art
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A lost tapestry commissioned by Henry VIII has been found in Spain. It is a magnificent treasure, restored from anonymity. How I wish something similar could be found concerning Richard III, preferably something that would clear his name! Maybe there is a dark, dark cellar, at the bottom of dark, dark stairs, and a dark, dark…
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Has the Black Rood of Scotland been hiding in plain sight, indeed? Well, David Willem think so and is speaking about it in Edinburgh on Wednesday, how Margaret of Wessex took this cross to Scotland in 1068, how Edward I removed it along with the Stone of Destiny but it was returned and relocated again,…
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Well now, apart from the old nursery rhyme, “Here we go round the mulberry tree”, what else do we know about the history of mulberries in England, except that the colour “murrey” is a contraction of the name? Here is a link (that contains other links) to tell you all about it, including that Shakespeare had…
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When I actually saw sundogs for the first time my own previous knowledge of such things concerned the famous three suns seen at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross in Herefordshire on 2nd February 1461. The quick-thinking Edward, Duke of York (soon to be King Edward IV) claimed the phenomenon as a sign of the Holy Trinity, signifying…
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I happened to find this little beauty on the internet. If I was lucky renough to win the lottery, it would be mine, all mine! This is what the information in the article says about it: MEDIEVAL DIE WITH HERALDIC ‘RICHARD III BOAR’ IN FOLIAGE 15th century ADA cast bronze rectangular die with deeply incuse…
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I have never been to Waterford in Ireland, but having just browsed at leisure through their museum’s wonderful website, I feel as if I know the city intimately. There are virtual tours that really do make the viewer feel present. Thoroughly recommended! This figure is from one of the virtual tours, and depicts an incredibly…
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Whatever the truth about this amazing ruby, it must be (still is?) one heck of a precious stone. It belonged to a French king, and leapt from his ring to attach itself to the tomb of Thomas Becket, who was born 900 years ago today, in Canterbury. The ruby then ended up belonging to Henry…
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We all know Henry VI, saintly and incompetent, with a French Fury for a wife. Well, that’s how the tradition goes. But do we all know that he was also crowned King of France? You can read about it here.
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Lurking? Well, apart from me, of course, and my camera (which I managed to mess up rather, so apologies for the quality of the two portrait-photos, which were taken on 9th June 2018. Richard and Elizabeth of York were among the many portraits. Of course, there having been so many Fitzalans and Howards at Arundel…
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And here we have…Harry Hotspur. The picture is from here, an interesting site about the Percy family. This is said to be a very good likeness of Hotspur, although how anyone can really know that I’m not sure. Clearly he conforms to a Percy “type”. The section dealing with the Percys under Richard III is under construction,…