anniversaries
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On this date, St Luke’s Day, 18th October, in 1483, apparently egged on by that notorious Lancastrian plotter, John Morton, Bishop of Ely, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham unfurled his banners in rebellion against his cousin, King Richard III. Morton was supposedly Buckingham’s prisoner, handed over to him by Richard for safe keeping. Safe…
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Wingfield
Azincourt, Beccles, Charles Brandon, de la Pole family, Edward IV, Edward the Black Prince, Elizabeth de la Pole, executions, Harfleur, Henry Grey Duke of Suffolk, Henry V, Jane, John Duke of Suffolk, Marguerite de la Pole, Michael de la Pole, Nicolas of the Tower, Pakefield, Pavia, Richard II, Richard III, Robert Leman, Sir John Leman, Sir john Wingfield, Sir William de la Pole, Stoke Field, William Brandon, William Duke of Suffolk, WingfieldWingfield is a village in the middle of North Suffolk, just a few miles off the A140. There is a “castle”, but this is privately occupied and the owner is a little secretive. The village also features a small “college” and wedding venue, also known as Wingfield Barns, but its main features are St. Andrew’s…
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William the B … er, Conqueror
Anglo-Saxons, Battle, Battle Abbey, Battle of Hastings, Bayeux Tapestry, Canterbury, castles, Chepstow, chivalry, churches, Colchester Castle, Coronation, death, Domesday Book, executions, famine, Harold II, height, Henry I, Marc Morris, Matilda of Flanders, mediaeval buildings, Normans, Scotland, slavery, St. David’s, Tayside, Tower of London, usurpation, Wales, Waltheof, William I, William IIThis piece, by Marc Morris in History Extra, describes the events that followed the previous usurpation from France. A lot more violent, indeed, than the early reign of the first “Tudor”, although his son and grandchildren changed that …
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Another exciting search for a very important king in the annals of our land, this time at Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. Harold Godwinson reigned for even less time than Richard III, i.e. nine months and eight days, and his sovereignty too ended in a vital battle that let “the enemy and its foreign army” in. In his case,…
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Father of a Queen: Thomas Boleyn
Anne Boleyn, arms, Battle of Bosworth, Cambridge University, Edenbridge, Elizabeth Howard, Elizabeth Tilney, Geoffrey Boleyn, George Viscount Rochford, Gonville Hall, Hever Castle, James IV, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, Kent, Lord Privy Seal, Margaret Cheyne, Mary “Tudor”, Mary Boleyn, pubs, Richard III, Sheriff, Thomas Boleyn Earl of Wiltshire, Thomas Earl of Surrey, tombs, William BoleynTwo miles from Edenbridge in Kent lies the small but attractive castle of Hever. Originally built in 1270, it was taken over 1462 by Geoffrey Bullen (or Boleyn) younger brother of Thomas Boleyn , Master of Gonville Hall, a constituent college of Cambridge. Geoffrey had a son called William and he in turn fathered Thomas…
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This link takes you to an interesting article about the fates of two great opposites, Sir Thomas More and William Tyndale. And, once again, Henry VIII’s lust for Anne Boleyn was at the heart of it.
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On 8th June 1376, Edward, the Black Prince, died. From then until 29th September his body lay in state in Westminster Hall, and then was taken to Canterbury Cathedral to be buried on 5th October at Canterbury Cathedral. His passing was greatly mourned through the land, and lamented because the elderly monarch, Edward III, was…
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When he is a hereditary head of state under a different title, of course. There are such people around the world today but Britain had them for a few years. The first was Oliver Cromwell, the great-great-great-nephew of Thomas Cromwell. As he was finalising the execution of Charles I in 1649, he announced that “the…
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GREENWICH PALACE – HUMPHREY DUKE OF GLOUCESTERS PALACE OF PLEAZANCE
“Tudors”, Anne Boleyn, Anne Mowbray, Bermondsey Abbey, Burgundy, Canterbury, Catherine of Aragon, Charles II, Edward I, Eleanor Cobham, Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Wydeville, enclosures, Ghent, Greenwich Castle, Greenwich Palace, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Humphrey of Gloucester, Jane Lady Grey of Ruthin, Joan Lady Strange, Margaret of Anjou, Mary I, Mary of York, Placentia Palace, Princenhof, Richard of Shrewsbury, Royal Observatory, Sheriff Hutton, Society of Antiquaries, St. george’s Chapel, Stuarts, WydevillesHumphrey Duke of Gloucester from the Talbot Shrewsbury Book A print by an unknown artist now in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich depicting the Palace c 1487. Greenwich Palace, or Placentia as it is often known, was built around 1433 by Henry V’s brother, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, who named it Bella Court after…
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