churches

ST PETER’S CHURCH, WINCHCOMBE AND THE BOTELERS OF SUDELEY

Apr 12, 2019

buildings, heraldry, religion

Alice Deincourt, Catherine Parr, churches, Elizabeth Butler, Henry VI, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lewis Carroll, Mad Hatter, Ralph Butler Baron Sudeley, Richard III, Sir Thomas Butler, St. James’ Winchcombe, Sudeley Castle, Sword of state, Winchcombe Abbey

Sudeley Castle is a beautiful castle in Gloucestershire, once the marital home of Lady Eleanor Talbot (Boteler) and once owned by Richard III, who built the banqueting hall, although most famed for being the burial place of Henry VIII’s last wife, Katherine Parr. So great are the attractions of the castle that many visitors miss…
The Church of St. Alkelda at Middleham

Mar 28, 2019

anniversaries, battles, buildings, heraldry, religion

Anne Neville, Barnet, Cecily Duchess of York, churches, College, Dales National Park, Dean Wood, Diocese of Leeds, Dissolution of the Monasteries, Edward IV, Edward VI, George Duke of Clarence, Gretna Green, Henry VI, Lady Chapel, marriage, Mary of Middleham, Middleham, Norse, relics, Richard Duke of York, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, St. Alkelda’s, Thomas Cromwell, walking routes, white boar, Yorkshire

History of St Mary and St Alkelda Church If you go to Middleham, your priority will be to visit the castle of King Richard III but you can’t leave this fabulous town of the Dales without having a look at the church of St Mary and St Alkelda. This church is a must for visitors,…
MARGARET GAYNESFORD – GENTLEWOMAN TO ELIZABETH WYDEVILLE

Mar 4, 2019

art, buildings, religion

All Saints Carshalton, Buckingham rebellion, churches, Elizabeth Wydeville, Margaret Gaynesford, memorial brass, Nicholas Gaynesford

UPDATED POST AT sparkypus.com A Medieval Potpourri https://sparkypus.com/2020/07/09/margaret-gaynesford-gentlewoman-to-elizabeth-wydeville/ In the church of All Saints, Carshalton, now part of South London, can be found the charming brass of Margaret Gaynesford nee Sidney, her husband Nicholas and their various children. Due to the brass being attached to the wall and not the floor, as is usually the…
Richard III expert to help determine if headless skeleton is the ‘hero’ of Jamestown….

Nov 13, 2018

anniversaries, archaeology, genealogy, religion

America, churches, facial reconstruction, Jamestown, Kevin Schurer, Leicester University, Lord de la Warr, Native Americans, Richard III, Sir George Yeardley, Turi King

Nothing to do with Richard—except obliquely—but the parallels are interesting anyway.
Richard’s chantry chapel in Shropshire….

Sep 7, 2018

anniversaries, buildings, religion

churches, Edstaston, Richard III. King’s College, Shropshire, theses, Yorkshire

When I recently discovered this e-theses site, I found a thesis with the self-explanatory title of Public Display and the Construction of Monarchy in Yorkist England, 1461-85, by Carolyn Anne Donohue. See this one in particular – and very informative it is too. Then one of the notes caught my eye. It’s Note 470, on…
A WEEKEND IN A MEDIEVAL MANOR IN WALES

Aug 11, 2018

battles, buildings, travel

Anglo-Saxons, Bishops of Llandaff, Calais, Chepstow, churches, Edgecote, Lancastrians, Mathern, Moynes Court, Normans, Sir David ap Phillip, St. Pierre, St. Tewdric, Thomas Lewis, Wales, Yorkists

If you are looking for a pleasant medieval weekend away you could do worse than staying at the manor house of St Pierre, near Chepstow in Wales. The deerpark may be a golf course now but there are still acres to walk, an ancient church, and a handsome twin-towered gatehouse surrounded by a courtyard. The…
A performance in Coldridge – a review

Jul 24, 2018

buildings, Events, Music Reviews

churches, Coldridge, Devon, Edward V, music, performances, Philippa Langley, Richard III, The Legendary Ten Seconds

The Legendary Ten Seconds Concert at Coldridge Nestling deep in the Mid-Devon countryside is the hill-top village of Coldridge where the windswept St Matthews Church is hiding secrets relating to the mystery of The Princes in the Tower. The Church and its links to Richard III and Edward V are currently being investigated by Philippa…
THE LOST FONT OF MARLBOROUGH CASTLE

Jun 20, 2018

archaeology, buildings, travel

anarchy, castles, churches, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Edward VI, Eleanor of Brittany, Eleanor of Provence, fonts, Henry III, Isabella of Angouleme, John, Marlborough Castle, Marlborough College, Richard I, Seymours, Silbury Hill, St. Nicholas, Stephen, William I, Worcester Cathedral

Marlborough is a quaint little town in Wiltshire. It has a rather famous College (once attended by Kate Middleton) but no buildings dating much before Tudor times other than two heavily restored churches. However, it used to have a castle, and a rather important one too. The first castle was built by William the Conqueror…
The Legendary Ten Seconds again

Feb 27, 2018

buildings, Events, religion

churches, Coleridge, Devon, Edward V, music, Richard III Society, stained glass, The Legendary Ten Seconds

They will be performing at Coleridge Church on 5th March and for the Devon and Cornwall Branch of the Richard III Society on 26th May. Read more here.
The Madness of King Richard III

Feb 5, 2018

art, buildings, The play’s the thing

Alan Bennett, building works, churches, Churches Conservation Trust, Edward Earl of Oxford, George III, humour, Lead Church, Leeds, London Review of Books, New York Times, Richard III Society, Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Towton

A while back, Sunday, December 3rd, 2017, to be exact, I was looking through The New York Times Book Review section when I came across playwright Alan Bennett’s new book called “Keeping On Keeping On.” It was a mildly interesting review of his diary (ODD SPOILER ALERT: he once shared the same doctor as Sylvia…