Re: GARY RUTHERFORD HARDING-JOHN RUTHERFORD
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In reply to:
GARY RUTHERFORD HARDING-JOHN RUTHERFORD
3/11/09
Dear Linda;
You gave me a good laugh today because I just found your post after I'd replied to an old post of Gary's explaining how the Fischer books' assertions imply a neat compartmentalization by time and group that didn't exist in reality.Ok, the key is to remember that the kings of England between 1603 and 1714, weren't English but Scottish, especially the first two: James I and Charles I.Many advisers and courtiers were actually Scottish--and sometimes deliberately seeking American land grants for expanding families and clans.Not everyone thought it was grand idea to become a tenant on the Ulster plantations.The rebellion of 1641 in Ireland essentially proved just how problematic an idea that was.Just because someone hopped a boat from London at this time, doesn't mean they were English.
Additionally, the border of England and Scotland with all of Northumberland and York in England wasn't finalized until 1513--with the Battle of Flodden Field.Until that fateful event, Scotland claimed a large section of what is now northern England, and actually, most often ruled that area since Edinburgh was a lot closer to the area than London.Consider the fact that there were no macadam roads, no canals, nothing to facilitate transport of goods--or troops and government officials, only the rivers and the coast and the closest big navigable river to northern England was Scottish. Also since the time the Danes and Irish conquered York, since the Irish had also settled most of lowland Scotland after the departure of the Romans, the same extended families were on both sides of what is now the border.This continued into the Norman times.To this day famous Scottish names like Bruce, Wallace, Elliott, Armstrong, etc. are on both sides of the border because actually until relatively recently the Scottish border was quite a bit further south.Remember the famous story about how the father of Robert the Bruce had one son with estates in realms claimed by Edward I swear fealty to Edward I while he finally encouraged Robert to support William Wallace?That's a true story and there were a number of families, who, until it was clear Wallace and his supporters were really capable of defeating Edward and sending him southward again were doing exactly the same thing.Situations like this happened again during the time of Edward III.
So, it's possible your Rutherfords aren't as "English" as you may think but part of a branch of Rutherfords that had lands on both sides of what became the border, and were actually Scottish, especially if they came from York, Northumberland or Cumberland.
I hope this helps some.
Cecilia L. Fabos-Becker, San Jose, CA
direct email: [email protected]