SIR THOMAS BURGH c.1430-1496 AND GAINSBOROUGH OLD HALL

Reblogged from A Medieval Potpourri @sparkypus.com Gainsborough Old Hall.  Photo thanks to Graham Oxford Photography Street. Sir Thomas Burgh was the builder  of Gainsborough Hall, as seen today,  after inheriting the original building in 1455 on the death of his mother Elizabeth Percy,  when he was 24 years old.  The building and enhancement, which took…

Henry VI was a pain, and Richard II was NOT Richard III….!

Henry VI is not my favourite king, in fact I think he was a real pain in the posterior, whether in his lucid moments or not. This link is to a paper about him, which I confess to not having finished because I lost faith in its accuracy. No fewer than three times Richard II…

The rediscovered abbot has now been reinterred in his beloved St Albans….

  In the above illustration I do believe the illustrator has endeavoured to create the real Abbot Wheathampstead (also Whethamstede), baldness and all, if the lack of hair around the ears is anything to do by. My interest in St Albans has hitherto been concerned with the 14th century, specifically the time of Abbot Thomas…

Another one bites the dust….well, starts to….

While pursuing information about the medieval royal residence known as Henley-on-the-Heath in Surrey, I’ve found yet another example of our disappearing past. This one hasn’t quite gone, but it’s certainly being encroached upon. Now known as Ash Manor, this royal residence was purchased in 1324 by Edward II, and remained a royal property until Henry…

Some minor problems with Thomas More’s account.

King Edward, of that name the fourth, after that he had lived fifty and three years, seven months, and six days, and thereof reigned two and twenty years, one month, and eight days, died at Westminster the ninth day of April. King Edward was born 28 April 1442 and died 9 April 1483. He was…

Rebellion in the Middle Ages

This is the latest of Matthew Lewis’ books and covers a longer period than any of the others, from Hereward the Wake’s emergence after Hastings to the beginning of the Wars of the Roses, almost as long a period as this book. Lewis is already an expert on “The Anarchy” (chapter 2) and the Roses…

What did the Kingmaker look like….?

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known to posterity as the Kingmaker, was a very prominent figure in the 15th century and featured in one of my very early books. He was born today, 22 November, in 1428. I’ve seen numerous depictions of him, but have just happened upon a drawing (see above) that I…

Good name, bad name, which monarch gets what….

  Here is a shortish article about monarchs with a bad name. No prizes for predicting that it will include Richard III. However, it also deals with others. Stephen’s reign, for instance, was “an unmitigated disaster”, and Henry VI was also a disaster. Enough said about John. Henry VIII is remembered only for his six…

Autocorrect strikes again

Here is Henry VI‘s wife, who bore her only child today in 1453. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you … Margaret of Banjo! {illustrated by SHW} I was checking the MS of a certain novel, and Autocorrect wanted to change Margaret of Anjou to Margaret of Banjo. This amused me, and immediately I thought of…

Some of Leicester’s precious heritage needs saving….

According to this article Heritage Britain there are apparently sixteen buildings/sites in Leicester that are at risk from disrepair or plain neglect. They include the church of St Mary de Castro: “….‘St Mary of the Castle’, this church once served Leicester Castle. King Henry VI was knighted there at the age of four, as was…