At the beginning of the thirteenth century a new type of Bible emerged from Paris and southern England and spread rapidly throughout Western Europe.  Innovations in script and parchment enabled the creation of single volume Bibles, some of which could easily fit a modern pocket; other features, such as the modern chapter division, introduced unprecedented ease of usage.  These Bibles became the template for Gutenberg’s celebrated 42-line version and have had an influence on printed Bibles ever since. Today, hundreds of these manuscripts survive, bearing witness to one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages.  The ubiquity of these Bibles has only recently been met by scholarly interest, and questions remain regarding their evolution as well as their place within the medieval university, pulpit and priory.

The above information is from the Call for Papers of a conference organised by the University of Edinburgh and the National Library of Scotland set to take place in Edinburgh next July, which sounds most interesting.  It is called “Form and Function in the Late Medieval Bible” and will take place at the Centre for the History of the Book, University of Edinburgh, 12-14 July 2010.  It will bring together experts in medieval liturgy and sermons, art, religion and manuscripts, to examine the material culture of the Late Medieval Bible and its setting.  Presentations, discussions and two workshops would draw on the wealth of manuscripts in the University Library and the NLS in analysing variants of text and layout, imagery and addenda. 

So if any of you is in Scotland at that time, you might consider attending.

To see the Call for Papers click here.

On 22 August 1485 King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth, incidentally the last British king to die in battle.   The controversy over the exact site of the battle has been going on for quite some time.

Traditionally the battle was thought to have taken place at Ambion Hill near Market Bosworth in Leicestershire.  This is where the recently upgraded visitors’ centre stands.

However, as the British Daily Telegraph reported recently it now seems certain that this was not the case.  Tests have ruled out that the battle had taken place on Ambion Hill itself, and also that the stone memorial erected to Richard III half a mile away, on the spot he supposedly fell, is situated on the wrong spot.

Latest research points to a site on low-lying ground between the villages of Shenton, Stoke Golding and Dadlington, as the most likely site.  This was first proposed by the historian Peter Foss in 1990. Another theory puts the battle around eight miles away in Atherstone, where documents show Henry’s army might have camped prior to battle.

Leicestershire County Council was awarded a £1 million Lottery Heritage grant to carry out a survey, the most comprehensive ever carried out on a British battlefield.  The official results will be announced early next year.

Read the full article from the Daily Telegraph here.

In this context the London and Home Counties Branch of the Richard III Society is hosting an open [i.e. open to all Society members able to attend], lecture, by Dr Glenn Foard FSA MISA, University of Leeds and the Battlefield Trust, entitled: ‘Finding Bosworth battlefield – archaeology and the future of battlefield studies’, on Saturday, 24th April, 2010, in the Wolfson and Pollard Rooms, at the IHR, Senate House, Malet Street, London, at 2.00 p.m.

The good news is that Heraldry Australia have a very special lecture coming up – and Secretary Stephen Szabo assures us that Ricardians  are very welcome to attend.

The speaker is Professor Stephanie Trigg from Melbourne University and the subject is Ladies of Eminence Known to Us:  Women and the Order of the Garter.  The talk is illustrated and surveys the history of women’s involvement with the Order from its foundation in 1348 to the present.

The date is Friday, October 23, the place the Mitchell Theatre on the first floor of the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts  and  the time 5.30pm for a 6.15 pm start.

Entry is by gold coin donation, refreshments will be served beforehand and, of course, there’ll be one of Heraldry Australia’s special raffles.

If you want to attend, please contact us at info@richardiii.com.au or get in touch with Stephen Szabo at  secretary@heraldryaustralia.org.  As he needs to know the numbers by Monday, October 19, it would be appreciated if you could let us or him directly know that you are coming by that date.

You might be interested to know that the 1984 British TV production The Trial of King Richard the Third can be viewed on YouTube,  divided into several segments.  It’s great news that this fascinating programme is now available again to a wider audience.  A definite “must” for Ricardians!

Click here for the ‘Introduction’, there you will also find links to the other parts.

Leicestershire Museums report that the Bosworth Battlefield’s annual re-enactment weekend in August was a great success.

In 2008, 2900 visitors made their way to the Bosworth Battlefield site, which had been a record then.  However for the 2009 event, figures rose by around 82% to 5300 visitors, as people from as far afield as Australia and America turned out to witness the death of Richard III and the birth of the Tudor dynasty.  The War of the Roses thrilled audiences with daring displays of jousting, skills at arms and the finale of King Richard III’s last stand.

For the full article, please click here.

Or you might be interested to have a look at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre.

An article in a recent issue of the BBC History Magazine deals with a new book by David Hipshot called Richard III and the Death of Chivalry, published by History Press.

For those of you who believe that Henry Tudor had something to do with it, or even the lack of a mount for a suddenly horseless Richard, you might like to think again. Read the rest of this entry »

The Yorkshire Post of 4th September 2009 reports that the local council responsible for Middleham, Richmondshire District Council , is consulting the public on possible extensions to the conservation area at Middleham.

It’s heartening to notice that in the area where people knew him best Richard remains to be seen in a positive light as the first sentence of this article suggests:  “Middleham is famous for its association with Richard III, its castle and as the northern capital of the horse racing industry”.   To this day Middleham regards itself as “The Royal, Loyal and Ancient Township”, thus keeping Richard’s motto, Loyalty Binds Me, in mind.  

The proposed extension plans include an area to the north between the Busks and the River Ure, and an open area to the south east.  Council planners say that the northern area is important as there was the old road to Richmond via a ford (now bridge) across the River Ure.  It used to be  planted with an avenue of trees, mostly limes, which drew the eye to and from Middleham.

The south eastern area is of historical significance as there is archaeological evidence of many buildings, which are thought to have housed the stables for the Castle and might also have contained a water garden or ponds.  There is also evidence of a former hospital.

If you are interested, you can read the article by Brian Dooks in the Yorkshire Post here. 

Find out  more about Middleham and its castle here.

Look out for a new novel by Philippa Gregory published soon by Simon & Schuster. The White Queen is the first in her new Plantagenet series and is about Elizabeth Woodville. It’s very readable, doesn’t gloss over her faults and ambition, but shows a great understanding of her love for her children, her family and Edward, plus an interesting slant on what may be an answer to the Princes’ mystery – although the author admits there is no proof of it. It will be interesting to see who is next in line for her attention

The Plantagenet Society celebrated  its 10th birthday on Saturday, July 18, and several Ricardians were present. We loaned three of our display boards for the day, and Kevin brought along his portrait of Richard, illustration of the Battle of Bosworth and a reproduction of Magna Carta.

There were some excellent speakers, including Carole Cusack from Sydney University on the controversies of Plantagenet history, and Bosie Crawford from The Wardrobe in Chatswood displaying and talking about medieval costumes. Her passion for the subject made this a stand-out session. The afternoon brought some delightful music and songs provided by Pastance, and the day ended with a debate on “Is there truth in history?” A retired judge, an ex- crown solicitor and two historical novelists – Felicity Pulman and Isolde Martyn   had lots to say – sometimes a little too much to the despair of the time-keeper!