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Richard III had seen many things since haunting Leicester Cathedral — bishops fainting, tourists taking selfies with his tomb and one memorable incident involving a guide dog who could see him. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared him for the arrival of 4B from St. Margaret’s Primary School. They came in just like a wave of noise,…
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On 16 February the following Directors reluctantly resigned their directorships: Cris Reay Connor, Amanda Geary, Kim Harding, Philippa Langley, Joanne Larner, Janine Lawrence. They include some of the Society’s most hard-working Officers, and their combined years of membership amount to 193. Their full grounds for resignation have been stated in a document delivered to the…
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I’m writing this after reading the article at https://tinyurl.com/yceukwsm. Oh dear, oh dear. Try this for size: “….the show traces the life of Margaret of Anjou from when she is 15 years old and a prisoner of the Marquess of Suffolk until she returns to England at 50 to announce the end of Richard III’s…
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Well I’m not quite sure what to expect of this book, see https://tinyurl.com/5uajhun5. Yes, it focuses on the background rivalries that led to Bosworth, but is it fair to Richard III? As it’s written from the Welsh point of view, I have to hesitate. Even though Richard’s ancestry was more highborn Welsh than Henry Tudor,…
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This is next in the Murrey and Blue series ‘An Interview with…’ As JP Reedman, Janet is a prolific writer of Ricardian and mediaeval fiction. She has written a series of novels about Richard III in the first person (I, Richard Plantagenet) and also a fantasy novel (Sacred King: Richard III: Sinner, Sufferer, Scapegoat, Sacrifice).…
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William was the most notable member of the de Braose dynasty. His gradual rise and sudden fall at the hands of King John is often taken as evidence of that king’s capricious behaviour towards his barons. In 1175, William de Braose carried out the Abergavenny Massacre, luring three Welsh princes and other Welsh leaders to…
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Most people know of the murder of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, but far fewer know that, in the mid-15th century, another bishop was murdered in the quiet priory church of Edington in Wiltshire. Edington is a peaceful place today; however, it was anything but in medieval times. Its most famous event was when,…
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Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) was an important mediaeval herb. It is a bushy perennial with feathery, bright green leaves and small, daisy-like white flowers with yellow centres, similar to chamomile but its flowers are flat-topped. Its name, feverfew, or ‘fever reducer’ derives from the Latin febrifugia, meaning ‘to put fever to flight’. It was used, as…
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On this day, 6th January, 960 years ago was the coronation of Harold II (Godwinson). He was probably the first king to ever have been crowned in Westminster Abbey and was chosen by the Witan to be king after King Edward (The Confessor) died childless the previous day, 5th January 1066. Harold was the direct…
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