Should you feel like escaping the heat of an Australian summer (not that we have noticed much summery weather so far!), why not head to Wakefield? To commemorate the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December, Wakefield Museum is organising a “Battle of Wakefield Exhibition”.
The organisers tell us that the exhibition “looks at the lead up to this infamous battle, the characters involved and its effect on England’s history.” They promise to excite the visitor with rare and fascinating objects. However, the “specially commissioned comic strip of the battle” does intrigue me and I would love to find out more.
The exhibition runs from 16 October 2010 to 29 January 2011. You can find out more here.
Tags: Battles, Richard Duke of York
We have reviewed this new book by Peter Hammond for your information. Read the review here.
The book is a thorough analysis of the lead up to the Battle of Bosworth and the battle itself, based on the recent discovery of the actual spot where the battle was fought. Fascinating reading!
Tags: Battles, Books, Henry Tudor, Ricardian Authors, Richard III
This is the third part of Win’s talk about Scotland which was presented to our Branch on 9 October 2010.
James III of Scotland reigned 1460-88. He cultivated friendship with England by a marriage being arranged between his son James later IV and Edward IVs 3-year-old daughter the Lady Cecilia. This marriage did not take place as it was cancelled by Edward IV.
James IV of Scotland
When negotiations broke down skirmishing broke out between the two countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Edward IV, Henry Tudor, Richard III, Scotland
This is the second part of Win’s interesting talk presented to our Branch on 9 October 2010.
On February 4th, 1818, a group of distinguished men, including the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Senior Legal Representatives, the Commander in Chief of the Army and Sir Walter Scott, the poet and author, gathered outside the sealed door of the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle.
Scott’s pleas to the Prince Regent, later George IV, had resulted in a Royal Warrant permitting him and Officers of the State to open the Crown Room. Masonry was removed from the doorway. Inside was a great oak chest.
They approached it apprehensively because there was a strong suspicion that the chest would be empty and that the Honours had been spirited away. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Scotland
This is the first part of the fascinating talk Win presented to our Branch on 9 October 2010.
The Stone of Destiny and the Honours of Scotland that is the present Regalia have separate histories as they were never used together in a coronation.
The Stone of Destiny is the block of sandstone on which the ancient Kings of Scotland were crowned at Scone until it was stolen by King Edward I who took it to London where it was housed in Edward the Confessor’s chair until it was returned in 1996 except for a brief period in 1950 when four young Scottish Nationalists repossessed it.
The myth of the origin of the Stone is traced back to Biblical times when it is supposed to have been the pillow on which Jacob rested his head when he dreamed of the angels climbing up their heavenly ladder. It was acquired by Scota, daughter of a Pharaoh of Egypt and brought to Ireland and then to Scotland by Kenneth M’Alpine who became King of the Picts and Scots in 843 AD. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Scotland
On Saturday 9 October 2010, 21 Members and Friends of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society gathered for our AGM. The interest was high as there was to be a two-part talk given by long-time member Win Tonkin after the business of the day had been concluded. We were pleased to welcome Rosemary back to the group, as well as our Friend from the Dorset, UK, Richard III Society Group, Babs Creamer, who was in Australia to attend her grandson’s 18th birthday party. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: NSW Branch, Scotland
We heard from Susan Higginbotham of the American Branch that her latest historical novel Queen of Last Hopes is supposed to come out in the US on 1 January 2011. An idea for a belated Christmas present? The Queen of the title is Margaret of Anjou and promises to be fascinating reading for anyone interested in the period.
By the way, I spotted Susan’s previous book The Stolen Crown the other day at Abbey’s in the city. This novel deals with the Ricardian period through the eyes of Katherine Woodville, the wife of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham.
To see more about Susan’s books, have a look at her website!
Just a short reminder that this Saturday, 9 October 2010, our AGM will be held at the usual time of 14h00 at The Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. All members and friends are invited and visitors are – as always – most welcome.
After the official part is over, Win will speak on The Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. We are looking forward to her talk on this fascinating subject.
Hope to see you on Saturday!
Tags: NSW Branch, Scotland
It is amazing how sometimes strands of seemingly unrelated interests come together. This happened when I was planning a trip to Europe for next year to attend the “Blood and Roses” Special Interest Weekend in Oxford in March, an event at Christ Church College in association with the Richard III Society. Afterwards I was thinking of spending a few days in Germany visiting sites of personal interest, after all I would be in the area, so to speak.
During my recent research into St Albans I had read that a church in Cologne is said to hold relics of St Alban.[1] At the time I didn’t pursue this any further, but now that a visit to Cologne is on the cards I decided to find out more. Read the rest of this entry »
Sunday, October 3, saw a good crowd of members and friends of the New South Wales Branch head to the Southern Highlands for a celebration lunch to remember the anniversary of Richard III’s birthday on October 2, 1452. Joining them there were those from Mittagong, Bowral and Bundanoon, as well as a contingent from Canberra, and a special overseas friend: Babs Creamer, Secretary of the Dorset Group of the Richard III Society in the UK.
The weather was truly dreadful, but the continuous downpour did nothing to dampen our spirits from the moment we arrived at the Sutton Forest Inn and entered the bar lounge where a boar’s head on the wall made us feel quite at home. (Memo to management: it should have been a white boar to be perfect!).
When we were all assembled we headed into the delightful bistro dining room – large, and light-filled, overlooking the paddocks beyond, with warm timber tables and chairs – and a glorious log fire. Outside the covered stage for the jazz festival was assembled and a local winery had its wares ready for tasting.
Ricardians however concentrated on the magnificent menu, agonising over which delicious sounding dish to select- and all our choices were pronounced wonderful, beautifully cooked and presented. Little wonder that only a few brave souls went on to sample those delicious desserts. Chocolate sherry mousse anyone?
With a huge amount of guests for the afternoon, the wait staff did their cheerful best to deliver our choices and most of us wondered how the unseen geniuses in the kitchen were coping with the demand.
We all had a great time, with the usual good conversation and laughter throughout. The general consensus: we’ll be back!
Tags: NSW Branch, Richard III
