Elizabeth George, Believing the Lie, Hodder & Stoughton, 2012, pbk ISBN 978 1 444 7 05980

H. Rider Haggard, Montezuma’s Daughter, first published 1896, various later editions as well as ebook formats are available.

Checking the new Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley novel for pro-Richard III comments, I was rather disappointed. These comments have not appeared recently, probably since Inspector Lynley’s wife Helen was murdered and hasn’t been there to tease him about his obsession or to wonder why he likes going to a place near Leicester in August. However I did find this which shows a Shakespearean look:

Valerie is looking at her husband, Bernard. “She glanced at him then. Such a little man, actually, he was shorter than she by nearly five inches. Small, a little delicate, mischievous looking, cocky, grinning … My God, she thought, all he needed was a hunchback, a doublet, and tights. She’d been as easily seduced as the Lady Anne.”

There may be more in this very enjoyable book. I couldn’t put it down for all the twist.

The other day, I was channel surfing and came to Lifestyle channel, Country House Rescue. One episode featured a place in Norfolk that I knew. Checking it on a map of Norfolk I saw it was near Bungay, and thought “that’s where Thomas Wingfield lived”. Funny how names from books first read in childhood are never forgotten! When I was 10 one of the teachers at my school was talking about Cortez and Mexico etc, and told us that if we wanted to know a little more we would enjoy Rider Haggard’s book Montezuma’s Daughter, something my father obligingly bought for me. It must have been one of the first “grown-up” books I read, but Thomas Wingfield became a permanent hero! Checking my copy again I loved this paragraph, where Thomas says:

Long ago the heiress of the Wingfields married a De La Pole, a family famous in our history, the last of whom, Edmund, Earl of Suffolk, lost his head for treason when I was young and the castle passed to the De La Poles with her.

Not really Ricardian, but not surprising because Haggard lived in Norfolk/Suffolk and would have been aware of the history of the county. But I was happy to know that my hero Thomas was related to Richard’s sister Elizabeth.

Tags: de la Pole, Richard III, Shakespeare

With thanks to Helen Cox for alerting us about this event.

The Towton Battlefield Society is planning a commemoration of the Battle of Towton, fought in a snowstorm on Palm Sunday, 29 March 1461.  The battle is considered to have been the biggest, bloodiest and longest battle on English soil.  It was fought between the adherents of Henry VI of the House of Lancaster and those of Edward of the House of York, ending with a Yorkist victory and Edward IV on the throne.

The commemoration will take place on this year’s Palm Sunday, 1 April 2012.  It will be a full day event, from 10h00 to 16h00, however, guided walks will be starting from 9h30.  The walks cover a distance of 4 miles (stout footwear is required) and will start every 15 minutes until 10h45.

There will also be a living history camp or you can look at – and be tempted to buy from! – craft stalls.  To make the battle come alive there will be combat demonstrations.  And at 13h00 visitors have the opportunity to attend a  memorial service.

This promises to be fun for the whole family.  And we hope for the organisers of this event and everyone who is involved that the weather will not be too evocative of that bloody battle fought 551 years ago!

Below is  copy of the poster for this event.  If you think you might be attending, let me know and I will get the press release for you, which should come out in March.

Tags: Battles, Towton, Wars of the Roses

King Richard III is not here today to challenge Opposition Business Manager Christopher Pyne’s remarks in Question Time on 8 February, implying that the last Plantagenet king was a serial murderer.

On King Richard’s behalf, may I suggest that Mr Pyne’s choice of relaxing fiction to read (even if written by Shakespeare) after his exhausting days as a politician is replaced by some serious historical research.

Surely he would be very put out if, in the future, his life was blackened by someone who couldn’t be bothered to check a few facts and offer a balanced opinion.

(You might like to read an earlier entry, drawing attention to the misuse of the same historical person by the same politician.)

Tags: Politics, Richard III

Trawling through the net for Richard III merchandise, I found a site called Danegeld.

This artist manufactures reproduction jewellery from Viking to Renaissance times.  He uses precious metals and gemstones; there is a silver boar brooch, a reproduction of the Holbein jewel and one of his commissions was a copy of the Middleham jewel.

The site is well worth a visit – www.danegeld.co.uk

The boar badge in the photograph is available from the Richard III Society – go to Society Shop and click on Catalogue. (Photograph © Dorothea Preis)

Our first general branch meeting of 2012 was held on Saturday, 4 February 2012 at our usual venue, the Sydney Mechanics’ Institute. Welcoming remarks were offered by Chairperson Judith Hughes, who announced the recent ‘special birthday’ of Rosemary in January, and the acceptance into the University of Sydney Fine Arts program of member Judy Howard. Both members received a round of applause.

A focus on the subject of the upcoming 1-day mini-conference in Mittagong ensued with special pleas from the conference committee for people to register soon. A lot of work has already been done in planning and organising, and it would be lamentable if it had to be cancelled due to lack of support from members. Contact Julia Redlich if you need more information or another registration form sent to you. The cost is very reasonable, and the setting makes it possible for members outside of Sydney to participate. The mini-conference is open to everyone, not only Society members.

Minutes were then taken as read, and reports presented by the Treasurer, Webmaster, and Librarian. The branch treasure is safe, but the website, although it continues to receive many visitors, could use more creative input from members, such as Ricardian book reviews, comments on articles posted, etc. The librarian pointed out that no books or other items had been checked out in the last six months, and those materials along with the branch archives need to find a more suitable placement than at present. It was agreed that some of the books would be offered for sale at the mini-conference, along with the various Ricardian items we have available. Lynne reported that new stock would be available as well.

Our guest speaker was David Millar MA (Hons) Cambridge, former curator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and an expert in English architecture who was accompanied by his wife Susan. He opened his presentation on “Architecture in Medieval Times” by recommending a book called The Three Richards, by Nigel Saul, which he had found a very worthwhile treatment of Richards I, II and III. He added that he considered the era of Richard III ‘the gold period’ of English history.

Detail of the nave of St Albans Cathedral showing different building styles:  romanesque/norman on the right and gothic on the left (Photograph © Dorothea Preis)

The audience was deeply absorbed by David’s learned overview of the development of English architecture starting with its Roman and Norman roots, which he illustrated with wonderful slides of Roman exemplars and how their elements were mirrored and advanced in the magnificent cathedrals with their corbels, flying buttresses, pointed arches and late Gothic spires. A lively discussion took place after raffles were drawn, over afternoon tea.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, 21 April 2012, with Dorothea Preis presenting on the topic of Richard III and Learning.

Tags: Architecture, NSW Branch

We are very pleased to bring you another perspective on the Society AGM in the UK.  This is a report by Hazel Hajdu, Secretary of the Victoria branch.  For us in Australasia, who only rarely have the chance to attend the Society meetings in the UK it is alwsays a great opportunity to hear about it from one of us.  Thank you, Hazel, it must have been a wonderful experience!

Registration for the AGM was at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, 1st October.   I was staying with relatives in Southampton, so decided that life would be easier if I went up to London the day before, and not have a mad rush at the crack of dawn on the Saturday.  As it turned out, this was a double blessing, as that Friday and Saturday saw a record heat wave for October in the U.K. – the hottest for decades.   So revelling in the unaccustomed luxury of time to spare on Saturday morning, after breakfast at the Hotel Russell, I went for a walk in the Square;  two or three people passed me as I was sitting on a bench, drinking in the lovely cool greenery of the trees, and said, “Are you coming to the AGM?  It’s just up the road…..”  Ricardians must be psychic to recognise one another instantly, I thought, and then realised that I was wearing the boar badge.   So reluctantly leaving the tranquillity of the Square, I eventually found the registration centre in the School of Oriental & African Studies a very short distance away.   It was orientation day for the University, and the quadrangle was filled with students milling around, and stalls of every description, advertising the many and varied activities of the campus, matched only by the many and varied appearances of the students.

I spent the morning meeting people, looking at the sales stalls, which displayed all kinds of handiwork, books, paintings and craft, all with links to mediaeval times, and Richard’s life.

It was very good to meet people who had hitherto been only names.   Did you realise that the actress Josephine Tewson was a Ricardian?   She was there.    I  spent some time with Sue and David Wells, the hard-working joint Secretaries.    David had earlier mailed to me a map of the area, to ensure that I didn’t get lost in Bloomsbury, and it was so enjoyable to meet such a friendly and helpful couple, absolutely dedicated to their work.   I had a interesting talk with Phil Stone, and I gathered that they were very pleased to have  representatives from overseas Branches.   There was some concern about the arrival of the guest speaker, Dr. David Starkey.   Apparently during the previous week he had made a harmless enough comment in an interview about the social direction of some of the youth of today in the U.K.;  his words were conveyed to some of the student bodies, and there was a worry that his arrival would be greeted by a hostile reception.   Fortunately, this was avoided.

Dr. Starkey’s address was both informative and entertaining.   One interesting point which he made was that the concept of the red rose did not exist before Bosworth!    His address is summarised in the December 2011 issue of the Ricardian Bulletin;   incidentally, the address was the inaugural Isolde Wigram Memorial Lecture.

Following the address, the AGM agenda followed the pattern of most AGM’s,and the matters dealt with are reported in the December Bulletin.  It was interesting to hear the Canadian speaker, John Duncanson, describe the activities of the Canadian Branch.   He, incidentally, asked me at the end of the meeting when the New South Wales Branch Convention was to be held, and expressed some interest in attending it.   I assured him that all would be revealed in the U.K. Bulletin in due course, when plans were finalised.

I was asked to speak about our recent Australasian Convention, which I did, and quite a lot of interest was shown in our customary biennial get-togethers and our activities generally.   Several people wanted to know exactly when in 2013 the next Convention would be held, and I gathered they were really contemplating coming to it.    Babs Creamer (Dorset Branch, who has attended some of our past Conventions), came over to say hello, and that she hoped to be able to come out again to the next Convention.

I must say that Phil Stone ran a very efficient and harmonious meeting.   It ended about 4.00 p.m.  A very nice example of how well I was looked after by Sue and David Wells, was that Sue actually found someone to escort me to my taxi, and share it to Waterloo Station, where I hopped on to the 4.50 p.m. train,  and was home by 6 p.m.   The time seemed to have gone by so quickly.

Tags: Richard III Society

Just a short reminder that this year our February General Meeting is on the F I R S T instead of the second Saturday of the month.

This coming Saturday, 4 February, David Millar will tell us all about ‘Architecture in Medieval Times’.  Some of our members have heard him speak before and are full of praise for his interesting and entertaining talks.  Certainly not something to be missed.

And if you are able to attend our NSW Branch Convention in May in Mittagong, please make sure that you bring your registration form (Julia sent these out a bit earlier to all members) and deposit along.  We do need to get some indication how many people are interested.

Non-members are most welcome to attend, too.  Please contact Julia at info@richardiii-nsw.org.au for more information and your copy of the registration form.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Tags: Conventions, NSW Branch

For a limited time, Loyalty Binds Me, my second book about Richard III in the 21st-century, is available for free from Amazon, Apple iTunes, Barnes & Nobel , and on Smashwords in all formats.

Although it’s the second book in the series, it was written to be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

Free (normally $2.99)/Recommended by Midwest Book Reviews and a review on this site.

Should the price on Smashwords not appear as “Free”, readers who will be getting the download from Smashwords, please contact me (on: u2nohoo”AT”gmail.com) and I’ll send you a coupon for 100% off the SW price.

P.S. My first book This Time was nominated General Fiction Finalist of 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Tags: Books, Richard III

Well , at least where history is concerned it seems this is not always the case.

This is the latest example:  Last night – after returning from a long weekend in the nation’s capital – I watched  the ABC News.  There Christopher Pyne (for our readers in other parts of the globe:  an Australian opposition MP) declared that the Prime Minister’s stance on the gambling reform was “the most ruthless political act since Richard III disposed of his nephews in the Tower of London” (for a clip click here).

It is understandable that Richard III should come to Mr Pyne’s mind after the successful tour of the production of Shakespeare’s play with Kevin Spacey in Sydney last month, which got a lot of attention in the media.

However, given that Richard III was killed in 1485, it is most unlikely that the gambling reform (or lack thereof) is “the most ruthless political act’ in the last 500 odd years – I am sure most of us can think of much more serious instances.  In that respect Mr Pyne’s remark certainly is an “absurd example of hyperbole”.

However, much more seriously, it is also an instance of playing fast and furious with historical facts.  The fact is that we do not know happened to the sons of Edward IV.  Everything else is conjecture.

At least we have to assume that Mr Pyne refers to the sons of Edward IV, when he talks of Richard III’s nephews.  In fact Richard had  various other nephews, who are all accounted for and only met their end in Tudor times – with Edward, earl of Warwick (son of Richard III’s elder brother George, duke of Clarence), actually being executed in the Tower of London – in 1499, on the orders of Henry VII.

The sons of Edward IV were declared illegitimate by an act of Parliament, because of questions about the legality of their parents’ marriage.  This allowed Richard, duke of Gloucester, to become king as Richard III.  The boys were last seen playing in the royal residence of the Tower in the late summer of 1483, but nobody knows for sure what happened then.  We can’t say for sure that they were killed and – if they were – when or even less by whom, and they might just as well have outlived Richard III.  It is worth noting that two posthumous trials acquitted Richard of this crime.

Rather than blaming Richard for the demise of these nephews, he might very well have been instrumental in protecting their lives, as the appearance of the later pretenders shows.

It would be desirable if politicians of whichever hue were to ascertain their facts, before comparing their opponents with historical persons.  More often than not, these comparisons do not achieve the anticipated outcome, but rather backfire.

More info on the trials:
http://www.richardiii.net/tv.htm – click on “Channel 4: The Trial of Richard III (1984)”
http://www.r3.org/learn/poor_richard/trial.html
The Channel 4 programme can be viewed in a number of parts on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-kQoKt2Kf4

Tags: Edward IV, Media, Politics, Richard III