Joan of Kent

Who wrote the inscription on the tomb of Richard II….?

Aug 16, 2024

anniversaries, art, buildings, law, religion

Anne of Bohemia, Archbishop Thomas Arundel, Archbishop William Courtenay, Bible translators, Chester, confiscation, de heretico comburendo, executions, exile, Henry IV, Henry V, homer, horses, Ireland, Joan of Kent, John of Gaunt, John Wycliffe, King’s Langley, Latin, Lollards, memorials, Old St. Paul’s, Pat Smythe, Pontefract Castle, Richard II, Richard III, royal tombs, showjumping, Terry Jones, usurpers, Westminster Abbey, Who murdered chaucer

The tomb of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia in Westminster Abbey is very well known and recognised. The effigies once held hands but the hands are now missing, and the original magnificence of the tomb can only be imagined. If you go to this link and scroll down to the section headed Burial and…
Did Edward IV violate sanctuary after the Battle of Tewkesbury….?

Aug 1, 2024

anniversaries, battles, buildings, law, religion

abbeys, battle of tewkesbury, Edward IV, excommunication, Joan of Kent, Lancastrian commanders, Nigel Saul, Richard II, Richard III, robert hawley, sanctuary, sir alan buxhill, Tewkesbury Abbey, Tower of London

Here is a link (We travel back in time to the scene of one of England’s bloodiest battles (yahoo.com)) to someone’s account of attending the annual Tewkesbury Medieval Festival. It is very interesting and worth reading. However, something that is repeated about events in the aftermath of the battle is that the sanctuary of Tewkesbury…
Whose wheatear badge was found in the Thames….?

Jul 14, 2024

art, battles, buildings, culture, genealogy

artefacts, Coldharbour, dartington, Dartington Hall, Dukes of Exeter, Edward III, Edward of Woodstock, Henry Holland Duke of Exeter, Joan of Kent, Pleshey Castle, Pontefract Castle, Richard II, Thames, Thomas of woodstock, usurpation, wheat ear, white hart

On 2 August 2019 I wrote this post—which contained the following link https://x.com/liz_lizanderson/status/1016611053394976768 concerning a portion of medieval livery badge thought to be that of Henry Holand, 3rd Duke of Exeter. The 3rd duke fought for Henry VI and died mysteriously at sea, it’s thought at the instruction of the very Yorkist Edward IV. The…
Pink or lilac robes today, Your Majesty….?

Jun 7, 2024

anniversaries, art, buildings

Anne of Bohemia, Barons Lumley, chester-le-street, Edward of Woodstock, Epiphany Rising, Henry IV, Joan of Kent, John Duke of Exeter, Leeds Castle, lilac, Lumley Castle, Margaret Holland, pink, Richard II, royal portraits, Sir Ralph Lumley, Thomas Earl of Kent, usurpation

Here’s a portrait of Richard II that isn’t seen very often, except perhaps head and shoulders—possibly because of the figure of Ralph, 1st Lord Lumley kneeling before him. Richard’s likeness seems to be a copy of his famous portrait in Westminster Abbey, but this one hangs in Leeds Castle. I think it rather striking not…
The beginnings of the House of York….

May 25, 2024

anniversaries, genealogy, law, religion, sources

attempted annulment, bernard henry holland, bigamy, Countess of Cambridge, dragons, Dugdale, Earls of Surrey, Edmund of Langley, Edward II, Edward III, Edward IV, Edward the Black Prince, Elizabeth of Lancaster, House of York, isabel holand, Joan Holland, joan of bar, Joan of Kent, John de Warenne, John of Gaunt, laws of inheritance, Legitimacy, letters patent, ludlow hoard, maud de nerford, pre-contract, Richard Earl of Arundel, Richard II, seduction, Thomas Holand, treasure

There is an interesting story attached to the early days of the House of York. Edward IV wasn’t the first to be accused of being contracted to one woman while pretending to be married to another. And this one too affected the fortunes of the white rose. Back in the 14th century a similar situation…
A 14th-century castle and moat unearthed beneath a French hotel….

Apr 4, 2024

anniversaries, archaeology, battles, buildings, genealogy

breton war of succession, castles, charles de blois, Charles V, Charles VI, chateau de l’hermine, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, hotel lagorce, Hundred Years War, Joan of Kent, John IV Duke of Brittany, Richard II, siege of Nantes, Thomas Holand, vannes

I have learned from this site (as well as numerous other sites, all you have to do is search “castle remains under vannes hotel”) that the remarkably well preserved remains of a14th-century castle and moat have been discovered only about 10 feet below the foundations of the Hotel Lagorce in Vannes. This lost castle…
A circumstantial but viable clue to the eventual death of Edward II….

Mar 6, 2024

anniversaries, archaeology, battles, buildings, genealogy, law, religion, Science, sources

Abdication, adam murimuth, Auramala Project, Battle of Sluys, Berkeley Castle, berkeley pill, Canada, Corfe Castle, david tandy, Edmund Earl of Kent, Edward II, Edward III, Edward IV, Edward V, elizabeth comyn, escape, evidence, executions, Fieschi Letter, fundy bay, Glenn Moran, Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucestershire, Hugh Despencer the Younger, Ian Mortimer, Isabelle de France, Joan of Kent, John Ashdown-Hill, John of Gaunt, Kathryn Warner, Lady Eleanor Talbot, mtDNA evidence, richard barber, Richard II, Richard of Shrewsbury, Richard Talbot, Roger Mortimer, Salisbury Cathedral, secret marriage, Severn Estuary, Thomas Lord Berkeley

In a way the mystery of Edward II is not unlike that of the Princes in the Tower (see here). In both cases supposed royal murders have turned out to be untrue and the victims have escaped to the Continent. Also in both cases the murder aspect has been unchallenged until relatively recently, with all the old…
The Black Prince had a sense of humour….

Feb 14, 2024

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy, humour

Anthony Goodman, architecture, babewins, Edward the Black Prince, follies, henry yevele, Joan of Kent, Kennington Palace, monkey, Richard II

When we think of Edward of Woodstock (the “Black Prince”) I doubt if his sense of humour figures very much. He was definitely not known for curling up in laughter or playing pranks, so perhaps it will come as a surprise to find that humour did indeed figure in at least one aspect of…
The early Hollands – or Holands

Feb 5, 2024

buildings, genealogy

annulment, barons Holland, Borehamwood, Cheshire, Cheshire risings, County of St. Pol, Duchy of Brittany, Edward II, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, Hale, Henry II, Henry VI, Hollands, House of Lancaster, House of York, Ireland family, Joan of Kent, Lancashire, Lancashire Assizes, Lovells, Matthew Holland, maud de la zouche, Mitford sisters, Mortimers, murder, Parliament, Robert Holand, secret marriage, Sir John Egerton, Thomas Holland, Thomas of Lancaster, Thurstan Holland, Upholland, Wigan

Upholland is a village in Lancashire, about 4 miles from Wigan and these days only just outside Greater Manchester. It was formerly the HQ of the Lancashire gentry family of Holland. (Up until the 15th Century, it was often, if not invariably, spelt ‘Holand’, but I will stick with the modern spelling for consistency.) The…
When, oh when, did Henry Percy fight the “battle” of Duns….?

Dec 12, 2023

anniversaries, battles, genealogy, religion, sources

Alnwick, Barons Percy, Battle of Duns, Bordeaux, Duchy of Aquitaine, Duns Castle, Earls of Northumberland, Edward III, Feast of St. Laurence, Good Parliament, Helen Carr, Henry Earl of Northumberland, horses, Hotspur, Joan of Kent, John Holand, Richard II, Robert II, Roxburgh Fair, Scotland, subterfuge, Westminster

If, like me, you had never heard of the Battle of Duns, here’s a brief outline. Late in the 14th century Henry Percy, 4th Baron Percy (created 1st Earl of Northumberland in 1377) led an army of 7,000 over the border into Berwickshire and made camp at Duns to await reinforcements. One night the sleeping…