The New Murrey and Blue blog

Of late, I have read the denialists claim that Edward IV’s 1461 marriage couldn’t possibly have been valid because it doesn’t show in the parish registers anywhere in England, therefore his dozen children by Lady Grey must have been legitimate. The only problems with this are:
1) Parish registers, inspired by Thomas Cromwell, only date from 1538 and probably wouldn’t have included Catholic unions because recusants, as such participants were by 1538, generally didn’t comply.
2) The 1464 Wydeville “marriage” isn’t in a parish register either, for reasons including the same, therefore its own offspring must remain illegitimate.
3) Any remarriage of Catherine de Valois from 1422-36, to whoever and notwithstanding its general illegality is also missing, as it would be even earlier.
4) This assertion is, therefore, yet another own goal, like this, this, this, this and this.

Back to the drawing board!