We would like to welcome Jenny Savage from the Richard III Society in the UK.  Jenny attends our general meetings whenever she is in Sydney, where she is always a most welcome guest.  We are very excited that she has agreed to contribute to our website.

Today she makes a start with a review of Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton AD 1461 (which you can read here).

We are looking forward to hear from Jenny soon again.  All our contributors are highly appreciated, but this goes particularly for those from outside of  our branch.

A very big welcome, Jenny!

Tags: Books, NSW Branch

From our friends at Barley Hall in York (more info here), or to be precise from the April 2010 issue of Quid Novi?  A newsletter for the friends and supporters of Barley Hall, we learned that the York Archaeological Trust has agreed to take over the Museum at Micklegate Bar and make it one of their attractions.  This means that the Bar joins Barley Hall as the second mediaeval attraction in their portfolio.

Micklegate Bar in York (author’s own photograph)

Micklegate Bar is York’s most important gateway and has served a number of important roles since its construction in the 12th century, including being the main point of entry through which a reigning monarch enters the city.

The new museum will open later in May and an interesting programme of events has been planned.  To celebrate the launch of the new exhibition, the Wars of the Roses will be brought to life in York once more with various Bank holiday events and talks to tie into.

The programme kicks off on 29 May at Barley Hall with the drama of The Queen’s Tale: Margaret of Anjou.  The following day there is a coach tour to Sandal Castle.  31 May sees Helen Cox launching her book The Battle of Wakefield Revisited at Micklegate Bar and at the Mansion House there is a series of talks on Great Battles of the Wars of the Roses.

Later in the (Northern hemisphere) summer there will be a series of guided tours to various battle sites in the area.  For Ricardians the most interesting would surely be the one to Sheriff Hutton on 15 June, and a day at Pontefract Castle and the Wakefield battle site under the heading Dukes, Earls and Nursery Rhymes: Yorkshire at War in the 15th Century, which is led by Helen Cox, on 1 August.  For more information on all these fascinating events check out the website of Barley hall as well as that of the Jorvik Viking Centre (here).

Tags: Battles, Books, Sandal, Yorkshire

Our day-long mini-conference on 15 May included reviews of several books.  One of them was Peter A Hancock’s Richard III and the Murder in the Tower.  If you missed the conference, you can read it here.

Tags: Books, Contemporaries, Richard III

We first heard on the Ricardian grapevine about a  new analysis the Battle of Wakefield and  a fresh perspective on Richard of York’s final battle on 30 December 1460.  The book by Helen Cox is due to be published later this month.

On her website Helen tells us that historians have for a long time tried to reason why the Duke of York would have taken on the much stronger Lancastrian forces in this battle.  Some believe that the Duke was reckless and stupid, an ageing commander past his prime who made a bad decision – or that he charged out in blind fury because the enemy had sent heralds to insult him. Others think he made a heroic but futile attempt to rescue some of his foragers who were under attack; or that he didn’t realise how big the Lancastrian army was, because many of their troops were cunningly hidden in nearby woodland, waiting to charge out and ambush him.

Helen says that she has never been convinced by these theories, which aren’t well supported by contemporary reports of the battle. So in The Battle of Wakefield Revisited she has tried to pull together and re-examine all the surviving historical and archaeological evidence relating to the encounter.  She promises us a far simpler and more plausible explanation of why the Duke of York rode out to face his enemies that day.

The book will be launched on 31 May 2010 at Mickelgate Bar in York.  Helen and her husband Mick will be there in costume to sell and sign copies.  What a pity that we won’t be able to join them!

So we contacted Helen, to find out how we would be able to get hold of copies of this fascinating new study.  She informed us that the book will be available online from York Publishing Services £12.00 sterling plus p+p (at today’s exchange rate approx. Aus $20 plus p+p).

She also told us that writing the book was a real labour of love for the past 18 months.  She is fortunate enough to live only a mile from the Duke of York’s castle at Sandal, so she regularly visits it and often thinks of him and her favourite of his sons.  And I’m sure you can all guess who that is!

Keep an eye on Helen’s website for further information and developments.

Tags: Battles, Books, House of York, Richard Duke of York, Richard III

We just heard from Joan Szechtman that her book This Time was named finalist in the General Fiction/Novel category for the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Congratulations, Joan!  We are thrilled for you.

This nomination is very well deserved indeed.  We hope that it helps to promote the real Richard III as well as Joan’s book.

For a review of This Time have a look on our Bookshelf in the Ricardian Library or click here.

Tags: Books, Richard III

Julia reviewed The Final Act of Mr Shakespeare by Robert Winder.  This is a fascinating novel about William Shakespeare continuing his cycle of history plays by writing about Henry VII.  A book not to be missed.

You can find her review on our Bookshelf in the Medieval Library or just click  here.

Tags: Books, Henry Tudor, Shakespeare, Theatre

This is the title of an exhibition which opens on 17 May at Lambeth Palace’s Great Hall.  It celebrates the 400 years since the library’s beginning in 1610.  However, also much older documents will be exhibited.

The library owns its origins to Richard Bancroft, an Archbishop of Canterbury, who bequeathed his extensive collection of books, both printed and manuscripts, to his successors forever.  Lambeth Palace is the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Among the highlights of the exhibition are:

• A Gutenberg Bible (Mainz, 1455), the first book printed in Western Europe from movable metal type

• The 12th century Lambeth Bible, regarded as one of the monuments of Romanesque art

• The 9th century Macdurnan Gospelbook, manufactured in Ireland during the early Middle Ages and owned by King Athelstan of Wessex (reigned 924-939), a masterpiece of Insular book production

• Some unique witchcraft tracts

• A letter issued by Pope Leo X in 1516 for the rebuilding of St Peter’s in Rome

• A copy of the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and an accompanying letter from the Privy Council

• Papers relating to the divorce of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

However, the most fascinating exhibit for Ricardians will be King Richard III’s Book of Hours, a 15th century manuscript, which was in his tent at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485.

If you find yourself anywhere near London during the period 17 May to 23 July 2010, this is a must-see exhibition.  It is a great pity that London is a bit too far for a casual outing for us from down-under, as this event would fit in perfectly as a follow-on to our mini-conference on 15 May, the topic of which will be ‘Books and Bookmakers’.

For further information click here and here.

Illustration: Queen © Andrew Jamieson, www.medieval-arts.co.uk

Tags: Books, Bosworth, Richard III

We hope you will join us on Saturday, 15 May, for our one-day conference.  This promises to be a day with good companions, great speakers and a love of books, maps, heraldry and many things medieval.

We are sure you’ll find the speakers and the talks full of interest.  We are not only academic people in deep discussion over obscure points of history!  Naturally you’ll also learn very quickly why we are so enthusiastic about Richard III, his life and times.  Speakers on the theme of Books and Bookmakers include Maggie Patton from the State Library of NSW, Stephen Szabo of Heraldry Australia and historical novelist Felicity Pulman.  And there are more contributions from familiar faces from our branch.

Your registration fee of $30 includes a two course lunch and morning and afternoon tea – and there will be a super raffle and a sales table. Don’t miss out!

Registration forms and additional information are now available from info@richardiii-nsw.org.au.

Tags: Books, Conventions, Heraldry Australia, NSW Branch

At our recent AGM, our attention was drawn to some new Ricardian books, which might be of interest to our readers.  These are:

1)   The Kingmaker’s Sisters by David Baldwin

This book details the lives Warwick’s sisters and their roles as wives, mothers and deputies for their husbands, and the effect on them and  their families during the Wars of the Roses.

(The History Press 2009 – 9780750950763 Hb)

Some of those present had already read this book and said that they had found it most interesting.

2)   Richard III and the Death of Chivalry by David Hipshon

The author examines how politics of  the quarrel between the Stanleys and the Harringtons, and Richard’s support of the latter, cost him support at the Battle of Bosworth.

(The History Press 2009 – 9780750950749 Hb)

3)   Richard III and the Murder in the Tower by Peter A. Hancock

This book asserts that William, Lord Hastings, was dragged out of a meeting of the Royal Council and summarily executed on 13 June 1483.  This book offers a solution to this precipitate act and the the role played by William Catesby.  It also offers a solution the fate of the princes in the tower.

(The History Press 2009 – 9780752451480 Hb)

All three books sound like must-reads for Ricardians.  In this context Dorothea mentioned the Book Depository in the UK with free delivery world-wide and thanked our member Jackie from the ACt for this tip.  You can find their details on our Links page.

Tags: Books, Richard III