Musical Accompaniment: the very appropriate Long Journey Home, bjorn_lynne-the_long_journey_home.mid. 
See his web site: http://www.lynnemusic.com/midi.html See his Banner on the Links page.
Dvorak9.mid is the absolute best music for this page--it truly catches the spirit of the material--but I don't have permission to play it.    (Sigh)

    Introduction

These are ridiculously brief but serious presentations of history prior to and about our background; but, not everyone is wild about reading history. To avoid boredom, this page is accompanied by music from Bjorn Lynne. It sets the proper tone and attitude. Enjoy! 

Billie & Dave

I've been collecting bits and pieces of history for years, but it was Dave Fazackerley that encouraged me to get my information on the web. So thanks to Dave, here it is. Our information overlaps a bit in places--though our research was independent of each other.  We each have come to the same conclusion, but we present the material a bit differently. Visiting both of our sites will be fun and help you get the full picture.  See Dave's great work at:  www.Fazackerley.co.uk (Jan. 2004, changed from Fazackerley.net)

General Historical Background
100 BC to 1066 AD to 1276 AD to Present

Through the centuries many groups of people invaded and settled on the small island of England. In the beginning the island was known as Albion. It later became known as Britannia; then England or Great Britain.

Celts and Britons

"Every single step the Celts took...being commended to them by the heat of passion than by cool calculation" ---Polybius

The Celts can be traced back to the Bronze Age. They dominated western and central Europe before the Roman period and could be found from Ireland to Asia Minor. The Iron Age was from about 700 to 400 BC and by 100 BC the Celts were already well established in the British Isles. The names of many of these tribes and the areas they settled are still known. The Greeks knew them as Keltoi and the Romans knew them as *Gauls & Galli (Gauls: France; Galicia: Spain; Galatians: Present day Turkey) According to Winston Churchill, The Belgic tribes of Celts became the “tribal aristocracy”. These Celts were horsemen and used chariots and they had coins made of silver and copper. This mixture of Celts and original inhabitants became known as Britons. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Druids were the "magico-religious practitioners of high rank and were suppressed during the Roman occupation.” The Celts were split into tribes and never became an empire.
*The Gauls were enemies of Rome. Even the Bible mentions the Romans complaining about the pesky Gauls. Gaul or Gallia was the land S and W of the Rhine, W of the Alps, and N of the Pyrenees. Gaul (modern France to us) probably dates back to 600 B.C. 

Britons and Roman Britons

The Romans were aware of this small island and it’s tin deposits as early as the third and fourth century BC. They knew the island as Albion (Aristotle’s term). In 55 BC, Caesar decided to check it out. About 41 AD they returned and decided to make the island their own. In 78 AD the Celtic Britons revolted under their rule and the “Bodacious” Boadicea (Boudicca), wife of the deceased King of Iceni (Prasutagus), and her tribes almost wiped out the Romans, but the disciplined Romans prevailed in the end--but just barely. (There is a monument to Boadicea in London today.) The Britons under Roman influence became the Roman Britons (Roman-British). That period of Roman rule lasted roughly about 78 AD to 441 AD. The island became known as Britannia, one of the forty-five provinces of the Roman Empire.
*About the time that Boadicea was revolting against the Romans, the druids were making a last stand against the Romans in Anglesey (Wales).

Anglo-Saxons


Saxon Coins

Did you know that England was named after the "Angles"?
Did you know that the "Angles" spoke "Englisc"?

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Angles were a "Germanic tribe, which together with the Jutes and Saxons, invaded England in the 5th century AD; England is named after them". Their language was called "Englisc". Their invasions started roughly 376 to 441 AD to about 800 AD. According to Winston Churchill in his History of the English Speaking Peoples, "the mass migration from North Germany had begun". Some of the Britons or Roman Britons fled to the mountains. Some fled to Brittany on the mainland (continent) and became known as Bretons or Roman Bretons. The Anglo-Saxon period was from about the fourth to the eighth century. These Germanic people were incredibly fierce warriors, but, according to Mr. Churchill, "The invaders themselves were not without their yearnings for settled security. The Saxon was moreover a valley-settler. His notion of an economic holding was a meadow for hay near the stream, the lower slopes under the plough, the upper slopes kept for pasture". 
I would like to note here that the name Fazakerley can be broken down from what is believed to be Old English (Anglo-Saxon)--all descriptive words pertaining to land: "Faes-aecer-leah; faes (border, fringe), aecer (field, ploughed land), leah or lea or ley (wood, or clearing"). So is the name Fazakerley Anglo-Saxon? Quite possibly. Or a combination of Saxon & Viking? 
The Saxons of Britain were referred to as "Old Saxons" to distinguish them from the Saxons of the mainland or "Continent". After the Norman Conquest, the term "Anglo-Saxon" came to mean English".

Vikings & Anglo-Normans

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http://sunnyway.com/runes/write_in_runes.html 

The Vikings were Scandinavians from Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Their ancient Runic or F-u-th-a-r-k alphabet was considered "magical writing" and was made of symbols. The Vikings came on the scene about 789 AD and according to Mr. Churchill, got serious with their invasions of England about 835 AD. Their rule lasted roughly two hundred and fifty years. Some of these Scandinavians settled in England and France. The groups that settled in France, particularly Normandy, were called Normans (Norse men, North men, men of the North). Who were these Normans? Not “Frenchmen” as we know them today—but a group of people made up of Vikings, mixed with Saxons and old Roman Bretons. According to Mr. Churchill they were “a more advanced and culturally developed civilization” than the group that settled in England. The Normans had their own dialect that was different from the French we speak today. These advanced Germanic and Scandinavian (Normans) invaded the Saxons in England in 1066—and the rest, as they say, is history. The Normans in England (Anglo-Norman) became the new English aristocracy. Modern English was a mixture of Old English and Anglo-Norman. (“Old English” was Saxon-low German; "Anglo-Norman" was Scandinavian and Romanic--a Roman Latin and Germanic blend.)

So, Where do we fit in?
History of Our Name
The name is probably Anglo-Saxon, but is the family?

One brief source of information that I  received in the mail years ago was entitled The Ancient History of the Distinguished Surname of Fazakerley. It showed a Coat of Arms and stated that the name may predate the Norman Conquest of 1066 (pure conjecture here) and that the name was believed to be Anglo-Saxon (which may to be correct). But the big question is: Did the family originate in the area or take on the name of the area already existing?

Even though the name may have existed that far back, it would be very hard to find proof of our existence from that time period due to lack of documentation. There is, however, documentation showing that the name existed in 1276. Hopefully one day we will find a clue to our origins. Dave Fazackerley is working on this. I agree with Dave that we (or the name) could have originated either from the Celts, or from the Anglo-Saxons, (or a Saxon/Viking mixture) or from the Anglo-Normans. Regardless of our origins, it's conclusive that we were on the record books during Longshanks Reign (Edward I, 1272-1307).  

Castle In The Mist?
No, this is not an ancient castle on some misty moor.
It was just an old building on an island on the Hudson River.
 Picture taken from the train on our way to Albany, New York on a cold misty day.

Documentation Of Our Name
(This is just a small smattering of facts; A lot more can be found under: Ancestors by Year. Most of the following items came from
 Dave Fazackerley and he has many more items of interest listed on his web site.)

Currently

Today, many, many centuries later, the town of Fazakerley still exists and was described “as a small locality in the parish of Walton on the Hill, about five miles north of Liverpool city center in Lancashire, England”. Fazakerley became incorporated with Liverpool in 1904.

Place Names of Domesday
1086

Place names of "the land between the rivers Ribble & Mersey", later to be named "Lancashire".

Aighton, Ainsdale, Aldcliffe, Aldingham, Allerton, Altcar, Argarmeles, Arkholme, Ashton, Ashton on Ribble, Aughton, Baguley, Bardsea, Bare, Barton, Barton (near Preston), Birkby, Bispham, Blackburn, Bolton le Moors, Bolton le Sands, Bootle, Borwick, Broughton, Broughton in Furness, Burn, Cantsfield, Carleton, Carnforth, Cartmel, Caton, Catterall, Childwall, Chipping, Claughton, Claughton (near Lancaster), Clifton, Cockerham, Crimbles, Crivelton, Crosby, Dalton (near Wigan), Dalton in Furness, Dendron, Dilworth, Downholland Cross, Down Litherland, Ellel, Elswick, Farleton, Field Plumpton, Fiswick, Fordbootle, Formby, Forton, Freckleton, Garstang, Gleaston, Goosnargh, Great Eccleston, Greenhalgh, Gressingham, Grimsargh, Haighton Green, Halsall, Halton, Hambleton, Hart, Heaton, Heaton Bridge, Heysham, Hillam, Holker, Hornby, Huncoat, Hurlston, Hutton, Huyton, Ince Blundell, Inskip, Ireby, Kellet, Killerwick, Kirby, Kirk Lancaster, Kirkby Ireleth, Kirkdale, Kirkham, Knowsley, Lancaster, Lathom, Layton, Lea, Leck, Leece, Leyland, Little Eccleston, Little Woolton, Lonsdale, Lydiate, Lytham, Maghull, Manchester, Martin, Marton, Melling, Melling (near Liverpool), Middleton, Much Woolton, Mythop, Nether Burrow, Newsham, Newsham (in Sketon), Newton, Newton (in Cartmel), Newton (near Preston), Newton (Whittington), Newton le Willows, Northenden, North Meols, Orgrave, Over Burrow, Overton, Oxcliffe, Pendleton, Pennington, Penwortham, Poulton le Fyldes, Poulton le Sands, Preesall, Preese, Preston, Priest Hutton, Radcliffe, Raven Meols, Rawcliffe, Ribby, Ribchester, Roby, Rochdale, Roose, Rossall, St. Michael's on Wyre, Salford, Salwick, Scotforth, Sefton, Singleton, Skelmersdale, Skerton, Slyne, Smithdown, Sowerby, Sowerby (near Preston), Speke, Staining, Stainton, Stalmine, Stapleton Terne, Swainseat, Tarboc, Tatham, Thirnby, Thornton (near Fleetwood), Thornton (near Liverpool), Threlfall, Thurnham, Torrisholme, Toxeth, Treales, Tunstall, Ulverston, Up Holland, Up Litherland, Walton, Walton le Dale, Walton on the Hill, Warrington, Wart, Wharton (near Carnforth), Warton (near Preston), Wavertree, Weeton, Wennington, West Derby, Westby, Whalley, Wheatley, Whittingham, Whittington, Woodclumpton, Yealand

Descriptions of some of the places mentioned above:
Allerton: Part of the Ancient Childwall parish; 1066, 1 of 10 parish divisions; (Allerton,
Childwall, Garston, Hale, Halewood, Little & Much Woolton, Speke, Thingwall & Wavertree)
Altcar: "Marsh on the River Alt"; North side of River Alt; Near Formby & Downholland 
Birkdale: (Argarmeles)
Bispham: (Biscophan) meaning "The Bishops Estate" being derived from the Old English words  Biscop & ham
Blackburn: "It lies on the main south-north Roman road which linked Manchester with Ribchester." "During Norman times it appears in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as the Blackburn Hundred with St. Mary's Church having stood there since 596 AD."
Bolton: (Bodeltun or Boulton in Boilton); property of Roger de Poitou; property lost to Roger de Meresheys after a rebellion against Henry I. 
Bootle: (Boltelai) The name of the town of Bootle comes from the Old English word "botl" meaning dwelling house or shelter; Lord of the Manor were the Moore family 
Childwall chapel (later All Saints) mentioned in the Doomsday Book; Ancient Parish; 1066, part of the Ancient Childwall parish; 1 of 10 parish divisions
Crosby: (Crosebi); "with Crosses" or "the cross village"; local area lord at the time of the Conquest: 'Uctred held vi manors. Rabil, chcnulveslei, cherchebei, crosbei, magele,achetun. There are ii hides, the woods are ii leagues long and the same broad, and there are ii hawkes aeries. Dot held Hitune and Torboc'"
Formby; (Fornebei) founded by Scandinavian settlers in the early 9th century; (possibly means "old village" from Forn, Old Norse
Garstang: (Domesday: Cherestanc); Gaerstung (common or meadow land)
Heysham: St. Peter's Parish church goes back to 976 AD; Edge of Morecambe Bay
Hurlston: Hurlston Hall mentioned in the Doomsday Book; very near Ormskirk 
Huyton: (Hitune with Rabil); Huyton with Roby; Hitune meaning literally 'High Town'
Ince Blundell: (Hinne)
Kirkby: (Cherchebi); Kirk "church" & by "settlement"
Knowsley: Anglo Saxon for a man named Cynewulf or Cenwulf; Domesday: (Chenulveslei)
Lathom:  Excavations date back to about 2000 BC
Litherland; (Liderlant); "Slope land"
Lydiate: "Swinging gate"; "Leite" mentioned in Doomsday book (Lydiate?)
Manchester: (Mamecester, Ango-Saxon term); around 1074 area given to Roger de Poitou; (Churches: St. Mary's Church and St. Michael's Church); Recorded in the Doomsday book that Roger de Poitou granted part of the royal manor, (Salford), to Albert Grelley; the area included Manchester
Maghull: (Magele); "Where mayweed grows"; "The first record of Maghull appears in the Doomsday Book; where it is recorded as a manor belonging to Uctred in the time of Edward the Confessor (1004 to 1066). Uctred was a man of some influence in the lands that lay between the rivers Ribble and Mersey. It is not known how Uctred met his end, but by 1086 Roger of Poictou held Uctred's lands." Local area lord at the time of the Conquest: 'Uctred held vi manors. Rabil, chcnulveslei, cherchebei, crosbei, magele,achetun. There are ii hides, the woods are ii leagues long and the same broad, and there are ii hawkes aeries. Dot held Hitune and Torboc'"
Melling: Man named Moll or Malla  
Roger de Poitou's holding before 1086, then went back to the King; Salford Hundred included most of modern Manchester, as far as Heaton Mersey in the south, Bolton and Bury to the north, Oldham and Rochdale to the east, and Warrington and Wigan to the west.
North Meols: (Otegrimeles)
Penwortham: In the Ribble Valley
Ribchester: Ancient town built on the site of the Roman station at Bremetenacum
Roby: (Rabil); (Manor held by Uctred
Sefton: (Sextone); "Sedge Farmstead", "where rushes grow"
Skelmersdale: East of Ormskirk; " In 55 BC the town was a rest over stop for Roman soldiers travelling from Wigan to Crosby on the River Mersey. Recently, a quantity of Roman coins were unearthed by children in 1949 at nearby Ottershead Farm." Mentioned in the Doomsday Book "as being under the rule of Uctred, and part of the West Derby Hundred." (about 100 acres of farmland)
Southport area: ( Erengermeles); Near North Meols
Speke: (Spec); Part of the Ancient Childwall parish; 1066, 1 of 10 parish divisions
Tarbock: Domesday: (Tarboc); "Torboc"; Once held by the Saxon Thane, Dot
Thornton: Thornton and Clayton were sub-manors of Bolton Manor near Eccleshill
Up Holland; 5 miles west of Wigan on a slope of a ridge
Walton: Possibly Weall (Wall) or Weald (Wood); (Another source stated: "Place of the Walh", source for the word "Welsh")?; where the Walas (foreigners) live 
Walton on the Hill; One of the largest townships in the area in 1066; Walton, possibly named from the Anglo Saxon weall (wall) or weald (wood)
Wavertree: Site of stone age & bronze items; was part of the Ancient Childwall parish; 1066, 1 of 10 parish divisions 
West Derby: (Derbie); "Viking term--place of the wild beasts"; Deor Bei; At the time of the Conquest, an important administrative center; West Derby Hundred (as opposed to Derbyshire), Manor of West Derby with its six berewicks; Roger de Poitou built a castle in West Derby, 1086; (Viking for "by", "homestead or village"
Whiston: Quitstan (1245); Whiston (1355)
Woolton: (Ulventone) in the Hundred of Wirral; another source: Woolton: (Uluetune) in the Domesday Book - derives from Wulfa's tun (tun: village farm, homestead), Anglo Saxon in origin; Much & Little Woolton, South Lancashire; was part of the Ancient Childwall parish; 1 of 10 parish divisions; Shortly after the Domesday survey Woolton became part of the barony of Halton and Widnes & Halton

Monarchs
Circa 455-802; 802-Present

I'm from South Carolina, so I have trouble with all the English Kings and Queens. 
Celts: Well established tribes, but never joined together to form an empire: *Names of some of the Celtic Tribes in Britain: 
Caledonii, Boresti, (Northern Scotland); Damonii, Novantae, Selgovae, Votadini (Southern Scotland); Carvetii, Brigantes, Parisi--old Gauls--(Cumbria, Yorkshire, Durham & Lancashire); Deceangli/Ceangi (north coastal area of Wales), Ordovices, Silures, Demetae (Wales); Cornovii, (Staffordshire, Shropshire, Cheshire); Corieltauvi/Coritani (Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northhamptonshire); Dobunni (Cotswolds); Durotriges (Dorset, parts of Wiltshire & Somerset); Dumnonii (south  west peninsula--Chysauster & Carn Euny); Iceni, Catuvellauni, Trinovantes--north of the Thames--& Cantiaci (Norforlk, Essex, Sulfolk, Cambridgeshire, London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, probably Buckinghamshire, & Canterbury); Atrebates--associated with the Gauls & pro-Roman--(Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, West Surrey, north east Wiltshire); Regnenses/Regni (also Sussex; Hampshire); Cantium (Kent, part of Sussex); Belgae--migrated from Belgium? (Winchester, Bath)
Romans: Britannia became a province of the Roman Empire
Early British Kingdoms:  
Kings of: Bernicia, 500 AD; Deheubarth, 909; Deira, 559; East Anglia, Before 571; Essex, 527; Glywysing (Moggannwg), Before 523; Gwynedd, Before 517; Hwicce, Before 674; Kent, Circa 455; Lindsey, 7-8th century; Magonset, Circa 650; Mercia, Circa 585; Northumbria, 500; Picts, 448; Powys, Circa 460; Scots, Circa 500; South Gyrwe, Before 664; Strathclyde, Circa 450; Surrey (South Kingdom, south of the Thames), 673; Sussex, 477; Wessex, 519-802
Norse Kings of Man: Circa 836; Norse Kings of York: 876
http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/index.html   
House of Wessex, Anglo-Saxon Kings: 
Egbert First King of all England b. abt. 775-839; reigned 802-839
Aethelwulf b?-858; reigned 839-855;Aethelbald b?-d?; reigned 855-860; Aethelbert b?-d?; reigned 860-866; Aethelred I b?-871; reigned 866-871; Alfred (the Great) 849-899; reigned 871-899; Anglo Saxon Chronicle; Edward (the Elder) b?-925; reigned 899-925; Athelstan b?-941; reigned 925-940; Edmund I (the Magnificent) b.923-946 or 948; reigned 940-946; Eadred b?-955; reigned 946-955; Edwig/Edwy (All Fair) b?-959; reigned 955-959; Edgar (the Peaceable) b. ?-975; reigned 959-975; Edward (the Martyr) b.?-978; reigned 975-978; Aethelred/Ethelred II (the Unready) 968-1016; reigned 978-1016; Edmund (Ironside) 989-1017; reigned 1016-1017
Danish Kings:
Svein (Forkbeard) 1014; Canute/Cnut (the Great), (King of England, Denmark, & Norway) b 995-1035; (by conquest) reigned 1017-1035; Harald I (Harefoot) b?-1040; reigned 1035-1040; Hardicanute 1019-1042; reigned 1040-1042
Saxon Kings:
Edward (the Confessor) 1004-1066; reigned 1042-1066; Harold II 1022-1066; reigned 1066
Norman Kings:  
William I (the Conqueror) 1027/28-1087; 2nd cousin to Edward the Confessor; reigned 1066-87; Domesday Book; William II (Rufus) 1056-1100; reigned 1087-1100; Henry I (Beauclerc) 1068-1135; reigned 1100-1135; Stephen 1105-1155; reigned 1135-54; Empress Matilda (named Lady of the English at Winchester); 1141
Plantagenets, Angevin Line:
Henry II (Curtmantle) 1133-1189; reigned 1154-89 ; Richard I (Lionheart) 1157-1199; reigned 1189-99; John (Lackland) 1166-1216; reigned 1199-1216; Henry III 1207-1272; reigned 1216-72; Edward I (Longshanks) 1239-1307; reigned 1272-1307; Edward II 1284-1327; reigned 1307-27; Edward III 1312-1377; reigned 1327-77; Richard II 1366-1400; reigned 1377-99 
Plantagenet, House of Lancaster:
Henry IV (Bolingbroke) 1367-1413; reigned 1399-1413; Henry V 1387-1422; reigned 1413-1422; Henry VI 1421-1471; reigned 1422-1461 
Plantagenet, House of York:
Edward IV 1441-1483; reigned 1461-1483; Edward V 1470-1483; reigned 1483-1483; Richard III (Crookback) 1452-1485; reigned 1483-85
House of Tudor:
Henry VII (Tudor) 1457-1509; reigned 1485-1509; Henry VIII 1491-1547; reigned 1509-47; Edward VI 1537-1553; reigned 1547-53; Lady Jane Grey (1553); Mary I (Tudor) 1516-1558; reigned 1553-58 ; Elizabeth I 1533-1603; reigned 1558-1603 
House of Stuart:
James I (King of Scotland & England); 1566-1625; reigned 1603-25; Charles I 1600-1649; reigned 1625-49 
Commonwealth & Protectorate: 
Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658; ruled 1649-1658; Richard Cromwell 1626-1712; ruled 1658-1659
House of Stuart: Restored
Charles II 1630-1685; reigned 1660-85; James II 1633-1701; reigned 1685-89 
House of Stuart and Orange
William III & Mary II Wm 1650-1702; reigned 1689-1702; Mary 1662-1694; reigned 1689-1694 
House of Stuart
Anne 1665-1714; reigned 1702-14
House of Brunswick, Hanover Line:
George I 1660-1727; reigned 1714-27; George II 1683-1760; reigned 1727-60; George III 1738-1820; reigned 1760-1820; George IV 1762-1830; reigned 1820-30; William IV 1765-1837; reigned 1830-1837; Victoria 1819-1901; reigned 1837-1901
House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Edward VII 1841-1910; reigned 1901-10 
House of Windsor:
George V 1865-1936; reigned 1910-1936; Edward VIII 1894-1972; accession and abdication 1936; George VI 1895-1952; reigned 1836-52; Elizabeth II 1952 to present

                                       Ancient Musicians

Click on the underlined to listen to the music or go to the Internet

John of Fornsete, (circa 1226) sumrscum.mid "Sumer is Icumen in"   

King Henry VIII ,  (1491-1547)
Sample to listen to: henry8.mid "Pastyme with Good Companye"
Did you know that Henry the VIII loved music and composed over 30 pieces of music? Just a few include: 
"Helas Madame"; "Gentil Prince de Renom"; and the above: "Pastyme with Good Companye"

Clement Janequin, (1485-1558) janequin_Le_chant_des_oyseaux.mid; "Le Chant des Oyseaux"
William Byrd, (1543-1623)  saliscl.mid; "Lord Salisbury's Pavane"

Music for John of Fornsete; King Henry VIII; & William Byrd by Lory Werths; http://fortunecity.com/flatpickin/mididl.html  
Music for Clement Janequin: www.karadar.com  

Other Incidentals:

Calendar: Pope Gregory revised the calendar in 1582 from the Julian calendar (Julius Caesar's calendar from 45 BC) because it had drifted off 10 days; but, it was not adopted uniformly across Europe until well into the 18th century. The Old Style was used until 1752. People went to bed on the evening of September 02, 1752 and woke up To September the 14th due to the changes in the calendar. 
According to Neil Fazakerley on researching his ancestors of Tarleton "as for dates, I'm always wary of Jan-March figures unless they are indicated with a slash (e.g. 1667/8), you can never tell if they have been adjusted or not." The year issue can be crucial in helping to separate families. 
(The old dates went from March 25 rather than January 1st.)

Guilds: Middle ages: Some guilds existed for various reasons. Some were closely associated with different crafts and others functioned with religious and social duties. The merchant guilds held considerable authority in city government. Other forms of guilds were designed as charitable and religious purposes.
Guilds were forerunners of modern unions. Non members could not practice the trades within the territory. Membership involved a long apprenticeship which usually ran for seven years. The employer had to feed, clothe, and lodge the apprentice.
Guilds regulated standards of quality and the hours of labor were fixed.
Guilds represented only a small percent of the population yet held all the power; below the guilds were 72 unions of vote-less workers; below these were thousands of day laborers forbidden to organize and lived in poverty; on the bottom of the ladder were a few slaves.
Surfs could run away and live in a town one year and one day and become freemen, but they seldom were admitted to a guild.
The great guilds: Wool Merchants; Workers in Wool; Judges & Notaries; Bankers; Weavers; Physicians & Pharmacists; and Furriers.
The lesser guilds: businessmen & craftsmen; butchers; shoemakers; blacksmiths; builders; second hand dealers; wine-dealers; innkeepers; sellers of salt, oil & cheese; tanners; armory makers; ironworkers; girdle-makers; woodworkers; & bakers. 

Freemen: Men could gain their freedom in various ways:
1) Serving an apprenticeship (most common method)
2) If a person's father was a freeman
3) By marrying a daughter of a freeman
4) By orders of the council (Mayor, Aldermen & Common Council) which was usually applied to someone who had served an apprenticeship outside the city. They generally had to pay a "fine". 

Recusancy Period: 
Sixteenth Seventeenth & Eighteenth Centuries 

The following brief history and explanation was sent to me by Isobel Woods, Jan. 2004. It helped this American understand a bit more about British History and Catholicism. (January 20, 2004, bfh)

Re: Marriages / Question
    " I am greatly interested in Recusancy history. If we go back far enough, of course, everyone was Catholic. After the Reformation in England, from the time of Henry VIII onwards, Catholicism was suppressed; priests were tracked down and martyred and so were those who hid them. They were very dangerous times.  Marriages and baptisms were performed in secret whenever  there was a priest in the area. Records were not kept for the same reason.

  Lancashire remained a very Catholic area. It was some distance from London and rather isolated. Many of the gentry had private chapels and/or chaplains e.g. the Blundells of Ince Blundell , the Scarisbricks at Scarisbrick Hall, the Andertons at Lydiate Hall, the Molyneux of Sephton etc and the local Catholic tenants went to the Hall to hear Mass. Until very recent times only Catholics were allowed to live in Little Crosby village which was owned by the Blundells.

   The earliest records were not kept in registers as we know them but in the priests own pocket books which he carried around with him for safety. Even in the 1790's, at the start of  the Scarisbrick RC "register" / notebook , only the name of the child baptised was recorded, not the parents.
  RC registers began mid 19thC. From 1860 until about 1970 they were written in Latin.

    It wasn't until the Registration Act of 1836  that marriages were permitted in RC churches and NonConformist Chapels.
Prior to that only those marriages which took place in the CE were considered legal. Jews and Quakers were exempted.

Therefore you get two ceremonies if the parties were RC or Non-Conformist, usually, [but not always] two or three days apart. The CE marriage was essential for legal purposes such as inheritance. The witnesses were not always the same. At the CE church, one was usually the parish clerk.

Similarly, there were no Catholic burial grounds until about 1850 so they had to be buried at the parish church. Quite often the CE burial register shows the word "papist" against the entry.

Often children of Catholic families were baptised at the parish church or sometimes the male children were baptised at the parish church and the females at the RC church. You really do have to consider all possibilities when searching!

End of lesson!!   Hope it sheds some light on the situation."
 Isobel

"The 1767 Returns of the Papists for the Diocese of Chester were published in 1980 by the Catholic Record Society as an Occasional Paper. Transcribed under the direction of E. S. Worrall."
"The information required was collected by the parish clergy and forwarded for the diocesan authorities, who then passed it to the Clerk of the House of Lords as directed." 
Isobel also stated that the returns "are not 100% accurate because expediency prevailed in many instances. The husband suddenly "became a Protestant", for example or entire families were not recorded for various reasons."  

VERY OLD MAP OF LIVERPOOL & SURROUNDING AREAS

 

SCOTLAND

Connecting with Scottish Ancient History
1500BC to 2004AD

Steve's 400 year old cottage:
Would you believe in these modern times of office buildings, high-rises, interstate highways and so much crowding that there is actually a place where one can find--and live in--a 400 year old cottage within walking distance of an old Neolithic Stone Circle dating back to 1500BC and Pictish Symbol Stones nearby?

Well Steve has found such a place in Scotland and is blessed to be able to call it "Home". this is a description of is humble abode:

"Spring seems to have arrived here, all the Daffodils and Tulips are making a great show in the garden. I live in an old croft cottage about 400 years old, restored it myself and found many old relics from the past, newspapers from 1875 and 1911, if only these old stone walls could speak! About 200 yards down from me through the Beech Wood there is the remains of a Neolithic Stone Circle (1500BC!!) dating habitation here back to the beginning of man in Scotland! This part of Scotland is something of a Mecca for stone circles and Pictish Symbol Stones, yet the tourists always flock to Stone Henge, little do the know!!"
Steve

Steve has a valid point. There are other places of ancient history to "flock to" besides the famous Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.
Besides those near Steve, there are also the Standing Stones of Calanais on the Isle of Lewis that date back to 3000 BC; also, the Ring of Brogar and Stones of Stenness, both in Orkney. Then there are the Neolithic structured tombs that can be found in Maes Howe, Orkney.  

According to some historians, some of these stone monuments offer strong ties to the ancient Celts, but some monuments in some areas appear to predate the Celts by a thousand years or more. Astounding. 
Billie Fazakerly Harrison

Good sites to visit for more very interesting history:

http://members.aol.com/scothist/scot1.html 

http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/ 

WALES: CYMRY

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica:
There has been old stone age occupation dating back 200,000 years;
Traces of Mesolithic inhabitants of 8,000 to 3,000 BC have been found;
Yet, it was not until the Neolithic & Bronze Age periods from 3,000 BC on "that Wales received its basic and still important, ethnic stock, namely, that of the dark short Mediterranean type."     

It is believed that the blue stones of the inner circle of Stonehenge came from Wales (300 miles away), supposedly from the mountains in Southwest Wales (Prescelly Mountains).  
The Welsh/Cymru were one of the Celtic groups in Britain.
The Welsh/Cymru speak Cymraeg, a form of Celtic known as Brythonic or P-Celtic (Welsh, Cornish, & Breton), and is different from the Q-Celtic (Irish, Scots, & Manx Gaelic)  
The word "Welsh" was a name given to the people and means "foreigner".
 
See the following website: The British Club's
http://britannia.com/wales/whist1.html 

The Welsh have their own rules concerning alphabet and pronunciation. It is rather fascinating. 
A great site to visit to see how the Welsh language is spoken.
British History Club's: http://www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/language.html 
Examples: 
dd is pronounced like th; 
f is pronounced like v, but ff is pronounced like f; etc.

A couple of sources stated that "the Welsh were descendants of the Galatians". 
A superb website about the Celtic Galatians by Stephen Paul DeVillo:  http://www.celticleague.org/history_8-02.html

IRELAND
Eire (Irish); Iverne (Greek); Hibernia (Roman); Ireland (Anglicized form of Erin)
 
Gaels are Celts
Celts: a more general term referring to Gaels & Other Groups in Wales, France, Spain; Europe and the Middle East  

A brief Timeline 
All dates are approximate:
600 BC Celts from Central Europe
200 BC Celts from the La Tene Civilization
100 BC Celts from Western Europe: Gaels
300-400 AD Scotti Tribes: Irish Tribes of Northeast Ireland; Irish Scots The Scotti Tribes "harried" the Roman troupes of Britain
*Ireland never became a Roman Province 
432 AD St. Patrick to Ireland to convert the "pagans" to Christianity
Ruthless Christian practices eventually destroyed the power of the Druids in Ireland yet, some of the Christians believed in their supernatural powers of prophecy. 
500 AD the Irish Scots settled in Scotland (Caldonian/Picts)
500 AD "Old Celtic" language became "Q-Celtic" in Ireland. 
Sounds represented by a hard c or q in Goidelic languages appeared as "p" in Bythronic 
Example: Q-Celtic: Irish, Scotch, Manx; 
Patrick was originally known as "Coithriche" in Ireland 
Example: P-Celtic or Bythronic: Breton, Cornish, Welsh; 
Patrick is "Padrig" in Welsh   
800 AD Vikings
1167 Normans & the continuous struggle between English and Irish 
1656 Irish Catholics sent as slaves to the Islands in the Caribbean
1782 Legislative Independence won from Britain by Irish Parliament
1845-1846 Potato blight & failure of potato harvest
1848-1849 Worst Years of Famine
1919 Irish War of Independence against Britain
1955 Ireland joins the United Nations

Megaliths
See the following wonderful site:
http://www.irishmegaliths.org.uk/genius.htm 
Includes: Bullauns; Court Tombs; Cross Pillars; Ogham Stones; Passage Tombs; Petroglyphs & Rock Art; Phallic Stones; Pillar Stones; Portal Tombs; Stone Circles; Stone Forts; Sweathouses; & Wedge Tombs 

Druids
Pre-Christian pagan belief system. Exact origin of the Druids is not clear, though they were among the ancient Celtic groups of Gaul, Britain, and Germany. The Druids (an indo-European term; dru strong & wyd knowledge) were judges, prophets, historians, poets, bards, magicians, physicians, educators of nobility and priests with immense power. The druids performed rituals and believed strongly in various aspects of the laws of nature--seasonal cycles, the sun, water, animals, war, and fertility. They supposedly believed in reincarnation. Sadly, these people of "strong knowledge" did not believe in writing anything down; though, they used a "secret" form of markings which were their "keys of wisdom" called Ogham.

Ogham
An Ancient Celtic Alphabet; Twenty letters of the alphabet were names of trees sacred to the Druids. These unique markings were the only written "secret" alphabet until the Christians came and taught Latin. 

Irish Language
Goidel: Old Irish
Gaedheal: Irish
Gaelic: English Term

American History
Breaking away from our parent: England

1776: Declaration of Independence was signed
1783: End of the Revolutionary War
1792-1814: England & France at war
1807: USS Chesapeake attacked by the British Ship Leopard
President Jefferson asked Congress to pass an embargo--which meant no trade with foreign countries.
1810: The new congress elected consisted of a group of men considered to be "War Hawks" who wanted to go to war with England.
1812: James Madison, President, declared war on England
1813: Andrew Jackson defeated the Indian uprisings during this time.
1814: England defeated France; Now they concentrated on America; The British burned the Executive Mansion in Washington, D.C.
Francis Scott Key watched the British attack Fort McHenry near Baltimore and wrote what was to become our National Anthem: "The Star Spangled Banner". At the end of 1814 (December 24) the Peace Treaty between England & America was signed. 
1815: However, I guess it took a long time for word to get around because in January the British attacked the town of New Orleans. The battle was important to the British since it could cut off supplies to the American Settlers. 
Andrew Jackson, nicknamed "old hickory" won that battle. Jackson's army was made up of a mixture of different fighting groups: U.S. Army troops, state soldiers, sharpshooters from the wild west, free Blacks and even pirates. His poorly equipped army used whatever they could to make barricades such as cotton bales & sugar barrels for protection. They had to fight in the dangerous swampy land of Louisiana. The battle was an astounding success for America and for Andrew Jackson. "Old Hickory" became a national hero and later became president.

The following cute song (or crude song--depending on which side of the "pond" one is on) is a celebration of the victory. It is generally considered an American Bluegrass tune, often done on the Banjo.
Johnny Horton's version (written by a high school principal, Jimmy Driftwood) became extremely popular--just one of those quick, fast-beat songs that "stick in your mind". Only a few of the many verses that were written are listed below. The song is rich with some of our colloquial American slang.

"Battle of New Orleans"

In eighteen and fourteen we took a little trip,
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mis-sis-sip’
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,
And we met the bloody British near the town of New Orleans.

CHORUS
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin
There wuzn't nigh as many as there waz a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin’ 
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We looked down the river and we see'd the British come,
There must have been a hundred of ‘em beatin’ on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
We stood behind our cotton bales and didn’t say a thing. 

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin
There wuzn't nigh as many as there wuz a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin’ 
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Old Hickory said we'd take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'till we looked 'em in the eyes.
We held our fire 'till we see'd their faces well.
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave 'em---Well...

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin
There wuzn't nigh as many as there wuz a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin’ 
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our cannon 'till the barrel melted down,
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls 'n' ----powdered his behind,
And when we touched the powder off----the 'gator lost his mind.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wuzn't nigh as many as there wuz a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch em'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

(ends with marching cadence)
 

History of the American One Dollar Bill

Significant facts about the symbols; Honoring Veterans Day, November 11; Interesting notes about the # 13 (I was born on the 13th, so I found this interesting) This was forwarded to me via e-mail: Author unknown 

"Take out a one dollar bill. The one dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design.
This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it.   It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States.   The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark.   This country was just beginning.   We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.   It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking."

The Latin below the
pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776.    If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States.   It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushel, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most heroes’ monuments.   Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks; yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown.   We had just broken from the King of England.   Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own.   At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation.   In the Eagle's beak you will read, " E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning, "one nation from many people."

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one.

Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds
an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum," 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

I always ask people, "Why don't you know this?"  Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't know this.   Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade.   Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all."

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