The portrait at Hever Castle is more like Henry VI than Richard III….

I’ve seen this (awful!) portrait of Richard before. It just doesn’t look like him, more one of the invented Tudor versions of him, i.e. monstrous and evil, or weak and terrified of all things Tudor. This one fits the ‘weak and terrified’ mould, and if it were listed as a portrait of Henry VI, I’d…

Tudor’s path to Bosworth took him through Powis….

Here’s a tale of treachery  and the cowardly theft of a throne. Such a shame though, because Powis Castle today is extraordinarily beautiful. I lament that Tudor‘s invasion with his foreign army didn’t take him into a particularly gluey and bottomless Welsh bog, or over a cliff on to jagged rocks in the middle of…

Edward of Warwick, a “pretender” to Henry VII’s throne? Well, REALLY Mr Amin….!

  Oh dear, Nathen Amin wants us to fork out £10 to listen to him lecturing that poor old Henry VII was beset by wicked imposters and pretenders? I think not. Not even 10p! Especially as poor Edward, Earl of Warwick didn’t pretend to be anything at all, he was imprisoned as a child and…

Music and Metal Detecting

Here is an interview by our own Ian Churchward (The Legendary Ten Seconds) about their new song: A song for a metal detectorist, covering  history and metal detecting … {link to 27 March}

Just plains facts about Richard, without traditionalist trimmings….

Well, it makes a change to find an article that doesn’t damn Richard III with every other word. This one simply states the known events without launching into Richard’s so-called dark plans, twisted nature and evil acts. It isn’t quite flawless, because it omits to say that Henry Tudor won at Bosworth because Richard was…

Once again, the slippery Stanleys were true to form….!

You can read more about the Battle of Blore Heath and Stanley mendacity at here , from which the above illustration is taken. This battle was clearly a practice run for Bosworth! That aside, the list is interesting.

History Book Part One

The Legendary Ten Seconds have a new album out. The tracks go back chronologically to Arthurian times, before including two about the Battle of Hastings – or of Battle to be precise. The last six cover Richard III’s adult life and reign, from the seemingly effortless taking of Edinburgh to the Harrington dispute and the…

My, my, some families really do not change their spots….!

While researching fourteenth-century Northamptonshire, I happened upon Sir John Stanley (1350-1414). “Stanley’s father was Master-Forester of the Forest of Wirral, notorious for his repressive activities. Both Stanley and his older brother, William (who succeeded their father as Master-Forester), were involved in criminal cases which charged them with a forced entry in 1369 and in the…

A Song for the Stanleys

On the battlefield of Towton We were rearmost of the rear We were tasked to guard the baggage And to keep the exits clear But when the foe was vanquished And ran away in frantic fear We charged right in (We charged right in) We charged right in (We charged right in) We showed them…

Thomas Stanley, or, the man with the evil beard….

For anyone interested in knowing what made slippery Lord Stanley tick, here is an excellent evaluation, save that Sir William was executed for refusing to oppose “Perkin”, not for supporting him. The man was a born opportunist and survivor. Full stop. Oh, and he had an evil beard!