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From the moment Elizabeth I was born on 7th September, 1533, her situation was a complex one. She was a girl for a start, and her father, Henry VIII, was after a boy. So much so, in fact, that he’d turned the religious world upside down to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon (mother…

It’s the 120th anniversary of the Queen Mother’s birth this month. We think of her as royal from that first day, really, and simply assume her world was always a regal one. And of course, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born into a titled family; her father being the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kingshorne. But she…

It’s an interesting question, and one we take very seriously here at Manorial Counsel… and not just for the obvious reasons. You see, we didn’t actually get into researching titles in the first place for the love of seeing the word ‘Lord’ in front of a name. That is thrilling, of course, but what really…

Safeguarding the liberties – and rights – of people is something we almost take for granted in the Western World; though at times some feel it’s a tenuous mirage. But back in the good old medieval days, the head honcho of the realm, aka the monarch, often thought differently. Even before King John begrudgingly stamped…

It’s the anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth on 24th May, 1819. An intriguing monarch whose influence on society is still strongly felt even now. Hers was an era of extraordinary advancement industrially and scientifically, and inquisitive pioneers whose determination to think outside norms sowed the seeds for many of the great inventions we enjoy today.…

You’ll no doubt have seen the fabulous meme doing the rounds at the moment suggesting that when Shakespeare was quarantined he wrote King Lear. It’s a wonderfully positive message to us all that being in lockdown can be a constructive time, even if it’s not one hundred percent concurred as fact by scholars. Still, bearing…

On 18th March, 1314, Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake. He was the 23rd Grand Master of the Knights Templar, a seasoned warrior, and a man of seventy years. But though he was old, his voice had clout, and as his tortured body melted in the flames, he bellowed out a curse that…

Hearts… flowers… Cupid… Valentine’s Day is so much a part of our culture little thought is given to from whence it actually came. We take for granted that it’s to do with love, and that St Valentine would have been into chocolate if he’d known about it. But as is often the case with very…

Success, incredible wealth, and philanthropy… counterbalanced by ruthless commercial practices and monopoly. All words appropriately associated with the oil magnate that was John D. Rockefeller. But if questionable collusion and predatory pricing tarred his empire for many years, his extraordinary benevolence coats it too. He was a man of opposites and his legacy still impacts…

11th December, 1936, King Edward VIII officially abdicated. 12th December he announced this to the nation via broadcast on the radio, and the next day his younger brother was proclaimed king. Loyalty vs love Edward was the first English monarch to abdicate voluntarily. And yes, his decision was significant then and still is now, despite…