George II (1683 - 1760) sat upon the throne. It was the mid-1700's. The British Kingdom of England and Ireland was a contested monarchy. George was the least capable of the four Georges and lacked the strength of either his father or his son. Scotland was in revolt, France was at war and Spain was an enemy. The colonies were being settled in the New World.
The Hanovers were never a close family. George II, even in childhood, choose to side against his father in state affairs. He despised the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and spoke out against his policies. Walpole was the power under George I. Most believed when the son rose to the throne, Walpole would be gone from the political scene. However, when George II seized power, his advisers proved inadequate, almost from the first, and, from necessity, he had to turn back to Walpole to get his government in shape. Quickly the former Prime Minister reinserted himself under the son, through the Queen, and, once again, Walpole became the true power in the Isles.
During his reign, George II fought wars against France and Spain, France's ally. On the domestic front, he was faced with an unruly Scotland and the Jacobite movement, which arose in both Ireland and Scotland over the right of succession and the rightful king, the Hanover heir or one of the Stuarts, who had been dethroned to place the Hanovers in power initially.
As he fought on the continent, he sent English loyalists into Scotland and Ireland to hold the commoners in check and under his thumb and to deal with the Jacobite rebellion. After aborted attempts under George I, and George II, history shows only four actual attempts to overthrow the rule of the Hanovers and return the Catholic Stuarts to the throne. The Irish rose up against the Hanovers in 1688, as soon as James Ii was cast aside. They sent an Irish brigade to France to fight against the English in the continental wars. In 1689-92, the Scottish highlanders fought against the lowlanders and the English. In the end they too swore an oath to George. The Stuarts lead a rising in 1715 but it had little success and the English easily defeated them. In 1745 George II raised an army to crush the Jacobite uprising, the last battles fought on English soil.
Against this backdrop, those who did the King's bidding, earned the King's favor. One of the King's desire was to deal with the Scots. Against this troubling rebellion, George sent those most loyal, both royalty and commoners. Those who held the Scots or Irish in their place were rewarded, with land grants, first in Ireland, then in the new colonies, in America.
All through the eastern seaboard, loyal subjects of the throne arrived, bearing grants from George. Many of these were fro the middle colonies, Virginia, Georgia, the Carolinas. A large section of the Shenandoah Valley was given to settlers in such a manner, awarded by George II for the loyalty shown in service to the throne, in putting the rebels down and serving as mercenaries for the King. Many such land grants were landed out during his reign for this type of service. It saved the King funds and helped to settled the British held lands in America with people loyal to the monarchy.
One such man was John Galford, given a land grant for a holding in the Shenandoah for his prior service. He settled near other families with similar histories. His wife and he had four sons and they cleared the wilderness from their land and grew crops and began to make a life, something like a farm life in southern England.
It has been alleged that John was of Scottish heritage and he or rather his son, John Thomas Galford, was awarded the land grant by George II. John Thomas Galford was born in 1757. He would have been 3 years old when George II died. It is not possible for the land grant to have been issued to him. Equally, it is not possible for the grant to have come from George III. By the time George III was on the throne and John Thomas was even 15 years old, the War for Independence was under way.
Looking at the other issue, given the likelihood the grant did come from George II, who did issue such land grant freely, it had to have gone to John Galford. Of course, he may have passed it on to his son. Either way, it is not possible for John Galford, or his children, to have been of Scottish decent. George was extremely prejudiced against both the Scots and the Irish. They were Catholic, he was Protestant. He was at war with them. They sided with the Stuarts against his family, the Hanovers. Historically, this would have amounted to one of the most unique grants ever issued.
Anyway, the Galfords settled in the Shenandoah. They had 288 acres provided in the original grant, though part was sold off. John had four sons. three sons apparently liked the valley and they stayed and their children and their children's children stayed.
Eventually one son decided to join the western migration, following paths set by the likes of Daniel Boone and others before him. He moved out of the Valley and headed west across the Appalachians, stopping in the Ohio Valley, near modern-day Columbus. There he settle down and began to settle down again.
The other three sons stayed in the Valley and their children and grandchildren settled the Valley and moved into homes of their own there in throughout northern Virginia and southern Pennsylvania. Distant offspring of these sons still reside in these places today.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
823 AD
As dawn broke, from the shadowy mists along the banks of the rise, the Celts massed near the ancient town of Exeter. By the thousands they had come, from Cornwall in the west and Wales to the north, to stand in the land of the Dumnonii,to fight the hated invaders, the Angles and Saxons, those foreigners trying to take their lands from them, as they had once seized them many long decades before from Brits and Picts. The problem was the local tribes, the largest of the Celtic groups, the Dumnonii, inhabitants of Dumnonia (Devon), were allies of the Saxons, not the West Celts. Dumnonia had fallen to Egbert and the Saxons back in 802 and was ruled by them.
Dumnonia's principal town, Exeter, lay to the northeast. Twenty-one years ago the Saxons had first come here to fight with the Celts. The Dumnonii had stood and fought, but the Saxons had overrun them. then no help had come from the Welsh and Cornish tribes. Over the years, the Dumnonii had bred into the Saxon, paid tribute to their Saxon lords, and now served the Saxon overlords.
They massed on the Down and formed the shield wall, locking their shields and readying themselves. They could see their enemies coming from the east now. Six or more to one they were outnumbered, but still they stood and waited. They were Celts, descendants of Gaul. They had held off the Romans and kept their tribal lands mostly independent and they would beat back the encroaching Saxons too.
Year after year the Saxons had come from the east and every year they took more and more land. Every year more and more Saxons appeared and less and less Celts survived. Still they fought on. It was their way and this was their land. Though the tribes rarely fought together, today they united against the common foe. Here on the Down they would stand in the wall. Here by the river's ford, they would show the Saxon the might of the Celtic swords and bows.
Dawn broke, the shadows lifted, and the Saxon shield wall had formed up and was pressing forward. It was longer than the Celts' and there were many in reserve, with two or three lines following the first one forward. Soon the two shield walls came together and sword and shield clashed. All along the walls men lunged, pushed and stabbed, seeking an advantage, trying to push forward, attempting to drop their adversaries and collapse their wall. All morning the walls held and the fighting was at a stalemate. It appeared the mighty Saxon force would not go west any further this day.
By mid-day the Saxons lead by King Egbert were engaged the entire length of the shield wall. The Celtic tribes, though greatly outnumbered were holding the high ground along the Down.
One Celtic leader, for whom the battleground would later be known for, was from the Dumnonii, one of the major tribes of western Britain, and he was named Gaflffordd. The Dumnonii were a large contingent in the fighting force that day and Gaflffordd was a local leader of the Dumnonii, most likely the landholder of the battlefield, leading his men on their shield wall. Given that the battle occurred on his lands and the Dumnonii provided a large number of troops to the battle, tradition suggests, Gaflffordd occupied a position somewhere in the middle of the shield wall that day, a position of some honor, normally left of the king. However, this day he lead them against other Celts.
Early in the afternoon, the Saxons and their Dumnonii allies renewed their efforts and pressed their advantage in numbers against the shield wall. Slowly as the afternoon began, the sheer force exerted by the Saxons began to force the Celts back. The wall began to break in spots and men started to fall as their legs were cut from under them, their shields were knocked aside, or they were simply overwhelmed by the power of the Saxons. As they fell, the second line killed them where they lie. The front line kept moving forward. As this occurred, the ends of the Saxon shield walls started to turn toward the center, bending the Celts into an arc,pushing them into a closing circle.
By mid-afternoon, the outcome of the battle was obvious. The Saxons were overrunning the Celtic wall and the Celts were breaking and running from the field of battle. Cornish and Welsh fighters fell, died, or ran to save themselves. Ten thousand had come to do battle, but over half would die that day on the Down and half again would be killed over the next few weeks, as Egbert's son with 40,000 men kept the pursue up, chasing them into Wales and Cornwall.
Never again did the Celts of Wales and Cornwall mount a full out army to stand against the Saxons. From that point forward, they became mercenaries, bandits, and guerrilla fighters, incapable of a complete defense of their homelands. Eventually they faded into history, back into the shadows.
As for the Celtic leader, Gaflffordd, he lived on after the battle. History shows his ancestors becoming Saxons and, using the Saxon name Gavulford. Eventually the descendants would settle on a slightly different spelling, a "place name", meaning Gaul's ford, the place by the river where people crossed, where a mighty battle occurred in 823 AD.
For fifty years following the battle at the Down, Egbert and his sons enjoyed peaceful rule in southern England from Kent across to Cornwall, including Wessex.
Dumnonia's principal town, Exeter, lay to the northeast. Twenty-one years ago the Saxons had first come here to fight with the Celts. The Dumnonii had stood and fought, but the Saxons had overrun them. then no help had come from the Welsh and Cornish tribes. Over the years, the Dumnonii had bred into the Saxon, paid tribute to their Saxon lords, and now served the Saxon overlords.
They massed on the Down and formed the shield wall, locking their shields and readying themselves. They could see their enemies coming from the east now. Six or more to one they were outnumbered, but still they stood and waited. They were Celts, descendants of Gaul. They had held off the Romans and kept their tribal lands mostly independent and they would beat back the encroaching Saxons too.
Year after year the Saxons had come from the east and every year they took more and more land. Every year more and more Saxons appeared and less and less Celts survived. Still they fought on. It was their way and this was their land. Though the tribes rarely fought together, today they united against the common foe. Here on the Down they would stand in the wall. Here by the river's ford, they would show the Saxon the might of the Celtic swords and bows.
Dawn broke, the shadows lifted, and the Saxon shield wall had formed up and was pressing forward. It was longer than the Celts' and there were many in reserve, with two or three lines following the first one forward. Soon the two shield walls came together and sword and shield clashed. All along the walls men lunged, pushed and stabbed, seeking an advantage, trying to push forward, attempting to drop their adversaries and collapse their wall. All morning the walls held and the fighting was at a stalemate. It appeared the mighty Saxon force would not go west any further this day.
By mid-day the Saxons lead by King Egbert were engaged the entire length of the shield wall. The Celtic tribes, though greatly outnumbered were holding the high ground along the Down.
One Celtic leader, for whom the battleground would later be known for, was from the Dumnonii, one of the major tribes of western Britain, and he was named Gaflffordd. The Dumnonii were a large contingent in the fighting force that day and Gaflffordd was a local leader of the Dumnonii, most likely the landholder of the battlefield, leading his men on their shield wall. Given that the battle occurred on his lands and the Dumnonii provided a large number of troops to the battle, tradition suggests, Gaflffordd occupied a position somewhere in the middle of the shield wall that day, a position of some honor, normally left of the king. However, this day he lead them against other Celts.
Early in the afternoon, the Saxons and their Dumnonii allies renewed their efforts and pressed their advantage in numbers against the shield wall. Slowly as the afternoon began, the sheer force exerted by the Saxons began to force the Celts back. The wall began to break in spots and men started to fall as their legs were cut from under them, their shields were knocked aside, or they were simply overwhelmed by the power of the Saxons. As they fell, the second line killed them where they lie. The front line kept moving forward. As this occurred, the ends of the Saxon shield walls started to turn toward the center, bending the Celts into an arc,pushing them into a closing circle.
By mid-afternoon, the outcome of the battle was obvious. The Saxons were overrunning the Celtic wall and the Celts were breaking and running from the field of battle. Cornish and Welsh fighters fell, died, or ran to save themselves. Ten thousand had come to do battle, but over half would die that day on the Down and half again would be killed over the next few weeks, as Egbert's son with 40,000 men kept the pursue up, chasing them into Wales and Cornwall.
Never again did the Celts of Wales and Cornwall mount a full out army to stand against the Saxons. From that point forward, they became mercenaries, bandits, and guerrilla fighters, incapable of a complete defense of their homelands. Eventually they faded into history, back into the shadows.
As for the Celtic leader, Gaflffordd, he lived on after the battle. History shows his ancestors becoming Saxons and, using the Saxon name Gavulford. Eventually the descendants would settle on a slightly different spelling, a "place name", meaning Gaul's ford, the place by the river where people crossed, where a mighty battle occurred in 823 AD.
For fifty years following the battle at the Down, Egbert and his sons enjoyed peaceful rule in southern England from Kent across to Cornwall, including Wessex.
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