Christmas

How strict was medieval royal court mourning at Christmas….?

Dec 25, 2018

anniversaries, buildings, culture, religion, sources

Anne Neville, Anne of Bohemia, ceremonies, Christmas, Edward of Middleham, Elizabeth of York, Ireland, Isabella de Valois, Joanna, John, Manuel, mourning, Richard II, Richard III, Rous Roll, Sheen

I know I have (more than once!) written of a strange string of coincidences connecting Richards II and III and their queens, both named Anne. Now I have come upon another question that puzzles me. It is well known that Richard II loved his Anne deeply, and was distraught when she died suddenly in the summer…
Christmas 1483 at the court of Richard III….

Dec 24, 2018

culture, religion

Anne Neville, Christmas, Edward of Middleham, Richard III

What was Christmas like for Richard III? I’m thinking particularly of 1483, his first as king. He still had both his wife and child, and the future must have looked set for a long and prosperous reign. He was only to have two Christmases as king, and by 1484 he and Anne had lost their…
Henry VII banned card-playing, except at Christmas….

Dec 23, 2018

culture

Christmas, Elizabeth of York, gambling, Henry VII, James III, James IV, Margaret “Tudor”, playing cards, Sauchieburn, Scotland, William Francis Dawson

According to Christmas: Its Origin and Associations by William Francis Dawson, playing cards was prohibited by a statue passed in the reign of Henry VII. The old kill-joy! Or maybe it was in defence of the royal purse, it being known that his queen, Elizabeth of York, was rather over-fond of gambling. Henry paid her…
I’ll Have What She’s Having: A Medieval Christmas Tasting Menu

Dec 22, 2018

culture

Alice Toklas, apples, beef, chicory, Christmas, Clarissa Dickson-Wright, Elizabeth David, Food, Gingerbread, ham, Jane Grigson, Lammas, mince pies, mincemeat, mulled wine, New Orleans, pastrami, pastry, Richard II, Richard III, salads, seasoning, spices, The Form of Cury, wassailing

“Let us consider some of our genuine English culinary assets. Among the best of them are our cured and salted meats. Hams, gammons, salt silversides…” So begins one of Elizabeth David’s chapters in “Spices, Salts and Aromatics in The English Kitchen,” a charming book that takes us through centuries of English cookery with its yin…
The meaning of Michaelmas….

Sep 29, 2018

anniversaries, religion

Armada, British traditions, Christmas, Elizabeth I, Goose Day, Harvest Festival, Lady Day, Michaelmas, Michaelmas Daisy, Midsummer Day, Nottingham Goose Fair, quarter days, St. Michael, St. Michael’s Bannock

The following article is taken from this article by Ben Johnson: “Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated on 29th September. As it falls near the equinox, the day is associated with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days; in England, it is one of the “quarter days”. There are…
Richard III, Henry VII and the City of York….

Jul 31, 2018

buildings, sources, The play’s the thing

“Lambert Simnel”, Anne Neville, Archbishop Scrope, Berwick Castle, british History Online, Christmas, Corpus Christi Guild, Council of the North, Creed Play, Earl of Northumberland, Edward IV, Edward of Middleham, Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Wydeville, entertainment, Fishergate Bar, fishgarths, Henry VII, James IV, John Brackenbury, John Vavasour, Lammas, Lord Clifford, Lord Scrope of Bolton, Margaret “Tudor”, Micklegate Bar, Miles Metcalf, Nicholas Lancaster, Ouse, Paston Letters, Paul Murray Kendall, Percies, Pontefract, Princes of Wales, Richard Green, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, riots, Scarborough Castle, Scotland, Shakespeare, Sheriff Hutton, Sir John Egremont, The Ainsty, Thomas Earl of Surrey, Thomas Wrangwissh, Three Estates, Walmgate Bar, York, York Castle, York Guildhall

This is not my work, but has been lifted entirely from British History Online. My contribution is the illustrations. It is a sensible assessment of the relationship of both Richard and Henry Tudor with the great city of York. :- York, Richard of Gloucester, and Henry VII There was much that was new in…
Wot? No throne for Richard….?????

Mar 7, 2018

buildings

Christmas, John Lewis, Leicester cathedral, Leicester Tigers, Richard III, rugby, sport, tomb

Oh, Leicester, Leicester, thou risketh some right royal wrath! Yes, by all means celebrate the home at Christmas by displaying a cosy John Lewis living room…but you’ve omitted a throne for You Know Who. The cathedral that has the inestimable honour of King Richard III beneath its hallowed roof—has actually forgotten him! Forgotten your most famous guest.…
Richard’s Christmas Celebrations…and the Croyland Chronicle….

Dec 26, 2017

buildings, Events, religion

Alexander VI, Anne Neville, Christmas, Crowland, Crowland Chronicle, Edward IV, Elizabeth of York, John Russell, Lincolnshire, monks, parties, Richard III, Thomas Langton

This article is about Richard, Christmas celebrations, and the Croyland Chronicle. I really enjoyed reading it. It seems Richard’s lavish hospitality met with sour po-faced disapproval! No doubt, if he’d kept a sparse Christmas, he’d have been criticised for not giving himself up to the joy of Christ’s birth. https://meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/wars-of-the-roses-blog/christmas-1484-with-richard-iii
Festive Humour from SHW….

Dec 24, 2017

anniversaries

cartoons, Christmas, humour, SHW
A “The Legendary Ten Seconds” Christmas

Dec 22, 2017

Music Reviews

“Lambert Simnel”, Chris Skidmore, Christmas, Edward V, Henry VII, Ian Churchward, John Ashdown-Hill, John Nesfield’s Retinue, Lord Zarquon, Mill Bay, music, Richard III, Riikka Nikko, Sir Anthony Wydeville, St. Albans, Stoke Field, The Dublin King, The Legendary Ten Seconds, Torbay, White Surrey, Wydeville

Murrey-and-Blue by The Legendary Ten Seconds to be released on 1st November 2017 which is the anniversary of when Richard, later Richard III, was created the Duke of Gloucester in 1461. A concept album of songs by The Legendary Ten Seconds about the Wars of the Roses and England in the late fifteenth century. …