anniversaries
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13 of the biggest mysteries of the British monarchy….
Albert Victor Duke of Clarence, Amy Robsart, Edward Duke of Kent, Edward IV, Edward V, Elizabeth I, Ernest Augustus Duke of Cumberland, George V, illegitimacy, Jack the Ripper, John Brown, Joseph Sellis, Lord Dawson, Prince Albert, Prince Alfred, Princess Alice, Princess Louise, Reader’s Digest, Richard III, Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, royal mysteries, Three Estates, Tower of London, Victoria, Whitechapel murdersOh, dear. The fate of Edward V (if he ever was a king) tops the Reader’s Digest list of 13 of the ‘Biggest Mysteries Surrounding the British Royal Family’. Hm. As the following quoted paragraph is a sample of the article’s accuracy, I won’t be bothering to read the other twelve. “….In April 1483, King…
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The other talents of Sir Clements Markham
Abyssinia, Antarctic, Arctic, Edward VI, explorers, India, India Office, Inland Revenue, James Gairdner, Lazarille de Tormes, Peru, Richard III, Robert Falcon Scott, Royal Geographical Society, Royal Navy, Shackleton, Sir Clements Markham, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir John Franklin, Sir Peter Scott, Spain, translationTo historians, Ricardians in particular, Clements Markham is best known as the writer who built on the earlier research of Horace Walpole and others to rehabilitate the last Plantagenet during the Edwardian era. In this capacity, his rivalry with James Gairdner is legendary and he wrote a biography of Edward VI, however Markham was a…
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We’re all accustomed to seeing dignitaries, film stars and so on walking along a red carpet, and know it’s a sign of great respect, courtesy or just plain flattery. According to Wikipedia :- “The earliest known reference to walking a red carpet in literature is in the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus, written in 458…
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Ten medieval scandals….!
Alice Perrers, Bal des Ardents, Banquet of Chestnuts, Benedict IX, Borgias, Cadaver Synod, Charles VI, Charles VIII, cross-dressing, Edward II, Edward III, Formosus, France, Heloise, Ingeborg of Denmark, Isabella de Valois, Italian Wars, Italy, John Rykener, Louis d’ Orleans, Medici bank, Papacy, Peasants’ Revolt, Peter Abelard, Phillip II, Phillip IV, Piero de Medici, prostitution, Richard Lyons, scandals, Stephen VI, Tour de Nesle, Vatican City, William Latimer“….What are the scandals that made headlines in the Middle Ages? Kings and Popes would be involved in some of the craziest stories of sex and corruption that would make today’s news seem quite tame. From a cross-dressing prostitute to the trial of a dead Pope, here are ten almost-unbelievable medieval scandals….” Well, you’ll find…
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Until now, I have not encountered any of the books of Gilliam Tindall, but some of them look as if they may be of interest to us. The one I came upon is here, which I intend to get, because I have always loved the beautifully detailed work of Wenceslaus Hollar, about whom I…
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“….The Holy Trinity Church in the small town of Rothwell [Northamptonshire] houses the corpses of 2,500 ancient men, women and children in a mysterious “hall of bones….” I, um, hate the thought of being in a church with all those bones under it, but it is a mystery, all the same. Nothing would persuade me…
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More isn’t our favourite man by any stretch of the imagination, but he is important because of the immensely detrimental effect he has had upon the history and reputation of Richard III. He, the Tudors and Shakespeare conspired to ruin Richard’s honour, and we Ricardians will never forgive them. But, if you can bring yourself…
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6th July is a day of three saints, St Godelva (d. 1070), St Sexburga of Ely (679-700) and St Merryn of Andresey. I have only previously heard of St Sexberga. Were they all celebrated on this day in medieval churches? (The above illustration is merely an example of an early church – the building depicted is…
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Collyweston is a small village in Northamptonshire, approximately three miles from the town of Stamford. It was not always so unassuming, however. In the 15th century there was a large fortified manor house that dominated Collyweston, of which today no trace remains above ground. The manor, sometimes known as ‘The Palace’ was first purchased by…
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This famous painting, which hangs in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, is so well known that it barely requires introduction. It should be noted though that, contrary to some analysis, the fact that the children are wearing colourful clothing does not of itself make them “Royalist”. Parliamentarians often wore colourful clothing too, and many…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 