My Persona

Since hooking up with Robin and creating the Sea Chameleon, I've wanted to create a story about who I was and how I ended up on this boat ... ship. Part of the A&S 50 Challenge that I've also taken on is to create or learn 50 things about my persona. Here's my work in progress (which may get amended from time to time, until I get it all sorted out).

(edited 9.6.09)

1. Born in 1556 in County Meath, Ireland
2. Raised mostly in Westmorland, England at Lowther Hall
3. Parents: Sir Richard Lowther and Frances Middleton
4. Had 16 brothers and sisters
5. Year I'm currently living in: 1581
6. George Clifford was a cousin of mine who was born two years after me, so we
were close in age and grew up together
7. The ship I'm on is a frigate
8. While an arranged marriage would have been the usual course for me, I was rebellious and didn't want to marry; and I got my way in that
9. I spent a lot of time in Ireland, especially with my cousin George, who had been married young against his will and was often away from home traveling in Ireland; we were of a 'like mind' about things, both being adventurous, restless types, and got on well together
10. In England at this time, Elizabeth I had taken the throne.
11. Cousin George was a predominant 'gentleman adventurer' for Our Queen, and I often traveled with him. This is how I came to meet Robin McCauley (a privateer out of Ireland). We hooked up, as it were, and I left George's ship to sail with Robin.

Notes: A lot of this is based on my true family genealogy. Sir Richard Lowther and Frances Middleton were, in fact, my real ancestors. I was astounded to find that they had allegedly had twenty children (four of whom died young) ... they had a child almost every year from the year they were married, on. It seems Frances was pregnant pretty much non-stop from her 20s into her 40s. The Lowthers lived at Lowther Hall (now Lowther Castle - same location, rebuilt in the 17th century), Westmorland, England, but for some reason I haven't yet ferretted out, four of their children were born in County Meath, Ireland. I've decided I was one of them - it gives me the tie with Ireland I wanted (not to mention, the Hill of Tara is in County Meath, which will eventually come to explain my chosen name - Rayne of Tara).

Some of the Lowther family did hold lands in Ireland, in fact there is a town in Ireland named Irvinestown, which formerly was known as Lowtherstown, as one of my distant ancestors founded it - I haven't confirmed it, but it appears it was one of Sir Richard's sons who founded the town. (In my persona story, that would be one of my brothers). If I can't track down more information about this connection to Ireland, I'll make something up - after all, a persona doesn't have to be historically perfectly accurate, just plausible.

George Clifford was also a relation of mine, being a second cousin to Sir Richard. George was 3rd Earl of Cumberland and had a colorful history, engaging in some buccaneering in his time. While he hadn't yet begun his piratey adventures in 1581, it was only a few years later when he did, and with a little creative license, I can use him to explain how I came to be living a sea-faring life.
I know I don't have to have such real-life links, but I'm doing it because I think it's fun - I was fortunate to be able to trace this particular branch of my family back so far, and I find it really cool to be able to 'pretend' to be a part of this actual family, my real ancestors, during the Middle Ages.