] I read this, and thought "Hey, I must tell Aneilka".

] Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (died 1524) married first Elizabeth then her sister Agnes Tilney. He and Elizabeth were grandparents of Anne Boleyn, mother (by Henry VIII) of Queen Elizabeth, whom JA thoroughly hated (JA was a partisan of Mary Queen of Scots).

Thanks Linden. I am currently reading the life of Mary Queen of Scotts to see if I can see what it was that JA was so impressed with. She certainly is supposed to have married for love twice and been modest where Elizabeth was vain. (But I've only got to her 15th birthday so far!). Interestingly the Tilney connection links with the Brandon connection: If Tilney was a grandparent of Elizabeth 1st then it is interesting to note that Brandon was her uncle (and both are connected to Mary Q.O.S. because she and Elizabeth were cousins once removed). So my possibility is this: JA's early charcacters used names from families she admired/was interested in (Tilney, Brandon). Later character names have more subtle significance and are derived from more remote branches of JA's own family.

I would consider it a breakthrough if I could connect JA's family to that of the Tudors, Stewarts or Stuarts. It might explain her partiality to Mary.