religion
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Thanks to a TV documentary involving student stained-glass glaziers this viewer was taken to Canterbury Cathedral to see its astonishingly beautiful windows, some of which we learned have now been dated as early as the mid-1100s, maybe even the 1130s.. Léonie Seliger, the head of stained glass conservation at the cathedral, and part of the…
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John of Gaunt‘s daughter married one of their kings, Richard III tried to marry the sister of another (whilst Charles II did) and a cardinal succeeded to their throne as the last legitimate domestic heir but wasn’t allowed to resign holy orders and died a year or so later, to be succeeded by the Spanish…
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So now we examine the case of the artist Raphael (d’Urbino), who lived from 1483-1520. He was officially betrothed, in 1514, to Maria Bibbiena, the niece of a Cardinal (left, painted in 1516), which implies the need for some propriety in the relationship. Canon law would definitely apply and the chance of secretly marrying her…
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I have been trying to understand the downfall of Eleanor Cobham. Not because I plan to write about her (life is too short) but purely because I like to understand events clearly. Eleanor was, of course, the wife of Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, Henry VI‘s youngest and last surviving uncle. I have no doubt at…
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As you may know, Richard III’s Book of Hours is housed in the Library of Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, which is located just across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament. It was put on display for a limited period in the spring and I managed to find time to…
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King Charles III’s fleeting visits to the separate nations of the United Kingdom have been the modern equivalent of the royal progresses of the past. From very early times each new monarch embarked on a progress through their realm, to show themselves to their people. As their only transport was the horse, it took…
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Death and the Gallant
Anne Neville, books, CADW, chaplaincy, churches, Cowbridge, Death and the Gallant, Edward VI, French, Glamorgan Record Office, Holy Cross church, Jane Rutherford, Latin, Llancarfon, murals, Newark, Norman invasion, Pitt Stops through History, Reformation, repairs, Richard III, seven deadly sins, St. Cadoc’s church, St. George and the dragon, The art that made us, The story of Welsh art, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, Wales Online, Wall PaintingsMany years ago I lived in Cowbridge in Glamorgan and one of my daughters was christened in Holy Cross Church. About twenty years later I joined the Richard III Society and discovered that Holy Cross had a connection to Richard III. The following is taken from History Points.org:Holy Cross Church was probably built around 1254…
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Identifying another King
Bannockburn, Bruces of Clackmannan, david II, Declaration of Arbroath, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Dunfermline Abbey, Dupplin Moor, facial reconstruction, Foundation for Mediaeval Genealogy, FTB15831, genetic markers, Graham Holton, Ireland, Melrose Abbey, mtDNA evidence, Register of the Great Seal, Richard III, Robert I, royal remains, Scotland, University of Strathclyde, Y-chromosomeThe monarch in question is Robert I (Bruce) and the investigation, as part of the Foundation for Mediaeval Genealogy’s Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project, is being carried out by the University of Strathclyde: Graham Holton has reported good progress in this press release: Genetic marker discovered for descendants of Bruce clan, January 2022.A distinct…
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Anne of Cleves’ House
Anne of Cleves, Anne of Cleves’ House, annulments, Archbishop Cranmer, car homes, Chelsea Old Manor, Greenwich Palace, Hans Holbein, Haverhill, Henry VIII, Jedburgh, John Ashdown-Hill, london overspill towns, Mary Queen of Scots’ House, non-consummation, physiotherapists, Rochester Abbey, Royal Marriage Secrets, Suffolk, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas HardyHere it is, the house in Haverhill that the “sister” of Henry VIII lived in for a few years, as part of their non-consummation annulment settlement, only six months after the “marriage” in Greenwich to follow a betrothal at Rochester. She outlived Henry, Holbein who painted her, Cromwell who arranged the wedding, Cranmer who presided…
