Blogs
King John and the Crown Jewels – Are we awash with wishful thinking?
King John, a royal well known for losing things… including much of England to the French, the respect of his barons (leading to his signing of Magna Carta), and… some believe… the crown jewels. Add to the mix that he’d been excommunicated too, and one starts to get the picture of a king out on…
Read MoreThe Death of William the Conqueror – An Explosive Affair
William the Conqueror… a name that trips off the tongues of even primary school children. He turned Britain on its head, shaped the history of England for ever more, and has since been a household name for centuries. But bearing in mind the fact that he invaded England back in 1066 and took over, the…
Read MoreThe Wars of the Roses – The Final Thorny Exchange
The Battle of Bosworth Field, 1485; the end of 331 years of Plantagenet rule, and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. As if it were staged for a soap opera, it had everything from politics and treachery, to brutality and brinkmanship. If one chucks in a slain king whose body is found over five hundred…
Read MoreThe Battle of Northampton – Drama, treachery, and the risk of treason
York and Lancaster. Two powerful English factions, each with an extraordinarily fanatical following. Religion; politics; a mentally unstable king; large egos; and competing lust for power in abundance. It was a heady mix that had been bubbling for many years during The Wars of the Roses, and on 10th July, 1460 yet another head to…
Read MoreFor a king in all but name? White Rose Day…
Heard of The Old Pretender? If you haven’t, think troubled political times, Jacobites, and James Francis Edward Stuart. Anyone who fought as a Jacobite back in the early Eighteenth Century was loyal to Catholic James and his line of successors. But what’s that got to do with the title of this piece? Simply that 10th…
Read MoreJack Cade’s Rebellion
The Kentishmen revolt against Henry VI By the year 1450, people had started to get pretty fed up. The seemingly endless Hundred Years War with France had drained the royal coffers and Henry VI was pursuing a none-too-popular taxation policy. But in addition to this, his own officials’ greed was also taking its toll, whilst…
Read MoreThe Battle of Barnet 1471 – Pivotal and Impactful
As battles during the Wars of the Roses go, Barnet may not have had the final say but it was certainly impactful. It was a clash where the Yorkist Edward IV pitted his wits against his Lancastrian foe, the Earl of Warwick, and decisively won. But as battles during the Wars of the Roses also…
Read MoreThe Battle of Losecoat, 12th March 1470: Salted wounds, without curing
Think Wars of the Roses. Think Yorkists, Lancastrians, and a melting pot of politics. Think Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, in a twirl as he swaps his allegiance left, right, and centre. And think Edward IV needing eyes in the back of his head. 1469 had been a tough year for Edward, the…
Read MoreThe Lordship of Hexted – Reformed and Royally Loyal
If a title with a steady(ish) history but flashes of loyal fortitude is of interest… then the Lordship of Hexted is for you. Hexted (aka. Heghsted) is a title that was in active use for several hundred years, however its connection with England’s past is of greatest significance at one particular moment in history, and…
Read MoreThe Lordship of Younges – A ladyship in all but name
Do you like discovering new facts? We thought so… because we do too. So how’s this for your fact for today… Did you know that in 1682 the person who was Baroness Wentworth was also the Lord of Younges? Yup… that’s right. The grand-daughter of the 1st Earl of Cleveland, Henrietta Maria, held both titles.…
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