Reblogged from A Medieval Potpourri sparkypus.com The glorious ceiling of the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court. Photo James Brittain . Historic Royal Palaces. The main reason, and perhaps the only reason, why the bones in the urn in Westminster Abbey supposed to be those of the sons of Edward IV known as the “Princes” in the Tower, Edward of Westminster and… Continue reading ROYAL PECULIARS AND THEIR PECULIARITIES
Tag: Thomas Wolsey
Catherine of Aragon and the “creepy old man”….!
It’s official, folks. Late in his reign Henry VII was “a creepy old man”! It’s true, because Factinate.com says so! Henry VIII, was “a nasty middle-aged and old man”. In my opinion anyway, and Factinate agrees, more or less. Oh, and Catherine of Aragon was quite a woman! She had some pretty bloodthirsty ideas,… Continue reading Catherine of Aragon and the “creepy old man”….!
Leslau, Holbein, More and Clement
Before I begin, I have two words of warning. The first is that a huge spoiler for my novels Loyalty and the sequel Honour unavoidably follows. Just so that you know! Secondly, the following is my telling of the theory researched and expounded by Jack Leslau, an amateur art enthusiast who believed that he stumbled… Continue reading Leslau, Holbein, More and Clement
Desperately Seeking Wolsey….
The discovery in Leicester of the remains of Richard III was surely one of the greatest such event, and since then there have been increased attempts to locate other great figures from our past. Leicester has at least one other such person just waiting to be found, but as yet he’s proving elusive. The location… Continue reading Desperately Seeking Wolsey….
Digging for Britain
Just six miles north-west of Leicester was Bradgate House, the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey, ostensibly the subject of the Streatham Portrait. The second episode of this year’s series, presented by Alice Roberts, focused upon the “North”, starting with Leicester University’s investigation into the probable site. Here they found that the most obvious building… Continue reading Digging for Britain
Tyndale and the mumpsimuses….!
Mumpsimus is a word that may have originated with Erasmus, but of which I had never heard. It means “adherence to or persistence in an erroneous use of language, memorization, practice, belief, etc., out of habit or obstinacy”. In William Tyndale‘s 1530 book Practice of Prelates, the word was used in the sense of… Continue reading Tyndale and the mumpsimuses….!
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
A Peterborough mystery
Peterborough is a well-planned city. The walk from station to Cathedral passes through two short subways, with an optional detour to start of the Nene Valley Railway heritage line, to a semi-pedestrianised street with the Cathedral ahead, with a range of shops, restaurants and even a parish church on the approach. The Queensgate Centre includes… Continue reading A Peterborough mystery
London: 2000 years of history (channel 5)
Who let Dan Jones out? At least, as in his last outing, he is accompanied both by a historian (Suzannah Lipscomb) and an engineer (Rob Bell), narrating and illustrating almost two millennia of the city’s past. In the first episode, we were taken through the walled city of “Londinium” being built and rebuilt after Boudicca’s… Continue reading London: 2000 years of history (channel 5)
A constitutionally important “Tudor” servant
We tend to have rather a negative view of Sir Richard Rich, or Baron Rich of Leez as he became in February 1547, nowadays. In this, we are somewhat influenced by Robert Bolt’s portrayal of him, as a “betrayer” of More, together with the history of Trevor-Roper. One Bolt line, memorably delivered by Paul Scofield… Continue reading A constitutionally important “Tudor” servant
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