The “naughty” corpse of Henry VI….

The link below concerns an exhibition entitled ‘Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare: From Stratford to Orange County’ at UC Irvine’s Langson Library, West Peltason and Pereira drives, Irvine; http://www.lib.uci.edu/langson. The exhibition is there through to the end of September. Several amusing anecdotes are described in the article, including one about Lady Anne’s apparent effect…

Is it time to exhume Cardinal Wolsey?

Thomas Wolsey was born in Ipswich, apparently in March 1473, to Joan Daundy and Robert Wolsey, who seems to have been a butcher and may possibly have been killed at Bosworth. Opposite his birthplace, in St. Nicholas’ Street, is this seated statue (below). His local achievements include Wolsey’s Gate and, after about 475 years, the…

A MURAL FOR QUEEN ELEANOR

Stony Stratford is a small place today but in the medieval era it was along one of the main routes towards London and frequently visited by passing notables. Historically, it is primarily remembered for being the spot where Richard of Gloucester and the Duke of Buckingham finally met up with Edward V…beginning the dramatic chain…

Unveiling a new portrait of Richard III…

Steve Beer, who owns fine art gallery The Medieval Gallery in Dunster, Somerset, is set to host a major event on December 1, called ‘Picturing Richard’s World’. The event will be staged in two parts – first, the talks and displays at Dunster Tithe Barn, followed by the unveiling of the new portrait, which is…

A recursive definitition

I really hate seeing this first word abused, so here goes: ANCESTOR: One of your parents or their ancestors. COLLATERAL ANCESTOR: The sibling of an ancestor. The cousin, however close or distant, of an ancestor does not fit either definition.

Magna Carta and King Richard II….

Here is the opening paragraph of an intriguing article by the excellent Professor Nigel Saul:- “As increasing numbers of early copies of Magna Carta are identified in fourteenth- and early fifteenth century registers and cartularies, so we are becoming more aware of the close interest taken in the document by lawyers and political actors in…

Some more Despenser connections

Last year, we showed how Anne Neville (and thus Edward of Middleham) were descended from Hugh Despenser the Elder, Earl of Winchester. Having followed up Kathryn Warner’s suggestion, this file allows us to add another Queen Consort, a King, a Lord Protector and a Lord High Admiral to the list of that Earl’s descendants. This can…

A gin for Richard….

I know that gin is the tipple at the moment. Wherever you go, the selection of gin that is available is really quite astonishing. Oh, dear, can’t stand the stuff myself. Anyway, it now seems that Fotheringhay, Richard’s birthplace, is to launch a special gin in his honour in Fotheringhay Village Hall on 30th November,…

The Kingmaker’s almshouses….

When looking into the history of Burford in Oxfordshire, I came upon this site. One wonders if the great Richard Neville, born 22nd November 1428, ever actually saw the result of his charity. “The most conspicuous charitable act in late medieval Burford was the foundation in 1455–6 of the Great Almshouse (or Warwick Almshouses) near the church,…

Re-enactment of, and history trail about, the Battle of Stoke Field….

Because I had considerable trouble finally reading all of this article, I have taken the liberty of copying it all, word for word. So I do not claim anything that follows . It is all Nottinghamshire live:- “It was the site of one of the most important battles in English history, a blood-soaked clash that…