The de Courcy Matter Part I: According to English records….

Marguerite, Lady de Courcy, was the French governess of Richard II’s second wife, the child-bride Isabelle of Valois. This article, Part I, tells the generally known English version of what led to Marguerite’s return to France. I will begin with Richard’s obligation to remarry after the death of Anne of Bohemia, with whom he had… Continue reading The de Courcy Matter Part I: According to English records….

The 14th-16th century Westminster horse burial ground that is only Tudor, of course….

It would seem that tagging the word “Tudor” to anything is meant as a surefire hook. Nothing is interesting unless it’s Tudor. Well, things ain’t always Tudor by any means, and some things only happened to still be around during that unlamented period. In this case it’s a horse cemetery in Westminster that had been… Continue reading The 14th-16th century Westminster horse burial ground that is only Tudor, of course….

Henry VI….our most unfortunate king….?

  Was Henry VI our most unfortunate king? Well, at only nine months he was certainly the youngest to come to the throne. And when he reached adulthood his mental state was frequently out of kilter. A little like his maternal grandfather, the French king Charles VI, known to posterity as Charles the Mad. Charles… Continue reading Henry VI….our most unfortunate king….?

Digging for Britain (series 11)

As another year dawns, it must be time for another series of Britain’s archeological highlights, divided into five regions. This time, it started in the north with Carlisle Cricket Club hosting a dig associated with the bathhouse of the emperor Septimius Severus, a particularly steep part of the Grampians and Lowther Castle, a site that… Continue reading Digging for Britain (series 11)

A forgotten Mortimer

Two of the children of Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, are relatively famous. Edmund the 5th Earl, who was involved in the Southampton Plot, and Anne Mortimer who is the ancestress of anyone who is anybody in England – and many others besides. The younger son, Roger, who died at some point after 1405… Continue reading A forgotten Mortimer

Tyrants – Part 2

Henry Bolingbroke, of course, was not a tyrant. Not at all. It’s just that before he became king, he executed an earl and four knights, no doubt by mistake. He was neither king, high constable nor marshal, and anyway was a banished man. So he had no lawful authority whatever. But he was merely carrying… Continue reading Tyrants – Part 2

THE CRYSTAL SCEPTRE – A GIFT FROM HENRY V TO THE CITY OF LONDON

REBLOGGED FROM A Medieval Potpourri @sparkypus.com The Crystal Sceptre.  Given by a grateful King Henry V to the City of London in recognition of the financial aid given towards the Battle of Agincourt. Photo The Lord Mayor of London @Twitter. Some of the eagle eyed amongst you who recently watched the coronation of Charles III… Continue reading THE CRYSTAL SCEPTRE – A GIFT FROM HENRY V TO THE CITY OF LONDON

Restoration commences on the de la Pole tomb in Wingfield Church….and I take a little detour to Wingfield Castle….

For Ricardians the name de la Pole conjures thoughts of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. And maybe too of his father, John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, whose effigy lies at Wingfield Church in Suffolk with his duchess Elizabeth of York. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of… Continue reading Restoration commences on the de la Pole tomb in Wingfield Church….and I take a little detour to Wingfield Castle….

From child marriages to a royal murder in Calais….

  While seeking information that might help with the child marriage of Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford and Philippa de Coucy, granddaughter of King Edward III, I came upon this link which is from Illustrations of Ancient State and Chivalry, From Manuscripts Preserved In The Ashmolean Museum, edited by William Henry Black and… Continue reading From child marriages to a royal murder in Calais….

Give the Carys a Blue Plaque….!

The above image is of the Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, Torquay where George Cary and Sir Edward Seymour: “…..jointly took 400 prisoners during the Spanish Armada and some residents today know the men were imprisoned in what we still call ‘The Spanish Barn’. Torre Abbey estates were then purchased by the Cary family in… Continue reading Give the Carys a Blue Plaque….!