ANNE OF YORK – DUCHESS OF EXETER – SISTER TO KINGS

Reblogged from sparkypus.com   Wythin thys Chappell lyethe beryed Anne Duchess of Exetur suster unto the noble kyng Edward the forte. And also the body of syr Thomas Sellynger knyght her husband which hathe funde within thys College a Chauntre with too prestys sy’gyng for eu’more. On whose soule god haue mercy. The wych Anne duchess… Continue reading ANNE OF YORK – DUCHESS OF EXETER – SISTER TO KINGS

Heraldry

The shield depicted, which belongs to the Heraldic Roll of Ludlow Castle (and which can be seen at the castle) is that of Roger Mortimer, first Earl of March and his wife Joan de Geneville. This is what is called a heraldic impalement. The husband’s arms are to the left as you look at it… Continue reading Heraldry

A modern parallel

The Three Estates offered Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the crown when his brother’s bigamy was exposed, thereby bastardising his sons. Something very similar happened as recently as 1997, although there was DNA involved and not a bishop. Anthony, 3rd Baron Moynihan, died in Manila during 1991, after an eventful life that had included five marriages,… Continue reading A modern parallel

BOOK REVIEW

Stuart Bradley – JOHN MORTON: adversary of Richard III, power behind the Tudors (Amberley 2019)   John Morton served the English crown for a almost forty years during one of the most turbulent periods in English history. He wielded considerable influence at the courts of three kings. First, in the Lancastrian household of Henry VI:… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW

The Trial That Should Have Happened in 1483

Originally posted on RICARDIAN LOONS:
Putting aside the mystery of what ultimately happened to Edward IV’s two sons, one enduring difficulty for a student of history is whether Richard III used the proper legal procedure in having them declared illegitimate because of their father’s precontracted marriage to Eleanor Talbot.  The most (and only) significant defect…

‘Our Poor Subject’ – The Story of Katherine Bassingbourne

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… Continue reading ‘Our Poor Subject’ – The Story of Katherine Bassingbourne

John Fortescue Speaks

John Fortescue (1385-1479) on the subject of illegitimate children inheriting or having rights of succession to their father’s estate or patrimony: “The civil [Roman] law [followed on the Continent] legitimates children born before matrimony as well as after, and causes them to succeed to the parental inheritance. But the law of England does not allow… Continue reading John Fortescue Speaks

Use of the Salic Law

A Salic Law (dating from c.507-11) stated, among other things, that a kingdom must be inherited agnatically. Women are to be excluded from the Crown, as are men who would only inherit through the male line. How did this affect different European countries? FRANCE: applied more rigidly as time went on, precedents being created in… Continue reading Use of the Salic Law