The Royal martyr

If you wish to visit the site of a heresy execution or a memorial to a victim in England and Wales, there are several options, most of which date from Mary I’s reign. Aldham Common in Hadleigh commemorates the town’s Rector, Rowland Tayler. Oxford marks an Archbishop, Cranmer, together with Bishops Latimer and Ridley, whilst…

The latest on the hunt for Richard’s Y-chromosome

Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, was born today in 1338, although he died just before his thirtieth birthday. He is, of course, a mixed-line direct ancestor of Richard III but he is the brother of Edmund of Langley, Richard’s male-line great grandfather. Here, John Ashdown-Hill spoke to Nerdalicious about his attempts to locate Lionel…

Wondering Where Wolsey Went….?

There are plans to look for evidence of the fishponds and orchards of the 12th-century abbey, in what is now Abbey Park, Leicester. There are also calls for this search to include seeking the tomb of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who died in Leicester in 1530. His resting place was not left undisturbed for long, because…

Warwick Castle – England’s Finest Medieval Castle

Warwick Castle Portcullis Francis Frith Photo of the portcullis 1901 The mound as viewed from the portcullis Old bridge Warwick Castle The moat Warwick Castle. Old staircase in Warwick Castle 14th century Guys Tower For more photos and an interesting article  from ‘Britain and Britishness’ about Warwick Castle please  see this link . Much of…

Would we understand Richard, if we were whisked back in time?

I have often wondered what Richard’s voice sounded like. Did he have a low or high tone to his voice, was it rich, nasal, reedy, soft? What was his accent like? Would it be like a Midlands accent, as has been proposed, or would there be hints of Yorkshire? Did he have a good singing…

Furthermore …

As we wrote a few weeks ago, there are two JD Wetherspoons named specifically for Richard III, in Gloucester and Leicester. Is there one, in Wales perhaps, named after Henry VII? This list confirms that this is not the case. At best, “Tudor”-ists could only claim that “The Lord Caradoc” (left) in Port Talbot might…

Dark Sovereign (1)

This is the first of our extracts from this innovative Robert Fripp play, concerning Edward IV’s bigamous marriage to Elizabeth Wydeville:         Two spirits, identical twin sisters Truth and Rumour, discuss the personality of Queen Elizabeth Woodville, while she embroiders onstage: Our next extract will feature the Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham.…

The Survival of the Princes in the Tower

The Survival of the Princes in the Tower has finally been released. There was a delay in some copies reaching readers in September, so by way of apology I blogged a little extract which can be found below. I also wrote a piece for On the Tudor Trail which was quite well received and can…

The hunt for Richard’s spirit is on again….

  They’re ba-ack….! Well, the ghost-hunters of Haunted Heritage are. When they went to Donington le Heath Manor House on a previous occasion they claim to have heard a supernatural voice say Richard’s name, and now they hope to get in try again. You are able to hear the voice as it was recorded. Note, they…

Richard visits Ireland….

Richard’s gone to Galway! Lucky man. No wonder he’s smiling. Well, it’s The ‘Richard III Discovered’ Exhibition that’s gone, but he’s there in spirit, I’m sure. http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/96655/hail-the-king-science-and-technology-festival-brings-richard-iii-saga-to-galway http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/96630/long-dead-english-king-to-finally-make-royal-visit-to-galway