The New Murrey and Blue blog

“Princes”

A highlight from the quincentenary …

Nov 15, 2020

anniversaries, archaeology, art, Events, genealogy, law, religion, Science, sources, television reviews

“Princes”, “Tudor” “sources”, AJ Pollard, Anne Sutton, Annette Carson, Barrie Williams, bastardy, bigamy, Channel Four, David Starkey, Domenico Mancini, executions, Jane, Jeremy Potter, John Ashdown-Hill, John Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Pamela Tudor-Craig, Polydore Vergil, pre-contract, proclamation, Ralph Butler Baron Sudeley, Richard Duke of Gloucester, Sir James Tyrrell, teeth, The Trial of King Richard the Third, Thomas Dighton, Thomas More, Wydeville plot, YouTube

… of Richard’s accession was Channel Four’s 1984 “The Trial Of King Richard The Third”, presided over by Lord Elwyn-Jones. A YouTube poster has sliced it into 22 segments so enjoy the show, particularly part ten, in which a young Starkey implodes. Pollard and Lady Wedgwood (Pamela Tudor-Craig) also feature, as do Anne Sutton and…
Prince Charles ‘poised to solve 550-year-old royal mystery’ on throne….

Nov 14, 2020

anniversaries, archaeology, genealogy, law, religion, Science, The play’s the thing

“Princes”, “Tudor” propaganda, Charles Prince of Wales, Matthew Lewis, Richard III. More, Shakespeare, Westminster Abbey

Well, while it seems the Queen wants awkward bones to be left tucked up in their urn in Westminster Abbey, Prince Charles is more curious about the whole “Princes in the Tower” mystery. Maybe he’ll even probe enough to reveal the truth at last. I do hope so! To read more, go to This Express…
Once again, Matt Lewis to the rescue on his white charger…!

Oct 29, 2020

archaeology, battles, buildings, Science

“Lambert Simnel”, “Perkin”, “Princes”, Dublin Cathedral, Edward of Warwick, Edward V, executions, Guildford family, Henry VII, Jack Leslau, Lord Guildford Dudley, Matthew Lewis, More, Old St. Paul’s, Richard III, Richard of Shrewsbury, Stoke Field, Sunday Express, Tower of London, Wars of the Roses

Yet again we have Matt Lewis to thank for pointing out the error of journalistic and other writers’ ways. There are some bloopers in this Express piece but Matt sorts them out with good, plain, beautifully written English. Job done. Excellent.
The Precontract that Gave Us King Richard III

Oct 21, 2020

anniversaries, law, religion, sources

“Princes”, bastardy, bigamy, canon law, Crowland Chronicle, Edward IV, George Duke of Clarence, Lady Eleanor Talbot, pre-contract, Richard III, Robert Stillington, secret marriage, Three Estates, Titulus Regius, Whitefriars

One of the main reasons we now have an amazing King in the list of British monarchs is without doubt the precontract between Lady Eleanor Talbot and King Edward IV. The turning point in the election of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as king of England was the discovery of a precontract between the former king…
Elizabeth Hopton, Countess of Worcester, died 1498.

Oct 18, 2020

anniversaries, battles, genealogy

“Perkin”, “Princes”, Battle of Bosworth, Constable of England, Elizabeth Hopton, executions, France, Henry III, Henry VII, John Tiptoft Earl of Worcester, Mowbrays, Oscar Wilde, Ranulf Earl of Chester, Readeption, Richard of Warwick, Shropshire, Sir Brian Stanley-Wainwright, Sir Roger Corbet, Sir William Stanley, Spain, William Brews, witchcraft

Elizabeth Hopton happens to be the present author’s 14th Great Grandmother, which prompted an interest in her. I think it is fair to say she is little-known. Of course, she did not (to our knowledge) involve herself in national politics, become the King’s mistress, murder the Princes in the Tower or get in trouble for…
The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I

Sep 25, 2020

anniversaries, art, battles, buildings, genealogy, religion

“Lambert Simnel”, “Perkin”, “Princes”, “The Last Knight”, “Tudor” rebellions, archers, Battle of Guinegate, Bruges Chapel of the Holy Blood, Charles the Bold, Charles V, Durer, Edmund de la Pole, exhibitions, Frederick III, Frederick the Wise, Habsburgs, Holy Roman Empire, James Gairdner, Jorg Helmschmid, jousting, Kingdom of the Romans, Louis XI, Margaret of Burgundy, Mary of Burgundy, masquerades, Maximilian I, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Order of the Garter, Order of the Golden Fleece, Philip the Handsome, Richard III, Tournament Tapestry, Victoria and Albert Museum

Originally posted on RICARDIAN LOONS: Portrait of Maximilian I, from the workshop or a follower of Albrecht Dürer. Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) is one of those larger-than-life historical figures. Straddling the medieval and Renaissance eras, he worked tirelessly and spent a vast fortune to establish the Habsburgs as one of Europe’s dominant ruling…
A pleasant surprise

Sep 19, 2020

television reviews, travel

“Princes”, Avon-Kennet Canal, Birmingham, Bristol, Brunel, canals, centurions, Channel Five, Coventry, Crimewatch, Dan Jones, Edward II, Endeavour Morse, Grand Union Canal, Lancashire towns, Lancaster, Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Liverpool, London, Oxford, Oxford Canal, ports, rainfall, red hot poker, Richard III, Roman roads, The Wench is Dead, trade, transport, Yorkshire

In recent years, Dan Jones’ posing and fanciful Crimewatch-style re-enactments, together with Starkeyesque conclusions formed before he started, has marred quite a few series on mediaeval history. Now he seems to have changed tack completely with this series, covering canal building from the middle of the eighteenth century and – yes – I rather enjoyed…
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…
Thomas More and the Removal Men

Aug 23, 2020

archaeology, battles, buildings, sources

“Princes”, Barnard Castle, Battle of Bosworth, Dighton, Edward of Middleham, energetic priest, fantasy, Garden Tower, John Greene, John Stow, Miles Forest, Minster Lovell, Polydore Vergil, rescue plot, Richard III, Sir James Tyrrell, Sir Robert Brackenbury, Thomas Basin, Thomas More, Tyrrell “confession”, Warwick, Will Slaughter

Thomas More’s detailed and heart-wrenching account of the murders of Edward IV’s sons is well known, and is usually either accepted or dismissed in toto so it would probably be useful to pause at this point to remind ourselves exactly what it was that Thomas More claimed had happened to the boys and why opinions…