Royalty in my family - The House of Wessex

The members of the House of Wessex were the first kings of England. My connection to them starts near the end of the line and goes back to the first King of Wessex, Cedric (c519-1016). In addition, Cedric claimed decadency from Wôdan, the Germanic god for whom Wednesday is named.

Key:
   Royal Ancestor
    Saint Ancestor
God Ancestor (only one so far)

 

Connection to the House of Wessex

From my grandmother to Gospatric II

GenerationDirect Line
Angela Lucia Williams
b. 13 May 1907 at Kings Co., NY, d. 19 Jan 2010 at CT
1st great grandparents George Washington Aurelio Williams
b. 2 Dec 1872 at Cuba, m. 20 Oct 1897 at NY, d. 2 Nov 1938 at NY
Alice Wadsworth Ayer
b. 28 Sep 1873 at VA, d. 29 Apr 1966 at CT
2nd great grandparents Ira Ayer II
b. 14 Jul 1836 at Erie Co., NY, m. 21 Dec 1863 at DC, d. 3 Feb 1903 at Kings Co., NY
Mary Jane 'Jennie' James
b. Aug 1838 at Monmouthshire, Wales, d. 25 Jan 1907 at NY
3rd great grandparents Ira Ayer I
b. 26 Dec 1802 at MA, m. 26 Dec 1828, d. 28 Jul 1889 at Erie Co., NY
Julia Mariah Wadsworth
b. 27 Oct 1808 at MA, d. 14 Aug 1861
4th great grandparents James Ayer
b. 1 Feb 1766 at MA, m. 14 Dec 1794 at MA, d. 13 Mar 1839
Sarah Bradley
b. 1 Feb 1774, d. 7 Dec 1844
5th great grandparents Enoch Bradley
b. 22 Jun 1749 at MA, m. 10 Oct 1770 at MA, d. 2 May 1834 at MA
Mary Low
b. 18 May 1747 at MA, d. 23 Aug 1822 at MA
6th great grandparents Caleb Low
b. circa 1707, m. 8 Jan 1733, d. 17 Jul 1777 at MA
Abigail Varney
b. 14 Oct 1713 at MA
7th great grandparents David Low
b. 14 Aug 1667 at MA, m. 28 Dec 1699, d. 2 Jun 1746
Mary Lamb
b. 7 Mar 1680/81 at MA, d. 3 Mar 1735 at MA
8th great grandparents Caleb Lamb
b. 9 Apr 1641 at MA, m. 30 Jun 1669, d. 1690 at Canada
Mary Wise
b. circa 1649 at MA
9th great grandparents Joseph Wise
b. circa 1615 at England, m. 3 Dec 1641 at MA, d. 12 Sep 1684 at MA
Mary Thompson
b. circa 1619, d. 4 Aug 1693 at MA
10th great grandparents John Thompson
b. 30 Jan 1577 at Northamptonshire, England, m. before 1 Apr 1616 at Northamptonshire, England,
Alice Freeman
b. between 1595 and 1600 at England, d. 11 Feb 1664/65 at CT
11th great grandparents Henry Freeman
b. 1560 at Northamptonshire, England, m. before 25 Dec 1588 at Northamptonshire, England
Margaret Edwards
b. 1564 at Northamptonshire, England, d. after 1605
12th great grandparents Edward Edwards
b. circa 1537 at Northamptonshire, England, m. between 1562 and 1564 at Northamptonshire, d. 1591/92
Ursula Coles
b. 1544 at England, d. Jan 1606/7
13th great grandparents Peter Edwards
b. 1516 at England, m. circa 1536 at Northamptonshire, England, d. circa 1552 at Northamptonshire
Susannah Samwell
b. circa 1519 at England
14th great grandparents Richard Samwell
b. circa 1490 at Northamptonshire, England, m. before 1511 at Northamptonshire, d. 3 May 1519
Amy Anne Giffard
b. circa 1500 at England
15th great grandparents Thomas Giffard
d. 10 Oct 1511
Jane Langston
b. at England, d. between 22 Mar 1534 and 1535
16th great grandparents John Giffard Esq.
b. circa 1431, d. before 23 Sep 1506
Agnes Wynslow
17th great grandparents Thomas Giffard
b. 1408 at Oxfordshire, England, d. 29 May 1469
Eleanor Vaux
18th great grandparents Roger Giffard Esq.
b. circa 1367, d. 14 Apr 1409
Isabel Stretele
19th great grandparents Sir Thomas Giffard Knight
b. circa 1345, m. circa 1361, d. 25 Sep 1394
Elizabeth de Missenden
d. 1367
20th great grandparents Sir John Giffard
b. 1301, d. 25 Jan 1368
Lucy de Morteyn
d. after 8 Mar 1361
21st great grandparents Sir John de Morteyn
d. 1346
Joan de Rothwell
22nd great grandparents John de Morteyn
d. 1296
Joan Gobion
d. after 1312
23rd great grandparents Hugh Gobion
d. 1275
Matilda
2660)
24th great grandparents Hugh Gobion
d. 1275
Agnes de Merlay
25th great grandparents Roger de Merlay
d. 1188
Alice de Stuteville
26th great grandparents Ralph de Merlay Lord of Morpath
d. 1160
Julianna of Dunbar
27th great grandparents Gospatric II, Earl of Dunbar, Baron of Beanley
d. 23 Aug 1138 at Yorkshire



The House of Wessex


Wyvern (Dragon) of Wessex

 

PictureRelationNameParents TitleComment
 27th great grandfatherGospatric II, Earl of Lothian (?-1138)Father: Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria Earl of Lothian (Dunbar), Baron of BeanleyGospatric II inherited the lands in Dunbar from his father and received more from King Máel Coluim III of Scotland. Relations between the Normans and the English improved under Henry I and Gospatric even received lands in England. According to the Scottish Annals, Gospatric was described as "the chief leader of the men of Lothan". Gospatric died in the Battle of the Standard in 1138. It was a battle between the invading king of Scotland and the English. I assume Gospatric was fighting for the English. Again, according to the Scottish Annals, Gospatric was "struck by an arrow, he fell".
 28th great grandfatherGospatric, Earl of Northumbria (?-a1073)Father: Maldred
Mother: Ealdgyth
Earl of Northumbria (Bernicia) and Earl of Lothian (Dunbar)William the Conqueror took over England in 1066. His first two Earls of Benicia (basically Northumbria) were killed. The second, like Gospatric was descended from Uhtred, former Ealderman of the same territory. Gospatric offered money to the cash strapped William and got the Earldom of Bernicia. The next year Gospatric joined an uprising against Williams and he didn't appreciate it too much. Gospatric his title to a close alley of William. So, Gospatric joined an army of Danes, Scots, and Englishmen against William and lost again. This time with holdings at Bamburgh castle Gospatric was able to pay William to leave him alone for the next few years. In 1072 William took Gospatric's Earldom again and Gospatric went into exile in Scotland and later Flanders in France. When he returned to Scotland he was given a large estate in Dunbar. Gospatric died a short time later.
 29th great grandfatherMaldred (?-?)Father: Crínán of Dunkeld
Mother: Bethóc
 Maldred was brother to King Duncan I of Scotland and grandson through his mother of King Malcolm II of Scotland. He married Ealdgyth, daughter of Uhtred the Bold and Ælfgifu.
 29th great grandmotherEaldgyth (?-?)Father: Uhtred the Bold
Mother: Ælfgifu
 Ealdgyth was the daughter of Uhtred the Bold and Ælfgifu and mother of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria.
 30th great grandfatherUhtred the Bold (?-1016)Father: Waltheof of Bamburgh High-Reeve of Bamburgh, Ealdorman of York (Northumbria)Like his grandfather, Uhtred was both High-Reeve of Bamburgh and Ealdorman of York (Northumbria), the later position he held from 1006 until he was murdered in 1016.
In 1006 Malcolm II of Scotland invaded Northumbria and Æthelred was busy defending southern England from the Danes. Uhtred's father was too old and the present did nothing. Uhtred put together an army and defeated the Scottish invaders. Uhtred hired local women to clean the severed heads of the Scottish dead and paid them a cow for each head.
Æthelred rewarded Uhtred with the ealdormanry of Bamburgh even though his father, the ealdorman of Bamburgh, was still alive. Then Æthelred had Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York killed so Uhtred could take his place. With his new prominence, he dismissed his first wife and married the daughter of a wealthy York landowner.
When Æthelred was forced into exile, Uhtred pledged his allegiance to the Danish King. When Æthelred came back, Uhtred married pledged his allegiance to him and married his daughter, Ælfgifu.
After Æthelred died and England was invaded again by the Danes, Uhtred was summoned to meet with the new Danish King. On the way he was murdered by Thurbrand the Hold under the king's guidance. Eventually Uhtred's son Ealdred avenged his father's death by killing Thurbrand. Ealdred was then killed by Thurbrand's son Carl. Years later, Ealdred's grandson killed all Carl's sons and grandsons.
 30th great grandmotherÆlfgifu (?-?)Father: Æthelred the Unready
Mother: Ælfgifu of York
 Ælfgifu was the daughter of Æthelred the Unready and Ælfgifu of York and married to Uhtred the Bold. Little else Is known of her.
31st great grandfatherÆthelred the Unready (c966-1016)Father: Edgar the Peaceful
Mother: Ælfthryth, wife of Edgar
King of England (979-1013 and 1014-1016)Æthelred the Unready was a mistranslation of his name. It actually should be Æthelred the Bad Counsel. Æthelred means noble counsel so his name means Noble Counsel the Bad Counsel. It may have been given to him based on the bad advice he had received from his advisors.
Æthelred was only about 10 when he followed his murdered half brother to the throne. Since Æthelred's mother was implicated in the murder, Æthelred did not receive the full support of his subjects. The first couple years of his reign were quit, but in 980 England was under attack by the Danes again. Little by little the Danes took more and more territory until 1002 when Æthelred ordered all the Danes in the country to be massacred in St. Brice's Day. That infuriated Sweyn, the Danish King, and in 1013 Sweyn over through Æthelred and made himself King of England. Æthelred was in exile in Normandy. When Sweyn died a year later, Æthelred was allowed to return as long as he promised to be a better King and not take any retribution. Æthelred was able to force Sweyn's son out. Shortly after that, the Danes were back and Æthelred had died.
 31st great grandmotherÆlfgifu of York (c970-1002)Father: Thored  Ælfgifu was the first wife of Æthelred but was never given the title of Queen like her mother-in-law. It's not clear who her parents were, but she was supposed to have been from a noble English family. She had six sons and between two and five daughters.
32nd great grandfatherEdgar the Peaceful (934-975)Father: Edmund I the Magnificent
Mother: Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
King of the English (959-975)It was Edgar's reign that was peaceful, not necessarily Edgar. While his older brother was still king, Edgar seized the Kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia and when his brother died young, Edgar became king. England was at the height of its power under the house of Wessex. There were few external threats and no internal ones.
In 973, 14 years after he became king, Edgar arranged for a lavish coronation, more so than any in the past and is still used as the model for coronation ceremonies today. As part of the ceremony, six of the other kings of Britain, including the King of Scots and the King of Strathclyde pledged their allegiance to Edgar. As part of the coronation, his new wife Ælfthryth was the first queen to be officially crowned.
After Edgar, the power of the House of Wessex started to wane and none of the pre-Norman kings took the throne uncontested.
 32nd great grandmotherÆlfthryth, wife of Edgar (c945-1000)Father: Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon Queen of the Kingdom of England (973-975)Ælfthryth was the first second or third wife of Edgar. Edgar had a son, a daughter and a son again through three different woman, but it was only Ælfthryth that we know he was married to. Her son Æthelred was called legitimate son of the king while the king while Edward, the older brother, was called the son of the king.
Ælfthryth was an ambitious queen. There is an interesting story of how she became queen. She was known throughout the land the first wife of a king to be crowned queen. She was known throughout the kingdom for her beauty (and probably political connections). Edgar sent his aid Æthewald to see if Ælfthryth was as beautiful as they said. If so, Edgar would marry her. Æthewald found she was so beautiful that he decided to marry her himself. When Edgar heard about this he demanded to see her. Æthewald told Ælfthryth to make herself look ugly for the King but instead she looked her best. Edgar ended up killing Æthelwald while a hunt and married Ælfthryth for himself.
Ælfthryth was the first wife of an English King to actually be crowned Queen. When Edgar died, Edward was just entering adult age and her son Æthelred was still very young. It was not clear who Edgar wanted to follow him so Ælfthryth petitioned for Æthelred. Edward was chosen instead. A couple years later when Edward was visiting Ælfthryth some of her servants killed him allowing Æthelred to become queen.
 33rd great grandfatherEdmund I the Magnificent (921-946)Father: Edward the Elder
Mother: Eadgifu of Kent
King of the English (939-946)Edmund was also known as the Deed-doer, the Just, or the Magnificent. He followed his half brother to the throne and preceded his younger brother. He reigned for only seven years until his death. Shortly after taking the throne he lost much of northern England to King Olaf III Guthfrithson. After Olaf's death in 942, Edmund re-took the territory. In 945 he conquered Strathclyde in what is now southern Scotland. Instead of keeping it he ceded it to King Malcolm I of Scotland in exchange for a mutual defense treaty.
On May 26, 946 during a feast on St Augustine's Mass Day, Edmund spotted exiled thief Leofa in the crowd. When Edmund challenged him, they both ended up dead.
 33rd great grandmotherÆlfgifu of Shaftesbury (?-944) 
Mother: Wynflæd
 Ælfgifu seems to have been unspectacular in life. Like her mother she was associated with nunnery at Shartesbury Abbey. She was not likely ever elevated to the level of queen even though two of her sons went on to be king. Her title was king's concubine (concubine regis). She at or shortly after the time of Edgar's birth.
However, shortly after her death she was made a saint. Many people were cured of their afflictions at her tomb and her powers became famous. Someone in the 970s wrote of a blind man who had traveled to Shaftesbury because “the venerable St Ælfgifu […] at whose tomb many bodies of sick person receive medication through the omnipotence of God”. Her grandson, King and Saint Edward the Martyr who was also buried there did not have nearly as strong a following. In the 12th century William of Malmesbury wrote (in Latin):
For some years she suffered from illness

In his clemency with countless miracles.
If a blind man or a deaf worship at her tomb,
They are restored to health and prove the saint's merits.
He who went there lame comes home firm of step,
The madman returns sane, rich in good sense.
34th great grandfatherEdward the Elder (c875-924)Father: Alfred the Great
Mother: Ealhswith
King of the English (899-924)Edward, like his father took the title King of the Anglo-Saxons but this is often referred to as King of the English. He regained much of the land his father had lost and eventually ruled almost all of what is now England again. He died fighting a Welsh-Mercian rebellion.
 34th great grandmotherEadgifu of Kent (?-968)Father: Sigehelm Queen Consort of England (919-924)Eadgifu was Edward's third wife and mother of the second and third of Edward's three sons who became king and mother of a daughter who became a saint. Eadgifu outlived all three of her children.
35th great grandfatherAlfred the Great (c849-899)Father: Æthelwulf of Wessex
Mother: Osburga
King of the Anglo-Saxons (871-899)Alfred succeeded his older brothers to the thrown. Shortly before the last of them died, the Danes had begun a long campaign to capture all of southern England. Alfred's brother was killed in one of those battles. By 870, after winning and losing many battles, Alfred lost control of much of his kingdom. In 878 he led a campaign that eventually kicked the Dane out of southern England and took over much of southern Mercia. This included London and its mints. He reconstructed London after many years of war. Following a brief quiet period, war started up again with more Danish attacks.
Alfred is also known for revamping the military and legal system and for his commitment to education.
Alfred took the title King of the Anglo-Saxons instead of just King of Wessex.
35th great grandmotherEalhswith (c852-905)Father: Æthelred Mucil
Mother: Eadburh
Queen of the Anglo-Saxons (871-899)Ealhswith was born in Gini in Mercia. Little else is known of her.
36th great grandfatherÆthelwulf of Wessex (795-858)Father: Egbert of Wessex
Mother: Rædburga
King of Wessex (839-856)Æthelwulf had helped his father in 825 by concurring the Kingdom of Kent. Later Æthelwulf was installed as King of Kent as a sub-king under his father. Æthelwulf fought many battles against the Danes and other invaders from Europe. For a time he received submission from Wales. Æthelwulf had many sons who were very ambitious.
He was very religious. In 853 he repudiated his marriage to Osburga and sent his four year old son Alfred to Rome for a year. Æthelwulf later followed him and paid homage to the leaders of the church. On the way home, Æthelwulf married Judith, the 12 year old great granddaughter of Charlemagne.
When Æthelwulf returned from Rome his oldest surviving son refused to return control. Æthelwulf collected enough support to defeat him but granted his son control of the western part of the Wessex.
Prior to Judith, the wives of Wessex kings were referred to as "wife of the king" and were not allowed to sit on the throne with the King. But, since Judith was from such an important family, from then on, the wives of the kings were called Queen.
36th great grandmotherOsburga (?-b856)Father: Oslac  From Wikipedia, "She is best known for Asser's story (Asser was a 9th Century monk) about a book of Saxon songs which she showed to Alfred and his brothers, offering to give the book to whoever could first memorize it, a challenge which Alfred took up and won. This exhibits the interest of high status ninth-century women in books, and their role in educating their children."
37th great grandfatherEgbert of Wessex (c770-839)Father: Ealhmund of Kent King of Wessex (802-839)When Egbert took the throne in 802, much of southern England was ruled by Mercia, a kingdom in central England. In 825 Egbert defeated the King of Mercia and took control of all of southern England. In 829 he took control of Mercia and received submission from Northumbria. This made Egbert ruler of almost all of what is now England. Because of this and because his descendants in the House of Wessex ruled England for most of the next 230 years, Egbert is considered to be the first King of England.
His rule over all of England only lasted a year. He lost control of Mercia and the north but retained control of Kent, Sussex and Surry.
 37th great grandmotherRædburga (?-?)   Rædburga may have been from France where Egbert was in exile prior to ascending to the throne.
 38th great grandfatherEalhmund of Kent (?-?)Father: Eafa King of Kent (?-784)It is thought that the Ealhmund mentioned as King of Kent in 784 is the same Ealhmund mentioned in the Wessex genealogy. He was not likely king by 785.
 39th great grandfatherEafa (?-?)Father: Eoppa  Almost nothing is known of Eafa
 40th great grandfatherEoppa (?-?)Father: Ingild of Wessex  Almost nothing is known of Eoppa
 41st great grandfatherIngild of Wessex (?-?)Father: Cenred of Wessex  Ingild's brother Ine of Wessex became King of Wessex
 42nd great grandfatherCenred of Wessex (?-?)Father: Ceolwald of Wessex  Cenred's son became King of Wessex and it is possible that for a few years Cenred ruled along his side.
 43rd great grandfatherCeolwald of Wessex (?-?)Father: Cutha Cathwulf
Mother: Princess Gwynhafar
 Almost nothing is known of Ceolwald
 44th great grandfatherCutha Cathwulf (c592-?)Father: Cuthwine of Wessex  Cathwulf was the youngest of three brothers who lived in exile from the fractured Kingdom of Wessex in Devon. Cathwulf was forced out and moved to the border between Devon and Wessex.
 44th great grandmotherPrincess Gwynhafar (?-?)Father: Clemen ap Bledric  The marriage to Cutha Cathwulf would have been part of an alliance since her father was King of Dumnonia (now Cornwall)
 45th great grandfatherCuthwine of Wessex (c565-?)Father: Ceawlin of Wessex  Cuthwine spent many years in exile after his father was deposed.
 46th great grandfatherCeawlin of Wessex (?-593)Father: Cynric of Wessex King of Wessex (560-592)Ceawlin also increased the size of the kingdom. After many years he was deposed by his nephew Ceol. "Here there was great slaughter at Woden's Barrow, and Ceawlin was driven out." He died one year later in exile.
 47th great grandfatherCynric of Wessex (?-560)Father: Cerdic of Wessex King of Wessex (534-560)Cynric won several battles that expanded the kingdom.
48th great grandfatherCerdic of Wessex (?-534)Father: Elesa King of Wessex (519-534)Cerdic was probably the first King of Wessex (what is now southwest England not including Cornwall). He was said to have arrived from northern Europe in Southern England in 495 from Northern Europe with 3 ships. After many years and many battles he crowned himself King of Anglo-Saxon Wessex in 519.

The above information is from Frederick Lewis Weis; Walter Lee Sheppard; David Faris, "Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700 : the lineage of Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and some of their descendants", 2004 and Wikipedia.



Branches of the House of Wessex

PictureRelationNameParents TitleComment
 31st great grandfatherWaltheof of Bamburgh (?-a994)Father: Osulf I of Bamburgh  Waltheof was the father of Uhtred the Bold. Like his father he was high-reeve or even ealdorman of Bamburgh. Based on his name, he may have had Viking ancestors.
 32nd great grandfatherOsulf I of Bamburgh (?-a954)  High-Reeve of Bamburgh, Ealdorman of York (Northumbria)Osulf was the father of Waltheof of Bamburgh. He was high-reeve of Bamburgh, a town in Northumbria. In 954 he assisted in the murder of Eric Bloodaxe, King of Northumbria. Following that he was made ruler of Northumbria until his death.
 33rd great grandfatherOrdgar, Ealdorman of Devon (?-971)  Ealdorman of DevonOrdgar had been a wealthy land owner and the son of an ealdorman. The year his daughter Ælfthryth married King Edgar he was made Ealdorman and may have been one of Edgar's closest advisors.
 34th great grandmotherWynflæd (?-?)   She was the mother of Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury. All we know of her was that she was associated with Shaftesbury Abbey like her daughter.
 35th great grandfatherSigehelm (?-903)  Ealdorman of KentSigehelm was the father of Eadgifu of Kent
 36th great grandfatherÆthelred Mucil (?-?)  Ealdorman of the GainiÆthelred Mucil was the father of Alfred the Great's wife Ealhswith. Gaini was an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom thought to have been near Lincolnshire in northern England.
 36th great grandmotherEadburh (?-?)   Eadburh was the mother of Alfred the Great's wife Ealhswith.
 37th great grandfatherOslac (?-?)   Oslac was Osburga's father. From Wikipedia, "Oslac, King Æthelwulf's pincerna (butler), an important figure in the royal court and household. Oslac is described as a descendant of King Cerdic's Jutish nephews, Stuf and Wihtgar, who conquered the Isle of Wight."
 37th great grandfatherThored (?-c993)  Ealdorman in [southern] Northumbria (York) (c. 964/974x979–992x994)Father of Ælfgifu of York. He ruled the southern half of the old Kingdom of Northumbria on behalf of his son-in-law the king of England.
 45th great grandfatherClemen ap Bledric (c580-c630)Father: Bledric ap Custennin King of Dumnonia (613-c630)Clemen, the father of Princess Gwynhafar, was a Celtic ruler of Dumnonia (what is now Cornwall). He came to power after the death of his father.
 46th great grandfatherBledric ap Custennin (?-c513)Father: Constantine King, Duke and Prince of Devonshire and or CornwallBledric's position is not well known. He had been referred to as King, Duke and Prince of Devonshire and or Cornwall. What is known is that he was killed in battle in 513 by Æthelfrith of Northumbria and King Æthelbert of Kent at Bangor on the River Dee around 513. According to Wikipedia, "It is said that 'by the valiant forgoings of his life got his partners the victory'."
 47th great grandfatherConstantine (?-?)   Constantine was a Welsh/Celtic King of southwest England, mostly what is now Cornwall. According to Wikipedia:
Gildas mentions Constantine in chapters 28 and 29 of his 6th-century work De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae. He is one of five Brythonic kings whom the author rebukes and compares to Biblical beasts. Constantine is called the "tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia", a reference to books of Daniel and the Revelation, and apparently also a slur directed at his mother. This Damnonia is generally associated with the kingdom of Dumnonia, a Brythonic kingdom in Southwestern Britain. However, it is possible that Gildas was instead referring to the territory of the Damnonii in what was later known as the Hen Ogledd or "Old North".
Gildas says that despite swearing an oath against deceit and tyranny, Constantine disguised himself in an abbot's robes and attacked two "royal youths" praying before a church altar, killing them and their companions. Gildas is clear that Constantine's sins were manifold even before this, as he had committed "many adulteries" after casting off his lawfully wedded wife. Gildas encourages Constantine, whom he knows to still be alive at the time, to repent his sins lest he be damned.
He may have heeded Gildas' advice because there is also a Saint Constantine who may be the same person.
Pseudo historian Geoffrey of Monmouth claims that Constantine's father was Cador, Duke of Cornwall, contemporary and good friend of King Arthur.

The above information is from Frederick Lewis Weis; Walter Lee Sheppard; David Faris, "Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700 : the lineage of Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and some of their descendants", 2004 and Wikipedia.

Origin of the House of Wessex

RelationNameComment
48th great grandfather Cerdic of Wessex First King of Wessex
49th great grandfatherElesaHe is the legendary Germanic ancestor of Cerdic based on the Sisam hypothesis.
50th great grandfatherGiwisHe is the legendary Germanic ancestor of Cerdic based on the Sisam hypothesis.
51st great grandfather WigFrom Wikipedia:

Ket and Wig appear in the Gesta Danorum as the sons of Frowin, the governor of Schleswig. Wig also appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the son of Freawine (Frowin) and father of Gewis, eponymous ancestor of the kingdom of Wessex and their kings, but this is thought to be a late manipulation, inserting these heroes into a pedigree borrowed from a rival royal house, in which the Bernician eponym Bernic was replaced by the Wessex Gewis. Their father Frowin/Freawine was challenged to combat by the Swedish king Athisl, and killed. King Wermund, who liked their father, subsequently raised Ket and Wig as his own. They later avenged their father, but they fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law, King Wermund's son Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat". This event is referred to in Widsith as a duel against Myrgings.

52nd great grandfather FreawineFrom Wikipedia:

Freawine, Frowin or Frowinus figures as a governor of Schleswig in Gesta Danorum and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as an ancestor of the kings of Wessex, but the latter source only tells that he was the son of Frithugar and the father of Wig. In the Gesta Danorum, Frowin was the father-in-law of Offa of Angel (presented as a prince and later king of Denmark), whose father king Wermund liked both Frowin and his sons Ket and Wig. Frowin was challenged to combat by the Swedish king Athisl, and killed. He would later be avenged by his two sons Ket and Wig. However, the two sons fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat". This event is referred to in Widsith as a duel against Myrgings.

53rd great grandfatherBrondHe is a legendary Germanic ancestor of Cerdic based on the Sisam hypothesis. He is the mythological grandson of Wôdan.
54th great grandfather BældægHe is a legendary Germanic ancestor of Cerdic based on the Sisam hypothesis. He is the mythological son of Wôdan.
55th great grandfather Wôden

Wôdan is the Germanic God for whom Wednesday is named. From Wikipedia:

Woden was worshipped during the Migration period, until the 7th or 8th century, when Germanic paganism was gradually replaced by Christianity, after which he was euhemerized as an important historical king, with multiple Anglo-Saxon kings claiming descent from him. Woden features prominently in both English and Continental folklore as the leader of the Wild Hunt. In Germany, a late attestation of an invocation of Wodan dates to the late sixteenth century. Anglo-Saxon polytheism reached Great Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries with the Anglo-Saxon migration, and persisted until the completion of the Christianization of England by the 8th or 9th century. For the Anglo-Saxons, Woden was the psychopomp or carrier-off of the dead, but not necessarily with exactly the same attributes of the Norse Odin. There has been some doubt as to whether the early English had the concepts of Valkyries and Valhalla in the Norse sense, although there is a word for the former, waelcyrge, attested in glosses, in reference to female creatures of classical mythology, the Erinyes, a Gorgon, Bellona and once Venus.

The above information is from  Wikipedia.

Copyright Bill Scholtz 2011-
Last edited 09/14/2011