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WHERE DID I COME FROM ?

An attempt by Kenneth Rawnsley, to answer this question for his children.

The question “where did I come from?” is the subject of many stories involving children and their parents. The answers are usually amusing. It is however, a question being considered in more serious fashion by a very large number of people, probably more than at any time since the writing of the genealogies in the bible. Proof of this time since be found in the number of full-time researchers to be found in London and other places where records are kept. All attempting to trace “family trees”.

In England, tracing one's ancestors back to the Doomsday book is a popular If scarcely attainable goal. In the USA on the other hand back to the Pilgrim Fathers will do nicely and If the genealogists should discover the family entitlement to a Coat-of-arms or two, so much the better. This despite the fact that the Pilgrim Fathers were trying their best to get away from the sort of people who were granted Coats-of-arms, and indeed their descendants of a couple of centuries ago were very active in ridding their country of anything and every- thing associated with the damn British.

In Australia, some years ago, a national Daily sought to capitalise on the popular interest by publishing lists of those selected by the best Judges in England to be the early pioneers of this land.

The lists were read avidly, if a little fearfully, to see if great- great- Grandfather had been one of early settlers.

I used the term-‘scarcely attainable to describe the Doomsday goal and indeed unless your ancestors accompanied Prince William or Normandy on his 1066 Expedition it is extremely unlikely that you will succeed in that goal. Alas ‘worse to come. If your ancestors were not of the nobility it is unlikely that you will be able to go back earlier than the 17th. century. The reason’ in those earlier times the keeping of records depended on the whim of the lord of the Manor or on the diligence of the local vicar. Even after it was required by law to record births, marriages & deaths there would have been the occasional neglect and of course from time to time accidents happen and records become lost. All In all the fact that so Many records are available is a matter of some wonder.

Having gathered some information you will then be faced with the decision on how best to present the information. Perhaps the better starting point would be to first decide on Just what information you want to be able to present. If you say “I’m a Rawnsley and I only want to be able to present the Rawnsley line back from myself, then your task becomes very simple. If on the other hand, you aknowledge that your Mother did have something to do with your make-up, and you Fathers Mother and your mother's Father & Mother and so on, and so on, then your (the really starts to look like a tree with double the number on branches each generation you go back.

Four generations gives you sixteen ancestors and you'll readily see that if you include brothers and sisters along the way, it will not be long before you have filled a normal house wall with names, this particularly as you do into the last century when families of ten or eleven children were not at all uncommon.

Notwithstanding the difficulties I have attempted to pursue each line back as far as has been practicable in the time we had available for research. The results of our research, which has entailed Many hours in the Bradford Public library, in the Wakefield Archives section, in churches and graveyards, and incidentally a lot of fun, I now pass on to you.

For inspiration I am Indebted to my late Father's cousin, Reene Wilkinson of 68 Kipling Crt. Newline, Greengates, Idle. Also to the long time past efforts of my late uncles Robert Mawson. Reene, as the daughter of a Rawnsley became interested in the line of her Grand- Mother Charlotte Rawnsley, (nee Eastburn) and her research discovered the part Eastburn ancestors played in two of England’s many conflicts with the Scots.

The first at the battle of Bannockburn                                    

and the second at the battle of Flodden field

 It was she who discovered that this second Eastburn hero had been granted a coat-of-Arms for prowess at Flodden.

Uncle Robert had had the Mawson line researched and the genealogist who did the Job for him discovered the families entitlement to a Coat-of-Arms which had been granted to an ancestor in 1642.

It is evident from the research that we have at the least three ancestors who were armigerous, ie. entitled to bear arms for the first first Eastburn hero was a Lord D’Estburn and he would have been armigerous. He came from Eastburn Hall which used to stand in the Aire valley not far from the village of Steeton, which is near Keighley. Another Member of that family: Robert, son of Alex D’Eastburn was the 5th. Vicar of the parish of Kildwick which lies to the North- West of Eastburn. These villages would be no more than two miles apart. Lord D'Estburn and his lord Clifford were both slain at the battle of Bannockburn. Why the second Eastburn hero did not have a title is not known but it Must be remendered that In those days It has relatively easy to fall out or favour with the King and of all one lost was a title then one could be thought of as lucky. Maybe the grant which he received following Flodden was in the way or a reinstatement in favor, partial only since it did not carry a title.

In between the two heroes an Eastburn is recorded as having paid poll tax at Steeton in 1379.

The armigerous William did not avoid paying tax and is shown as contributing In the 1523/24 collection. The next Eastburn to get an official mention is one John Eastburn who paid rent to a Lord Radcliffe.

From the ‘Blazon’ on the Mawson arms it is deduced that they were granted in reward of some civil, rather than military or naval, service to the crown. Heraldically they are Blazoned as follows- Per fesse, ermine and ermines, a pale countercharged, over-all . Lion salient or. Crest- a lion's head or, collared Gabony ermine and ermines. This means that the shield in diveded horizontally into two (per fesse) and vertically into three (a pale). The alternate sixths depicting the furs, ermine (white with black tufts) and ermines (black with white tufts). Superimposed is a gold (or) lion, standing on its hind paws with it's front paws in the air. The crest is a gold lion's head with a collar around its neck showing the two furs of the shield in alternate squares. Below the collar the neck Is jagged, not cut off clean.

The term- 'Coat-of-Arms' is often Misused. It was originally the coat worn over a suit of armour to protect the wearer from the heat of the sun on the armour. It was usually decorated with the symbols as also displayed on the shield whereby the wearer could be readily identified on the field of battle or tourney. Further recognition could be had from the crest which has worn atop the ' helmet. The original crests served three functions. Besides idendtification they made the wearer appear taller and so may frighten his opponent and also they disguised Just where his helmet finished.

Together with the lambrequin or mantling, which served a similar purpose to the coat, for the helmet, the crest was a sort of old time camouflage. The name given to the whole ‘kit & caboodle' is an ‘achievement’. This comprises the following- The shield, without which there is no achievment;  the helmet; the tors or wreath, this is the twisted tape whereby the mantled: or lambrequin was held in place on the helmets it is not unlike the bands worn round Arab head-dresses and, the crest. There may be a motto, and, in the case of Scottish achievments, a slogan or war-cry. These are however, optional.

Well so much for the lesson on Heraldry.

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