anniversaries
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In 1456 the aggressive King of Scots, James II, sent an armed expedition against the Isle of Man. As is well-known, Man was at this time a private lordship owned by the then Stanleys, who was known as ‘King of Man.’ Retaliation was swift and led by Stanley’s son, Thomas – yes, he of Bosworth…
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Scandal in Salisbury
Church House, Earls of Castlehaven, Edmund Duke of Somerset, Elizabeth I, executions, Ferdinando Stanley, Henry of Buckingham, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lords Audley, Margaret Darrell, Mary “Tudor”, Mervyn Tuchet, rape, Salisbury, smallpox, sodomy, Stanleys, Sudeley Castle, Tower Hill, William Lightfoot, workhousesRecently I had a rare opportunity to visit Church House in Salisbury. Used for administration of the diocese today, it is an attractive medieval/post-medieval building retaining many original features, and has an interesting but sometimes rather murky past. Originally it was built in the 15th century by a merchant called William Lightfoot, and was known…
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BL Royal 19 E V is a medieval manuscript that once belonged to Edward IV. It was compiled for him in Bruges in 1480. The content is the Romuleon, a translation of a history of Rome, and amongst the tales of Emperors and Empresses, it contains the symbols of its royal owner–the Arms of England,…
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The “awkward mediaeval cities” (3) : St. Alban’s
battlefields, blue plaque, Boudicca, Colchester, destruction, Edmund Duke of Somerset, Eleanor Crosses, Elizabeth I, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Humphrey of Gloucester, Jean II, John Ball, London, Luton, martyrs, museums, Northampton, Oxford, Poitiers, Roman Britain, Roman theatre, Second Battle of St. Albans, Skipton Building Society, St. Alban, St. Albans, St. Albans Cathedral, Thameslink, Verulam Park, Verulamium Roman Museum, Victoria Street, Wars of the Roses, Watford JunctionUnlike Northampton and Oxford, St. Alban’s (City) is on the Thameslink network and also has a branch line to Watford Junction. Accommodation can be expensive but the less historic Luton is surprisingly convenient as a base, being about fourteen minutes away on the same line and costing about five pounds for a day return. Turning right…
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Sir William Stanley – Turncoat or Loyalist..
“Perkin”, “Princes”, Aspenden Church, badges, Battle of Bosworth, burial, Cheshire, Constable of England, crown, executions, Flint Castle, Francis Viscount Lovell, hawthorn bush, Helen Maurer, Henry VII, high treason, James Gairdner, Joan Lady Lovell, Lady Margaret Beaufort, Lord Chamberlain, Michael Bennett, Michael K Jones, Richard III, Sir William Stanley, Skipton, Syon, Thomas Lord Stanley, W.E. Hampton, William Catesby, William Stanley juniorUPDATED POST FROM A MEDIEVAL POTPOURRI @sparkypus.com Sir William Stanley crowning Henry Tudor with the fallen King Richard’s crown in the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth. Unknown artist.. It is well documented how, through the treasonable and treacherous actions of Sir William Stanley at Bosworth, Richard III lost his crown and his life. He…
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Sir Ernest Shackleton: “What the ice gets, the ice keeps”
Abraham Shackleton, Antarctic, Arctic, Aristotle, books, Captain Cook, Captain John Davis, Captain Scott, County Kildare, CRVO, Discovery, Dublin, Dulwich College, Elephant Island, Endurance, Fabian von Bellinghausen, failure, Frank Worsley, frostbite, Grytviken, heart attacks, Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Ireland, Irish rebellions, lectures, Lord Frederick Cavendish, Mount Erebus, Nimrod, Polar explorers, quest, reconstruction, Roald Amundsen, Royal Geographical Society, Sir Clements Markham, Sir Ernest Shackleton, South Georgia, South Pole, Stromness, symmetry, Titanic, Weddell Sea, welfare, Winston Churchill“For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” —Antarctic explorer Sir Raymond Priestly For those new to Shackleton, it might seem counterintuitive to celebrate the leader of a failed…
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Even as a child, I was fascinated by Lyme Cage. It stands on high ground, and to a casual observer has no obvious purpose. I remember being told it was used as a prison for poachers – hence the name – but this was neither its primary nor original function. A mere glance at a…
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Elizabeth Woodville left sanctuary with her daughters on March 1, 1484, after Richard III swore a public oath that she and her daughters would be unharmed and that he would find the girls suitable matches. But where did she go then? Her daughters were, at least part time, welcome at court, but ‘Dame Grey’ as…
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Well, obviously a lot of our pubs bear the names of kings and queens, with Queen Victoria heading the list above. I’m surprised to find Kings George III, George IV and William IV galloping up behind her, while all the rest are far more thinly spread. Why are these four monarchs, who all reigned…
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