Now is the time to come to the party! Registration and payment deposit for the Ricardian conference at Albury on Friday November 9 is due on July 30.

The tireless conference organisers for the NSW Branch, Helen Portus and Denise Rawling, sent full details to all NSW Members and Friends earlier this year, as well as information and registration forms (with costs)  in recent Affinity issues and on our website. Secretaries of the other Australasian Branches of the Richard III Society were also informed and there has been a gratifying response. So act now if you want to enjoy a memorable time with fellow Ricardians.

What you need to know:

Place: Albury Manor Hotel, 593 Young St, Albury, NSW.

Accommodation: phone: 02 6041 1777; email: alburymanorhouse’AT’bigpond.com;  www.alburymanor.com.au

Arrival: Thursday, November 8.  Registration and afternoon tea from 3.30 pm.  Pre-dinner drinks at 6pm; dinner in the restaurant at own cost, followed by evening entertainment.

Conference: Friday, November 9. Many informative presentations; raffle, sales table, and morning and afternoon tea and lunch is provided; a special quiz with results and prizes at the medieval banquet in the evening (costume optional).

NSW Branch Sales table: donations are welcome, but they must be relevant to Richard III and medieval times. This is not a time to de-clutter your home regardless! Any items unsold on Friday must be removed by donor (there’s an opshop nearby).

Saturday, November 10. An excursion involving historic buildings, great wines, morning and afternoon teas and lunch, plus a drive around the Albury/Murray area is being negotiated. Many details, such as costs, are still under way.    If delegates do not have to return home on Saturday and would like to explore the area more fully and are interested in this tour and did not mention this on your registration form, please advise Denise on richardiiialbury2018’AT’gmail.com as soon as possible.

When confirmed the details will be sent to all interested delegates and the date by which the cost per person must be paid.

Travel: There is ample car parking at the hotel; the airport is within easy distance, as is the railway station. For information about train travel from Sydney, contact Kevin Herbert (for his details, please contact the Branch Secretary or Publications Manager).

Further queries can be addressed at richardiiialbury2018’AT’gmail.com

Helen, Denise and helpers Julia, Kevin and Mark

are looking forward to seeing you in Albury.

Louis XI becomes King of France.  His coronation is on 15 August 1461.  Due to his scheming and love for intrigue he became known as ‘The Spider King’.

Tags: France

Margaret, George and Richard, the three youngest children of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, stay for a few weeks at the house, which had belonged to Sir John Fastolf, in Southwark, where they are visited every day by their eldest brother Edward, Earl of March (later Edward IV).

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

Illustration:  Old London Bridge in 1616 with Southwark Priory, now Cathedral, in the foreground, by Claes van Visscher

Tags: Edward IV, Family, Richard III

Battle of Castillon, Aquitaine, the last battle of the 100 Years’ War between the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet for the French throne.  John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and father of Eleanor Talbot (Butler), is killed.

Bibliography:  John Ashdown-Hill, Eleanor – The Secret Queen. The History Press, 2009  ISBN 978-0752448664 (hardback)

Illustration:  The Death  of John Talbot at the Battle of Castillon, by Charles-Philippe Larivière (1798-1876)

Tags: Battles

Death of Anna von Kleve (Anne of Cleves), the fourth wife of Henry VIII, at Chelsea Manor.  She was not even 42 years old.  She was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Tags: Anne of Cleves

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, receives all the lands in Yorkshire and Cumberland, which had belonged to Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, from his father’s side.

Bibliography:  “Richard of Gloucester’s Rise to Power:  Creations, titles, privileges, grants and estates acquired 1461 – 1483“,  The Richard III Foundation.

Tags: Nevilles, Richard III

Marriage of George, Duke of Clarence (brother of Edward IV and Richard III), to Isabel Neville, elder daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (‘The Kingmaker’), and Anne Beauchamp, at Calais.  The ceremony took place in secret, as King Edward IV, had explicitly forbidden the marriage.  It was conducted by George Neville, Archbishop of York.

Tags: Family, Nevilles

Battle of Northampton, where John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, and half-brother of Eleanor Talbot (Butler), met his death on the Lancastrian side.  Yorkist victory.

A short description of the various battles of the Wars of the Roses can be found on the website of the Richard III Society.

Tags: Battles

Birth of William Plantagenet,  4th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville.  He died young.

Tags: Family