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The statue of Justice, Old Bailey, London. Way back in  1980 the late Jeremy Potter,  Chairman of the Richard III Society,  and producer Richard Drewitt discussed King Richard III at length and an idea was born.    That was to put Richard  on trial for a heinous murder he had been  held responsible for overContinue reading “THE TRIAL OF RICHARD III, PART 1”

THE ANCIENT OAK TREE KNOWN AS THE ‘ELIZABETH’ OAK.  With thanks to Spitalfieldlife for this photo.   In the words of Sir John Howard,  Duke of Norfolk, Richard III’s loyal friend, I get  as ‘wode as a Wilde bullok‘  when I read yet another tedious reference to Henry VIII stayed here, Elizabeth I stayed there,Continue reading “THE ANCIENT TREES OF GREENWICH PALACE HUNTING GROUNDS”

This is thought to be a portrait of Isobel from the Luton Guild Book.  See  The Dragonhound’s  interesting post here After the death of Isobel Duchess of Clarence on the 22 December 1476 aged 25, her coffin lay in repose on a hearse for 35 days in the midst of the  choir of Tewkesbury Abbey whileContinue reading “GEORGE DUKE OF CLARENCE, ISOBEL NEVILLE AND THE CLARENCE VAULT”

Joan Neville and her husband William Fitzalan Earl of Arundel lie together to this day in their beautiful tomb in the chapel at Arundel Castle. Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury (d. 1460) and his wife Alice Montacute had 10 children, including two sons, Richard Earl of Warwick and John Marquis of Montague whose stories have become veryContinue reading “THE SIX SISTERS OF WARWICK THE KINGMAKER”

Being of somewhat a silly old romantic I was pleasantly surprised to read in the blurb of Kingsford’s Stonor Letter and Papers 1290-1483 that there were love letters to be found among them. And what could possibly be nicer than a medieval love letter? And there they were, letters from the three wives of SirContinue reading “THE STONOR PAPERS, LOVE LETTERS THEREIN..”

Old London Map c1572.  Franz Hogenberg And so Dear Reader, we are going to take a break from murderous queens, scheming duchesses,  bad kings, good kings, missing royal children and silly bishops.  We are going to take a look at London’s Old Gates.  Where were they positioned, how many were there, and what become ofContinue reading “THE ANCIENT GATES OF OLD LONDON”

A tantalising glimpse of  an ancient passage leading to Abbot’s Court and the steps leading up to Jerico Parlour.  The Abbots House and Cheyneygates, later known as The Deanery, was situated to the right of the steps.  Photo Dr John Crook Country Life Picture Library. This updated post was written with the help and inputContinue reading “Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth Woodville’s Pied-à-terre”

Ann Devereux, John Lydgate’s Troy Book and Siege of Thebes @British Library Well that old wheel of fortune could certainly whizz around and no more so than in the lives of the noble women from the turbulent times we now know as the Wars of the Roses.  An example of one of these ladies  isContinue reading “Anne Herbert Countess of Pembroke, Yorkist widow & mother in law to Katherine Plantagenet”

Edward IV and Elizabeth Wydeville.    Original 15th century stained glass panels.   Royal Window North West Transept Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral, of all the cathedrals I have managed to visit, remains firmly on my ‘favourites’ list. I lived there for a while many years ago, having been entranced by the city and cathedral onContinue reading “CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL AND THE ROYAL WINDOW”