York

‘Our Poor Subject’ – The Story of Katherine Bassingbourne

Apr 3, 2019

law

David Johnson, Henry Faucet, inheritance, justice, Katherine Bassingbourne, nuncupative wills, Ricardian Bulletin, Richard III, Thomas Wrangwissh, York

Researching my new novel, Distant Echoes, I found out about a court case that Richard was involved with concerning a woman called Katherine Bassingbourne. She brought a complaint before Richard’s Council because she couldn’t afford a lawyer and Richard seems to have taken her side, despite it being of no benefit to him to do…
Pop-up theatres and the history of car parks….

Feb 4, 2019

anniversaries, archaeology, buildings, Events, The play’s the thing

car parks, Detroit, Leicester dig, Michigan Theatre, Richard III, Rose Theatre, York

Am I alone in thinking that in this instance, “pop up” describes the Rose Theatre in York well? The Rose resembles something that pops up in a children’s book. However, this article is actually more about the history of car parks, which is very interesting. The one below is in Detroit, and is quite astonishing!…
Terry Jones’ opinion of Richard III….

Feb 1, 2019

anniversaries, battles, Book Reviews, sources, The play’s the thing

“Medieval Lives”, “Tudor” propaganda, Battle of Bosworth, bigamy, bones, Bootham Bar, Coronation, Council of the North, Edward IV, Edward V, Garden Tower, Henry VII, illegitimacy, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, John Rous, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lord Protector of the Realm, Louis VII, motive, plots, pre-contract, Ralph Shaa, Richard III, Tanner and Wright, Terry Jones, Wars of the Roses, wine merchants, Wydevilles, York

I am a great fan of Terry Jones’ writing/opinions when it comes to medieval history, and today just happens to be Terry’s birthday. That he supports King Richard II I already knew, but I did not know he also thinks highly of King Richard III. What I write below is taken from a book, which…
Collecting tolls on the Ouse at York….

Jan 2, 2019

buildings

Barker Tower, ferries, Lendal Tower, River Ouse, St. Mary’s Abbey, technology, Thomas Smyth, tolls, York

How did the citizens of York collect tolls from vessels on the River Ouse? They had a great big chain across the river, between two guardian towers, the Barker Tower and the Lendal Tower on the opposite bank. Simple, but effective. “This river-side tower was built in the 14th century. It was positioned at the…
Is it time to exhume Cardinal Wolsey?

Nov 29, 2018

anniversaries, archaeology, buildings, law, religion

Abbey Park, burial sites, Catherine of Aragon, Grand Union Canal, Henry VIII, high treason, Ipswich, King’s Great Matter, Leicester Abbey, Leicester cathedral, Leicester Greyfriars, Richard III, Richard Pescall, Soar, St. Margaret’s Church Leicester, St. Nicholas’ Street Ipswich, Thomas Wolsey, Wolsey’s Gate, York

Thomas Wolsey was born in Ipswich, apparently in March 1473, to Joan Daundy and Robert Wolsey, who seems to have been a butcher and may possibly have been killed at Bosworth. Opposite his birthplace, in St. Nicholas’ Street, is this seated statue (below). His local achievements include Wolsey’s Gate and, after about 475 years, the…
BBC History Magazine’s history weekends this autumn….

Sep 18, 2018

Events

Alfred, Cnut, Ethelred II, Henry II, Henry IV, Hicks, history weekends, John, queens consort, Richard III, Winchester, York

Well, all this should be very interesting indeed…except for Hicks on Richard III, of course. Now, if it were to be Richard III on Hicks….yes, that would be worth the effort! “If your interest in royal history is piqued by the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, make a date in your diary to…
Medieval murder at Richard’s Red Tower in York….

Sep 12, 2018

battles, buildings

Battle of Bosworth, craft guilds, Henry VII, murder, Red Tower, Richard III, York

Here is a tale of how a 15th-century trade dispute in York got out of hand, and for once Richard isn’t getting the blame! The following extract is from here: “A building in York, which was once the scene of a medieval murder over a trade dispute during its construction 500 years ago, is set…
Richard III, Henry VII and the City of York….

Jul 31, 2018

buildings, sources, The play’s the thing

“Lambert Simnel”, Anne Neville, Archbishop Scrope, Berwick Castle, british History Online, Christmas, Corpus Christi Guild, Council of the North, Creed Play, Earl of Northumberland, Edward IV, Edward of Middleham, Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Wydeville, entertainment, Fishergate Bar, fishgarths, Henry VII, James IV, John Brackenbury, John Vavasour, Lammas, Lord Clifford, Lord Scrope of Bolton, Margaret “Tudor”, Micklegate Bar, Miles Metcalf, Nicholas Lancaster, Ouse, Paston Letters, Paul Murray Kendall, Percies, Pontefract, Princes of Wales, Richard Green, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, riots, Scarborough Castle, Scotland, Shakespeare, Sheriff Hutton, Sir John Egremont, The Ainsty, Thomas Earl of Surrey, Thomas Wrangwissh, Three Estates, Walmgate Bar, York, York Castle, York Guildhall

This is not my work, but has been lifted entirely from British History Online. My contribution is the illustrations. It is a sensible assessment of the relationship of both Richard and Henry Tudor with the great city of York. :- York, Richard of Gloucester, and Henry VII There was much that was new in…
York wants to know if Richard was a hero or a villain….!

Jul 21, 2018

buildings, Events, The play’s the thing

Margaret Clitherow, Mother Shipton, Richard III, Rose Theatre, Turpin, Vikings, York, York Dungeon

Hero or villain? Richard III, played by Nick Trott, is the latest subject of the York Dungeon’s Yorkshire Rogues & Legends series Well, reading this, I thought by now that everyone in York knows Richard was a hero, but maybe not….
York’s little red tower is opened to the public….

May 25, 2018

buildings, Events

Red Tower, Richard III, York

Originally commissioned by Richard III, and built in 1490, this small brick-built tower in York has been beautifully restored, was opened on Saturday – the day of the royal wedding. The tower is yet another historic treasure with which Richard is connected. He may not have lived to even middle age, or reigned for more than…