genealogy

Those accident-prone Stewarts

Mar 27, 2017

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy

accidents, assassination, battles, cannon, executions, exile, Flodden, James I, James II, James III, James IV, James V, Joan “Beaufort”, Margaret “Tudor”, Mary Stuart, Perth, rebellion, Richard III, Roxburgh, Sauchieburn, Scotland, Solway Moss, Stewarts

As this excellent article reminds us, there were eight pre-union Stewart monarchs, or nine if you exclude James VI, who had already reigned in Scotland for nearly forty years before inheriting the English throne. Of these, excepting the two Roberts, only two turned up for a pitched battle with against an English army and only…
Yes, that Thomas of Lancaster

Mar 22, 2017

anniversaries, battles, genealogy, Science

auctions, Bauge, Boroughbridge, Colchester, Dukes of Beaufort, Edward II, executions, Henry V, House of York, John Ashdown-Hill, Kathryn Warner, Pontefract, Thomas Earl of Lancaster, Thomas of Clarence, Y-chromosome

He lost his head at Pontefract so what was he doing on sale in Colchester? This Kathryn Warner post gives a lot of detail about Thomas Earl of Lancaster’s life, rebellion and execution six days after the Battle of Boroughbridge. Here we explained the circumstances in which John Ashdown-Hill is seeking his remains, to solve…
Was Richard of Conisburgh illegitimate?

Mar 19, 2017

genealogy, Science

Constance of York, DNA evidence, Earls of March, Edmund Duke of York, Edward of Norwich, executions, Henry V, Isabel of Castile, Lord Scrope of Bolton, Mortimers, Richard Duke of York, Richard Earl of Cambridge, Sir Thomas Grey, Southampton plot, T.B. Pugh, Thomas Holland, Y-chromosome

Was Richard of Conisburgh Illegitimate?
A Tale of Three Mistresses – Mangled by More

Feb 5, 2017

genealogy, law, sources

“Tudors”, Annette Carson, Armstrong, Arthur, bigamy, Blaybourne, Cecily Duchess of York, David Grummitt, dispensations, Edward IV, Elizabeth Lucy, Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Woodville, George Buck, Henry VII, illegitimacy, John Earl, Kincaid, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Louis XI, Mancini, Margaret FitzLewis, Margaret Lucy, Marie Barnfield, mediaeval canon law, mistresses, Ricardian, Richard Duke of York, Richard III, Sir Lewis John, Sir Thomas Lumley, Sir William Lucy, Stephen Lark, Thomas More, usurpation, Waytes of Southampton, William Shore

(from http://www.annettecarson.co.uk) Our primary source of gossip about Edward IV’s mistresses is attributable to the pen of Thomas More (1478–1535), knight and latterly saint. While writing about Richard III, More found space for a lengthy diversion into the career of ‘Mistress Shore’, perhaps Edward’s most notorious extra-marital concubine, about whose present and past conditions the…
Careless talk really does cost lives

Feb 4, 2017

anniversaries, battles, genealogy

Catherine de Valois, Edmund “Tudor”, executions, Hereford, Hereford Greyfriars, Jasper “Tudor”, John Ashdown-Hill, Lancastrian propaganda, Owen Tudor, Richard Duke of York, Richard of Salisbury, Richard of Warwick, Royal Marriage Secrets, rumours

Today in 1461, at Hereford marketplace, Owain Tudor was executed and buried in the local Greyfriars. It appears that, although he had commanded Lancastrian troops at Mortimer’s Cross and been captured, he was not expecting this fate. He may well have foreseen himself being ransomed instead until he saw the block. Perhaps he was executed…
May the future be good for The Mortimers of Wigmore…

Feb 3, 2017

battles, genealogy

blogs, Mortimers

For anyone who, like me, is interested in the Mortimer Earls of March (who so nearly ascended to the throne after Richard II), there is a newish blog that is very informative. Instead we had the first of the Lancastrian kings. Yet again I find myself thinking, “If only…” Anyway, here are links. https://themortimersblog.wordpress.com/ and also on…
Descriptions of two important Ricardian books….

Jan 27, 2017

Book Reviews, genealogy, Science

A Small Guide to the Great Debate, Annette Carson, books, Canada, DNA evidence, Greyfriars, John Ashdown-Hill, Kent County Council, Leicester, reign, reputation, Richard III, The Last Days of Richard III and the fate of his DNA

Here’s how Kent County Council describes the two important Ricardian books. https://erl.overdrive.com/media/1389033 Richard III:A Small Guide to the Great Debate by Annette Carson “Ever since the discovery of his lost grave in Leicester, the eyes of the world have been drawn to the twists and turns surrounding England’s King Richard III… Annette Carson, acclaimed author…
A GOLDEN GOWN

Jan 25, 2017

genealogy

Catherine of Sweden, Denmark, Eric of Sweden, golden gown, Henry IV, Henry V, Margarethe of Sweden, medieval clothes, Norway, Phillippa of Lancaster, Sweden

Queen Margaret (also known as Margrethe and Margareta) was a Scandinavian queen who died in the early 15th century. Briefly she was monarch of Sweden, Norway and Denmark and earned herself the title of ‘the Lady King.’ Her only son died young and hence her heir became Eric of Pomerania; it was her desire to…
Was Edward IV gay and/or bisexual? Dr John Ashdown-Hill thinks maybe so….

Jan 20, 2017

archaeology, genealogy

Cecily Duchess of York, Colchester, DNA evidence, Dukes of Beaufort, Edward III, Edward IV, Elizabeth Lambert, Essex County Gazette, false paternity, Henry Duke of Somerset, John Ashdown-Hill, Richard III, sexuality, Thomas Earl of Lancaster, Titulus Regius, Y-chromosome

What follows was written entirely by Caroline Tilley, Senior Reporter of the Daily Gazette/Essex County Standard Secret marriages, scandalous affairs and one of the best-kept secrets in English history…. WHEN you have helped to unearth arguably the greatest historical find of the 21st century, some people might decide to put their feet up. Not Dr John…
MORE ROYAL DNA TESTING

Jan 19, 2017

archaeology, genealogy, Science

Austro-Hungarian emperors, Czechoslovakia, DNA, Franz Josef II, Habsburgs, Tomas Masaryk

Tests using ground-breaking new DNA technology are commencing on the clothing of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia. For years it has been rumoured that Masaryk might have been the illegitimate son of Emperor Franz Josef, who was of the House of Hapsburg. Tests will be undertaken first on living relatives of Masaryk’s…