I have long wanted to attend the re-enactment of the Battle of Shrewsbury and also visit the church of St Mary Magdelene. In 2022 I finally managed it. It was touch and go, although I had booked my train ticket some weeks back. These days such an excursion demands a lot of effort and I… Continue reading Shrewsbury Battlefield and the memorial church of St Mary Magdelene
Tag: rebellion
An Irishman abroad but not for much longer?
“Red” Hugh O’Donnell (1572-1602) was an Irish chieftain who fought a series of battles against English armies between 1595 and the beginning of 1602 (during the Nine Years’ War which actually ran from 1593 to 1603), one of his less successful opponents being the Earl of Essex. O’Donnell ruled Tir Chonaill in the extreme north-west… Continue reading An Irishman abroad but not for much longer?
Epiphany – medieval and now….
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the following two definitions refer to the use of the word epiphany:- The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12). Definition (1) A moment of sudden and great revelation/realisation. Definition (2) Epiphany has been a recognised feast of the Western Church since the 5th… Continue reading Epiphany – medieval and now….
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
Agnes Lancecrona and Robert de Vere
Robert de Vere (1362-1392) Earl of Oxford, found great favour with Richard II and was elevated first to the title of Marquess of Dublin and then in October 1386 to the dukedom of Ireland. This was the very first dukedom awarded outside the immediate royal family, and was, in effect, a “fingers up” to Richard’s… Continue reading Agnes Lancecrona and Robert de Vere
Jack Cade and the Mortimer connection….
In the summer of 1450, Richard, 3rd Duke of York, threw in his appointments in Ireland to return to England to assert his rights as heir to the throne of the inept Lancastrian king, Henry VI. The ensuing confrontation with poor Henry, who really was too gentle to be king, led to Parliament being called… Continue reading Jack Cade and the Mortimer connection….
A further selection of Scropes….
The name “Scrope” was usually pronounced, and sometimes spelled, as “Scroop”.am To follow yesterday’s post: – William, Earl of Wiltshire c1351-1399 William was the second son of Richard Scrope, first Baron Scrope of Bolton. In his younger days he was sometimes associated with John of Gaunt, who made him Seneschal of Aquitaine in 1383. Subsequently, he… Continue reading A further selection of Scropes….
Those accident-prone Stewarts
As this excellent article reminds us, there were eight pre-union Stewart monarchs, or nine if you exclude James VI, who had already reigned in Scotland for nearly forty years before inheriting the English throne. Of these, excepting the two Roberts, only two turned up for a pitched battle with against an English army and only… Continue reading Those accident-prone Stewarts
THE GREEN MAN–SPIRIT OF MEDIEVAL REBELLION?
You see them everywhere, leering down with seemingly pagan glee from the height of church naves, or looking down from the broken walls of monasteries such as Fountains. Often quite fierce of aspect, sometimes more calm and wise, leaves surround them and tendrils of foliage spurt from nose and mouth in riotous abundance. Green Men–origins… Continue reading THE GREEN MAN–SPIRIT OF MEDIEVAL REBELLION?
murreyandblue 