A Poetic Tribute to D Spencer Hines

Tribute to a Medieval Genealogist

(with due acknowledgement to A Subaltern's Love Song, the poem
celebrating the glories of Miss J. Hunter Dunn by Sir John Betjeman)

Ruth Wilson...

snipped, although it bears frequent repetition.

D. Spencer Hines, oh! D. Spencer Hines,
For such noble forebears your little heart pines,
Plantagenet blood, so rich and so blue,
Down history's currents flows boldly to you.

Charles Ellson...

Charles Ellson...

ITYM John Betjeman ;-)

andrew...

Yes, I too had an image of the immortal Miss Joan Hunter Dunn.

Charles Ellson...

What ? DSH is a tranny ? :-0

(BTW nice work Roy)

Farm1...

Yes but boys always do! That strapping young lass and Betjeman's
youthful lusting descriptionn of her is bound to bring those images to
mind in healthy boys.

Yours Aye Andrew Sellon

Marquesses and earls and knights of the realm,
A pedigree princely, with you at the helm,
We marvel in awe at your ancestral lines
And harbour deep envy, oh! D. Spencer Hines.

D. Spencer Hines, oh! D. Spencer Hines,
How mad I am, sad I am your lineage shines
With lords and fine ladies so courtly and grand,
While mine are the pits, a low peasant band.

Q...

A bunch of posts is evidence. Most people ignored it. Too bad you're

Farm1...

Snort! I must march to the "most people" drum that you think I
should? Grow up Q.

bored.

Q...

It is. Very. -- Q

Farm1...

Yes. I find that people who make assumptions based on no evidence do

Q...

That's not what I wrote.

have fascinating research. Not accurate or verifiable but certainly
fascinating.

Q...

You may rest assured that my genealogical research is as accurate as anybody
else's.

I am probably more able than most people -- and you especially -- to
distinguish between fact and speculation. -- Q

Peter...

Why should I "rest assured" that your genealogical research is as
accurate as anybody else's?

quondam1...

You shouldn't care whether my research is accurate, and neither should
Ms. Farm. It is none of your business.

Peter...

But you said above that we could rest assured.

Why should I believe that you are more able than most people to
distinguish between fact and fiction?

quondam1...

The distinction was between fact and *opinion,* and not fact and
fiction.

Do you understand that there's a difference between the statement I
made and your sloppy paraphrase?

Peter...

No, I don't agree there's a difference - your opinion may well be
fiction

I really don't care what you believe. Your thoughts are of no
interest to me.

Peter...

That's reassuring.

--Q

Are you able to demonstrate any evidence for such claims?

Your majestic birthright pervades every hollow,
In barons and kings and dukes do you wallow,
Relations and forebears so lofty and great,
A twenty-third cousin of Henry the Eight.

The sceptres and orbs of ancestors regal,
Armorial crests, kingly sanctioned and legal,
These are the trappings of which you're so proud
And trumpet abroad to the covetous crowd.

On the walls of your castle hang parchments so rare,
Ornate family trees concocted with care,
Heraldic devices promulgate your descent
From a low serving wench to the Fair Maid of Kent.

D. Spencer Hines, oh! D. Spencer Hines,
Your pedigree's long and to splendour inclines,
Ancestors glorious, the peerage meritorious,
A right royal kin we find so uproarious!

Around you float ghosts and spectres in time,
Through history's annals your forebears were prime,
The great and the good, too frequent to mention,
Or are they merely the stuff of invention?

Ne'er mind, our dear Spencer, we love you no less,
'Ere you should feel the need to confess,
We relish your postings, your boastful designs,
For there's no-one quite like oh! D. Spencer Hines.

So hear this, you cynics, who scornfully doubt
That from royal blood our Spencer doth sprout,
Disgrace upon him who rudely maligns
The illustrious tree of D. Spencer Hines!

Roy Stockdill
Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History:

"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about,
and that is not being talked about."
OSCAR WILDE