In March 2010 the Canberra Richardians gathered to attend a small local company (Everyman) production of the Shakespearean play Richard III.  This was performed in a small ‘workshop’ space in the Courtyard Theatre.  There were tiered stands for seating with a red carpet between the two stands.  The actors worked on this carpet.

One member of the group was aware that the stands were labelled with red and white roses.  We had to be careful to make sure we were sitting on the correct side!  The actors at times directly worked or appealed to their side.  The actors were costumed very simply in white, adding accessories to indicate the character they were playing.  The actor playing Richard (Duncan Ley) became more and more covered in ‘blood’ as the play developed.

To see the play performed at such close range magnifies the already powerful drama.  The aim of this production was to highlight the role of the women.  From my perspective this was achieved.

The four of us were really pleased that we had picked up on this production and been able to attend together.  I think we all came away with a better understanding of why the play has coloured people’s perception of Richard III so successfully.

We just heard from the Richard III Society in the UK that the June Ricardian Bulletin and 2010 Ricardian will be arriving later than anticipated.  There was a delay in the printing of the Ricardian and as the annual Ricardian is sent together withe the June Bulletin, the Bulletin has also been delayed.  They are scheduled to be shipped from the UK mid-June, but will take some time to maker their way here.   We regret the delay, but you hope you understand that it is beyond our control.

On a lovely clear autumnal Saturday in May the Richard III Society NSW Branch held their biannual conference, set in the spacious, attractive North Sydney Leagues Club in the Sydney suburb of Cammeray. The event was well attended by regular members and people from the community, with some eager attendees having travelled interstate to attend. A wide range of topics presented throughout the day guaranteed something of interest to everyone.

Carol Gerrard spoke on William Caxton, the first English printer and retailer of printed books and his monumental ‘Description of Britain’. This massive work relied on a variety of sources including the Latin Polychronicon of the Benedictine chronicler Ranulf Higden, as well as the Venerable Bede’s History of the English People, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, Gerald of Wales’ writings, and the Domesday Book. The Description of Britain was lavishly filled with myth and legend, fact and fiction, hearsay and conjecture.

Maggie Patton from the NSW Mitchell Library told us about the treasures held by the library, including ancient maps and parchments. We learned about the preparation of vellum, from scraped and treated animal skins and how it took about 180 calves per book. The DNA in the skin now being traceable by modern technology means that books’ origins can be determined, which has opened up a fascinating new area for scholars to explore. We learned how the production of books changed drastically with the invention of the printing press so that specialised teams in assembly lines took over from individual monks in scriptoriums painstakingly illuminating manuscripts. The era of manuscripts ended in 1455. Maggie also discussed the transitional works of 1455 to 1501, known as the Incunabula, that used the same conventions as established manuscript makers had used, with the printing presses turning out handwritten and illuminated replicas. The Mitchell Library owns one page of an original Gutenberg Bible, amongst other treasures.

Xavier De Saint-Simon shared his love of the French-language fictional series by Maurice Druon entitled The Accursed Kings, a French perspective on their usually avoided pre-Revolutionary past. Members Lynne Foley, Kevin Herbert and Dorothea Preis offered critiques of books they had recently read. Author Felicity Pulman gave us a fascinating glimpse into the research undertaken for historical novels, Stephen Szabo from Heraldry Australia taught us about heraldic rolls, while Julia Redlich gave us an insight into a selection of medieval poetry and prose.

The many delicate and thoughtful touches of beauty were very appreciated, from the luncheon serviettes in Ricardian colours of murrey and blue, to the calligraphy nametags beribboned in the same colours and topped off with exquisite little white roses, to the hand-lettered bookmarks in our conference pack. The committee clearly went to a great deal of effort to create a day of beauty, refreshment, and edification for us, and they succeeded wonderfully.

We would like to welcome Jenny Savage from the Richard III Society in the UK.  Jenny attends our general meetings whenever she is in Sydney, where she is always a most welcome guest.  We are very excited that she has agreed to contribute to our website.

Today she makes a start with a review of Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton AD 1461 (which you can read here).

We are looking forward to hear from Jenny soon again.  All our contributors are highly appreciated, but this goes particularly for those from outside of  our branch.

A very big welcome, Jenny!

Today, May 20, is a time to celebrate. Exactly a year ago our new website took off, thanks to the inspiration and guidance of Mathias Burbach. Mathias, we can’t thank you enough.

Since then, in the skilled and sure hands of our webmaster Dorothea Preis, the site has developed into a place well worth visiting. There’s the latest news about our Branch as well as information about the people involved with it. Plus plenty of information about what is happening Ricardian-wise around the world such as the recent archaeological discoveries at Bosworth and the newly suggested site of Redemore Plain, developments at Micklegate Bar in York and new research into the Battle of Wakefield.

New items of interest are added regularly: the Medieval Calendar gives daily reminders of what happened when, where and to whom; medieval style recipes have begun to make an appearance; we’re visiting places that have a distinct Plantagenet presence. Our book list is filled with suggestions that range from classic research such as John Ashdown-Hill’s Eleanor: the Secret Queen to entertaining – but not necessarily historically accurate – novels. Our library list grows weekly and our bookshelves are filling rapidly – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

What has really thrilled us in the past twelve months is the amount of new friends from around the world who have made contact with us, offered us articles and illustrations, posted some of our items on other sites – and congratulated the Branch on its website. Take a bow, Dorothea!

Please continue to keep in touch with us. In fact we hope you make Many Happy Returns to our site and get to know the New South Wales Branch of the Richard III Society even better. Loyalty binds us.

… that was the question at our April General Meeting. However, before coming to this interesting talk some business needed to be taken care of.

Our Secretary, Julia thanked all those who had sent their registration forms for the May conference – and their cheques.  There was still time before the cut-off date for enrolment.  She reminded people to contribute to the bring and buy stall, that costume was optional, and asked them to be sure to arrive on time so as not to delay the programme.

Treasurer Dorothea reported that our finances were in good shape and looking healthier than usual because of the registrations for the May conference.

As Webmaster, she reported that excellent reactions from overseas were coming in, and references to our website were being included in other ones around the world.  The Ricardian Calendar was going well, with additions for each month, and a new item for all members to contribute to was a feature on Ricardian Places such as Fotheringay, Middleham, Tewkesbury etc.  These needed to be fairly short, with reference as to where to find further information.  Photographs would be welcome, particularly personal ones as there would then be no problem with copyright.

As Librarian, Dorothea reported that several books had been borrowed and returned.

Social Secretay Kevin explained that there had been a hiccup with the booking for the lunch to remember the death of Queen Anne, but in the end everything had turned out well.

During the meeting there was also a draw for the Scrabble speakers at the August meeting.  For those who have not heard one of these talks, members draw a scrabble tile, and prepared a short talk – 10 minutes or so – on a Ricardian or medieval history subject beginning with the drawn letter.  The speakers in August will be:  Jane on ‘T’;  Xavier on’ H’;  Leslie on ‘U’; Dorothea on ‘E’ and Lynne on ‘O’.  It will be interesting to see what they make out of it.

Kevin was also  our speaker for the afternoon.  His subject “What’s in a Name?” was a survey of historical people who bore the names Richard and Duke of Gloucester.  This talk had been given at the Perth conference in a shorter form.  As expected it was researched in detail as the tragic lives of these people with the name Richard and/or title of Duke of Gloucester were revealed.  Only two or three died peacefully and led reasonably happy lives.  Kevin pointed out that the current Richard Duke of Gloucester, is the exception to the rule, with his relatively normal life as a royal, and his valued interest and involvement as Patron of the Richard III Society.  Afterwards Lynne proposed a vote of thanks to Kevin, praising his knowledge of historical family trees.  There was much applause from all present.

The raffle was drawn and then members and friends enjoyed afternoon tea.

Just a short reminder that this coming Sunday, 21 March, we will be commemorating the death of Queen Anne.  We are meeting at 12.15 at the Duke of Gloucester at the corner of Frenchmans and Clovelly Road in Randwick.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

As newcomers to the Richard III Society my husband and I are still learning the basics of the 15th century milieu, and the lore surrounding Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester. Having read two Ricardian books together, The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman and Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, we were very sympathetic to a man treated unjustly over 500 years ago, and had wanted to join with others to learn more about him and celebrate the known achievements of his brief reign.

The Society program scheduled for the 13 February 2010 promised to be very interesting. The guest speaker was Dr Carole Cusack, from the Department of Religion at the University of Sydney, a mainstay for the local press seeking commentary regarding any happening in the religious realm. We were unaware of her reputation or stature when we attended, but came away astonished at the level of discourse to which we had been treated. My head was reeling from the new ideas and connections that had been made by this most erudite of scholars, and I was all fired up to learn all I could about the works she referred to.

Her topic was the sources available regarding the life and times of Richard III, from his era and after. She introduced us to names and works we had never heard of (e.g. Friar Dominic Mancini, The Croyland Chronicle) along with the names already on our list to read (Paul M. Kendall, Polydore Virgil, etc). Dr Cusack’s explanation of the transition from the medieval to the reformation worldviews was enough to make me gasp with admiration. I would dearly love to know enough to make those brilliant connections myself, but failing that, hearing such genuine knowledge and insight from someone else was very gratifying.

The Sydney Mechanics’ Institute meeting room was filled to capacity with members as well as guests from the Plantagenet Society and general public; and there was only one slide – but a slide so rich with information that it could fuel months of extracurricular follow-up study, being a bibliography of the literature referred to in her talk.  Dr Cusack’s speaking style is idiosyncratic, rocking with nervous energy and intellectual excitement while holding her unsipped coke and making wonderful pronouncements, the result of decades of intimacy with the source material. Her thesis was, in short, that we cannot know whether or not ‘our Richard’ was innocent of the murder of the princes in the tower from the surviving manuscripts available to us.

This Richard III Society event was one of the most interesting events I have ever attended, and I encourage readers to take any opportunity they can to hear this local treasure!

Note: Read the full text of Dr Cusack’s talk here.

We hope you will join us on Saturday, 15 May, for our one-day conference.  This promises to be a day with good companions, great speakers and a love of books, maps, heraldry and many things medieval.

We are sure you’ll find the speakers and the talks full of interest.  We are not only academic people in deep discussion over obscure points of history!  Naturally you’ll also learn very quickly why we are so enthusiastic about Richard III, his life and times.  Speakers on the theme of Books and Bookmakers include Maggie Patton from the State Library of NSW, Stephen Szabo of Heraldry Australia and historical novelist Felicity Pulman.  And there are more contributions from familiar faces from our branch.

Your registration fee of $30 includes a two course lunch and morning and afternoon tea – and there will be a super raffle and a sales table. Don’t miss out!

Registration forms and additional information are now available from info@richardiii-nsw.org.au.