England

Century 16

When looking at the Seattle pics, Bill had mentioned that Matt (Edward Sheriff Curtis) looked familiar to him.  A few months later, I had mentioned to Bill that Tarah needed math help and he offered to tutor her over the phone, saying he was a good teacher.  When I was looking around at pictures from another period, I noticed a name Thomas Cranmer and looked it up.  This is Thomas Cranmer next to Bill's picture (and Einstein's of course).  Cranmer had been the tutor to King Edward and Godfather to Princess Elizabeth.

This is Tarah next to a portrait of Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I)

This is a picture of King Edward next to Matt (Edward Sheriff Curtis from the Seattle life)

Tarah's grandparents Tom and Stella next to portraits of Richard III and his wife

Richard Boyle (Father of Robert Boyle) / Radik (a.k.a. Robert)

Radik (Robert) and Tarah pinky wrestling

All of us (Michele, Anna, Radik, Rachael, Tarah and I) in Mexico 2005

Radik and I in front of the pyramids in Mexico 2005

Tarah followed Radik around the whole time we were in Mexico together.  He talked to her constantly, telling her story after story.  She never tired of him and said he was "fascinating" to me one night before she fell asleep.  He took her to the beach where they built sandcastles and when they got back he announced to me "I built her a gothic castle!".  He said it wtih such gusto, I noticed it.  Anna remembers him saying that too.

Here's the story behind Queen Elizabeth and Richard Boyle

Boyle was arrested on charges of fraud and collusion with the Spanish (essentially accusations of covert papist infiltration, a treasonable offence for an official in Queen Elizabeth I's protestant civil service) in his office. He was thrown into prison (at least once by Sir William FitzWilliam in about 1592) several times during this episode. He was about to leave for England to justify himself to Queen Elizabeth, when there was a rebellion in Munster in October 1598, which once again returned him to poverty. The Nine Years War arrived in Munster with Irish rebels from Ulster, who were joined by locals who had lost land to English settlers. Boyle was forced to flee to Cork city for safety.  This turn of events left him obliged to return to London and his chambers at The Temple. At this point he was almost immediately taken into the service of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.

Henry Wallop then renewed his prosecution of Boyle. Boyle was summoned to appear at the Court of Star Chamber. In the proceedings, Boyle's adversaries seem to have failed to substantiate their accusations.  Boyle had somehow managed to secure the attendance of Queen Elizabeth I herself at the proceedings, and he successfully exposed some misconduct on the part of his adversaries.  Elizabeth famously said: "By God's death, these are but inventions against the young man" and she also said he was "a man fit to be employed by ourselves".   He was immediately appointed clerk of the council of Munster by Elizabeth I in 1600. In December 1601, Boyle brought to Elizabeth the news of the victory near Kinsale.

In October 1602, Boyle was again sent over by Sir George Carew, the president of Munster, on Irish affairs. He was knighted at St Mary's Abbey, near Dublin, by Carew on July 25, 1603. It was also on this day that he married his second wife, Catherine Fenton, daughter of Geoffrey Fenton.

Walter / Cromwell