Tucked away in the Marshwood Vale in Dorset stands St. Candida’s church, in the village of Whitchurch Canonicorum, population around 700. The church is named after the obscure saint Wite, whose name is ‘Candida’ in Latin. Whitchurch simply means Wite’s church, and the ‘canonicorum’ part of the village name refers to the canons of Salisbury … Continue reading A RARE SAINT’S SHRINE–STILL WITH SAINT!
Tag: Salisbury
SALISBURY’S MEDIEVAL CINEMA AT AUCTION
Recently, John Halle’s house in Salisbury, a 15th century building and home to the Odeon Cinema, went up for auction. John Halle was a local merchant and a rather fractious fellow–he upset Edward IV and ended up cooling his heels in the Tower for a while, after having a major dispute with Richard Beauchamp, Bishop… Continue reading SALISBURY’S MEDIEVAL CINEMA AT AUCTION
Scandal in Salisbury
Recently I had a rare opportunity to visit Church House in Salisbury. Used for administration of the diocese today, it is an attractive medieval/post-medieval building retaining many original features, and has an interesting but sometimes rather murky past. Originally it was built in the 15th century by a merchant called William Lightfoot, and was known… Continue reading Scandal in Salisbury
The OTHER MARGARET BEAUFORT
When anyone hears the name ‘Margaret Beaufort’, they always think instantly of the mother of Henry Tudor. However, there was another Margaret Beaufort, who also had a famous son called Henry, whose mother also bore the surname Beauchamp, who married one of the Staffords, and who was widowed young and remarried—although there her life… Continue reading The OTHER MARGARET BEAUFORT
Richard II went berserk in Salisbury….?
Richard III’s predecessor, Richard II, shares with him the injustice of being maligned through history. In Richard II’s case all we hear that he was a hysterical madman who was rightly removed from his throne (and this world) by his cousin Henry, Duke of Lancaster, who became Henry IV. All sorts of scenarios are… Continue reading Richard II went berserk in Salisbury….?
A creepy tale about the Duke of Buckingham’s severed head….
According to this site when Henry, Duke of Buckingham was executed for treason in 1483 in Salisbury, his head was taken to King Richard III, then lodging at the King’s House in the Cathedral Close. Buckingham had turned upon his cousin Richard, who rightly called him “the most untrue creature living”. Shakespeare would have us… Continue reading A creepy tale about the Duke of Buckingham’s severed head….
THE TAILOR’S GUILD OF SALISBURY
In Salisbury Museum, a dimly-lit display exhibits the Tailor’s Guild charter of incorporation granted by Edward IV in 1461. The beautiful illumination of Edward’s Latinised name leaps out in all the vivid colours it was originally painted with in the 15thc. In this charter, confirmed the following year by Bishop Beauchamp, the King grants various… Continue reading THE TAILOR’S GUILD OF SALISBURY
BUCKINGHAM’S CHOPPING BLOCK?
Recently it has come to my attention that Salisbury Museum holds a carved wooden box which, according to local legend, was fashioned out of the original headman’s block on which Henry Stafford was executed on November 2, 1483. The carving of the box into its present shape took place in Victorian times. Why anyone would… Continue reading BUCKINGHAM’S CHOPPING BLOCK?
NEW EXCAVATIONS AT CLARENDON PALACE
Clarendon Palace is a little known historical site. Most people in Salisbury know it’s there; less can tell you how to reach it. There is no car park; you won’t find tourist coaches. Pull in on the narrow leafy green lane then you must walk, like a Hobbit leaving the Shire, past farms and across… Continue reading NEW EXCAVATIONS AT CLARENDON PALACE
On the trail of the golden dragon of Wessex….
The Golden Dragon of Burford in Oxfordshire isn’t a takeaway! It’s the pagan banner of the Anglo-Saxon King of Mercia, Aethelbert, who was defeated at the Battle of Burford in AD 752 by Cuthbert, King of the West Saxons. Aethelbert’s golden–dragon banner was taken, and for centuries the outcome of this battle was celebrated in… Continue reading On the trail of the golden dragon of Wessex….
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