Question from Lauren - Seymour siblings birth order
Strickland names Jane Seymour as the eldest child of her parents, saying all the peerages agree. Wikipedia (John Seymour's article) has Jane as the fifth oldest child. Which is right and how do we know?
The fact is - we don't know. Most historians can't agree if Anne or Mary Boleyn was born first. It can be exceedingly difficult to pinpoint birth dates.
My very limited research on the Seymours has Jane as the first daughter but with Edward and Thomas older. Again, my research on them is VERY limited.
There are several reasons we don't know some of the birth dates. the first is that there was no requirement to record births. Christenings were generally recorded but if the parish records did not survive the multiple changes in religion or the Cromwellian regime, then we simply don't have records. Sometimes you can work backwards if an age is recorded in a will or on a tombstone but even then, the information may not be accurate.
As kb pointed out, there does not seem to be a general consensus on the birth dates of the Seymours. In my limited research, I have seen Edward Seymour's birth listed as early as 1500 and as late as 1505. Jane Seymour from 1505-1508. The only date I've found for Thomas Seymour is 1508.I did not find records for any other siblings. Perhaps they died young? And please remember that while Agnes Strickland was a pioneer of "her story", she is not considered to be an impeccable source. Mary
3 comments:
The fact is - we don't know. Most historians can't agree if Anne or Mary Boleyn was born first. It can be exceedingly difficult to pinpoint birth dates.
My very limited research on the Seymours has Jane as the first daughter but with Edward and Thomas older. Again, my research on them is VERY limited.
There are several reasons we don't know some of the birth dates. the first is that there was no requirement to record births. Christenings were generally recorded but if the parish records did not survive the multiple changes in religion or the Cromwellian regime, then we simply don't have records. Sometimes you can work backwards if an age is recorded in a will or on a tombstone but even then, the information may not be accurate.
As kb pointed out, there does not seem to be a general consensus on the birth dates of the Seymours. In my limited research, I have seen Edward Seymour's birth listed as early as 1500 and as late as 1505. Jane Seymour from 1505-1508. The only date I've found for Thomas Seymour is 1508.I did not find records for any other siblings. Perhaps they died young? And please remember that while Agnes Strickland was a pioneer of "her story", she is not considered to be an impeccable source. Mary
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_names_of_Jane_Seymour%27s_siblings
This website gives one version that shows Jane as being the fifth child out of nine altogether, and the second daughter.
The order may have been John, Margery, Edward, Thomas, Jane, Elizabeth, Henry, Dorothy and Anthony.
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