Cornwall
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I’ve written before, more than once, about the abominable practice of medieval men abducting women and forcing them into marriage in order to lay hands on their estates. It was a capital way for impoverished, unprincipled knights to improve their status and finances. In this they were only too usually aided and abetted by…
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From the Lizard to Deptford Bridge – a guest post
“Perkin”, Arthur “Tudor”, Blackheath, Bodmin, Charter of Pardon, Cornwall, Deptford Bridge, Duchy of Cornwall, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, executions, Exeter, fines, Giles Daubeney, Goonhilly Downs, Henry VII, James Lord Audley, John, John Allan, John Arundell, John Rosewarne, John Tresynny, John Trevenor, John Trevysall, Kent, Lizard Peninsula, London, Michael Joseph, pardons, Ralph Retallack, Richard Borlase, Richard Flamank, Scotland, Sir John Oby, St. George’s Fields, St. Keverne, Stannaries, statues, Taunton, taxes, The Cornish Rebellion, Thomas Erisey, Thomas Flamank, Thomas Polgrene, Wells, William Antron, William HamAn Gof and the Cornish Rebellion 1497 As the early summer sun seared upon Bodmin Moor, sweeping south westwards to Goonhilly Downs , which straddles a swathe of the Lizard Peninsula , the tortured arid landscapes weren’t the only features of 1497 Cornwall, threatening to ignite in a blaze of fiery agitation. In 1337 the…
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I have often wondered why Richard chose a boar as his cognizance. There are other heraldic beasts and symbols that might have appealed to him, but it was a white boar that he chose. Why? Well, from all accounts, he was only a child when he made the decision, so what might have…
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Tintagel in Cornwall is best known for its connections to King Arthur. However, the castle, although reputed in folklore to be Arthur’s birthplace, does not date from the Dark Ages but from medieval times, being first built by Earl Reginald, the illegitimate son of Henry I, then later remodelled by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, younger…
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It was a member of the Nanfan family of Birtsmorton Court in Worcestershire (Sir Richard Nanfan, Deputy Lieutenant of Calais) who told tales to Henry VII about Sir James Tyrell giving succour to the fugitive Yorkist de la Pole brothers, Edmund and Richard. Tyrell had done this knowing full well that the elder brother, Edmund,…
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(guest post by Max) Fire raging, Wild south-west . Bright beacon blazon sad oppressed. Michael Joseph, Martyred name . Behold him lead the fervent flame. Artisan of iron and steel. Man of Cornwall, Steadfast zeal. Justice, Law, Flamank’s desire. One and all for rustic shire. Flag of Piran, Cross of white . Proclaiming peasants’ human…