In the Historical Note at the end of Lords of the North you say there was a fortress at Bebbanburg in the 11th century ruled by a family with the name Uhtred. Can you expand on that a bit? Is there a reference anywhere to a man who might have played a role like the Uhtred in your stories? You also say that family are your ancestors. Do you have any kind of documentation of this or is it family lore passed down through the centuries? I’m not doubting your statement. But I have run into difficulties in tracing my Swedish ancestors back beyond the late 1600’s. Of course, my ancestors were peasants and likely never owned any fortresses. Dale C. Blomstrom