Following the reference to Cerne Abbas by Sir Frederick Treves in his book Highways and Byways of Dorset, Ricardians will be interested in this comment about another Dorset village.

Bloxworth Church (© Copyright John Lamper and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.)

Sir Frederick, after some kindly comments about the little church in the village of Bloxworth, goes on to make some not so kindly ones about one of its former rectors.

A very famous rector of Bloxworth was John Morton, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of Henry VII. For a prelate, he led a most adventurous life, not without the usual episodes of imprisonment in the Tower and flight to Flanders. He comforted Edward IV when that king lay dying, and was the stoutest advocate of Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth of York, whereby the red rose and the white became blended in the rose of Tudor. As Bishop of Ely he takes his part in Shakespeare’s play of Richard III, wherein occurs “the incident of the strawberries”, as described by Sir Thomas More, once a page in his household.

Describing how the Duke of Gloster [sic] had asked Morton for some strawberries from his garden at Holborn, Sir Frederick tells that the Bishop replies, ‘Gladly my lord quoth he, would God I had some better thing as ready to your pleasure’.”

Sir Frederick’s comment: “These are indeed ready words for a crafty plotter like the Bishop, who wished the Duke of Gloster [sic] to perdition, and who had no “better thing” in store for him – if he had his way – than the dungeon or the headsman’s axe.”

Bibliography:

Sir Frederick Treves, Bart. GCVO, CB, LL.D, Highways and Byways of Dorset.  Macmillan & Co. Ltd, 1906. No ISBN.

Cerne Abbas is a small village in central Dorset. In 1998 it had a population of 780, that had fallen to 732 by 2001. The peace of such a small settlement could have been why it was voted Britain’s Most Desirable Village in 2001. (As my mother’s family comes from Cerne, it has always been a most desirable place for me!)

Abbot’s Hall Porch, Cerne Abbey (© Copyright Chris Downer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)

From earliest times, Cerne Abbey, founded in AD 987, was the cornerstone around which the village grew. The Domesday Book (1087) tells there was enough cultivated land for 20 ploughs and 26 villeins. The Abbey remained the focal point of the area for over 500 years until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 brought about its surrender. Most of the buildings were destroyed, but the Abbot’s Porch and the Guesthouse still remain, as does St Augustine’s Well, blessed allegedly by the saint himself. The parish today is centred on St Mary’s Church which was built in the late 13th century by the Abbey for the local people.

Guest House, Cerne Abbey (© Copyright Chris Downer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)

Even after the Dissolution, Cerne was a popular market town, brewing being its drawcard because of the underground water that made quality beer. London loved it and it was an early export to the Americas. The population was then 1500 and a thirsty mob they must have been as there were 14 public houses serving them. The other small industries of silk weaving, millinery and tanning must have been thirsty work too.

When the railways began to arrive in the mid 19th century, Cerne was ignored and began to dwindle into the small village it is today, delighting tourists with its remaining three pubs, cafes and shops.

Cerne Abbas Giant (© Copyright Maurice D Budden and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)

However the real talking point for visitors is the Cerne Giant, a 50 metre naked figure carved into the chalk hillside above the village. It is owned by the National Trust and thought to be an Iron Age fertility symbol – there is evidence of an Iron Age settlement nearby – but it is surprising that the monks did nothing to efface it. There is no record of the figures existence before the 17th century.

In 1754 Dr Richard Pococke wrote:

A low ridge of hills ends to the north of the abbey, on the west side of which is a figure cut in lines by taking out the turf and showing the white chalk. It is called the giant …, a naked figure … a sort of a Pantheon figure. In the right hand he holds a knotted club, the left hand is held out and open, there being a bend in the elbow so that it seems to be Hercules, or Strength and Fidelity, but it is with such indecent circumstances as to make one conclude it was also a Priapus. It is to be supposed that this was an ancient figure of worship, and one would imagine that the people would not permit the monks to destroy it.

Twenty years later John Hutchins wrote

There is a tradition that a giant who reside hereabout in former ages, the pest and terror of the adjacent country, having made an excursion into Blackmore and regaled himself with several sheep, retired to this hill and lay down to sleep. The country people seized this opportunity, pinioned him down and killed him, and then traced the outline of the dimensions of his body to perpetuate his memory.

With such enterprise in disposing of a “weapon of destruction” by the locals, maybe the monks felt it better to leave it alone.

For members and friends of The Richard III Society, of course, Cerne Abbey is where Queen Margaret of Anjou stayed on her way to Tewkesbury where her only son, Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales, was to meet his death. Her husband, the ineffectual Henry VI was already in London, installed in the Tower. Margaret had come from France where she had aligned with the renegade Earl of Warwick, and had landed at Weymouth only to learn that on that day Warwick had been killed at the Battle of Barnet.

It was at Cerne that she – and Edward’s wife, Warwick’s younger daughter Anne, who was later to become Richard III’s queen – found sanctuary behind the quiet walls and in the peaceful gardens of the Abbey.

Not for long though, Margaret being Margaret marched on at the head of the Lancastrian army to meet their fate. As the Yorkists now reigned supreme, she was allowed to cross the Channel once more to France where she ended her days.

When you visit the village of Cerne Abbas, view the giant by all means, buy souvenirs in the shops and enjoy a delicious cream tea in one of the tea-rooms. But make sure you pause for a time in the remains of the lovely Abbey and remember its role in the War of the Cousins. Remember Margaret, a fiercely determined queen and ambitious but loving mother determined to give her son what she thought was rightfully his.

And remember Anne, the frail young Neville daughter, who had been forced into a Lancastrian marriage, and who needed such a place to wonder what the rest of her life would hold.

Bibliography:
Bob Crawford, From Dorset with Love, Atmosphere, 1996. ISBN0952180 3 2:  this book contains both the quotes by Dr Richard Pococke and John Hutchins.  The Hutchins quote is probably from his History of Dorset, which came out in the late 18th century. No ISBN.

Sir Frederick Treves, Bart. GCVO, CB, LL.D, Highways and Byways of Dorset,  Macmillan & Co. Ltd, 1906. No ISBN.  (Interesting author: he was famous for taking charge of the case of the Elephant Man when no-one else wanted to help, and was sergeant surgeon to King Edward VII).  His book has been a constant companion since I was eight and borrowed my grandfather’s copy, so probably Sir Frederick’s words have influenced mine.

Useful websites:
“Cerne Abbas”, Strolling Guides
“Cerne Abbas”, Wikipedia
“The Cerne Abbas Giant”, Mysterious Britain and Ireland

This ruined castle in Pembrokeshire was the home of Rhys ap Thomas, the Welsh lord whose support for Henry Tudor was a crucial factor in the overthrow of King Richard III. After Bosworth, Rhys became the highest officer of the crown in southern Wales.

Carew Castle, built on the upper reaches of the Carew River, which flows into Milford Haven was Rhys’s favourite residence and although it is now a ruin, it has a cosier family atmosphere than the huge, intact royal castle at Pembroke.

The original motte and bailey were built in the Norman era to guard the river head and the building is not far from an 11th century Celtic Cross commemorating a king who died in 1035. In the time of Edward I when fortress building reached its zenith, the castle was rebuilt.  After his rise to great eminence, Rhys ap Thomas made more changes by putting in oriel windows, a guest bedroom for when King Henry visited, as well as a new great hall and gatehouse. In April 1507 he hosted a five-day great tournament to celebrate being made a knight of the garter. (In April 2010, when we visited, a modest archery contest was being held and the bright coloured tents, pennons and historical costumes gave a feel to how splendid the castle must have looked during the jousting.)

Rhys’s grandson was executed by King Henry VIII and the castle was given to Sir John Perrot, reputedly one of the king’s bastards. Perrot built a three storey north range with a long gallery and mullioned windows, but he was convicted of high treason and much of the glazing was never finished. The castle was fought over during the English Civil War and the south range was deliberately destroyed by the Roundheads. From then on the building fell into decay. Today the castle is managed by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and with its river setting, tidal mill, and C11th Celtic Cross, it is certainly worth a visit.

References
Carew Castle: a souvenir guide, Pembrokeshire  Coast National Park Authority
Evans, H.T, Wales and the Wars of the Roses, Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd., 1988

In my recent post about the quarrel between William Wallingford, Abbot of St Albans, and John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury, we saw that John Morton declared in his letter to Abbot Wallingford that the nunneries at Sopwell and St Mary de Pré were “little better than brothels”.[1]  Rather strong words, so I decided to find out a bit more about these houses of ill repute.

They were two of the three cells (or daughter houses) which were situated close to the town and the abbey of St Albans.  The third one, the Hospital of St Julian, was for leprous men and was not mentioned in Morton’s letter.  It was founded by Abbot Geoffrey (1119-46) along Watling Street.  In 1344 it was decided that it should house 6 lepers, primarily from the abbey.  If a married man wanted to enter, he had to adopt a religious life, which freed him from the tie of marriage.  The hospital was annexed to the abbey in 1505.  There are no remains of this hospital, though the name St Julian is still used for an area of the modern city.  Several skeletons have been discovered during building works at the corner of Vesta and Watling Street, which probably come from St Julian’s cemetery.[2] Read the rest of this entry »

As explained in yesterday’s  post about St Albans, during the Cousins’ War (or War of the Roses)  the abbey showed strong Yorkist sympathies under the leadership of Abbot Wheathampstead with dire consequences after the Second Battle of St Albans.

Wheathampstead’s successor but one, William Wallingford, had a serious disagreement with the then Archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton, in 1490.  So according to the motto “My enemy’s enemies are my friends” I started digging and found that many ingredients in this story remind me of Richard III and his reputation under the Tudors. Read the rest of this entry »

When considering which could be my next Ricardian Place in Hertfordshire, the recent 555th anniversary of the First Battle of St Albans (22 May 1455) offered the obvious answer.  During our life in England St Albans was a popular haunt for us, for shopping, eating out or just soaking up the atmosphere.  I also happened to have a number of private students there – hello to Tony and Jacky, should you read this.

There have been settlements in the St Albans area for a long time.  The first that we know of was by the Celtic Catuvellauni tribe, who called it ‘Verlamion’.  During the Roman period it became ‘Verulanium’, the second largest town in England after Londinium, situated on Watling Street heading north.[1]  Most of the remains of the Roman town are today covered by Verulanium Park, but some parts have been excavated and can be visited.  For instance the Hypocaust (including an in situ mosaic); the Roman Theatre of Verulamium; and the remains of the Roman city walls and London gate.[2] Read the rest of this entry »

Sheriff Hutton Castle, one of Richard III’s main bases in the north, is up for sale.[1]

The first castle was built in 1140 by Bertram de Bulmer, who was then Sheriff of York, as a grand manor house.  Through the marriage of his daughter Emma it passed on to the Nevilles.  The existing castle was built in the 14th century, replacing the original manor.[2]  After Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471, the castle came into the possession of Edward IV, who gave it to his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester.[3]

Richard as Lord of the North often stayed at the castle.  In 1484 he established there a royal household for his nephew Edward, Earl of Warwick, the son of George of Clarence, in the care of John, Earl of Lincoln, another of Richard’s nephews, the son of his sister Elizabeth. They were later joined by Edward IV’s daughters as well as Richard’s own illegitimate son, John of Gloucester.[4]  (Incidentally all three male cousins were killed during Henry VII reign:  John, Earl of Lincoln, fell at the Battle of Stoke fighting for the Yorkist pretender, John of Gloucester was executed in 1491 and Edward, Earl of Warwick, was executed in 1499.)

In 1484 Richard made the castle one of the two centres which housed the Council of the North (the other one was Sandal Castle).  The Council was the administrative structure set up to govern the north, a role which had been fulfilled by Richard before he became king as Lord of the North.  This administrative entity survived into the 17th century.[5]

In the local church there is a small alabaster chest tomb with the monument of a child, dated to the 15th century.  It has often been thought that this is the coffin of Richard’s only legitimate child. Edward of Middleham,[6] though a careful analysis of the style of the monument makes this unlikely.[7]

After Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth the castle went through a fairly chequered history.  From 1525 it was for several years the home of the court of the Duke of Richmond, a natural son of Henry VIII.  Later it was used as a prison by the Duke of Norfolk.  During the time of Elizabeth it was in great need of repair, and though estimates were made, no work was done.  By 1618 it was in a state of complete decay.[8]

The castle was first sold in 1940, and descendants of the buyer Wilfred Wagstaff have decided to sell it now, because it is too much hard work.  The property is for sale for £1.5 million.[9]

Notes:

1.    Andy Bloxham, “For sale: King Henry VIII’s haunted castle”, Telegraph.co.uk, 26 May 2010 (accessed 26 May 2010).
2.    Jane Creane, “The Sheriff Hutton Monument: Part 2”, Ricardian Bulletin, December 2009, pp. 39-41
3.    Bloxham
4.    “Sheriff Hutton Castle – Acquired 29 June 1471”,  The Richard III Foundation (accessed 26 May 2010)
5.    “Ricardian Sites:  Sheriff Hutton”, The Richard III Society.  (accessed 26 May 2010)
6.    Jane Crean, “The Sheriff Hutton Monument:  Part 1”, Ricardian Bulletin, September 2009, pp. 37-39
7.    Jane Crean, “The Sheriff Hutton Monument: Part 2”
8.    William Page (ed), “Parishes: Sheriff Hutton”, A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2 (1923), pp. 172-187. At Victoria County History, British History Online.  (accessed 27 May 2010)
9.    Bloxham

Illustration: The above photograph shows Sheriff Hutton Castle, © Copyright Alison Stamp and licensed for reuse  under this Creative Commons Licence.

Before migrating to Australia, we lived for 5 years in Welwyn Garden City, where I had spent a memorable year as a German assistant in 1980/81.  Welwyn Garden City is in Hertfordshire, so I started wondering what Ricardian or Yorkist connections I could discover in that county and these will be discussed over time.

But I would like to start with Welwyn Garden City itself.  On a purely personal level the town is of great Ricardian relevance:  In autumn 1980 I bought in what was then the Welwyn Department Store (now part of the John Lewis Partnership) my copy of Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, so you could say that was where my obsession with this king and the period began. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article was first presented as one of the famous ‘Scrabble’ talks to members and friends of our Branch at a General Meeting.  To encourage speakers from within the Branch, some draw a Scrabble tile from a bag and are asked to prepare a ten-minute talk on a subject with a Ricardian or medieval connection beginning with the letter they have drawn.

Ludlow (for a map, click here) is believed to be one of the series of castles built to hold back the unconquered Welsh.  Walter de Lacy who was second in command to William Fitz Osbern, who came over with William the Conqueror, owned land around Ludlow in Shropshire, and began the building.  His sons, Roger and later Hugh, built the earliest surviving parts of the castle. Read the rest of this entry »