Holand/Hollande families. Sir Thomas de Hollande married a granddaughter of King Edward I, and her second husband was the Prince of Wales (who died before taking the throne). Hence, Sir Thomas de Hollande's children became King Richard II's step-brothers.
Also, several marriages throughout the Hollande lineage included members of the nobility that also linked back to King Edward I of England. This is true of so many lineages that link back to America!
The Holland/Hollande/Holand/Holande genealogy is available to members of georgiapioneers.com and other royally connected families. (Search in the vault).