The year 2002
has been one of great interest to all those who continue to follow events in
the Eardley Calendar. Our website is now nearing 80,000 'hits,' and we feel
sure that our target of 100,000 visitors will be exceeded before too long. We
have established 'links' with a number of related sites and these new relationships
are set to continue and increase as more appropriate connections develop.
Our thanks go to all Eardleys who felt able to assist in funding the newly restored East Window. As expected, Robert Jack Eardley carried the lion's share but many others made their offerings according to their ability to do so.
The Rededication was a spirited
affair and was combined with a re-reading of the marriage of Robert Jack's son,
Keith, and his new bride, Polly. It was a day they (and us) will never forget.
Reverend Peter Davies presided over the ceremony, and we were honoured by the
presence of Sir Richard Baker-Wilbraham and his wife Lady Anne. It was Sir Richard's
ancestor, Rev. Charles Wilbraham who had raised the funds to make possible the
original window some 150 years earlier. A plaque to mark the event was jointly
unveiled by Robert Jack Eardley and Sir Richard and will remain at the church
in perpetuity. Next time you are in the area, call into the church and feel
that special something which all of us experience and which tells us we are
'home'.
The Flowerdew Hundred near Hopewell,Virginia--one
of the original land grants in America and on which our ancestor Sir George
Yeardley lived held its inaugural 'Descendants of Flowerdew Get-Together in
late August. Robert Jack Eardley was there to represent us, and the event was
a great success. Hundreds of descendants of the original colonists who lived
and worked on George's estate turned up and had a wonderful time swapping family
trees and making what we expect to be lasting friendships. Hopes are high that
this meeting will be the first of many.
Those of you who follow these messages
closely will be aware that the early original research I carried out on Sir
George has been taken up with gusto by cousin Frank of Walsall. He has done
a tremendous job on this project and has been able to tease out by research,
persistence, and sometimes just plain 'luck' all kinds of little known information
about our illustrious ancestor. Many of his findings are already on our site
but a number of 'pearls' have recently come to light. It had been something
of a mystery how George had acquired the administrative skills to have been
elected Royal Governor of Virginia not once, but three times in all. His untimely
death before the age of forty in all probability prevented an even more illustrious
career.In the last few weeks the answer has come to light.the search for evidence
of his higher education had always focused on his surname being Yeardley or
Yardley.in desperation (or maybe it was inspiration). Frank now directed the
search under our current name of Eardley.Checking student undergraduates at
Christ's College Cambridge immediately brought up George Eardley, 17 years old,
the appropriate age for students at that time and fitting his date of birth
perfectly. Eureka! Frank had found his man, and, more importantly, the reason
why the colonists had been able to place such trust in him. He possessed the
double advantage of being both a soldier and an academic.The confusion obviously
arose due to the multiple spellings of our name.The academic staff at Christ's
are genuinely thrilled that they have a new and largely undiscovered hero to
flaunt and they will be ensuring that new undergraduates (particularly historians)
will know all about him!
However there is another twist to
the tale. Some time before this discovery Frank had discovered that retired
Royal Navy man and Marketing Guru, Tom Mor had embarked on a remarkable project.
Years in the planning and research phases, Tom and his associate were producing
a huge and intricate tapestry depicting the English contribution to the colonisation
of early America. Appropriately, it is named 'The New World Tapestry' and can
be viewed at Cold Harbour Mill. Amongst the more than 200 'heroes' represented
was none other than our very own Sir George. Not only that, but there on the
tapestry was the identical family crest that we see on the wall of St. James
Church in Audley. So we had been right all the time. This was indeed our family
member whose grandfather had married one of the Moreton girls of Moreton Hall
and had gone off to London. As if that was not enough excitement for one day,
Frank was intrigued to discover that on the same panel lay the family crest
of the Spencer Family. The family of the late Princess of Wales had, it transpired,
been one of the sponsors of the expedition to colonise Virginia. Tom and Frank
began to see just what they were putting together. Tom's agenda was to save
the 'history' of these gentlemen adventurers before it was lost. We have all
heard of Drake, Raleigh, Hawkins, and Frobisher--names that trip off the tongue
of every English schoolboy or girl--but he felt, there were many others who
deserved recognition. One such is our Sir George.We must remember that as the
only professional soldier on the expedition his organisational skills and combat
experience made him a natural leader. He must have played a leading role in
the reconstruction of the 'Deliverance' which arrived in the 'nick of time'
to save the starving colonists remaining from the other ships. He is described
as a renowned 'indian fighter'and the fact that his own estate of Flowerdew
suffered so few casualties during the infamous massacre appears to indicate
that he played a leading role in securing Jamestown's subsequent survival.
His greatest achievement undoubtedly
lies in his chairmanship of the very first Independent Legislative Assembly
in North America. In the sweltering heat of July and August of 1619 the delegates
hammered out the rules for a new society. They decided how the Virginia Colony
would be governed and defended. At first, idleness and drunken behaviour were
problems
for the colonists. The Assembly decided on a no work-no eat solution. Persistent
drunks were first warned, and if this failed, then a few hours in the 'stocks'
was the order of the day. We know that one of the delegates died during the
deliberations, and that on another occasion George himself was unwell. Finally,
the rules were successfully agreed upon and set out. This model became the template
which the other twelve Colonies would use to set up their own administrations.
Much later, elements from these assemblies were integrated into the United States
Constitution. George is rightly called 'the Father of Representative Government
in North America'.
Frank and Tom decided to invite
Robert Jack to insert a stitch
in the tapestry at Cambridge in early December. Robert Jack flew over for the
weekend and duly demonstrated his dexterity with a needle. The 'operation, ironically
enough, was carried out in a room which George himself would have known well--since
this location predates even him! Take a look on the New
World Tapestry website where many of the completed panels can be viewed.
Those of you whose addresses are known to us can expect a postcard soon which
depicts many points of interest concerning the tapestry. Her Majesty the Queen
and Prince Charles are seen applying their own embroidery skills to this beautiful
work.We are therefore in good company as the tapestry continues to become known
worldwide.
It is Tom Mor's intention to present
a duplicate of the Yeardley Panel to the Flowerdew Museum--hopefully in the
presence of the Governor of Virginia. I stress though that this is still in
the speculative stage. At some stage it is proposed that there be a special
Eardley Day at Audley Church at which Eardleys will be invited to demonstate
their own needlework skills. 'There will be an agreed contribution for the privilege,
which will help defray the enormous expense of completing this project. More
on this later as details emerge.
Last week some twenty five Eardleys met at Federation House in Stoke for their Annual Christmas Dinner. Cyril Eardley, who is a member of this prestigious club was a gracious host and organised the event with the efficiency of an engineer! It was a wonderful night out. Thank you Cyril.
Once again have a wonderful Christmas.
I will contact everyone again as events come to fruition.
Sincerely,
Robert Francis Eardley
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