J-M's History Corner

A little while ago, I posted a biography of my cousin General Sir Frank Walter Messervy (1893-1974).  Today, I’m posting a biography of my direct ancestor Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) (also known as William the Marshal ), a medieval English knight. From Wikipedia: William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal ( Norman French : Williame li Mareschal , [1] French : Guillaume le Maréchal ), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. [2] He served five English kings – Henry II , his sons the “Young King” Henry , Richard I , John , and John’s son Henry III . Knighted in 1166, he spent his younger years as a knight errant and a successful tournament competitor; Stephen Langton eulogized him as the “best knight that ever lived.” [3] In 1189, he became the de facto Earl of Pembroke through his marriage to Isabel de Clare , though the title of earl would not be officially gra...

For a website devoted to historical (or quasi-historical) topics, I've never actually posted a biography.  Well, that has now officially changed.  The person I have chosen to be my first to have his life discussed?  General Sir Frank Walker Messervy (1893-1974) , an officer in the British Indian Army who served in both World Wars. From Messervy Stories : Sir Frank Walter Messervy , although not born in Jersey, was the son of Walter John Messervy of St. Helier, Jersey (1861-1955).  Walter was an accountant who took up a position as a bank manager in Trinidad.  There he met his wife, Naida Myra de Boissière (b. abt. 1869) and their three children were born there.  The de Boissières were a family of note in Trinidad, having descended from Jean Valleton de Boissière who emigrated to Trinidad in the late 1700s. The family held extensive estates and is distinct from other French immigrants by religion (Protestant) and their sometimes unconventional lifestyl...