Wales
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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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Edmund Mortimer 5th Earl of March
Anne Stafford, Battle of Shrewsbury, Constance of York, Earl of Northumberland, Earldom of March, Edmund Mortimer, Edmund of Langley, Harfleur, Harlech Castle, Henry IV, Henry V, Humphrey of Gloucester, Ian Mortimer, Iolo Goch, Ireland, John Holland, King’s Council, Mortimers, Normandy, Owain Glyn Dwr, Pevensey Castle, plot, Richard Earl of Cambridge, Richard II, Roger Mortimer, Sir Hugh Waterton, Sir John Mortimer, Sir Thomas Grey, Southampton, Thomas Earl of Surrey, Thomas of woodstock, Tripartite Alliance, Wales, Windsor CastleEdmund Mortimer, later 5th Earl of March, was born on 6 November 1391. His parents were Roger Mortimer, Earl of March (1374-1398) and his wife, the well-connected Alianore Holland, daughter of Thomas Earl of Kent. In the view of many people, including the Westminster Chronicler, and the Welsh poet Iolo Goch (c1320-1398) Earl Roger was…
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Today in 1495, Jasper “Tudor”, Earl of Bedford died …
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William the B … er, Conqueror
Anglo-Saxons, Battle, Battle Abbey, Battle of Hastings, Bayeux Tapestry, Canterbury, castles, Chepstow, chivalry, churches, Colchester Castle, Coronation, death, Domesday Book, executions, famine, Harold II, height, Henry I, Marc Morris, Matilda of Flanders, mediaeval buildings, Normans, Scotland, slavery, St. David’s, Tayside, Tower of London, usurpation, Wales, Waltheof, William I, William IIThis piece, by Marc Morris in History Extra, describes the events that followed the previous usurpation from France. A lot more violent, indeed, than the early reign of the first “Tudor”, although his son and grandchildren changed that …
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SIR MATTHEW CRADDOCK 1468 – 1531
“Perkin”, Anne Neville, Battle of Bosworth, Berkshire, Bridgend, Caerphilly Castle, Calendar of Patent Rolls, Candelston Castle, Candleston Castle, castles, Coity Castle, Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Elizabeth of York, Fitzalan, George Duke of Clarence, Glamorgan, Gower Peninsula, Henry Cardinal Beaufort, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Herberts, Inventory of Ancient Monuments of Glamorgan, Jane Mansell, Jane Stradling, Jasper “Tudor”, Katherine Plantagenet, Kenfig Castle, Lady Catherine Gordon, Llynfi Valley, Lordship of Glamorgan, Mansels, Mary I, Matthew Craddock, Newcastle Castle, Newtons, Norman conquest, Ogmore Castle, Ogmore Triangle, Oxwich Castle, Perkins family, Reynoldston, Rhys ap Thomas, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, Robert Stillington, Sir Richard Herbert, Sir Roger Berkerolles, Somerset, St. Donat’s Castle, Stradlings, Strattigan, Swansea, Switzerland, Talbots, Turbevilles, Wales, William de Londres, William Herbert Earl of HuntingdonMatthew Craddock was the son of Richard ap Gwilliam ap Evan ap Craddock Vreichfras and Jennet Horton of Candleston Castle in Glamorgan. His great grandfather, William Horton of Tregwynt in Pembrokeshire, married Joan de Canteloupe the heiress of Candleston. Jennet Horton was their granddaughter. I first came across Matthew Craddock while looking at anything that…
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The following article is based on books by Chris Barber and David Pykitt, so I do not claim anything as my own work. The books are The Legacy of King Arthur and Journey to Avalon. It is also based on a third book by Chris Barber called King Arthur: The Mystery Unravelled, which contains more…
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A few days ago I watched a TV documentary about Rhys ap Thomas, The Man Who Killed Richard III. It made my Welsh blood boil! The man was a bullying, thieving snake, not a hero! Anyway, here is the TV company’s blurb:- “Who killed Richard III? http://www.historychannel.com.au/shows/man-killed-richard-iii/ “This is a story of conspiracy and…
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Thomas Vaughan ap Rosser was born in 1400, and nicknamed ‘Black’ Vaughan because of his black hair; or perhaps because of his black nature. No one knows which. His main residence was Hergest Court, near Kington in Herefordshire, and his wife was Ellen Gethin of Llanbister, Radnorshire. She was, from all accounts, a formidable…
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Llanthony Secunda is so-called because the Augustinian monks of the Vale of Eywas in the Black Mountains of Wales were driven from their original home, beautiful Llanthony Priory, and retreated to Gloucester, where they built this second priory. I have taken the following from a page at http://www.llanthonysecunda.org/: “Gloucester was an important city in medieval…
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