History & Genealogy
                                History

I'm not sure whether my love of history is innate, or if it is the product of a very early desire to, and subsequent love of, travel. Either way, the two go hand in hand, and together have been the inspiration for my personal writing initiatives.

My travels have enabled me to experience many historical places firsthand and research subjects that interest me or have caught my attention at some of the finest research facilities in the world, including England's Public Record Office in Kew and the National Archive Newspaper Archive near London, as well as many smaller facilities just about everywhere. I've also been able to explore one branch of my family's history - the Towneley's of Towneley, England - by visiting Ramsgate, England, and, in particular, Towneley Hall in Burnley, England. 

The expression of my passion for history is most evident in my personal writing endeavors, including:

• A great many articles on historical royalty I've written under the pseudonym "The Royal Scribe" for the Etoile's Unofficial Royalty Site

• A series of articles on "Royal Retreats" - historical houses with connections to royalty, as well as a number of other articles on historic destinations in Britain for a great web magazine called TimeTravel-Britain

• In-depth historical articles for specialty and scholarly journals like European Royal History Journal and Royalty Digest Quarterly on subjects like: Alice Heine, the first American princess of Monaco; the Duke and Duchess of Windsor; a history of Bonapartes in America; and the historic Czech monarchy.

• One of my favorite historic subjects, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, is a frequent theme in my writing, and I've written a number of articles for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor Society Quarterly.

• Since marrying a Spaniard, my interest in Spanish history has increased exponentially. As a result, one of my recent projects was to research and develop the content for a section of Etoile's Unofficial Royalty Site called The Unofficial Spanish Royal Family Pages.

Pictures of history...

The Friary Court of St. James's Palace in London

"Milkmaids Passage"- Green Park, London

Traitors' Gate - The Tower of London

On January 22, 1936, the day after his accession to the British throne, King Edward VIII was officially proclaimed
by the Garter King of Arms at St. James's Palace. From the third window from left, the new king
- in a break with precedent - watched the proclamation along with his mistress, Wallis Simpson.
Less than a year later, on December 11, 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry Mrs. Simpson.

Stately and elegant, Lancaster House, bordering London's Green Park and just seconds from St. James's Palace,
is a striking contrast to the obscured 'Milkmaids Passage.' Built around 1825 as the aristocratic Stafford House,
it was given to the British Nation in 1912 and re-Christened Lancaster House. For some years it housed the London Museum,
which relocated after WWII. Since, Lancaster House has served government functions, meetings, etc.,
even as a pressroom for Golden Jubilee celebrations. Despite these democratic activities, the house still symbolizes past power and privilege.
Against this backdrop, the Milkmaids Passage is a poignant and powerful message about the inequalities of society.

Traitors’ Gate at the Tower of London is convincing evidence that, in the middle ages, wealth, power
and even royal connections could be more dangerous than advantageous. Unlike today, individuals with such attributes were
often seen not as mere extensions of the crown, but as direct threats to the monarch – especially if that monarch was keen
to make a point or get his or her way. The Gate provided direct, but secure, access into the Tower of London via
the Thames for the transport of important prisoners. Some of the more memorable individuals to pass through the Gate included Queen Elizabeth I
(while she was still Princess Elizabeth) and her mother, Anne Boleyn. But the Gate didn’t always have such a menacing reputation –
when it was built in 1240 during the reign of Henry III, it was known as Water Gate.

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The Friary Court of St. James's Palace in London

On January 22, 1936, the day after his accession to the British throne, King Edward VIII was officially proclaimed
by the Garter King of Arms at St. James's Palace. From the third window from left, the new king
- in a break with precedent - watched the proclamation along with his mistress, Wallis Simpson.
Less than a year later, on December 11, 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry Mrs. Simpson.