| Society Events | ||
| Commemorative & Celebratory | ||
2010
Events |
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50th Anniversary Celebrations |
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Annual Requiem Mass |
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Bosworth Commemoration |
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Fotheringhay Christmas
Lunch and Carols |
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2010 Events
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Compline at Fotheringhay |
50th Anniversary Programme
The Society celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its re-founding in 2006 and organised a series of special events.
Saturday 25 March 2006. Anniversary Seminar: ‘Troops and Tactics: Military Matters during the Fifteenth Century’. Tower of London Education Centre
For a short report please click here. A full report appeared in the Society's 2006 summer edition of the Bulletin. Speakers were:
Professor Tony Goodman – ‘The recruitment, array, and training of troops during the Wars of the Roses’. Tony had recently retired from Edinburgh University and his new book The Wars of the Roses - the Soldier’s Experience was published in 2006.
Dr David Grummitt – ‘The French Expedition of 1475 and what the campaign meant to those involved.’ David works on The History of Parliament project and edited The English Experience in France c. 1450-1558.
Dr Michael K Jones – ‘Strategy and Tactics in the Fifteenth Century – Agincourt 1415 revisited’. Michael needs little introduction to members and is of course the author of Bosworth: Psychology of a Battle and had recently published a new book on Agincourt.
Mr Chris Gravett – ‘Armour and Weaponry in the Fifteenth Century.’ Chris demonstrated how armour is donned, and removed. Chris, formerly with the Royal Armouries, now works for the Woburn Estate. He has written several books published by Osprey on Wars of the Roses battles.
Friday 19 May 2006. Anniversary Reception at Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn, London
The principal London-based social event was a reception at Barnard's Inn Hall, which included wine, soft drinks and a buffet supper. We were honoured that the Society’s Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, attended this event to meet members and present the prizes to the winners of the schools essay and poster competitions. On display were competition entries which highlighted the extremely high standard of work..
29 September to 1 October 2006. Anniversary Weekend and AGM in York.
There is no better place to hold the anniversary weekend and 2006 AGM than York, the most Ricardian of cities. The exciting package of events included:
Friday 29 September. Evening - Lecture at the Hospitium.
Professor Tony Pollard of Teeside University gave a talk about his ‘journey’ with Richard III, the state of Ricardian studies and the strange phenomenon of the unchanging popular perception of Richard III 50 years on. This was a challenging and entertaining lecture, with time for questions. The Hospitium is a fourteenth-century building in the Museum Gardens and proved an excellent venue to begin the weekend.
Saturday 30 September. Morning and afternoon - AGM and Members’ Day
This took place at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. There were the usual AGM attractions including Society and Branch/Group sales stalls, second-hand book stall, craft sale in aid of the Ricardian Churches Restoration Fund and tables illustrating the work of the Society. In addtion, there were workshops on palaeography, Latin, costume and music (with demonstrations by Trouvčre), and hopefully also on armoury. The AGM began at 12 noon with further workshops in the afternoon and entertainment in the afternoon.
Saturday 30 September. Afternoon - Tours of the Minster – 3.30pm and 4pm
Tours were arranged around the Minster and the Treasury and members were privileged to see on display the Vellum presented to the Minster by the Society in 1966. This records Richard’s first visit to the city as king and the investiture of his son Edward as Prince of Wales.
Saturday 30 September. Evening – Gala Dinner at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall
An excellent dinner was followed by entertainment provided by the medieval troupe Trouvčre. Those attending were invited to dress in modern smart dress or in medieval costume. A best costume competition was held for those in medieval dress.
Sunday 1 October. Barley Hall – Ricardian Anniversary Fair
The Society has had close links with Barley Hall since it was first opened to the public and it is the regular venue for the medieval banquet held during the study weekends. The management of the Hall arranged for a number of medieval craft stalls to be set up to demonstrate and sell their wares. The Hall also had its own shop which sells original replica crafts. A local re-enactment group, the ‘Company of Palm Sunday 1461’, several members of which are also Society members, also attended and there were demonstrations covering weaponry, herbalism and cookery, weaving and lucetting, candle-making, music and other non-martial skills. The day provided a fascinating insight into fifteenth-century life in a genuinely fifteenth-century style town house built on the grounds of and with material from the original house that stood in Richard’s time. It was certainly a unique experience for Ricardians. The event was also open to the general public.
Saturday 21 October. Anniversary Seminar: ‘Chivalry, the Order of the Garter and St George’s Chapel’ - Windsor Castle, Vicars’ Hall
The Society was most fortunate to secure this venue for its second Anniversary Seminar. The Vicars’ Hall is not usually hired out and is not usually open to the public. So this was a rare opportunity for members to see this part of the castle. The speakers were:
Mr Tim Tatton-Brown is the Consultant Archaeologist to the Royal Peculiars of Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel and spoke on the latter
Mr Peter Hammond, the President of the Society, spoke on the Garter Stall Plates in St George’s Chapel
Dr Anne Sutton and Dr Livia Visser-Fuchs, well known to us all, discussed Chivalry and the Yorkist Kings
Dr Lesley Boatwright, the Society’s Deputy Chairman for 2006, spoke about the miracles of Henry VI, who is buried in the chapel
Dr Rowena Archer, lecturer at Brasenose College, Oxford, spoke about Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk and her connections with Windsor and Eton.
There were also opportunities to visit St George’s Chapel and the day ended beautifully with Evensong in the Chapel.
Annual Requiem Mass
Every year, on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the death of Anne Neville, the Society organises a Requiem Mass for King Richard III and Queen Anne. This is based upon the belief that this is something which they themselves would have wished for. We know that Richard himself was assiduous in commemorating deceased friends and relations in this way, and that his own friends provided for such an annual commemoration in Cambridge, on the anniversary of the battle of Bosworth, which only came to an end as a result of the Reformation.
When the Requiem is celebrated in London it is followed in the afternoon by a wreath-laying ceremony at Queen Anne Neville’s plaque at Westminster. When the Requiem is celebrated elsewhere, then the wreath-laying at Westminster takes place separately, usually on the anniversary day itself.
Bosworth
The Richard III Society commemoration of the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth
For well over a quarter of a century, the Society has placed the following In Memoriam notice in the Daily Telegraph.
PLANTAGENET, RICHARD - Remember before God, Richard III, King of England, and those who fell at Bosworth Field, having kept faith, 22nd August, 1485. 'Loyaulté me Lie'. Richard III Society, www.richardiii.net
The Society visits Bosworth on the Sunday closest to August 22nd, for its annual commemoration of the Battle. A service is held in Sutton Cheney church to honour the fallen in the battle and is attended by Society members from around the world. During the service the chairman reads from one of the lessons and two wreaths are hung adjacent to the Society's commemorative plaque, which carries the wording now used in the 'In Memoriam' notices by Society members. After the service the Battlefield is visited. The Society has provided Sutton Cheney church with displays on the subject of Richard III and the Battle, and the Bosworth Heritage Centre with the Bosworth Portal, a touch-screen computer to introduce the general public to the real story of Richard III and the coat of arms previously located at Crosby Hall. |
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Click here to read about the 2010 commemoration.
Fotheringhay Christmas Lunch and Carols
As can be seen throughout this website, the Society has many reasons for maintaining its links with Fotheringhay, but one of the most joyous is the tradition of the Christmas lunch followed by a carol service in the church. It was begun in the 1980's by Joyce Melhuish and though the basic format of the day has remained the same, the details have evolved over the years. Lunch used to be in the Falcon Inn, but now it takes place in the Village Hall. Also, the event has traditionally taken place on a Sunday in mid December, making it more of an Advent celebration, but since 2005 it has been held on a Saturday.
The day begins with getting to Fotheringhay and for that there is a coach from London for those who wish it. Otherwise, members and their families make their own way to the Village Hall for lunch. Then, suitably fortified with a turkey buffet, followed by Christmas pudding, all washed down with a glass or two of wine, they walk up to the church, to be greeted by the bells, and join with members of the local community.
At 3 pm, after the vicar, resplendent in the heraldic cope given by the Society, has greeted everyone with a few words, the service begins with the choir singing a solo item. This is followed by the congregation singing the traditional Advent hymn, “O come, o come, Emmanuel”, and from then on, the service is similar in style to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, with readings from the Bible, congregational hymns and music from the choir all interspersed to tell the Christmas story.
The readings are shared between parishioners and members of the Society, and for the most part, they are traditional. However, for the eighth lesson, which tells of the three kings, the poem ‘Journey of the Magi’ by TS Eliot has been used since the very beginning. More recent introductions have been the singing of “While shepherds watched” to its traditional tune, better known as ‘On Ilkley Moor’, together with the singing of the Latin words, ‘Adeste fideles’, to ‘O come, all ye faithful’ to close the service.
The service is always a great success, not in the least due to the superb singing of the choir, the St Peter’s Singers, who are based in the Peterborough area, and for many, the event is considered as the great sign that the Christmas season has really begun. It is an excellent opportunity for members and friends alike to get together in a convivial atmosphere in the magical medieval surroundings of the church that means so much to so many members of the Richard III Society.
Details of each Fotheringhay Christmas can be found in the September issue of the Ricardian Bulletin, while earlier notification of the date is in the Society calendar.