The New Murrey and Blue blog

The above publication (link to home page https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015069006610&view=1up&seq=9&skin=2021) is full of interesting information about the London of the past, although I advise caution when it comes to the “facts” printed therein.

While researching the royal residence in the city, known as Tower Royal or the Queen’s Wardrobe, I happened upon this on page 62:-

The link to the above is https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015069006610&view=1up&seq=78&skin=2021 . I have omitted the footnotes and a lot more about Tower Royal, but it can all be read at the links given.

So Margaret Beaufort was a princess? Really? And she was indeed Henry VIII’s grandmother, well, I can’t argue with that, but why skip over her charming son Henry VII, upon whom she doted to distraction?

I know I’m being picky, but in publications like this we should expect to be able to trust the contents. Maybe Margaret Beaufort did gain possession of Tower Royal, but she was never a princess or a queen (she liked to sign herself Regina). As for whether or not she had a servant named Roger Radclyf, well, that I don’t know. I do know it’s not the Richard Radcliffe associated with Richard III, who died with his king at Bosworth. I would have to research this second Radclyf.

So I think you will agree that caution should indeed be exercised with this publication. Use it wisely, and if you don’t know something for certain, then double check!

As for the omission of dear Henry VII…well, that I suppose I can understand I’d have expunged the rotter from our entire history! 😂 (But that’s me being double-picky….once for saying something, and then for not saying it! Some people are never satisfied.)

Past articles from Murrey & Blue concerning Tower Royal can be found at https://murreyandblue.co.uk/2019/04/04/the-great-house-richard-iii-granted-to-john-howard/ and https://murreyandblue.co.uk/2022/05/21/the-wardrobe-the-kings-wardrobes-er-no-the-queens-wardrobe/.