The New Murrey and Blue blog

Crowland Chronicle

Richard III owned religious books, but slept around….?

Sep 4, 2020

archaeology, battles, religion, sources

“Princes”, Carole Cusack, character, Charles Armstrong, Crowland Chronicle, Domenico Mancini, Henry VI, illegitimate children, Leicester dig, military record, popes, Richard III

Yes, we’ve all seen the above illustration before, but for my purposes today it’s ideal. Was Richard a saint? Or a sinner? I’ve happened upon a very interesting paper about Richard, by Carole Cusack, in which she discusses his reputation and why he still has the power to influence us today. Just what is it…
The Royal Progress of Richard III

Aug 29, 2020

anniversaries, battles, buildings, law, religion, sources, travel

“Arrivall of Edward IV”, “Princes”, Annales, Anne Neville, Anne Sutton, Black Death, Brecon, Bristol, Buckingham rebellion, Cambridge, Canterbury Cathedral, Catherine de Medici, Charles IX, Chief Justice, Compton Reeves, Cora Schofield, Coventry, Crowland Chronicle, Earl of Kildare, Edmund of Rutland, Edward II, Edward III, Edward IV, Edward of Middleham, Edward the Black Prince, Eucharist, execution, Fotheringhay, Francis Viscount Lovell, Gainsborough, George Duke of Clarence, George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, Gloucester, Gloucester Cathedral, Grantham, Great Chronicle, Great Seal, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VI, Henry VII, investiture, Isabel Neville, Jamestown, John Fortescue, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, John Kendall, John Morton, John of Gloucester, John Russell, Katherine Hastings, Latin, Leicester, Lincoln, Lionel Woodville, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Louis XI, Ludlow, Margaret d’Anjou, Micklegate Bar, Middleham Castle, Minster Lovell, mystery plays, Nottingham, Oxford, Pamela Tudor-Craig, Peter Hammond, Pilgrims’ Way, Pontefract, Reading, reburials, Rhoda Edwards, Richard Duke of York, Richard Earl Rivers, Richard III, Richard of Salisbury, River Ouse, River Severn, River Witham, Rosemary Horrox, Royal Progress, Sandwich, Sir Baldwin Fulford, Sir John Woodville, St. George, Tadcaster, Tewkesbury, Tewkesbury Abbey, Thomas of woodstock, Thomas Rotherham, Thornbury, Titulus Regius, Wakefield, Wales, Warwick, William I, William Lord Hastings, William Waynflete, Windsor Castle, Woodstock, Worcester, York

Following his coronation, Richard III – like all medieval monarchs – went on his “royal progress” through the realm. Along with an entourage in excess of 200 household men, ecclesiastics, supporters, and administrative officials, he visited towns and cities as far west as the River Severn, as far north as the River Ouse, and as…
King Edward IV’s Last Christmas….

Dec 28, 2019

anniversaries, buildings, culture, sources

Andrew Paleologus, Byzantine Empire, Christmas, Crowland Chronicle, Edward IV, Eltham Palace, John Stow

Reconstruction of Christmas at Eltham 1482 – Historic England (illustration by Peter Urmston) In the 14th century it became a royal tradition to spend Christmas at Eltham, and by 1482, Edward IV also held his Christmas there. The top picture is an imagined scene of this Christmas in the great hall (pictured immediately above) with…
Eleanor: A reminder of the evidence

Dec 27, 2019

law, religion, sources

1486 year book, Anglican dioceses, Annette Carson, bigamy, Calais, Captain of Calais, Catherine of Aragon, Charles V, Crowland Chronicle, David Johnson, denialists, Earls of Desmond, Edward IV, Elizabeth Wydeville, Eustace Chapuys, France, George Duke of Clarence, Henry VIII, Holy Roman Empire, John Ashdown-Hill, John Blount Lord Mountjoy, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lady Lucy, letters, Louis XI, Philippa Langley, Phillippe de Commynes, pre-contract, Ralph Butler Baron Sudeley, Revealing Richard III, Ricardian Bulletin, Richard III, Robert Stillington, Sandra Pendlington, Thomas More, Three Estates, Titulus Regius, Wendy Johnson, William Catesby

I know some people in Cairo are a little slow on the uptake, but there are several independent sources, as shown by the Revealing Richard III blog. In a recent series of articles in the Ricardian Bulletin, the team cite: Titulus Regius, as composed from the petition to the Three Estates on 26 June 1483;…
Where was Henry (Percy)?

Dec 26, 2019

archaeology, battles, sources

Ambion Hill, Atherstone, Battle of Bosworth, battlefields, Burgundy, Coventry, Crowland Chronicle, Dadlington, Edward IV, Henry Percy, Henry VII, interpretation, John D Austin, London, Lynda Telford, Merevale, Michael K Jones, Milford Haven, Richard III, Stanleys, Watling Street

After reading Michael Jones‘ book “Bosworth 1485 The Psychology of a Battle”, I have leaned towards his site of the Battle of Bosworth. Since the book was published more evidence has come to light that shows that the battle probably did not take place around Ambion Hill. I have also read John D Austin’s book…
Matthew Lewis on YouTube: 2) Mancini

Dec 1, 2019

anniversaries, religion, sources

“I know nothing”, “Princes”, Armstrong, Arthur “Tudor”, Beaugency, bigamy, Charles VIII, Crowland Chronicle, Domenico Mancini, Dr. John Argentine, Duke of Orleans, Edward IV, evidence, executions, feuds, France, George Duke of Clarence, gossip, Hastings, Henry VII, illegitimacy, Italian merchants, Italy, Lady Eleanor Talbot, language, Lord High Admiral, Lord High Constable, Lord Protector of the Realm, Louis XI, minority kings, Parliament, plots, pre-contract, propaganda, Robert Stillington, sickness, Stony Stratford, translation, Wydevilles

Here is the second in my series of Top 10’s. This one is focussing on Dominic Mancini’s account of the events of 1483. It’s a hugely problematical source, both in terms of Mancini himself, who spoke no English, had no grasp of English politics and very limited sources, and in terms of the current translation…
The Trial That Should Have Happened in 1483

Jun 26, 2019

anniversaries, law, religion, sources

archbishops, Beaumaris Castle, bigamy, canon law, Charles Donohue, Commines, consistory court, Crowland Chronicle, documents, Domenico Mancini, Edward IV, Edward of Warwick, Edward V, Eleanor Cobham, Elizabeth Wydeville, George Duke of Clarence, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VI, Humphrey of Gloucester, illegitimacy, inheritance, John Fortescue, King’s Bench, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Leeds Castle, Margery Paston, Papal Curia, Parliament, Pope, PreContract, procedure, Protectorate, R.H. Helmholz, Richard Calle, Richard III, Richard of Shrewsbury, Robert Stillington, secular law, Sir William Shareshull, sorcery, St Stephens Chapel, Statute of Merton, Statute of Praeminure, The Court of Arches, Three Estates, Titulus Regius, treason, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Hall, William Durantis, witnesses

Originally posted on RICARDIAN LOONS: Putting aside the mystery of what ultimately happened to Edward IV’s two sons, one enduring difficulty for a student of history is whether Richard III used the proper legal procedure in having them declared illegitimate because of their father’s precontracted marriage to Eleanor Talbot. The most (and only) significant defect…
Edward of Middleham: the prince of Richard III

Apr 9, 2019

anniversaries, art, buildings, religion, sources

Anne Idley, Anne Neville, burial mystery, Charles Ross, Coronation, Coverham Abbey, Crowland Chronicle, dispensations, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester, Earl of Salisbury, Edward of Middleham, George Duke of Clarence, investiture, Isabel Burgh, Isabel Neville, Jervaulx Abbey, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Middleham, Nevilles, Nottingham, portrait, Prince of Wales, Prince’s Tower Middleham, Richard III, Sheriff Hutton, St. Alkelda’s, stained glass, York Minster

Edward of York, better known as Edward of Middleham, was the only legitimate son of King Richard III and his Queen, Anne Neville. Edward was thought to have been born in Middleham Castle in December 1473, but this date is not certain. The historian Charles Ross wrote that this date “lacks authority” and was…
The King’s bishop? What did John Russell know in 1483?

Jul 6, 2018

anniversaries, law, religion, sources

“Beauforts”, “Princes”, “Tudor” propaganda, AJ Pollard, Alison Hanham, Armstrong, Battle of Bosworth, Bishops, British Library, Chancery Court, Charles Ross, conspiracies, Crowland Chronicle, Dr. John Argentine, Earl of Northumberland, Edward IV, Francis Lovell, George Cely, Great Seal, Harleian Manuscript 433, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VII, Hicks, illegitimacy, Jane Shore, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, John Morton, John Russell, John Shirwood, John Smith, John Stow, judiciary, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lady Margaret Beaufort, letters, Lincoln, Louise Gill, Ludgate, Mancini, Minster Lovell, More, oyer and terminer, Pamela Tudor-Craig, Paul Murray Kendall, Peter Hammond, regicide?, Richard III, Robert Russe, Robert Stillington, Rosemary Horrox, Royal Household, Sherlock Holmes, Simon Stallworth, Sir Anthony Wydeville, Sir William Stonor, Stephen Ireland, theories, Thomas Langton, Thomas Lynom, Titulus Regius, Tower of London, treason, Vatican City, Viscount Welles, Westminster Abbey, William Davey, Wydevilles

“ ‘Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?’ ‘To the curious incident of the dog in the night time’ ‘The dog did nothing in the night time’ ‘That is the curious incident ‘ remarked Sherlock Holmes.”[1] By applying his reasoning to this simple observation, the world’s…
1484 – TITULUS REGIUS: FACT OR FICTION?

Jan 23, 2018

anniversaries, law, sources

“Tudor” propaganda, A R Myers, AE Houseman, Arthur Conan Doyle, attainder, Barnard Castle, Battle of Bosworth, bigamy, Buckingham rebellion, Calais, Charles Ross, Charles Wood, Chrimes, Chris Skidmore, Clements Markham, Commines, Coronation, Crowland Chronicle, David Horspool, depositions, Edward II, Edward IV, Edward of Warwick, Edward V, Eleanor Cobham, Elizabeth Wydeville, executions, Fabyan, George Duke of Clarence, Grafton, Henry Kelly, Henry of Buckingham, Henry Riley, Henry VII, historians, Historiography, Horace Walpole, Humphrey of Gloucester, illegitimacy, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Joan of Navarre, John Daunger, John Home, John Morton, John Russell, John Stacy, King’s Council, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lander, Lord Protector of the Realm, Louis XI, Mancini, Margery Jourdemayne, mediaeval canon law, minority kings, Mortimer Levine, National Archives, Northampton, Parliament, Parliamentary Roll, Paul Murray Kendall, petition to Richard III, pre-contract, Ralph Shaa, Richard II, Richard III, Richard of Shrewsbury, Richard of Warwick, Robert Stillington, Roger Bolingbroke, Rosemary Horrox, Scottish border, Simon Stallworth, Sir Anthony Wydeville, Sir Richard Grey, Sir William Stonor, Stony Stratford, Thomas Blake, Thomas Bourchier, Thomas Burdet, Thomas Grey Marquess of Dorset, Thomas Lord Stanley, Thomas Rotherham, Thomas Southwell, Thomas Wake, Three Estates, Titulus Regius, Treaty of Troyes, Walpurg, witchcraft, Wydevilles, York

Introduction ‘ ‘This is indeed a mystery’ I remarked.’ What do you think it means?’‘I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suite theories, instead of theories to suite facts.’ In Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story A Scandal…