Trying to clear out a few books I found a novel by Angela Thirkell. She loved Anthony Trollope’s set of novels about Barsetshire and wrote about 20 of them updating the county and its inhabitants bringing them into the 20th century. I once read they were the best record of middle class England ever written. Now I realise there is another reason why I loved her books.

I picked up her last one – and one which I can’t discard obviously – and towards the end found this:

I felt just like a leper, like the wicked uncle in The Black Arrow who goes about ringing a bell and saying Unclean, Unclean … and why Stevenson thought so poorly of that book I shall never understand. All my boys loved it. They liked it much better than Treasure Island and Kidnapped except for Alan Breck, of course. And it was the only thing that made me really interested in Richard Crookback, until I read the book by that clever woman with three names*, who proved that Richard didn’t murder the little Princes in the Tower, and was a hero all the time and not a villain.

* “that clever woman with three names” is Elizabeth MacKintosh  (1896–1952), a novelist and playwright who wrote under the pseudonyms Josephine Tey and  Gordon Daviot.  The novel referred to in this passage is A Daughter of Time, which she published as Josephine Tey.

Tags: Books, Richard III

Book Review:  Margaret of York:  the Diabolical Duchess

Christine Weightman, Margaret of York:  The Diabolical Duchess.  Amberley Publishing, 2009.  ISBN 978 1 84868 099 9 (paperback)

This review was first presented at the 2012 NSW Convention in Mittagong.

The book deals with the life and times of Margaret of York, from her childhood to her death in 1503.

The aim of the book as stated by the author, is the examination of Margaret’s political activity, motivation and lifestyle. It is also a study of how a woman living in the second half of the fifteenth century could ensure her personal survival and prosperity.

The survival of many accounts of Margaret’s marriage to Charles, Duke of Burgundy, shows that it was a dazzling affair, dubbed “the marriage of the century.”  John Paston reported that he had seen nothing like it; there had not been such splendour since the court of King Arthur.  On her marriage to Charles the Bold she became the wife of one of the wealthiest rulers of Europe and lived among the riches and pageantry of the Burgundian court.

Margaret was a bibliophile, a more discerning collector than anyone else in her family, and gave books as presents to family and friends.  She had access to the ducal library – Charles himself, had a strong interest in the Classics, but twenty-five books have been identified as being Margaret’s. She was also a patron of William Caxton.

While the primary reason for marriage to Charles was to provide an heir for Burgundy, none eventuated. Charles assured Margaret of his affection, and unlike someone else I could name, he did not try to divorce her, let alone chop off her head. However, Margaret formed a mutually affectionate bond with her step-daughter Mary. After the latter’s untimely death, Margaret worked closely with Mary’s widower, Archduke Maximilian, and was quite involved in the lives of her step-grandchildren.

Margaret lived in tumultuous times. Within a decade of her marriage, she was widowed, when Duke Charles was killed in 1477 during the siege of Nancy. Thrown on her own resources, Margaret was to survive riots, rebellions, plots and counter-plots and political wheeling and dealing – and she was also a key player in politics. This aspect of the book could be a complex and confusing subject but the author makes it intelligible and interesting.

In terms of personality, Margaret is revealed as intelligent, resourceful, persuasive and a good businesswoman. The failure of her brother King Edward to pay the balance of her dowry was the play on her mind all her life and she was unstinting in her attempts to protect, and regain her dower lands. The usurpation of the throne by Henry Tudor saw her lose her profitable trading privileges.

That Tudor had taken the throne with French help, set off alarm bells in Burgundy, particularly when Henry failed to renew the Anglo-Burgundian alliance.  Maximilian would have preferred a Yorkist heir on the throne, indebted to Burgundy, and Weightman contends that Margaret would have given the Archduke her wholehearted support in any attempt to overthrow Henry. Nevertheless Margaret’s motivation for supporting first Lambert Simnel and then Perkin Warbeck are obscure.  Family feeling, politics, or both?  Weightman mentions that the Archduke and his son had a better claim to the throne than Henry, being directly descended from John of Gaunt and his first wife, Blanche.

Margaret was vilified by Tudor historians, who claim that her attempts to overthrow Henry as part of her “malicious and obsessive vendetta against him.” Polydore Vergil for example, claims that Margaret pursued Henry with insatiable hatred and with “fiery wrath.”  Edward Hall referred to her as a spider. Weightman states that the source of these opinions was Henry himself, who wrote to Gilbert Talbot in 1494 of the “great malice the Lady Margaret of Burgundy beareth continually against us…”

In conclusion, I can recommend this book because it brings Margaret to life in her own right, rather than her being brief mentions in other people’s stories.  It shows her participation as a player in the politics of late fifteenth-century Burgundy and England, and her resilience in surviving all the upheavals that came her way. This book is readable and an example of what good biographical writing can achieve in bringing to light a medieval life.

Tags: Books, Margaret of Burgundy

Just a short reminder that it is not too late register interest if you want to attend the launch of Professor Stephanie Trigg’s book Shame and Honour: a Vulgar History of the Order of the Garter, organised by the Australian Heraldry Society.

The date is Friday, 8 June 2012; the venue: the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney; the time: 5.45 for 6.30. Entry is by gold coin, there will be light refreshments beforehand – and there will be one of the Heraldry Society’s great raffles.

Those of us who attended the fascinating talk by Professor Stephanie Trigg on “Ladies of the Order of the Garter” a couple of years ago won’t want to miss this.

If you want to be there, please contact Stephen Szabo, Secretary of Australian Heraldry Society, by June 5. You can reach him by email: secretary@heraldryaustralia.org

Tags: Heraldry Australia, Order of the Garter

Members of The NSW Branch of The Richard III Society were saddened to hear of the passing of long time member Harold Bruce Cadell.

A funeral service in thanksgiving for the life of Harold was held at Harold’s parish church, the beautiful St John‘s Anglican Church, Darlinghurst, on Tuesday, 15th May 2012, and was attended by members of the various groups with whom Harold was affiliated over the course of his long life, including several current members of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society.

It was a beautiful service and fitting for such a quiet, generous and gentle man. The minister conducting the service spoke warmly and well of Harold, the Christian gentleman , who had been such a loyal and well loved member of the parish community for many years and one whom he obviously knew well. The eulogy was given by a long time friend and work colleague, from whom we learnt so much of the working and social life and success of Harold. It was a beautiful classical Anglican Service and was organised at the behest of the trust company, who handled Harold’s estate.

We were quite chuffed when we were talking to the representative of the trust company at the wake, after explaining who we were, and she said: “ Ah yes, Richard III. I know from Harold how badly maligned he was by those Tudors. ”

Two members of our branch, who probably had known Harold the longest were unfortunately unable to attend.  They had suggested that white roses (for the House of York) should be included as they were so close to Harold’s heart. Thus two beautiful sprays of white roses were brought into the church and placed strategically on either side of the coffin. Unfortunately they had been initially forgotten and so those two sprays of white roses were all that could be hastily collected at the last minute from a quick run around the various florists in the area. Our thanks go to the organisers for so quickly and unobtrusively rectifying this oversight. White roses were then handed out to the congregation at the close of prayers around the coffin as it lay in the hearse prior to departure.

We then went across the road to a lovely intimate little café for the wake, where we were plied with copious platters of scrumptious sandwiches, savouries, desserts and tea and coffee. It was all done so beautifully, white table cloths, silver service, white crockery, that Harold – the epitome of fine dining and good taste (those of us who were his guests at lunches can attest) – would have approved.

It was here that we learnt complementary facts concerning Harold’s very active and interesting life. Apparently he began work at the Maritime Services Board as a very junior clerk at the age of 15 in 1935 and worked his way through the ranks to become Secretary of the Board for several years prior to his retirement, which occurred over 45 years later. The words constantly used in reference to Harold were integrity, sincerity, principled, unassuming, generous, kind, unaffected, loyal, steadfast and uncomplicated – all of with which we of the RIII Society who knew him so well concur.

Until recently, he had been a full member of the Society and used to anticipate with hardly concealed impatience the arrival of his quarterly Ricardian Bulletin and the Ricardian and the Chronicles of The White Rose. He used to attend meetings and social events regularly and warmly admitted his debt of gratitude to members for their kindness in keeping him in the loop and informing him of current branch news. Many of us were the recipients of his gracious thank you notes in his beautiful copperplate script. He truly was a man for others.  It was a privilege and a pleasure to know him.

In later years he used meet up with branch members to escort them to the church services for Bosworth Memorial Service or Queen Anne’s demise before enjoying lunch with many other members at a favourite Italian restaurant nearby. Harold always used to congratulate the staff on the fine food and the service and express his gratitude for their providing us with such a good open private room for our functions and ensure we left a suitable tip.

It wasn’t long after this that we learnt that, regrettably, he had had to go into care since he’d had several bad falls in the street.

He will be sadly missed by all of us who knew him.

R.I.P.

Tags: NSW Branch

On Saturday 12 May 2012 the Richard III Society NSW Branch held their eagerly anticipated biannual mini-conference in the Southern Highlands, at the Mittagong RSL.

A few of us, who had travelled to Mittagong the day before, met up for an informal dinner in the club’s bistro, being happy meeting old friends and making new ones.

The event was attended by both Sydney-based regulars (some of whom braved the long journey on buses replacing the usual trains) and other members, some coming from as far away as the ACT and Victoria.  We were especially pleased to welcome Michael, the chairman of the Victoria branch, and his wife Yvonne, as well as Gillian and Bruce from the South Australian branch.

The presentations were very diverse, with competent speakers from a wide range of backgrounds. David Mee spoke on ‘Medieval Coins’ and brought examples of types of coinage from across the centuries, including one from the era of Richard III.

Judith Hughes spoke on ‘Eleanor Talbot, the Spurned Queen’, being the hapless lady the self-serving young Edward IV secretly wed then ignored for the rest of her life, whilst making a public life with Elizabeth Woodville, with whom he had his large brood.

Karen Clark spoke on ‘John Nevill’s Feud and the Destruction of a Family’, an area of particular expertise and one on which she is writing a book. Her detailed grasp of the generations of family members and their competition was impressive. The Percy family still survives, although the Nevilles are long gone, she mentioned in conclusion.

Kevin Herbert spoke on the ‘Royal Relicts’ – the widows of the kings. His handout was chockfull of details worth knowing, and his presentation a highlight of the day.

Lynne Foley and Dorothea Preis critiqued Ricardian books they had recently read.  Lynne favourably reviewed Margaret of York: The Diabolical Duchess by Christine Weightman. Dorothea told us about the recently published Richard III by David Baldwin, which has its good points, but does not offer much new for someone well versed in the period. Her wise counsel saved us all some cash and precious time by knowing which books we could safely skip.

Doug and Leslie McCawley spoke about their favourite Ricardian books, having been invited on short notice to replace a speaker who had to cancel. They chose the ever-popular Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman, and Some Touch of Pity by Rhoda Edwards.

Julia Redlich spoke about how Richard III has been presented on stage across time.

Helen Portus and Denise Rawling spoke on ‘Richard III the Posthumous Hunchback’, getting audience members to question what we accept on face value in the media, and encouraging us to be discerning consumers of received opinions and so-called histories.

Ann Chandler gave us a comprehensive (and tricky) 4-page quiz to complete during the day, then graded the results and announced the winners. The more cowed amongst us did not hand our quizzes in, admitting defeat early on!  Our congratulations went to Karen for winning by achieving 47 out of 50 possible points.

In addition to the speakers, other attractions included a Bring and Buy table, the sale of the books from the lamented dissolution of the once fine branch library, Ricardian pens, bags and brooches for sale, and best of all the opportunity to catch up with friends in a leisurely manner.

At the conclusion of the day, the representatives of the Victoria branch surprised us by presenting the NSW branch with a beautiful table runner in Yorkist murrey adorned with white roses.  We were delighted and would like to give a big ‘thank you’ to our friends from Victoria!

A number of attendees chose to stay for the weekend so the festivities continued after the conference proper with dinner out and a day to explore the attractions of the area. The weather was sparklingly clear and cool, and the venue well chosen. Thanks to the organisers for another successful and pleasurable branch event.

Leslie McCawley

Members, who decided to stay on at Mittagong, as well as several partners met up on Saturday evening for dinner with lots of interesting talk and laughter on a wide variety of topics.  We discovered that most of us were addicted to Phryne Fisher on Fridays and Miss Marple on Tuesdays – how we loved the fact that Mrs Lancaster was the baddie in a recent episode!  Other topics were the Richard III of Horrible Histories, medieval and more modern jewellery.  We wondered why so often in information for the general public there seems to be nothing of historical interest before the Tudors came along – quite contrary to what actually happened.

We all enjoyed the food and, when consulting with the delightful waitstaff, we learned that the chef was new. Yvonne from the Victoria branch immediately told them that they were never to let him go! Although it wasn’t a formal Ricardian banquet, the Man Himself was not forgotten in a loyal toast – and the three fingered salute from Horrible Histories.

Dorothea Preis and Julia Redlich

Sunday morning saw us enjoying a long leisurely breakfast. Some farewells were said to those who had to return home, then the rest of us prepared for our excursion to the small Southern Highlands town of Robertson.
One group opted for the swiftest way thanks to SatNav; the other decided on the Scenic Route – and what a reward that was: sunshine, blue skies, green fields, magnificent mansions and extensive gardens behind imposing gates – and the trees wearing their most wonderful autumn colours of red and gold.

Colour was also important in discovering the others at our destination, something made simple by spotting Kevin wearing the super-long scarf in Ricardian colours that Alex had made for our sales table!

It was the monthly market day, so wandering around the stalls was a must. Chilly winters mean the locals are knitters beyond compare! The quality of the huge choice of items from sweaters to babywear and beanies was wonderfully enticing, as were the book selections – and as for the vegetable displays …

The obvious choice for lunch was the Fantastic Robertson Pie Shop, where justice was done to piping hot pastries with a mind-boggling range of fillings. One group then went on an antiques exploration, the other chose to return to Mittagong, put their feet up with the Sunday papers and gather strength for return to the everyday life after yet another rewarding Ricardian weekend.

Julia Redlich

The two photographs from the conference © Bruce Laughton; the photograph of the table runner © Julia Redlich.

Tags: Conventions, Nevilles, NSW Branch, Richard III

We regret the passing of an enthusiastic and loyal member of the NSW Branch, Harold Cadell, on 4 May 2012.

Harold Cadell was a member of the Sydney Branch from its early days and always stout in defending Richard III’s reputation. He was a courteous and well-read man, but in latter years, age got the better of him and he no longer could come along to meetings. Those who knew him will remember him as a kindly and quiet presence, with just that tad of flamboyance that was rather fun.

His funeral will be held on Tuesday, 15 May 2012, in Darlinghurst.

The NSW Branch would like to extend our sympathy to his family and friends.

Tags: NSW Branch

50 Great Ghost Stories, ed. John Canning, Odham’s Books, reprinted 1968. (No ISBN)

Occasionally, one finds matters Ricardian unlikely sources.  50 Great Ghost Stories, edited by John Canning, has two stories by Vida Derry and Frank Usher.

In Derry’s ‘Child Ghosts’, she mentions the Princes in the Tower. She does not accuse Richard, but relates the story that Tyrell was responsible for arranging their deaths according to the narrative of Thomas More. She does not say that More’s work is ‘gospel’ as far as Richard is concerned.

She finds it worth noting that the examination of the bones in 1933 was completed in five days whereas the examination of the remains of Anne Mowbray were still at work three months after they were found, despite protests by Lord Mowbray.

In Usher’s ‘Hauntings Royal’, the first paragraph names Henry VIII, according to popular opinion, as one of the arch-villains of history.  He deals at length with the alleged hauntings by Anne Boleyn, mention the elusive ghosts of Jane Seymour, Sybil Penn (Edward VI’s nurse) and Catherine Howard.  He refers to Henry as “the professional widower” and mentions more than once that unlike his victims, Henry rests peacefully in his grave. The following pages detail more executions and Henry is referred to as the “arch-villain of all these beheadings.”

When discussing the execution of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, he states “she had a better title to the throne than Henry himself, as his father Henry VII having usurped the throne from its lawful inheritors.”

Ectoplasmic manifestations aside, the book contains many well-known and not so well known ghost stories, and although not a believer, I would still prefer to have a strong light on, and my chair against the wall when reading The Brown Lady of Raynham.

50 Great Ghost Stories, ed. John Canning, Odham’s Books, reprinted 1968. (No ISBN)

Tags: Henry VIII, Princes

As a law maker Richard clearly showed that his view on education was not only a religious duty, but went much further than that.  While trying to limit the activities of foreign merchants in England the statutes of his only parliament included a Proviso, exempting all merchants and craftsmen concerned in the book trade from the scope of the Act.  This was clearly intended to encourage a good supply of books. [Armstrong, p.276]  Books were in his day the most up to date means of spreading ideas and learning.  If he encouraged books, he must have supported the circulation of ideas.

Abbey Gateway, St Albans (© D Preis)

The context between books and education becomes clear in the following example:  Only a few years after William Caxton introduced the printing press to England in the mid 1470s, there was a printing press  in St Albans as well, located in the Abbey Gateway.  This was the third one in England, after Caxton’s in London and one in Oxford.  We don’t know the identity of the St Albans printer, but he was referred to as “sometyme scole master of Saynt Albans”.  [‘Printing in England’]  The press in St Albans produced books between 1479 and 1486, eight of which have survived.  The first six, printed between 1479 and 1483, were Latin university texts.  It has been suggested that they were aimed at purchasers from Cambridge, where at that time no press had been established. [Orme, p.181]

We should not forget, however, that Richard’s appreciation for books was also a personal one.  There are eighteen surviving texts, of which we know for sure that they are connected to him.  In some he signed his name, two are dedicated to him and one has an indirect dedication.  It seems likely that these are just a part of a far more extensive library, though without an inventory it is impossible to draw too many conclusions. [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s Books’, p.374]  With these surviving books we can be sure that they belonged to him, because he put his name in the text itself.  With others his name might have been on the flyleaf, which has got lost since then, or they might have been marked with his arms, which have since been changed to someone else’s. [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s Books’, p.381]

From his books, Sutton and Visser-Fuchs conclude that he was “an industrious and committed reader”, who showed a high level of education and literacy.  This lead them to speculate that he could possibly in his early youth , as the youngest son, have been destined for the church, though this would have changed when his father and brother were killed and his brother  Edward became king.  [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s Books’, pp.384-385]  Considering that many of the learned (church-) men among his close connections had humanist interests, it is surprising that among the books we know he owned there are no works of theology or humanist interest.  All of us who like reading and books, can glimpse a kindred spirit when Sutton and Visser-Fuchs conclude that “He did not collect them [books] as objects but used them for what they could give him and others in the way of instruction, consolation and entertainment”. [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s Books’, p.385]

I think that all these examples of Richard’s relationships with learning, be it with learned men,  the centres of learning, books ,as well as his activity as law maker shows clearly that learning was something close to his heart.  I would like to close my talk with the words of the anonymous chronicler of Magdalen College in Oxford:  “Vivat rex in eternum!”

Bibliography

Books:

Virginia Davis, William Waynflete, Bishop and Educationalist.  Studies in the History of Medieval Religion.  Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1993. ISBN 9780851153490
Rhoda Edwards, The Itinerary of King Richard III 1483-1485.  Richard III Society, 1983. ISBN 090489309X
Peter Hammond, Richard III and the Bosworth Campaign.  Pen & Sword Military, 2010.  ISBN 9781844152599
Maurice Keen, English Society in the Later Middle Ages, 1348-1500.  Penguin Books, 1990.  ISBN 9780140124927
A. H. Lloyd, The Early History of Christ’s College, Cambridge, Derived from Contemporary Documents.  Cambridge Library Collection, 2010.  ISBN 9781108008976 (First published in 1934)
J.M. Melhuish, The College of King Richard III Middleham.  Richard III Society, London (undated)
Nicholas Orme, Medieval Schools: From Roman Britain to Renaissance England.  Yale University Press, 2006.  ISBN 9780300111026
Jeremy Potter, Good King Richard?  An Account of Richard III and his Reputation.  Constable Books, 1996.  ISBN 9780094688407
Charles Ross, Richard III.  Yale English Monarchs, Yale University Press, 1999, Reprinted 2005.  ISBN 9780300079791
John Stow, A Survey of London, witten in the year 1598 by John Stow.  Whittaker, London, 1842.
Anne F. Sutton & Livia Visser-Fuchs, The Hours of Richard III.  Alan Sutton Publishing Pty Ltd, 1996.  ISBN 9780750911849

Articles:

P.S. Allen, ‘Bishop Shirwood of Durham and His Library’, The English Historical Review, Vol. 25, No. 99 (July 1910), pp 445-456.
Elizabeth Armstrong, ‘English Purchases of Printed Books from the Continent 1465-1526′, The English Historical Review, Vol. 94, No. 371 (April 1979), pp. 268-290.
W. H. G. Armytage, ‘William Byngham: A Medieval Protagonist of the Training of Teachers’, History of Education Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Summer 1951), pp. 107-110
Michael J. Bennett, ‘Education and Advancement’, in:  Fifteenth-Century Attitudes:  Perceptions of society in late medieval England, ed. Rosemary Horrox.  Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp.79-96.  ISBN 9780521589864
Christopher Brooke, ‘Urban church and university church:  Great St Mary’s from its origins to 1523’, in:  Great St Mary’s, Cambridge University’s Church, ed. John Binns & Peter Meadows.  Cambridge, 2000, pp.7-24.  ISBN 0521775027
R.B. Dobson, ‘Richard III and the Church of York’, in:  Kings and Nobles in the Later Middle Age, ed. Ralph A. Griffiths & James Sherborne.  1986, pp.130-154
Rena Gardiner, ‘The Story of Magdalen’, Magdalen College (2003).  URL:  http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/4303/Illustrated_Magdalen_College_History.pdf Date accessed: 13 July 2010
Robert C Hairsine, ’Oxford University and the Life and Legend of Richard III’, in:  Richard III:  Crown and People, ed. J Petre.  Richard III Society, 1985, pp. 307-332.  ISBN 9780904893113
Rosemary Horrox, ‘Richard III and Allhallows Barking by the Tower’, The Ricardian, Vol.VI, No.77 (June 1982), pp.38-40
Rosemary Masek, ‘The Humanistic Interests of the Early Tudor Episcopate’, Church History, Vol. 39, No. 1 (March 1970), pp. 5-17.
Anne F. Sutton, ‘’A Curious Searcher for our Weal Public’:  Richard III, Piety, Chivalry and the Concept of ‘The Good Prince’’, in:  Richard III: Loyalty, Lordship and Law, ed. P.W. Hammond.  Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 2000, pp.69-105.  ISBN 9781900289375
Anne F. Sutton, ‘Richard of Gloucester’s Lands in East Anglia’, in:  Richard III and East Anglia:  Magnates, Gilds and Learned Men, ed. Livia Visser-Fuchs.   Richard III Society, 2010, pp.1-30.  ISBN 9780904893199
Anne F. Sutton & Livia Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s Books Observed’, The Ricardian, Vol.IX, No.120 (March 1993), pp.374-388
Anne F Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and Two Turbulent Priests’, The Ricardian, Vol. XIX, 2009, pp.95-109
Anne F. Sutton & Livia Visser-Fuchs, ‘’As dear to him as the Trojans were to Hector:’ Richard III and the University of Cambridge’, in:  Richard III and East Anglia:  Magnates, Gilds and Learned Men, ed. Livia Visser-Fuchs.  Richard III Society, 2010, pp.105-142.  ISBN 9780904893199
Barrie Williams, ‘Richard III’s Other Palatinate:  John Shirwood, Bishop of Durham’, The Ricardian, Vol.IX, No.115 (December 1991), pp.166-169
B.P. Wolffe, ‘The Management of English Royal Estates under the Yorkist Kings’, The English Historical Review, Vol. 71, No. 278, Jan. 1956, pp. 1-27.

British History Online:

‘Colleges: Barnard Castle’, A History of the County of Durham: Volume 2 (1907), pp. 129-130. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=39906 Date accessed:  5 November 2010
‘The history of All Hallows Church: To c.1548’, Survey of London: volume 12: The parish of All Hallows Barking, part I: The Church of All Hallows (1929), pp. 1-20. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=100058 Date accessed:  8 April 2012

‘The colleges and halls: Queens’’, A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 3: The City and University of Cambridge, 1959, pp. 408-415. Online URL: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/cambs/vol3/pp408-415 [last accessed 22 May 2020]

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography:
Cecil H. Clough, ‘Gunthorpe, John (d. 1498)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11752  Date accessed:  10 March 2011
Virginia Davis, ‘Waynflete , William (c.1400–1486)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28907  Date accessed:  20 Jan.  2011
Michael Hicks, ‘Neville, George (1432–1476)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008.  URL:  http://0-www.oxforddnb.com.library.sl.nsw.gov.au/view/article/19934  Date accessed:  14 April 2011
Jonathan Hughes, ‘Barowe , Thomas (d. 1499)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/1503  Date accessed:  10 March 2011
Peter Partner, ‘Wykeham, William (c.1324–1404)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30127  Date accessed:  7 March 2011
A.J. Pollard, ‘Shirwood, John (d. 1493)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25447  Date accessed:  10 March 2011
John A. F. Thomson, ‘Russell, John (c.1430–1494)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24318  Date accessed:  10 March 2011
D. P. Wright, ‘Langton, Thomas (c.1430–1501)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009.  URL:  http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16045  Date accessed: 10 March 2011

Internet sites:

‘Middleham Collegiate Church’, URL:   http://www.britannia.com/tours/yorksmon/middleham.html Date accessed:  27 March 2010
‘St Mary’s Barnard Castle’, URL:   http://www.stmarysbarnardcastle.org.uk/ourparish/43-st-marysbarnardcastle Date accessed: 17 March 2010
‘Church on mission to revamp building’, Teesdale Mercury (2 March 2010).  URL:   http://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/teesdale-news/story,2513.html Date accessed:  17 March 2010

‘History of the Chapel’, King’s College Cambridge.  URL:   http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/history.html [last accessed 22 May 2020]

‘Printing in England from William Caxton to Christopher Barker – An Exhibition: November 1976 – April 1977’, University of Glasgow.  URL:  http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/printing/ Date accessed:  16 April 2012

Part 1 – Richard III and Learned Men

Part 2 – Richard III as the Founder of Collegiate Churches

Part 3 – Richard III and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge

Tags: Books, Cambridge, Church, Learning, Oxford, Richard III

Richard III and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge

For someone supporting learning and ambitious to provide a more learned clergy in parishes, it would only be natural to have close relations to the two universities at Oxford and Cambridge.

1. Oxford

After his coronation Richard left on a Royal Progress on 21 July 1483.  One of his first stops was Oxford, where he arrived on 24 July and stayed at Magdalen College [Hairsine, p.308] on the invitation of its founder, Bishop Willaim Waynflete.  Though geography certainly played a role, the fact that he visited Oxford so early in his reign, must mean that there was a keen interest as well.

He was not the first royal visitor to Magdalen though.  In September 1481 Edward IV had been staying at Woodstock, where Waynflete visited him and talked him into having a look at his College, which Edward did on 22 September.  He and his entourage arrived after sunset and were welcomed in style.  They spent the night and much of the next day at the College, where Edward listened to a brief speech congratulating him on his arrival and petitioning his support [Magdalen College Register ‘A’, ff.7b, 8, quoted in Hairsine, pp. 325-326].  A statue of Edward on the gate commemorates his visit.

Gate of Magdalen College, Oxford – Mary Magdalen in the middle, William Waynflete on the left and Edward IV on the right. (© D Preis)

Richard’s reception was a grander affair.  He was “honourably received, firstly outside the University by the Chancellor of the University and by the Regents and non-Regents; then he was received honourably and in procession at the College of the Blessed Mary Magdalene by a speech by the lord Founder” (i.e. Waynflete). [Magdalen College Register ‘A’ f.27b, quoted in Hairsine, p.309]

The day after his reception, we see Richard following his own cultural taste. Unlike the short speech, which was given to Edward, he listened to two debates, one on moral philosophy and one on theology.  I think Hairsine is right when he remarks:

There was certainly no need for a medieval autocrat to sit through not one but two learned debates if he did not find a genuine interest there.  One is lead to believe that Richard’s visits to Oxford and Cambridge were welcome interludes from the cares of government [Hairsine, p.309].

Richard seems to have been impressed with the debates as well as his welcome and rewarded the participants and Magdalen College handsomely with venison and cash.  The whole event was in detail recorded in the Register of Magdalen College, which the anonymous Chronicler ended with the words Vivat rex in eternum, which can be translated as a “may the King live forever!” [Hairsine, p.309].

Magdalen College, Oxford (© D Preis)

In the end of October 1483, Richard came for a second visit to Oxford, again staying at Magdalen College, though not much is known about this visit [Hairsine, p.311].  The last documented connection between Oxford University and Richard is in March 1485, when Richard recruited an Oxford graduate into his service [Hairsine, p.317].

2. Cambridge

Richard’s connection to Cambridge lasted over a much longer period compared to the one to Oxford, starting in the mid 1470, when he gave 20 marks to the university in 1475-76.   It seems to have been a very close and cordial relationship from both sides.  On 7 April 1481, the congregation of the university wrote a remarkable letter to the then Duke of Gloucester.  In it they announce that in gratitude for the many favours he had shown them, they would “ask every Cambridge doctor or bachelor of theology who preached at [two places in London famous for their Easter celebrations] to mention Richard by name, to commend him to their listeners, and ask for prayers for his well being,” an honour which had never been granted to anyone before.  In early 1480 or 1481 two representatives of the University travelled to London to see Richard – a six day journey in bad weather.  In 1482 the University staged a procession to celebrate his victory against the Scots. [Sutton & Visser Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, pp.112-114]

The good relationship continued when Richard became king.  Probably in late June 1483, the University wrote to Richard to ask for his mercy towards one of their graduates, Thomas Rotherham, the Archbishop of York, who was Chancellor at that time.  He had been arrested on 13 June 1483 in connection with the Hastings affair.  Rotherham was released in due course. [Sutton, Visser-Fuchs, ‘Universities’, pp.95-99] Richard visited the University in early March 1484 and was welcomed with a procession and masses.  They also decided to say a special mass every year on 2 May for Richard and Anne.  They promised that as soon as they would hear of his death they would perform a special funeral mass, a promise they kept, as the accounts for 1485 show the expense for candles used at the ‘exequies of King Richard”. [Sutton & Visser Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, pp.114-115]

There are especially three institutions in Cambridge, which benefitted from Richard’s generosity and which we can admire today.

2.1 King’s College

On a visit to the King’s College Chapel in Cambridge more than 20 years ago, I bought a postcard showing “The Kings who built the Chapel”.  Though Henry VIII is depicted as the crowning glory, it was the inclusion of Richard which made me buy the card and eventually investigate this subject.

King’s College Chapel, Cambridge (© D Preis)

King’s College was founded by Henry VI in 1441, building work started in July 1446.  When Edward came to power in 1461, the workmen packed up their tools and very little was done to continue during his reign.  This changed dramatically, when Richard became King.  He gave instructions that “the building should go on with all possible despatch” and to “press workmen and all possible hands, provide materials and imprison anyone who opposed or delayed”.  He also sent his own master plumber and glazier to help with the building. This result was that by the end of his reign the first six bays had reached full height, of this the first five were roofed with oak and lead and were in use. The University thanked him for funding and “erecting the buildings of King’s College, the unparalleled ornament of England.”  Drawings of a planned tower still exist, which can be dated to 1484. [‘History of the Chapel’; Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, pp.116-117]

Henry Tudor was in no rush to continue the project, even though the college complained that the building “begun by royal munificence now stands shamefully abandoned”.  Only later Henry realised that the association with the “royal saint” Henry VI might help with legitimising his reign and decided to finish the chapel with work starting in earnest in 1508. [‘History of the Chapel’]

2.2 Queens’ College

While Richard left his mark on the King’s College Chapel during his reign, his relationship with Queens’ College predates his reign.

Queens’ was originally founded by Andrew Doket as the college of St Bernard in 1446, one year later Henry VI confirmed this, but as his foundation.  In 1448 a further charter declared it to be the foundation of Margaret of Anjou.  From 1465 onwards, Elizabeth Woodville came to be regarded as a co-founder, which explains the name (Queens’), though there is no evidence that either Margaret or Elizabeth ever gave the college any endowments. During Richard’s reign, when he made further grants to the College, Queen Anne was also considered a founder, but that was “conveniently forgotten when political circumstances changed in 1485”.  Andrew Doket remained as president until his death in 1484 and worked tirelessly for the benefit of the college.  [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, pp.121-129; Ross, p. 135]

Queens’ College, Cambridge (© D Preis)

Richard relationship with Queens’ began on 1 April 1477 when he gave the property of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, to the college, with the aim to fund 4 priests, fellows of the college, to say prayers for a number of Richard’s living relatives and for the souls of departed.  Among the people to be commemorated in the prayers were – apart from his family – also friends, who had fallen in the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury.  There were also to be prayers for John de Vere, the 12th Earl of Oxford, executed in 1462 by Edward IV, and his widow, to whom the manor of Fowlmere had belonged.  [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, pp.120-124; Ross, p.135]

Richard’s endowment to Queens’ has to be seen in connection with the foundation of his colleges at Middleham and Barnard Castle.  The statutes of his college at Middleham require that, should it not be possible to find a dean from among the 6 chaplains there, this position should be filled by one of the 4 men at Queens’.  This would ensure that Middleham and Barnard Castle had the best religious instruction, liturgy and music available. [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, p.120]

Queens’ benefitted greatly from Richard and Anne during his reign.  Anne intended to give estates from her Neville and Beauchamp inheritance to the college, but it had to give all this up when Henry Tudor came to the throne.   Richard also gave the college a silver seal including a boar device, which might have been part of new arms, which survives to today as one of several arms.  [Sutton & Visser-Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, pp. 126-129]

Queens’ is almost completely constructed of red brick, probably imported from Holland.  The oldest part, which Richard would have known is the Old Court.  Because of the durability of the bricks this court still is almost as it was built [BHO, ‘Queens’].

2.3 Great St Mary’s

In 1478-79, Richard gave £20 for the rebuilding of the university church, Great St Mary.  Even after his death his support for the church continued to have an effect.  On 21 January 1495, Thomas Barowe, a close associate of Richard and master of the rolls and keeper of the great seal, gave the extravagant amount of £240 to the rebuilding of the church and for “masses, prayers and ceremonies in honour of King Richard III and Dr Thomas Barowe – who were to be enrolled in the list of the university’s benefactors”.  Richard was for a while politely forgotten, but has more recently been restored.

Great St Mary, Cambridge (© D Preis)

The rebuilding of the nave was begun in the late 1470s, at the time of Richard’s gift.  Barowe, who had intended the church as a monument to Richard, would with his gift have secured its completion.  Possibly he was continuing a process initiated by Richard’s gift of £20, as there are records stating that he acted as a messenger to bring gifts from Richard to Cambridge. [Brooke, pp.18-21; Sutton & Visser Fuchs, ‘Cambridge’, p.113]

Part 1 – Richard III and Learned Men

Part 2 – Richard III as the Founder of Collegiate Churches

Part 4 – Richard III as Law Maker (incl. bibliography)

Tags: Books, Cambridge, Church, Learning, Oxford, Richard III