Mortimers

The appointment of women to the Garter. (Medieval era).

Jan 10, 2023

heraldry, law

Alice Arundel, Blanche Brandeston, Catherine de Roet, Constance of York, Edmund of Langley, Henry IV, Henry VIII, Joan Holland, John of Gaunt, Knights of the Garter, Ladies of the Garter, Mary Bohun, Mortimers, Philippa de Mohun, Richard II, Sir Andrew Hake, Thomas Despenser, Thomas Holland

I have been trying to make sense of the method by which women were appointed to the Garter in the middle ages, and have concluded there was no system. Of course, as with the knights, who were nominally ‘elected’ by the other knights, it all came down to royal favour. But with the knights, there…
‘Great magician, damned Glendower'(Part 4.)

Sep 19, 2022

battles, genealogy, sources

Anglesey, Archbishop Scrope, archers, Battle of Shrewsbury, Catrin ferch Owain, Cheltenham, Constance of York, executions, France, Glyn Dwr rebellion, Henry IV, Henry V, Hotspur, Lord Grey of Ruthin, maredydd ap owain, Mortimers, Owain Glyn Dwr, Percies, Pilleth, R.R. Davies, ransom, siege of harlech, Sir Edmund Mortimer, Sir John Scudamore, Thomas Percy Earl of Worcester, Tripartite Alliance, Wales, Worcester

It is not my purpose to describe the Glyndŵr Rising in detail. The story is far too complex to be contained within a blog post. The reader who is interested in the full tale would do well to consult (for example) The Revolt Of Owain Glyn Dŵr by R.R Davies, an excellent work. The initial…
‘Great magician, damned Glendower'(Part 1.)

Sep 16, 2022

anniversaries, battles, genealogy, law, The play’s the thing

“Tudor” era, bards, Clwyd, Dee Valley, Glyndyfrdwy, Henry IV, Henry VII, imprisonment, Iolo Goch, judges, lawyers, Marcher Lords, Mortimers, Owain Glyn Dwr, Prince of Wales, rebellions, Richard II, Sir David Hanmer, Sycharth, Tower of London, Wales

‘Great magician, damned Glendower’ is how Shakespeare makes Henry IV refer to his elusive Welsh adversary. Of course, we all know that Shakespeare was principally a dramatist and a great distorter of historical truth. Nonetheless, it’s likely that this quote accurately reflects Bolngbroke’s feelings of frustration as he struggled to deal with Owain ap Gruffudd…
The Cotswolds and the Wars of the Roses….

Sep 6, 2022

battles, buildings, heraldry, religion, travel

bigamy, Cirencester, Cotswolds, Edward III, Edward IV, executions, Francis Lovell, John of Gaunt, John Talbot Viscount Lisle, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lancastrians, Lionel of Antwerp, Margaret of Anjou, Minster Lovell Hall, Mortimer’s Cross, Mortimers, Nibley Green, pre-contract, Richard III, River Windrush, rumour, sanctuary, St. John the Baptist, Sudeley Castle, Tewkesbury Abbey, Wars of the Roses, William Lord Berkeley

“What role did the Cotswolds play in the 30-year Wars of the Roses?” A good question. There wasn’t a specific War of the Cotswolds, but there was (still is) a connection to the Wars of the Roses, as you’ll see in this article . For instance, there’s the wonderful Church of St John the Baptist…
Diana Rubino on the Legendary Ten Seconds

Aug 13, 2022

archaeology, battles, Book Reviews, buildings, Events, Music Reviews, Science, travel

albums, Cecily Duchess of York, Devon, Diana Rubino, HMS Bellerophon, Ian Churchward, imaginary letters, John Challis, John Peel, Margaret of Burgundy, Mortimer History Society, Mortimers, Napoleonic wars, Pageant of Torbay, Richard III Society, Riviera FM, Sandra heath wilson, Scoliosis Association UK, The Legendary Ten Seconds, Wars of the Roses, Wigmore Abbey, Wydevilles

As you will observe from their appearance on Diana Rubino’s blog , The Legendary Ten Seconds now have a book featuring information on some of their best-known songs about Richard III, his time and Devon, of course. My Review of The Legendary Ten Seconds for the Ricardian Register (magazine of the American branch) As a longtime…
William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke

Jul 16, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, sources

Aberystwyth, Azincourt, Barry, Carmarthen Castle, Catherine de Valois, Civil War, Dafydd Gam, Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Edward IV, executions, George Duke of Clarence, Glamorgan, Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VII, Humphrey Stafford Earl of Devon, Hundred Years War, Jasper “Tudor”, Lancastrians, Lordship of Usk, Matilda Barri, Morleys of Norfolk, Mortimers, Northampton, ODNB, Owain Glyndwr, Owen Tudor, Pembroke Castle, Raglan Castle, Ralph Griffiths, ransom, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, Robin of Redesdale, Sheriff of Glamorgan, Sir John Morley, Sir William ap Thomas, Wales, William Herbert Earl of Pembroke, William I, Yellow Tower of GwentWilliam Lord Berkeley

William Herbert, otherwise ‘Black William’ was born in 1423, the son of Sir William ap Thomas ‘the Blue Knight of Gwent’ and Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam the ‘Star of Abergavenny’. His main claim to fame is that he was the first Welshman to become an earl in the peerage of England, except for Henry VI’s…
The Yorkist Connection to Cranborne in Dorset

Mar 31, 2022

art, buildings, genealogy, religion

Almeric d’ Evreux, Anne Mortimer, annulment, carvings, churches, Cranborne Manor. Dorset, Edmund Earl of March, Edward IV, Geoffrey de Mandeville, Gilbert de Clare, Hubert de Bergh, Isabella of Gloucester, John, Mortimers, Ralph Neville, Richard Duke of York, Richard Earl of Cambridge, Richard III, Roger Mortimer 4th Earl of March, royal hunting estates, St. Mary and St. Bartholomew

Cranborne is a little village tucked away in the Dorset countryside. The roads leading to it are small and narrow, with very high hedges, and driving there can be a bit of a nightmare if you should meet up with a farm vehicle or delivery lorry (frequent)! However, it seems to have been heavily visited…
The White Lion of Mortimer….

Dec 30, 2021

anniversaries, art, battles, heraldry

coins, Mortimers, Queen’s Beasts, Richard Duke of York, Wakefield, white lion

It isn’t often that I like a new coin, but the addition of the White Lion of Mortimer to the Queen’s Beasts series is an exception. It’s beautiful. To read about it go here.
Spreading propaganda works both ways, as John of Gaunt discovered….

Sep 30, 2021

anniversaries, genealogy, law, religion

“Tudor” propaganda, bigamy, books, Earl of Salisbury, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, Henry IV, Henry VII, illegitimacy, Joan of Kent, John of Gaunt, Lancastrian propaganda, Mortimers, Phillippa of Hainault, popes, Richard II, rumours, Thomas Holand, usurpation

As we all know, the Tudors were masters of propaganda. The lies about Richard III poured forth throughout their usurpation, and still persist to this day. If they could say something unpleasant and derogatory about him, they did. Perhaps it was in their blood, of course, because they were descended (one way or another) from…
The origins of the White Rose of York?

Jul 7, 2021

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy, heraldry

Caroline Halsted, Clifford Castle, Fair Rosamund Clifford, Henry II, Mortimers, royal mistresses, Walter Clifford, white rose, Wye, Yorkists

According to Caroline Halstead in Richard III As Duke Of Gloucester And King of England, the White Rose derives from Clifford Castle (near Hay-on-Wye). It therefore came to the York family as part of their inheritance from the Mortimers, who had themselves inherited Clifford Castle. But why is Clifford Castle associated with a white rose?…