What would YOU give Henry VII for Christmas….?

  It’s always amusing to ponder things concerning people from the past, and in this article the idea is to imagine a Secret Santa doling out gifts to specific figures. For instance, Alfred the Great should be given an air fryer, to solve his cake-baking hang-ups. And King John would surely benefit from a snorkel…

THE CARTOON KINGS: THE HENRYS

Wandering around Google Images, as you do, I can across these less than flattering but pretty darn funny vintage cartoons of Henry VII and his offspring Horrible Henry VIII. I’ve seen other cartoons of Henry VII in a miserly pose but whoever drew THIS one must have been well aware of a contemporary description of…

Pembroke didn’t pop the Weasel when it should have….!

Well, the first part of a riveting, absolutely factual series about Henry VII was warning enough. I confess to having had to read the first sentence twice, because first time around I thought Edmund Tudor was fighting against the Duke of York’s men and Edmund’s own wife, Margaret Beaufort, who was Henry’s underage mother. Shame on…

Ewelme Manor, Henry VII and what the manor house may have looked like….

“….Henry VII, doubtless after having taken good stock of the amenities of Ewelme Manor, during his self-proposed visit to Edmund de la Pole before the latter’s banishment, decided that it would be well-fitted for a country retreat, later on to be converted into a Royal Palace. In fact, it may have become to the King…

Leaks, thistles and crosses of all kinds….

No, I haven’t made a boo-boo, the subject line of this article from Inside Wales Sport does indeed say “leaks”. A friend has wondered if this means Wales is a land in dire need of plumbers! This was a clear invitation to examine the rest of the article for further bloopers. I’ll start with England’s…

The man who eluded a Tudor charge of treason….!

William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre, did the miraculous….in the reign of Henry VIII he survived a charge of treason under the Tudors! Yes, really, like this case!  He was exonerated on 9 July 1534. The link below gives 1535. “…Dacre was acquitted but as with all things Tudor there is a sting in the tale.…

Richard’s generosity is contrasted with his successor’s parsimony

Here is a Telegraph documented article about Richard III’s distribution of money and other gifts at Christmas. Helpfully, they estimate the current value of some of his expenditure. Without mentioning any of Richard’s contemporaries, I am reminded of “Hey, Big Spender” reducing Ernie Wise to tears …

Henry VII’s lavish gift to his daughter….

Oh dear, how very Henry VII. I’ve just read in this link that because the leek was the emblem of the Welsh, on one St David’s Day he presented a leek to his daughter. A real leek, that is, not one studded with precious stones. Talk about a cheap gift! I’m sure she was thrilled.…

Henry VII was a saint….?

Now, if you read this claptrap  you’ll learn that saintly Henry VII, on his brilliant ownio, decided that ” . . . rather than adopting the costly and aggressive strategy of invasion and war favoured by some of his predecessors  . . . used dynastic royal marriages to make alliances in Europe . . .…

PIGGY BANK FOR A KING!

Not so long ago, I visited Westminster Abbey. As I gazed through the bars at the large, gilded, virtually glowing bling tomb of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, I began to chuckle. People must have thought I was mad (or should that be madder?) There in the back of the chubby cherub right next…