Break out the walking boots, we’re going to Bosworth….

It’s always good to walk around the British countryside, and for Ricardians the prospect of including the site of Bosworth Field in our rambling has to be a carrot par excellence. Such a walk is newly available, called the Battlefields and Borderlands Way , and takes in a number of important sites in south-west Leicestershire, some…

Ashby de la Zouch Castle – Home to William Lord Hastings

Reblogged from Ashby de la Zouch Castle – Home to William Lord Hastings An intriguing doorway leads into the Great Chamber where the family would have entertained important guests.  A fine 15th century fireplace has survived as well as a 16th century window.  Photo from the English Heritage Guidebook book Following on from my earlier post…

Please Melton, don’t invite Henry VII….

  Oh dear, the whole idea was excellent until I read the dreaded name Henry VII. Will someone please advise them not to bother with that piece of Tudor crud? He’s a party-pooper and will rain on their parade for sure. Go to site this site to read about the event at Melton.

Richard’s silver boar only makes it to Number Two 🤨….!

  Richard’s silver boar badge makes it to number two on this list, second only to a golden aestel of a horse’s head, which is believed to be part of a pointer for reading books. The boar should be first, of course. No question. But I don’t think we need to be told it’s a…

THE RISE AND FALL OF WILLIAM LORD HASTINGS AND HIS CASTLE OF KIRBY MUXLOE

Reblogged from A Medieval Potpourri sparkypus.com   The atmospheric ruins of Kirby Muxloe Castle, showing the moat, the gatehouse and the only tower to near completion .. Kirby Muxloe Castle, lies in Leicestershire countryside,  in ruins, the unfinished project of William, Lord Hastings.  Hastings was the epitome of a successful and powerful  15th century lord.…

Digging for Britain

Just six miles north-west of Leicester was Bradgate House, the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey, ostensibly the subject of the Streatham Portrait. The second episode of this year’s series, presented by Alice Roberts, focused upon the “North”, starting with Leicester University’s investigation into the probable site. Here they found that the most obvious building…

MORE TREASURES FROM LEICESTERSHIRE: AN IRON AGE SHIELD FROM THE SOAR

Leicestershire seems to be a county that just keeps ‘giving’ to archaeologists, from the discovery of Richard III’s remains (naturally)  in 2012  to gigantic Roman structures under Leicester…and now, moving back in time, an Iron Age shield has been found in, of all places, the River Soar. (Everyone was wrong about Richard being in the…

Leicestershire’s griffin of Griffydam….?

Here’s Legends an interesting book of Leicestershire folk tales for children. It includes the intriguing story of the griffin of Griffydam. Oh, and it also relates the “legends” about King Richard III !!

Now to zoom into old maps from all over the UK and the rest of the world….!

I’m doing well today when it comes to detailed maps – old maps, specifically .Attention has probably been drawn to this site on various occasions, but here it is again. You can zoom right in on maps that are usually/often hard to make out. I’ve chosen this 1583 Warwick/Leicester map at random. There are a…

A cursed title?

This very informative BBC documentary, presented by Dr. Bendor Grosvenor, showed how a portrait, presently on display in Glasgow, was proved to be an original Rubens.  George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, was a courtier and soldier, serving under both James VI/I and Charles I as well as being a possible partner of the former.…