To commemorate the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Towton on 29 March 1461 a fascinating new DVD is available. It is based on a BBC documentary, but includes so much more which due to time constraints had to be cut out of the documentary. This is not to be missed.
On a cold and snowy day in 1461 Henry VI’s Lancastrians and Edward IV’s Yorkists met on a field near Towton in Yorkshire. It has been estimated that 100 000 men fought at the 12 hour battle. At the end of the day approx. 28 000 men were dead, an equivalent of 1% of the English population at the time, Britain’s bloodiest battle.
During building work in 1996 the workmen found a mass burial pit from the battle. This was excavated and analysed by archaeologists of the University of Bradford. The results from this investigation have helped tremendously in our knowledge of the fighting in the period of the Wars of the Roses, as anyone who has read the book Blood Red Roses will know. Read the rest of this entry »
The classic film starring Laurence Olivier in the title role of Shakespeare’s Richard III will be shown on the ABC1 next Monday at 1.20 am. If we look past the fact that Shakespeare’s Richard has nothing to do with the real Richard, this is must see television, if for the outstanding acting alone. To find out more about the relationship between the play and reality, click here. And for Monday morning, set your recorders!
The above illustration showing the murder of the princes in the Shakespearean tradition is a work by Finnish artist Riikka Nikko and is reproduced here with the permission of the artist.
With thanks to Karen, who brought this to my attention.
The 2010 Winners of Leicestershire’s favourite museum objects have just been announced. These objects were chosen by public vote from the top 100 items on the ‘Leicestershire Revealed’ website which showcases the county’s finest museum objects.
There were two joint winners: the silver boar badge which one of Richard III’s supporters lost at Bosworth over 500 years ago and the British toy Action Man, which was designed and produced in Coalville. The boar can be seen at Leicestershire County Council’s Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre and the Action Man at Snibston Discovery Museum.
For the Ricardian, the boar badge is obviously the more interesting winner. I can easily identify with the reason given by a woman who voted for the Bosworth Boar: “It conveys as strong a message now as it must have done when its owner wore it into battle.”
However, the reason given by a man for voting for the Action man, “Action Man is still popular – he has his own army of collectors!”, can easily be made to suit Richard as well: “Richard III is still popular – he has his own Society of fans!”
David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, sums it up:
Both of these items reflect Leicestershire’s true history and identity and show just how wide and vast the county’s history is. On the one hand we have a truly remarkable badge which tells us so much about the battle that was pivotal in shaping the future of England and on the other; we have one of last century’s most iconic toys that was enjoyed by people all over the world.
It is great to see that finally after more than 500 years Richard’s badge is victorious and enjoys the support it deserves!
You can read the full article here, there are also pictures of winners.
Posted by: Dorothea Preis Tags: Holiday
Today marks the first Sunday of Advent and we would like to take the opportunity and wish all our readers a very happy advent period.
Towton Cross
Sensational find at the Towton Battlefield
The Battle of Towton was fought on Palm Sunday 29 March 1461 between Edward IV’s Yorkists and the Lancastrians fighting for Henry VI. The weather was atrocious, very cold with wind and snow. The Yorkists won a decisive victory, securing the throne for Edward IV, however at huge cost of lives. It is estimated that up to 28,000 soldiers were killed on a single day, approx. one per cent of the English population at the time, which makes it one of the bloodiest battles to ever take place on English soil. Read the rest of this entry »
The next Australasian Convention will be hosted by the Victoria Branch and will take place from 5 to 7 August 2011 at the Victoria Hotel, 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. You can find all the information and the registration form on their branch website. It promises to be an interesting and entertaining weekend and as always it will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and to make many new friends.
The Australasian Conventions (for more info on past conventions click here) are held every second year. Since the first one in 1997 our they have become the favourite feature in the calendar of Australasian Ricardians and their friends. All that you need to bring along is interest in the period, no specialised knowledge is required. Do come along for a fascinating weekend!
Preisless* Ceramics introduces its Richard III range of hand-painted ceramics. This one features Richard’s emblem, the White Boar, and his motto Loyaulte me lie under the White Rose of the House of York. The blue background and murrey (dark red) rim also reflect the colours of the House of York.
It was fun painting something which for me as a Ricardian has so much relevance. The idea to do it had been in my head for a long time before it became reality.
* pronounced priceless
Warwick Castle is of special relevance for Ricardians, as it is the birthplace of Richard III’s queen Anne Neville (on 11 June 1456).
Warwick Castle was begun by William I in 1068 in the motte-and-bailey type, using the cliff and river Avon on the one side as a natural defence, the other walls are protected by a dry moat. The castle’s most formidable defences are at the north-east end, where in the 14th century a central gatehouse tower and two other towers, Caesar’s and Guy’s Towers, were built.
The castle was part of the Beaumont and then the Beauchamp inheritance. Through Anne Beauchamp, the title Earl of Warwick and the Warwick estates had come to Richard Neville, who became the 16th Earl of Warwick and would later be known as the “Kingmaker”. They had two daughters, Isabel and Anne, but no sons. After Richard Earl of Warwick fell at the Battle of Barnet, the estates were divided between Anne Beauchamp’s two sons-in-law, Edward IV’s younger brothers George Duke of Clarence and Richard Duke of Gloucester. The earldom went to George as the husband of the older daughter. After the deaths of both Isabel (in 1476) and George (in 1478) their then three-year–old son Edward inherited the estates. Due to his minority it was in the custody of the crown [1]. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: Dorothea Preis Tags: Scotland
To fit in with our Scottish theme of Win’s fascinating talks, Showtime Premiere is showing on Wednesday, 24 November 2010, at 18h35 the movie “The Stone of Destiny”.
It tells the story of the attempt by four young members of the Scottish Nationalist Party to regain the Stone of Destiny, that icon of Scottish Independence. The film is based on the book by one of the four, Ian Hamilton.
This could not have been timed better. Find out more here.
My daily Google alert recently included an item about a theatre scandal in 1885.
In that year at least 59 students of the Ohio Wesleyan University in the US were suspended for skipping mandatory chapel and attending a performance of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” at the Delaware Opera House instead.
At that time church leaders regarded the theatre as being “detrimental … to the morals” and students of the University were not allowed to attend any performances. However, the pull of the celebrated Shakespearean actor Fredrick Warde was stronger than the ban on theatre visits and the students went to see him perform in “Richard III”. When the University administration found out, 59 students were suspended. They were allowed to continue their studies only if they re-signed their matriculation cards as well as a confession of their wrong doing and promised not to break the rules again.
This attitude changed though not long after and Shakespeare has a strong tradition in the University’s drama department and one of his plays was performed in nearly every year in the 20th century. This year this event will be dramatized and included in their 2010 Heritage Day under the title “Stand and Be Counted: Risking It All for the Stage.”
It seems Richard III has for a long time inspired an independent way of thinking. I just hope that they also approached the historical Richard with the same challenging spirit to accepted orthodoxy.
You can read the news release from Ohio Wesleyan University here.
