The Society - History

What's new in the Spring Bulletin and Ricardian

NEWS & REVIEWS

£1m Lottery Fund Award to Bosworth Battlefield Centre

The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced almost £1m worth of funding to Leices-tershire County Council for a project they describe as a 'world precedent' to 'uncover the true battlefield through a three-year programme of archaeological and topographical studies. Forensic techniques will be used to determine where woodland, marshes, fields and roads would have been situated in 1485.

A full report on this can be found in the Spring 2005 Ricardian Bulletin

News from Fotheringhay:
Oak Trees

The PCC plans to plant three oak trees at the west end of the churchyard to replace the three fallen horse chestnuts. Details on how to help are in the Bulletin.

Festal Mass for the Feast of Tongues at Pentecost

On Sunday, 15 May, there will be a pentecostal mass - polyphony and praise - at 12 noon in Fotheringhay Church, presided over by the Venerable David Painter, Archdeacon of Oakham.
Contact details and cost are in the Bulletin.

New DVD release of Sir Laurence Olivier's 1955 film production of Richard III

Geoffrey Wheeler points out that this DVD, although advertised as being a 'fully restored, full length version' with 'newly discovered footage', apparently only refers to the previously released American video and disc versions, which lacked 'nearly 20 minutes of missing footage'........ more details in the Bulletin

Cecily Neville, A Medieval Kingmaker

The National Archives are currently running a series of lectures entitled 'Movers & Shakers', running in parallel with an exhibition 'Geoffrey Chaucer to Elton John' which looks at documents covering the 'Movers & Shakers' of the last 750 years. The first lecture in the series was given by Society member Joanna Laynesmith who is well known to many in the Society for her interesting talks and book on 'Medieval Queens'. Lynda Pidgeon attended the lecture and has written a full account for the Spring 2005 Bulletin.

Ricardian - Vol 15 - 2005

Summary of Articles

Antony Wydevile, Lord Scales and Earl Rivers: Family, Friends and Affinity, Part 1
Lynda Pidgeon

The Wydevile family has generally been vilified as grasping and opportunistic, a family 'made by marriage'. But how true are these views and how typical a member of the family was Antony? This first article looks at Richard and Jacquetta Wydevile, their family background and contemporary opinions of them. Their success in acquiring land and status is looked at and their achievements up to 1469 are reviewed.

The Stonors and Thomas Betson: Some Neglected Evidence
Alison Hanham

Alison Hanham takes a closer look at the Thomas Betson of Eileen Power's Medieval People in the light of her discovery that Elizabeth nee Croke had been married to Betson's master before she took William Stonor as her third (not, as thought, second) husband in 1475.

Parvenus in Politics: The Woodvilles, Edward IV and the Baronage: 1464-1469
Andrew Kettle

Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville has received much attention from historians studying the cause of the breakdown in relations between the king and his barons which led to his loss of throne and the continuation of the Wars of the Roses. Detailed studies of the Woodvilles, however, have tended to be isolated from the politics of the period. In this dissertation, Andrew Kettle attempts to put the king's marriage and the rise of the queen's family into the political context of Edward's 'first reign'. How unsuitable was Edward's choice of bride? How far were the Woodvilles inordinately favoured? What effect did Edward's marriage and the subsequent advancement of his bride's family have on the fragile political foundations of the young Yorkist regime?

Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the De Vere Estates, 1462-85
James Ross

This article looks at Richard's tenure of the forfeited estates of the de Vere earls of Oxford, firstly as duke and then as king, investigating which estates he held, their annual income and the use Richard made of them. It examines Richard as a landlord in a region peripheral to his main landed interests, investigates his use of some of his more far-flung possessions and examines the pattern of dispersal of most of these estates to religious institutions and to his supporters after 1483.

The Execution of the Earl of Desmond
John Ashdown-Hill and Annette Carson

Charles Ross and other historians have discounted the story that Desmond was killed because he had offended Elizabeth Woodville, dismissing this account as a 'Tudor fabrication' and stating that the earl was simply being punished for treason. The authors of this article systematically re-examine all the available source material and argue that Elizabeth Woodville's involvement in Desmond's execution should not be so lightly dismissed.

"Danse Macabre" around the Tomb and Bones of Margaret of York
Paul De Win

The author surveys the evidence about the funeral monument of Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, wife of Charles the Bold, in the church of the Grey Friars at Malines and the various discoveries of human remains in the same church between 1936 and 1955

The Society publishes two journals: The Ricardian which is published annually and The Ricardian Bulletin which is published quarterly.

The Ricardian is an academic journal that contains articles on topics relating to Richard III, his life and times, and on late medieval history and culture. It also includes reviews of relevant books and articles and short notes.

Indexes to the subjects covered in previous issues are available from the Society's Sales Department, as are binders to hold 12 back copies each.

The Society's Non-fiction Library can supply back issues for loan to members right back to Number One published in 1961.

Some more recent back copies are available for purchase from the Society.

THE RICARDIAN BULLETIN

The Ricardian Bulletin is the magazine for members and contains short items of interest, details of forthcoming events, reports on visits and other activities, news from branches and groups, classified advertisements and correspondence.

THE RICARDIAN

Synopses of articles from Volume XI, March 1998 - December 1999 and Volume XII, March 2000 onwards.

Number 159, December 2002

KING RICHARD III AT YORK IN LATE SUMMER 1483 by A. Compton Reeves (pp. 542-553)

An account of Richard's triumphal visit to York as the culmination of his royal progress following his coronation in London July 1483.

THE ENGLISH DELEGATION TO THE CONFERENCE AT ST OMER (1463) By Edward L. Meek (pp. 554-562)

'The conference at St Omer, attended be delegates of the England, Burgundy and France, was a resounding diplomatic success for England's relatively new Yorkist government.

THE INQUISITION POST MORTEM OF ELEANOR TALBOT, LADY BUTLER, 1468 (pro c140/29/39) by John Ashdown-Hill (pp. 563-573)

A reproduction of the full text in Latin with English translation of the IPM of Edward IV's putative wife with a commentary on her lands.

Number 158, September 2002

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A CONSPIRACY: THE LIFE, TIMES AND LOVES OF LADY KATHERINE GORDON, PART 3 by Wendy E A Moorhen (pp. 494 - 525)

The concluding article details Lady Katherine's marriage with a Gentlemen Usher of the Chamber, Christopher Ashton, and her return to the demesne granted to her by Henry VII. Following her death in 1537, Kit Ashton establishes himself in Berkshire causing grief to this neighbours in a series of litigation cases before he challenges the queenship of 'Bloody Mary' with his son-in-law Henry Dudley and like his wife's former husband, Perkin Warbeck, seeks to establish an alternative claimant to the throne of England.

Number 157, June 2002

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A CONSPIRACY: THE LIFE, TIMES AND LOVES OF LADY KATHERINE GORDON, PART 2 by Wendy E A Moorhen (pp. 446 - 477)

The second part of this biography sees Lady Katherine as a pensioner of the man who condemned her husband, Henry VII. For the next nine years she is at the Tudor court but intriguingly there is a gap in payments to her which leads to speculation that she may have found another role outside of the Court. With the death of Henry VII, however, Lady Katherine remarries a royal servant, James Strangeways and on his death she swiftly married Matthew Craddock who governed Glamorganshire in South Wales on behalf of the Earl of Worcester. The death of her third husband once again brought Lady Katherine back to the Tudor court during the critical period when Henry VIII sought to divorce his Spanish wife, Katherine's former mistress, Katherine of Aragon.

Number 156, March 2002

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A CONSPIRACY: THE LIFE, TIMES AND LOVES OF LADY KATHERINE GORDON, PART 1 by Wendy EA Moorhen (pp 394 - 424)

First part of a biography of Lady Katherine Gordon, from her early years up until the death of her first husband, Perkin Warbeck in 1499. "Although she never directly effected history, Lady Katherine was on the periphery of important events in both Scotland and England due to her family relationships, her marriages and position at the English court."

Book Reviews of:

Memory and the Medieval Tomb edited by Elizabeth Valdez de Alamo with Carol Stamatis Pendergast, Aldershot 2000.

God's House at Ewelme. Life, Devotion and Architecture in a Fifteenth-Century Almshouse by John A A Goodall, Aldershot 2001.

The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe 1325-1520 by D'A J D Boulton, Woodbridge 2000.

The Paston Family in the Fifteenth Century: Endings by Colin Richmond, Manchester 2000.

The Cambridge Urban History of Britain, Volume 1 600-1540 edited by D M Palliser, Cambridge 2000.

Inward Purity and Outward Splendour: Death and Remembrance in the Deanery of Dunwich, Suffolk: 1730-1547 by Juliet Middleton-Stewart, Woodbridge 2001.

Social Attitudes and Political Structures in the Fifteenth-Century edited by Tim Thornton, Stroud 2000.

Number 155, December 2001

RICHARD REDMAN: THE YORKIST YEARS (C. 1461- 88) by Joseph A Gribbin

The period of English history which witnessed the fortunes of the houses of Lancaster and York and the advent of the Tudor dynasty is conveniently, if somewhat inaccurately called 'The Wars of the Roses'. Bishop Richard Redman of St. Asaph may not spring to mind as a major ecclesiastical figure in this era, though he is numbered among the upper clergy who were more directly affected by the events which shaped fifteenth century England. This article examines the role Redman played in serving the Yorkist monarch, Edward IV and more significantly Richard III, his episcopal obligations as a diocesan bishop and his activities as the energetic commissary-general of the abbot of Premontre in England.

Redman came from a notable northern family whose main seat of residence was situated at Levens in Westmorland. He entered the Premonstratensian abbey of Shap and became the abbot of his community before 1458. Redman was appointed commissary-general of the English Premonstratensian abbeys amid some controversy until 1466 when he successfully retained the position for over forty years. He proved to be a zealous visitator, holding regular visitations and provincial chapters, and was appointed bishop of St. Asaph in North Wales in 1472, retaining his abbacy in commendam. Bishop Redman served Edward IV and, with his family, was closely aligned to the regime of Richard III, serving on the king's council, accompanying Richard on his itinerary, and participating in the negotiations with the Scots in 1484. The death of King Richard on Bosworth Field led to a period when Redman's involvement with the English Crown was lessened, under Henry VII, and even his implication in the Lambert Simnel revolt of 1487. Redman's alleged involvement in the rebellion brought to an end his association with the House of York but he continued to serve the Crown, Church and Premonstratensian order until his death in 1505.

A MEMOIR ON MARGARET BEAUFORT, COUNTESS OF RICHMOND AND DERBY BY JOHN BRITTON by Raymond J Skinner

John Britton, the celebrated Wiltshire antiquary and topographer, collected a large amount of material regarding the Lady Margaret for his proposed entry in connection with the Gresham Commemoration Prize for the occasion of Queen Victoria's succession to the throne in 1837. His work, however, was never submitted in competition - the prize eventually being won by Caroline Halsted.

My attention was drawn to Britton's little-known work by a brief reference in his autobiography of 1849. Fortunately, his working papers and various drafts of his incomplete work exist today as Cambridge University Library Ms 00.6.89 and consist of over 200 pages of notes, preliminary and subsequent drafts, transcripts of letters between Margaret and her son, the king, as well as Britton's own research correspondence with various authorities.

Britton's Memoir is notable for the unusual view which he takes of the Lady Margaret's character and motivations; in this he departs quite radically from the view of her accepted in most quarters - both then and today - of the countess as a pious, virtuous and learned figure of moral virtue and unsullied integrity. Britton took a much cooler and sceptical view of his subject.

Number 154, September 2001

RICHARD LORD LATIMER, RICHARD III AND THE WARWICK INHERITANCE by Michael Hicks,
pp. 314 - 320

This article carries the story of the Warwick inheritance a little further. The residual heir of the northern Neville lands after 4 May 1483 was Richard, Lord Latimer, a minor whose custody Richard, Duke of Gloucester had sought with a view to preventing him from inheriting. Almost the moment he was king, however, Latimer's wardship and marriage was granted to Humphrey Stafford of Grafton, whose daughter Anne was married to Latimer before Bosworth. Once king, Richard no longer had a personal interest in the devolution of the inheritance which should, in due course, have made Latimer into a much a greater northern magnate than his predecessors. For Tudor reasons this did not happen. Richard's actions here compare with the alienation and recognition of other rights to other parts of the Warwick inheritance, to which his attitude was understandably different as king from when he was a mere duke.

THE 'CHAMPECHEVRIER PORTRAIT': A CAUTIONARY TALE by BM Cron, pp. 321 - 327

There is a tradition that Henry VI sent an Angevin knight, Guy de Champchevrier, to obtain a portrait of Margaret of Anjou when the Angevin marriage was discussed at the English Court in 1443. Margaret's 'official' biographer, J.J. Bagley, accepted the story as 'a pretty one and not improbable'. It is B.M. Cron's contention that the story may be pretty but is so improbable as to be fantastic. Where did it originate?

COLOGNE MERCHANTS COMPLAIN ABOUT SOME CRIMES OF RICHARD, EARL OF WARWICK, AND GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE, IN 1470 AND 1471 by Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 328 - 329

The title of this article is self-explanatory.

SECRET MARRIAGE: A DRAMATIC REPRESENTATION by John Ashdown-Hill, pp. 329 - 332

A review of the secret marriage scene from Webster's play The Duchess of Malfi as evidence of the kind of marriage which may have taken place between Edward IV and Eleanor Talbot.

Number 153, June 2001

WILLIAM, LORD HASTINGS, THE CALAIS GARRISON AND THE POLITICS OF YORKIST ENGLAND by David Grummitt, pp. 262 - 274

Exploration of Hastings' time as Lieutenant of Calais and what it tells us about his role in the late Yorkist government and what light it may shed on the politics of 1477 to 1483. Discussion on the extent to which Hastings was able to develop a following amongst the soldiers of the Calais garrison, based upon his chivalric and military reputation and how much this provides the basis for a reinterpretation of the politics of the late fifteenth century.

1477 - THE EXPEDITION THAT NEVER WAS: CHIVALRIC EXPECTATION IN LATE YORKIST ENGLAND by Michael K Jones, pp. 275 - 292

This article discusses the English expedition planned in 1477 in response to the plea from the recently widowed Margaret of York to her brother, Edward IV, when the northern dominions of Burgundy were under threat from King Louis XI of France. The author uses fresh evidence to investigate support for a military expedition in 1477 and examine the chivalric consequences of Edward's failure to back it.

Number 152, March 2001

NORFOLK REQUIEM: THE PASSING OF THE HOUSE OF MOWBRAY by John Ashdown-Hill, pp. 198 - 217

This article traces the lives of John, fourth and last Mowbray duke of Norfolk, and his duchess, Elizabeth Talbot (the youngest sister of Eleanor Lady Butler) from 1471 until their deaths in 1476 and 1506 respectively. It examines the fate of their children and notes the declining fortunes of the dowager duchess in the Tudor England of Henry VII. An appendix gives the full text of the duchess' will.

THE WIVES OF SIR JAMES HOBART (1440 - 1517), ATTORNEY-GENERAL 1486-1507 by John B Weller, pp. 218 - 248

A study of the evidence which survives for the wives of Sir James Hobart. It concludes that he had four: Dorothy Glemham, Margaret Lyhart, Margaret Fotheringhay and Margaret Naunton. With some details of his property and houses in Norfolk and Suffolk. Illustrated, pedigrees.

Number 151, December 2000

'REMEDYING MISCHIEFS': BISHOP JOHN RUSSELL AND THE ROYAL TITLE by Alison Hanham, pp. 146 - 160

An examination of Russell's sermons for the opening of Parliament. It appears that the chancellor was strongly opposed to enacting the Act Titulus Regius of 1484, which he considered inflammatory.

'WHY RICHARD III?' by TM Colwell, pp. 173 - 178

The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries witnessed the development of historical and literary trends towards predominantly negative representations of Richard III, trends which persisted into the twentieth century. This article explores the relative continuity between medieval and modern constructions of the last Plantagenet king while acknowledging the essentially contested nature of the interpretations to which this royal figure is subjected.

Number 150, September 2000

NEW LIGHT ON CORNELIO VITELLI AND THE HUMANISTIC STUDIES AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY IN THE LATE FIFTEENTH CENTURY by Cecil H Clough, pp. 94 - 119

Cornelio Vitelli (c.1450–c.1525) of Cortona in the Florentine State was named by Polydore Vergil, writing between 1514 and 1534 in his History of England, as the first to teach both Latin and Greek at Oxford. Here the validity of this statement is accepted, as Vitelli's first residence at Oxford, as Praelector at New College, is assigned to between early 1485 and late 1486. Most likely then he taught both William Grocyn and Thomas Linacre their initial Greek. Thereafter, Vitelli occupied the Chair of Poetry at Louvain University, before briefly trying to establish himself at Paris University. Late in 1489, Vitelli returned to England in a vain quest for royal patronage. In 1490, he was back in Oxford with rooms in Exeter College, where he taught in a private capacity for some two years before returning to Tuscany. Vitelli's two Oxford sojourns in the reigns of Richard III and Henry VII are set against the rest of his career. Significant was his temporary appointment to the public Readership in Rhetoric in Venice in succession to a series of very distinguished humanists, the last being Giorgio Merula. That Vitelli held this highly prestigious post probably explains his election to New College. However, he rarely held an academic position for long, which Erasmus implied was in consequence of his limited ability. Vitelli was in holy orders, and in 1508 when he had been back on the Italian peninsular for some fifteen years he became rector of the wealthy church near Monterchi. He still held this in 1525, the last known reference to him.

WILLIAM ABELL; PARISHIONER, CHURCHWARDEN, LIMNOUR, STATIONER IN THE PARISH OF ST NICHOLAS SHAMBLES IN THE CITY OF LONDON by Helen Combes, pp. 120 - 132

This article looks at the life of William Abell, not from the perspective of his well-known work as a manuscript illuminator of, for example the Eton College Foundation Charter, but from that of his role as a churchwarden of St. Nicholas Shambles in the second half of the fifteenth century. Based primarily upon the surviving churchwardens' accounts but using associated documents such as the wills of some of his contemporaries, his activities are examined in the light of the administrative and liturgical life of the parish in which he lived. The record of his pious donations to the church, the entry recording payment for the burial of his daughter and his more light-hearted gifts, including a barrel of ale, all provide a more rounded view of this fifteenth century limnour and churchwarden. William Abell is thus fitted into the broader picture of parish life in this period in London immediately prior to the English Reformation.

Number 149, June 2000

'MAY GOD HAVE PITY AT THIS WRETCHED SPECTACLE' A Review of the Sources for the Battle of Barnet, 14 April 1471 by Peter J Watson, pp. 50 - 70

This article examines the source material for the Battle of Barnet, 1471, one of the most important battles of the Wars of the Roses. It compares the information given in English and continental sources with particular emphasis on the 'Newsletter of Gerhard von Wesel'. The positions of commanders on the battlefield, including Richard, Duke of Gloucester, are re-examined together with the numbers of men involved in the battle.

RICHARD III: CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION by Emma J. Bolden, pp. 71 - 81

This article discusses the nature of the administrative institutions of the realm during Ricardian rule. It is advocated that the government of Richard III was essentially one of continuity in administrative institutions, methods and personnel. Turning particularly to the Council and financial administration it portrays a reign of administrative continuity and stability.

Number 148, March 2000

HENRY VI AND HIS MIRACLES by Alison Hanham, pp. 2–16 [actually paginated pp. 638 - 652].

This article discusses the growth of the cult of miracles around the person of Henry VI. It also discusses the miracles described in the official record and shows how these illustrate the life of the times. The author also touches on the part of Richard III in this cult.

THE NOBILITY AND THE CORONATION OF RICHARD III by Colin Richmond, pp. 17–23 [actually paginated pp. 653 - 659]

A discussion of the peers at the coronation of Richard III, who was there, who might have been there, who was not there and the possible reasons for the all of these.

REVIEW ARTICLE: REVISITING THE MIDDLE AGES: THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL ENGLISH LITERATURE by Roger Ellis, pp. 24 - 38 [actually paginated pp. 660 - 674]

A full discussion of this major new work, of the place of medieval literature in its own time and of its relevance to ours.

Number 147, December 1999

MARGARET OF ANJOU AND THE LANCASTRIAN MARCH ON LONDON, 1461 by BM Cron, pp. 590 - 615

The march of Margaret of Anjou and her army early in 1461 from York to St Albans has usually been described as a march accompanied by terrible devastation and looting. The author of this article points out that to allow an army such unbridled licence would be very counterproductive and shows that there is no evidence that any great damage was caused. He also shows that Margaret probably did not intend to assault London as Yorkist propaganda declared.

RICHARD WAS LATE by Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 616 - 619

A brief discussion of the date that Richard of Gloucester arrived in Holland in 1470. It has previously been assumed that he fled from England with his brother but the author gives good reason to suppose that in fact Richard arrived later than this, possibly having tried to raise troops for his brother.

Number 146, September 1999

THE 'RAVISHING' OF ISABEL BOTELER: ABDUCTION AND THE PURSUIT OF WEALTH IN LANCASTRIAN ENGLAND by Shelley A Sinclair, pp. 546 - 557

This article is a study of three petitions concerning ravishment contra voluntatem brought by Isabel Boteler, Margaret Mallefaut and the family of Joan Beaumont before parliament during the reign of Henry VI. They reveal not only terrible crimes committed against these particular women, but also chart a steady decline in the ability of the judicial system to bring evildoers to trial. Rape, abduction and ravishment had occurred before 1400, of course, but by the fifteenth century ravishment had evolved into a method of acquiring a woman's financial resources. Victims were captured through trickery or force, coerced into marriage, and raped to consummate the 'union'. Then the instability of royal authority, the king's willingness to grant pardons indiscriminately, and the corruption of local officials ensured the increasing ineffectiveness of the legal system to procure arrest and conviction. Isabel Boteler, Margaret Mallefaut and the family of Joan Beaumont could only turn to parliament (and to threats of attainder and harsh financial penalties against both felon and judicial officials) in hopes of restoring their property and status.

'THE RETIREMENT' OF ELIZABETH WOODVILLE, AND HER SONS by Isolde Wigram, Gordon Smith, Anne F Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 558 - 564

Further discussion of whether Elizabeth Woodville was incarcerated by the order of Henry VII in Bermondsey Abbey and the evidence which survives for this.

EDWARD OF MIDDLEHAM by Peter Hammond, pp. 564 - 565

Further discussion of the date of birth of Edward of Middleham, concluding that this was indeed likely to have been 1476, given the evidence and the probable date of 1474 for the marriage of Richard of Gloucester and Anne Neville.

Number 145, June 1999

THE ELUSIVE MISTRESS: ELIZABETH LUCY AND HER FAMILY by John Ashdown-Hill, pp. 490 - 505

This paper traces the Hampshire origins of Edward IV's mistress, evaluates the social standing of her family, which was less obscure than has sometimes been suggested, and considers the issues of which children she bore the king and what ultimately became of her. It also looks en passant at Edward IV's reputation for promiscuity.

THE ROYAL BURIALS OF THE HOUSE OF YORK AT WINDSOR: III. LAMENTS FOR THE DEATH OF EDWARD IV by Anne F Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 506 - 524

Introduces and prints 'The Lament for the Soul of Edward IV', New York, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning Glass Centre MS 7, ff. 131–32; 'The Death of Edward IV', Manchester, John Rylands University Library MS Eng. 113, f. 3r-v; the first stanza of the fragmentary 'Lament of the Ladies for the Death of Edward IV', British Library MS Harleian 3952, f. 105v, and – with translation – the only known Latin lament on the death of Edward IV, Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Rawlinson C. 86, f. 174.

REVIEW ARTICLE: 'HE HARDLY TOUCHED HIS FOOD, BUT TALKED WITH ME ALL THE TIME': WHAT NICLAS VON POPPLAU REALLY WROTE ABOUT RICHARD III by Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 525 - 531

A translation and discussion of the German text of Popplau's meeting with Richard III from Reisebeschreibung Niclas von Poplau, Ritte,; Burtig von Breslau, edited by Piotr Radzikowski, 1998, Krakow.

Number 144, March 1999

JAMES GAIRDNER: A COLOSSUS OF VICTORIAN HISTORIANS OF THE WARS OF THE ROSES, RICHARD III AND HENRY VII by Keith Dockray, pp. 426 - 445

James Gairdner (1828–1912) was a dedicated archivist, a prolific editor of fifteenth century records and chronicles, and an accomplished narrative historian. His two-volume Letters and Papers of Richard III and Henry VII (1861, 1863) was a pioneering, and still valuable, selection of record evidence; his 1904 edition of the Paston Letters remains the best available; and his 1878 History of the Life and Reign of Richard III, so often unjustly denigrated for its hostility to the king and undue reliance on Tudor tradition, is a well-informed, scholarly and stimulating study.

THE ROYAL BURIALS OF THE HOUSE OF YORK AT WINDSOR: II. PRINCESS MARY, MAY 1482, AND QUEEN ELIZABETH WOODVILLE, JUNE 1492, by Anne F Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 446 - 462

Describes in detail the funeral ceremonies of Mary, daughter of Edward IV, and of his queen, Elizabeth, and discusses all their aspects, including reference to Edward's other children who died very young. Prints the texts of the surviving contemporary narratives. Includes a map of the route of the funeral cortege. Part of a series that includes the funeral of Edward himself and the poems written on his death.

FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON LADY ELEANOR TALBOT by John Ashdown-Hill, pp. 463 - 466

This article answers some of the points raised in Muriel Smith's recent paper on Lady Eleanor. It considers whether Eleanor could realistically have brought a case against Edward IV in the church courts, looks at the precise nature of her association with the Carmelites and considers how defective her inherited Beauchamp genes really were.

'ONE PRINCE OR TWO' by Gordon Smith pp. 467 - 468

Michael Hicks suggested that, according to the founders' chronicle of Tewkesbury Abbey, either Richard III had a second son George born in 1476, or Richard's only son Edward of Middleham was born then. The second suggestion seems reliably supported by a mention of Edward's age in Rous's Historia Regum Angliae.

Number 143, December 1998

THE ROYAL BURIALS OF THE HOUSE OF YORK AT WINDSOR by Anne F Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 366 - 407.

As the first of a series of articles on funerals of royal members of the House of York, this covers the burial of Edward IV, King of England, in April 1483. Includes a description and discussion of the ceremonies from the hour he died at Westminster, to the moment he was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Explains various features of 'chivalric' funerals, such as the offering of the horse and the knightly achievements of the deceased, the role of the heralds and the other people present, the route of the cortege and what happened along the way. Prints the full texts of the reports of the heralds, in English and French (with translation). The series is to be continued by articles on Edward IV's tomb, his remains, the poems written immediately after his death, and the burials of his daughter, Mary, and his queen, Elizabeth Woodville.

Number 142, September 1998

THE CASE AGAINST EDWARD IV's MARRIAGE AND OFFSPRING: SECRECY; WITCHCRAFT; SECRECY; PRECONTRACT by HA Kelly, pp. 326 - 335

Discusses the statements put forward in the act Titulus Regius about Edward IV's 'ungracious pretense marriage' to Elizabeth Grey. The act's conclusions that the marriage was invalid and that its offspring were illegitimate are discussed, particularly regarding witchcraft as an impediment to marriage.

REFLECTIONS ON LADY ELEANOR by Muriel Smith, pp. 336 - 339

This article considers the situation in canon law that would have arisen if Lady Eleanor Talbot and Edward had consumated their marriage and why Edward did not marry Elizabeth Woodville sub conditione if he felt any doubt as to the validity of his marriage to her.

THE MISSING MOLARS: A GENEALOGICAL CONUNDRUM by John Ashdown-Hill, pp. 340 - 344

Discusses 'stiff fingers' and congenitally missing teeth with respect to the Talbot family and the possible skeleton of Lady Eleanor Talbot. It relates missing teeth to the skeletons of Anne Mowbray and the skeletons (of the 'Princes') from the Tower of London.

VARIETIES OF ERROR AND KINGSFORD'S STONOR LETTERS AND PAPERS by Alison Hanham, pp. 345 - 352

Some comments on the new reprint of C. L. Kingsford's edition of the Stonor Letters, edited by Christine Carpenter, pointing out the many errors of transcription.

Number 141, June 1998

EDWARD IV's ONLY ROMANCE? CAMBRIDGE CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE MS 91, L'HISTOIRE DES SEIGNEURS DE GAVRE by Livia Visser-Fuchs, pp. 278 - 287

A discussion of this important late fifteenth century manuscript and of its probable ownership by Edward IV. His ownership would be important in the context of the type of book he owned.

THE REBURIAL EXPENSES OF SIR THOMAS ARUNDELL by Hannes Kleineke, pp. 288 - 296

An edition of a manuscript account of the expenses incurred in moving the body of Sir Thomas Arundell of Lanherne from a temporary burial in the parish church of Waddesdon, Bucks, to his final tomb in the church of the Grey Friars in Dorchester.

ROSES WITH THORNS: THE DANGERS OF RESTORATION AND INTERPRETATION by John Ashdown-Hill, pp. 297 - 301

A discussion of whether white and red roses painted on the tower ceiling of St Alban's Cathedral and a red rose on Cardinal Beaufort's Chantry at Winchester Cathedral were contemporary or not. The author believes not.

Number 140, March 1998

AUTHOR! AUTHOR! CROWLAND REVISITED by Alison Hanham, pp. 226 - 238

This article discusses the authorship of the Crowland Chronicle. The author believes that several authors were involved in the continuations of 1459–1486, not one as hitherto argued, perhaps with the account of the years from 1459–1485 being based on a 'secular' chronicle written outside Crowland Abbey and adapted as necessary.

NICLAS VON POPPLAU - HIS WORK AND TRAVELS by Piotr Radzikowski, pp. 239 - 248

Discusses the family, background, education and travels of Niclas von Popplau. Also discusses, partly from the point of view of Polish historians Popplau's report of his European tour of 1483–1486.