Well, now I’ve read it all. Please look at the above map, into which you can zoom at here. Do you see the images of monarchs on the left (Lancaster) and on the right (York)? You’ll probably need to zoom at the Wikimedia link above to read the words atop the Lancastrian column. They… Continue reading Speed’s not up to speed….!
Tag: Lancashire
Molyneux? No, here come the Stanleys. Again….!
I have recently been looking into the turbulent life of Sir Thomas Molyneux of Cuerdale, whose hall by the River Ribble has featured in one of my articles. He was not a quiet soul, and had a terrible end at the Battle of Radcot Bridge in 1387 when surrendering to a Mortimer. The latter pulled… Continue reading Molyneux? No, here come the Stanleys. Again….!
The rise and fall of Sir Thomas Molyneux’s Cuerdale Hall in Lancashire….
My meanderings in the name of research sometimes turn up things that rather bemuse me. This time I was in hot pursuit of Sir Thomas Molyneux of Cuerdale, who was murdered rather nastily by Thomas Mortimer Thomas Mortimer at the Battle of Radcot Bridge on 19 December 1387. Molyneux had once been John of… Continue reading The rise and fall of Sir Thomas Molyneux’s Cuerdale Hall in Lancashire….
The early Hollands – or Holands
Upholland is a village in Lancashire, about 4 miles from Wigan and these days only just outside Greater Manchester. It was formerly the HQ of the Lancashire gentry family of Holland. (Up until the 15th Century, it was often, if not invariably, spelt ‘Holand’, but I will stick with the modern spelling for consistency.) The… Continue reading The early Hollands – or Holands
Why was Maud Francis her father’s heir when she had elder brothers?
The thrice-married Maud Francis, who eventually became Countess of Salisbury, was undoubtedly the heir of her father, the extremely wealthy Sir Adam Francis (1325-75), at one time Lord Mayor of London. Yet she had no fewer than three elder brothers, born to the same mother, so how could this be? The answer is, dear Reader,… Continue reading Why was Maud Francis her father’s heir when she had elder brothers?
Various Goings on in the General Area of Cheshire.
Although Cheshire was fiercely loyal to Richard II, after the Battle of Shrewsbury (1403) that loyalty gradually transferred itself to the House of Lancaster. Cheshire was a royal earldom and palatinate, with the King (or the Prince of Wales when there was one) as its immediate lord. As in next-door Lancashire, there was no resident… Continue reading Various Goings on in the General Area of Cheshire.
The Rise of the Stanley family.
In the late 14th Century, the Stanleys were a gentry family, their power base lying chiefly in Cheshire, notably in the Wirral. Their ancestry might fairly be described as ‘provincial’. There were certainly no kings in their quarterings. This is not to say they were unimportant, but their influence was of a local rather than… Continue reading The Rise of the Stanley family.
Does a griffin’s head have legs in the air 😯….?
Here is another little puzzle to thwart my writing intentions. Always liking some background ‘colour”, I started chasing up the armorial devices of the Chadertons of Lancashire. I discovered the main one featured a griffin. So I resorted to my copy of The Royal Armory (the weight of which tests my aging muscles!) There… Continue reading Does a griffin’s head have legs in the air 😯….?
A pinch of salt reflected in A Distant Mirror….
Here is a heartfelt lament. Some books are always widely lauded, and rightly so, but what happens when one finds a blooper within the hallowed pages? In this instance I speak of A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century, by Barbara Tuchman. It’s packed full of detail, and a great read…until that one blooper leaps… Continue reading A pinch of salt reflected in A Distant Mirror….
The Stanley who could have been King.
Ferdinando Stanley (1559-1594) was very briefly 5th Earl of Derby. He was descended from Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk, and according to the terms of Henry VIII’s will, which had statutory force in this respect he was the heir to Elizabeth I, since the Scottish branch were excluded. It is worth mentioning that he was… Continue reading The Stanley who could have been King.
murreyandblue 