When Richard II and John of Gaunt decided (in view of the latter’s rather belated marriage to Katherine Swynford) that the Beauforts should be legitimated, they did two things. First they obtained a dispensation from the Pope removing any impediments to the Gaunt-Swynford marriage and legitimating the Beauforts. For example, the fact that Gaunt had… Continue reading The legitimisation of the Beauforts.
Whatever happened to Henry Pole the Younger? (2011)
I am not sure that every Ricardian will have survived watching the first two series of BBC2’s “The Tudors”, as first mentioned here, with its historical anachronisms, miscasting in some roles, confused chronology and obsession with bedroom scenes. Nevertheless, the third series is showing signs of improvement, particularly with its focus on the Pole family.… Continue reading Whatever happened to Henry Pole the Younger? (2011)
The succession to Richard II
There was no ‘constitutional’ arrangement in place in the 14thcentury. For many years, father had been succeeded by son, and there had been no need to set out any arrangements for any other contingency. Late in Edward III’s reign, the king, who was losing his faculties and very much under the influence of Gaunt, produced… Continue reading The succession to Richard II
Henry Tudor – ruler by right of conquest?
I have seen it asserted recently that Henry VII ruled ‘by right of conquest.’ This may be the de facto position, but it is not the de jure one. Parliament would never have allowed him to claim by conquest – it would have destroyed everyone’s – and I mean everyone’s – title to their lands. (This… Continue reading Henry Tudor – ruler by right of conquest?
Churchill, Celts and Common Ancestry (2009)
It was the new film, Into the Storm that started me thinking. Brendan Gleeson plays Winston Churchill and has commented widely on how ironic it is that an Irish actor is in the role. I recalled the rumours that Churchill fathered Brendan Bracken (a red-haired Irish-born MP and wartime Minister) and the fact that he… Continue reading Churchill, Celts and Common Ancestry (2009)
Physical proof of age (2008)?
It isn’t even clear with the living, let alone those who have been dead for five hundred years: The current method adopted for verifying the age of cricketers has come under scrutiny from the ICC’s medical council, which met in Dubai recently to discuss a variety of issues that impact the performance of an athlete.… Continue reading Physical proof of age (2008)?
The Audley Case of 1431
It is sometimes asserted that Richard III ‘ought to have referred the legitimacy of the princes to a Church court’ or even ‘to the Pope’. Quite apart from the rather obvious fact that a late 15th Century Parliament was never going to allow the succession to be determined by a bishop or two, and still… Continue reading The Audley Case of 1431
24-25 February
What an interesting week this is. On 25 February 1475 Edward, son of the Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville, was born. He already had an elder sister, Margaret, although two other siblings died in infancy. By his third birthday, Edward had lost both his parents and his father’s attainder barred him from succeeding to… Continue reading 24-25 February
Travels in enemy territory (2006)
Arlington Court is not a particularly old building but it commemorates a family that can be traced back to the Battle of Hastings, with a twentieth century twist. It dates from 1820, however it is the third or possibly fourth grand house to occupy the same site since the sixteenth century. The grounds are extensive… Continue reading Travels in enemy territory (2006)
George Joseph Smith and the Talbot-York precontract
Following the comparison between the remains that purport to be Edward IV’s sons and those that purported to be Mrs. Crippen, we revisit early C20 crime, although in this case we can be sure that a crime took place. George Joseph Smith was born in January 1872 and contracted a legal marriage in 1898, to… Continue reading George Joseph Smith and the Talbot-York precontract
murreyandblue 