William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke

William Herbert, otherwise ‘Black William’ was born in 1423, the son of Sir William ap Thomas ‘the Blue Knight of Gwent’ and Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam the ‘Star of Abergavenny’. His main claim to fame is that he was the first Welshman to become an earl in the peerage of England, except for Henry VI’s…

The Banbury Barmaid and the Battle of Edgcote. . . .

According to this site, (http://www.northamptonshiresurprise.com/news/2018/the-battle-decided-by-a-banbury-bar-maid/) Edward IV lost the Battle of Edgcote in 1469 because of a Banbury barmaid. And no, amazingly, Edward was not involved in the lustful squabble. The culprits were the Earls of Pembroke and Devon. . .and a barmaid from Banbury. It seems that prior to the battle:- “Edward decided to…

Robin Hood in Richard’s Era

It was in the 15th century when the legends of the infamous outlaw Robin Hood first began to be written down. Although most of our versions today have Robin existing in the reigns of Richard Lionheart and King John, the late medieval ballads state that the King was one of the Edwards, probably Edward II.…