Richard III

King Richard III News – Long Overdue Updates

 
I am most certainly behind with reporting about the King Richard news.
Real life intervenes quite heavily right now. Sorry. I will try my best to keep up with the news.
 
But now here comes the news collected in the meantime since I fell off the plateau of the earth:
(Due to its length, the articles are arranged in a changed order – from new to old news.)
 


♛ King Richard Armitage ♛


 
Our king, Richard Armitage, will visit Berlin, the German capital, for the European premiere of the second “Hobbit” film “The Desolation of Smaug” on Monday, 9th of December 2013.
 
For this event a Bavarian FanClub banner was created to welcome Richard Armitage in Germany and celebrate ‘our king’:
Bavarian Richard Armitage FanClub Munich (Creator: CDoart)
 

 
 


♛ King Richard III ♛


 

King Richard News & Reviews

 


♛ King Richard III ♛


 

  • UK Human Rights Blog: Richard III on the move again – pitched into the current judicial review debate, by David Hart QC (23.10.2013)
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  • Lancashire Evening Post: Book review: The King’s Grave: The Search for Richard III by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones, by Pam Norfolk (24.10.2013)
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  • The Times: A weekend in … Richard III’s Leicester, by Stephen McClarence (24.10.2013) – A journey through King Richard III’s Leicester and Bosworth, with good tips and recommendations, if you plan a trip yourself!
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  • The Hinckley Times: Vote on Richard III art to mark Bosworth connection, by Rachel Parish (28.10.2013)
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  • The Yorkshire Times: Philippa Langley, Michael Jones And Richard III, by Paul Morrison (28.10.2013)
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  • The Guardian: The King’s Grave: The Search for Richard III by Philippa Langley and Michael Jomes – review, by Thomas Penn (30.10.2013) – Quite detailed review about “The King’s Grave” by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones.
    Though, I must say, as one with a sibling having a similar condition as King Richard III had, just lower on the back, but almost as severe, I vehemently insist (!) on calling it a ‘condition’ and not a ‘disability’.
    The reviewer Mr. Penn should do some more medical research in this aspect, then he perhaps would recognize that this ‘condition’ not necessarily disables the afflicted from doing anything.
    In the case of King Richard III, the way and position his skeleton was found in could also have added to the severeness of the ‘condition’. So to really judge how much ‘disabled’ he was because of this ‘condition’ would necessitate a time-travel jump to see him alive.
    Seeing my sibling and comparing their ‘conditions’, I would even go so far as to think that the ‘condition’ only became known because of the exposure of his naked body after his death and posed a great opportunity to ‘bedevil’ the dead predecessor on the throne. This also would answer, why no contemporary source exists which mentions King Richard III’s ‘condition’ before his death.
    Though this is no total proof, as Henry Tudor and his minions were quite meticulous with destroying all evidence of his predecessor. So we for once might thank Henry Tudor for this cleaned up picture of King Richard III or this eternal riddle.
    Perhaps Thomas Penn, who also is the author of the book “The Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England” about the reign of King Henry VII and the foundation of the Tudor dynasty, reveals more about the Tudor king’s way of transforming the perception and creating the story for history there. Though the topic of his book alone show, where his favours in the Battle of Bosworth lie.

 

Philippa Langley & King Richard III

 


♛ Philippa Langley ♛


 

  • BBC News Entertainment & Arts: Richard III hunter co-authors book on car park King (17.10.2013) – Philippa Langley and Michael Jones interviewed by Nick Higham about their new book and about ‘respect and dignity’ for King Richard III.
    Interesting video with the full interview in the article!
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    History Extra Interview – Philippa Langley and Michael Jones

     
    About the search for King Richard III and his grave

     
    Where should King Richard III be buried?

     
    Philippa Langley and the Channel4 documentary

     
    About the Princes in the Tower

     
    About “The White Queen”

     
     


    ♛ King Richard III ♛


     

    Sensational News About King Richard Film

     
    Is the film about King Richard III with Richard Armitage in the role of the king finally on its way?
    Hear Philippa Langley, the screenwriter working on a project about King Richard III, talking about her progress and about Richard Armitage as her ideal King Richard III:

     
     


    ♛ King Richard III ♛


     

    Happy Birthday, King Richard !!!

     

    Happy 561st birthday, King Richard III !

     

    King Richard III’s first birthday after being found !

     
     
    Let’s celebrate a king, who, after over 500 years can activate a fierce followership and easily start a – no, what am I talking about – numerous burning controversies.
    Who else from history can say that about himself after all that time.
     
     

  • Matt Lewis (AuthorBlog): Happy Birthday King Richard III! (02.10.2013) – And with King Richard III we can well say in all controversy and while celebrating the freedom of controversy:

    Stand strong and true for that which you believe in. Do not be silenced.

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  • Karen Lewis on Facebook shared a wonderful Birthday announcement for King Richard III. (As I did not ask for permission to re-post in time, I only include the link to the picture and do not embed it here, but the wonderful picture should be visible even if you do not have a Facebook account.)
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    Now, how best to celebrate a king?

  • Of course with song and music, one especially created and composed for King Richard III, like the song “Douce Dame” by The Orpheus Project (see our interview with composer team MaryAnn & Michael Tedstone):
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    Or would you like to celebrate with an audio play?

  • Try the BBC production of “The Daughter of Time” by Josephine Tey, where a modern day inspector researches the crimes of King Richard III and in the end finds him …
    Upcoming broadcasts begin on Monday, 7 Oct 2013 on BBC Radio 4. (See BBC page for the play and schedule here.)
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  • Leicester Mercury: British Bake-Off contestant creates Richard III birthday cake, by Peter Warzynski (02.10.2013) – With this cake, I almost wish King Richard III could come into our time. Considering he never ever ate a piece of chocolate or ever tasted chocolate cake? How I would like to send him one piece of that lovely cake to try. (I certainly must try the recipe myself.)
  •  
    King Richard III must feel right at home in modern times and we have a strange way of making him feel welcome.
    But he certainly must see the parallels to his time. Skirmishes everywhere and all ready to do battle.
    What a perfect continuation of the Wars of the Roses in its modern form.
    I even feel compelled to say that he might be glad, that his duty as king is over and he now can continue as a spectator.
     
    But the whole movements are perfect to finally give King Richard III the attention he deserves and even if you don’t agree with the one or other argument, at least they are a perfect marketing way to draw interest to his wishes, which nobody considered (during his life and especially) at and after his death 500 years ago.
     


     

    Want to know more about King Richard III?

     
    If you want to learn more about King Richard III and his time and life, the University of Leicester will hold a free online course (distance learning) on the platform FutureLearn.
    See the announcement for it on Medievalists.net.
     
    The course will be held by Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Ancient History, Deirdre O’Sullivan from the University of Leicester
    and will start on 25th of November 2013.
    Duration: 6 weeks
    Approx. time: 2 hours per week
    No previous experiences necessary, so, if interested, join the online course here.
     
     


    ♛ King Richard III ♛


     


     

    Due to strange internet connectivity problems, this post unfortunately is very late. Still I hope, King Richard III has/had great 561st birthday celebrations.
    My internet connection gets a complete technical check by the provider next Monday and hopefully the source of all the problems will finally be found and eliminated.

     

    Celebrating 2.000 Signatures

     
    Image of Crowns (Source. Glitter-graphics.com)
     

    2000 Signatures

     

    for the Film-Petition

    King Richard Armitage

     
     

    Your support made this possible!

     

    Not everything in life is about numbers, but everything is about quality.

    And so I especially want to thank you for the high quality of discussions, feedback and your ongoing and encouraging support !

     

    Thank You !

     
     

    It would not be me, if I would not take this opportunity to give the about 200 signers who did not confirm their signature via the confirmation e-mail a further chance to do so.
    So please watch out for confirmation mails, if you did not confirm already.

     
     


     
    You will have recognized the little break in posts and news-updates.
    Work intervened and prevented faster updates and better feedback to your request.
    If you are waiting for mails or feedback, please keep patient and give me a bit more time to answer.
    Right now, I am working hard to get through to see the surface of my desk again. As there is a picture of Richard Armitage there, it is really a pity to be completely covered up with work.
     
     


     
    But now to the in the meantime accumulated news.
    The “War of the Cities” continues in full force:
     
     


    ♛ King Richard III ♛


     
     

     
     
    Off Topic:

    Modern Form of Battle – Petitions

     
    King Richard Armitage Week 2013 is over now, but the fantastic article contributions and interviews remain available.
    Have a look here and test your knowledge about King Richard III in the quiz (solutions here).
    The prizes went out via mail last week and should arrive with the two winners and KingRichardArmitage Champions 2013 shortly.
     


     
    As the fandom of actor Richard Armitage often gets generally refered to as ‘Armitage Army’, it will not astonish that we use the ‘modern form of battle’ to show our hopes and whishes.
    Our petition for a film to be made about King Richard III, which involves actor Richard Armitage in whatever function or action he is willing to take, is open worldwide, as also the audience of a potential film is expected to be world spanning, as do our signatures show.
     
    As we run our petition for a film about King Richard III under the influence of actor Richard Armitage for a while now, we observe all later petitions about King Richard III with especial scrutiny, as already the topic connection ‘petition for King Richard’ brings us in close proximity with them, even when we remain completely neutral on any of their outcome.
     
    While our petition addresses all who are interested in King Richard III and actor Richard Armitage, the new petitions for King Richard III are more localised events and most only open for U.K. citizens. Though, are they really ‘for’ King Richard III or just one place or other, interpreting the king and his potential wishes from a modern standpoint and projecting modern ideas, laws and democratic ideals on a Medieval king and – not to fortget, after all – a human being?
    This is the question I, though excessively researching the running petitions, never could answer to my complete satisfaction and so I just can’t give any kind of advice how to vote or take part in the ‘Battle of the Cities’ and remain with my neutral standpoint – potentially taking the position of ‘advocatus diaboli‘ to present all positions equally – and link to all petitions available, whenever they come up in the news:
     
     


    ♛ Battle of the Cities ♛


     

     
     


    ♛ King Richard III ♛


     

     
     

    KRA-Week 2013-8: Historical Music – The Orpheus Project

     
    KRA-Week 2013 - Banner 2

    Links: King Richard Week 2013 & Quiz

     
     
     


    ! Attention !

     

    The winners of the quiz are final and will be announced in a separate post today, where also the link to the quiz solutions will be revealed.

     


     
     
     


    ♕ ♛ ♕

     

    King Richard III & Music

     

    An interview with MaryAnn & Michael Tedstone

     

    The Orpheus Project

     


     
     
    Peter Warzynski in his interview (25.08.2013) gave us so insightful background information about Leicester and the euphoria about finding King Richard III there.
     
    What better method is there to express happiness and joy than in music?
    So I am very happy to present a Leicester based team of composers, MaryAnn & Michael Tedstone, with their group
     

    The Orpheus Project

     
    The two composers, MaryAnn & Michael Tedstone, brother and sister, are famous for their film music and their successful effort to combine old traditions with new musical elements.
    They embrace the history and time of King Richard III and present musical elements and lyrics he might have known or heard himself in their new recording:
     

    “The Last Plantagenet”

     
     
    To tease you a bit with the wonderful music, here is a sample of “The Last Plantagenet”.
     

     
    And I can assure you, it is worth having a look around the websites of the composer team, as their diverse music really is a joy and has a wide bandwidth of styles. I already spent quite a while on their websites and listened to their wonderful music:

     
    But now, I let them tell you themselves about their music and creative ideas behind “The Last Plantagenet”:
     
     


     
     
    How did the group “The Orpheus Project” come into existence and when?

    The Orpheus Project came into existence in 2011, when we recorded an Album of Ancient Greco Roman music. We wanted to create an ensemble made up of musicians who are experts in their fields but do not have traditional early music training. I think that early music can be over stylised and I wanted the music to have a natural feel. I felt that by making a new ensemble and having a new look at how music is written and created, we could provide a refreshingly new sound to different periods of music.

     
    Who composes / arranges / selects music / chooses, researches and finds texts / trains the group / records the music?

    MaryAnn does most of the composition/arranging music selection and trains the group.
    Michael records and produces the music. One of the things that makes The Orpheus Project unique is that we have our own industry standard studio. we are used to writing music and recording it for projects all over the world so it’s easy for us to make albums. We don’t have to worry about studio time and finding a good producer. We have one of the best music producers right here with us.

     
    What is the background of your group and your individual musicians?

    MaryAnn Tedstone studied Early music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Philip Pickett.
    Michael Tedstone studied music production at Alchemea College of music.
    Glenn Sharp is a world music musician who play with the Jadid ensemble and is signed to Universal Music.
    We use a variety of other musicians and vocalists who are experts in their fields. Each period calls for different instruments so it’s hard to give further information

     
    Are your musicians only perform in this group or also individually or in other groups or ensembles?

    Our musicians regularly play in other ensembles. Its what keeps us fresh and excited about what we do.

     
    Why was this name chosen for the group? What connection does your group have to the Greek mythology?

    When Orpheus called to his father Apollo, he did so on a golden lyre. I have always wondered what the music was that called the God Apollo down to Earth to help his son Orpheus. The Orpheus Project seemed like a good name. Our first Album was of Greco Roman music too. It also combines old and new which is what The Orpheus Project is all about.

     
    Is your group mainly doing recordings or performing life?

    The group does both live recordings and performs live.
    Our next performance is for Leicester City Council where we are playing at a banquet.

     
    I saw in the information, that you Ms Tedstone, are mainly composing film music and soundtracks for movie and film productions and advertisements. Is this also the direction of “The Orpheus Project” or to what purpose was this group created?

    The Orpheus Project was intended to write music for historic documentaries and tv programmes but has become so much more due to the level of interest that we have received.

     
    Why the title “The Last Plantagenet” for your CD? It gives already an interpretation of the events surrounding King Richard III’s demise in the Battle of Bosworth as well as the legitimacy of his royal succession. Is that intended or a reference to the last Plantagenet King on the throne of England or not an exact reference to King Richard III at all?

    The album the Last Plantagenet is a reference to King Richard III. This album is music that he either might have heard, or music that has been specially composed in the style of the period.

     
    What connection does the music have with King Richard III and are the music pieces new arrangements of old music or new arrangements ‘in-the-style-of’?

    The Orpheus Project albums are intended to be a soundscape of what someone living in the period might have heard. For example our album SPQR is a representation of what Nero might have listened to.

     
    Where do the texts / lyrics come from? E.g. the French text of the piece “Douce Dame”.

    The Texts are all original. There are two by Dufay and One from Machaut.

     
    If they are historic texts, would they be something Richard III could have had access to?

    Yes we think King Richard III might have heard Douce Dame.

     
    What image of King Richard III does the music promote?
    (e.g. Richard III as courtier, as religious person of his time, as entertainment and music loving noble of his time,…)

    I hope that the music makes you think that if King Richard III was riding through the streets of Leicester he might have heard something like our music playing in the street or in a pub.

     
    What is your / your group’s connection to King Richard III?

    We became interested in King Richard III when his body was found in a car park in Leicester and we started researching the music straight away.

     
    What determined your choice of instruments in your group?

    Not every travelling troupe of musicians would have had every instrument available to them. I felt that the lute and the hurdy gurdy were expensive instruments and so we should have only one. We chose lute. We have thought about what would happen to instruments when musicians of the period slept in fields or woods in between towns and we think that would have been really bad for all the instruments. Hopefully they put them in wooden cases.

     
    Will your group get any official involvement in the ceremonies around King Richard III’s reburial next year?

    We are officially involved with Leicester council. They are selling our CD in the museum and promoting us as much as they can. The re-burial is a church event and I have no idea at this stage how much involvement we will have.

     
    What are your / your groups next plans for recordings? Is there more in store for all Richard III and late 15th century music fans?

    We are thinking of looking at Robin Hood next which is not too far away from King Richard III. Stay tuned on our website www.orpheusproject.co.uk for more details.

     
    Now that is good news for all Richard Armitage fans. Hopefully Sir Guy of Gisborne gets an extra place and special representation in the new music-project.
     
     
    We will also keep you informed when the music of “The Last Plantagenet” will become available on iTunes in September 2013.
     
    So far, you can order the CD version – £ 9,99 (PayPal payments accepted) – via alex@manikemusic.com.
    (Please get in contact for delivery rates, though they are very decent and partially free of charge and the CD is sent out worldwide.)
     
     
     

    Links: King Richard Week 2013 & Quiz

    KRA-Week 2013 - Banner 2
     

    KRA-Week 2013-7: Finding Richard III as a Result of Historical Research – Dr. Ashdown-Hill

     
    KRA-Week 2013 - Banner 2

    Links: King Richard Week 2013 & Quiz

     
     


    ! Attention !

     

    Last day of quiz-entries taking part in the drawing!
    (Today till midnight [GMT] !)
    Quiz prizes are: Two books by
    Isolde Martyn “The Devil in Ermine”


     
     
     


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    History’s new potential

     

    in the discoveries of Dr. John Ashdown-Hill

     


     
     
    Why a special article about Historian Dr. Ashdown-Hill here, during the KRA week, when we already had interviews and present his research work here on the website?
     

     
    And other articles already covered the topic of ‘airbrushing’ Dr. Ashdown-Hill out of the story of finding King Richard III:

     
    There was something I needed to figure out and I want to present some of my thoughts and results to you here.
     
     

    Dr. John Ashdown-Hill

    Dr. John Ashdown-Hill


    Dr. Ashdown-Hill is an open-minded researcher, who searched for facts, where others readily followed legend – over centuries.
     
    As the dissection of legend in the case of King Richard III was so very important, to even allow the beginning of the search, I cannot readily understand, why the one man, doing all the work mostly singlehandedly, strongly believing in the validity of his finds, does not get the praise he deserves.
     
    It required already great effort together with Philippa Langley, to even raise sufficient doubt with researchers and officials in Leicester, to get their agreement to do a paid contracted search and give all the required permissions for the digging.
    (And here a big motive for the specialists was that they could at least find other historically significant material for Leicester, to make it worth their while, which in the end caused their agreement to start digging.)
     
    But why chose exactly this location for the digging, when the supposed location, indicated by a plaque, was so far away from it?
    That was the result of a meticulous research of maps and sources about Leicester – done by Dr. John Ashdown-Hill.
    He recognized, that some newer maps were inaccurate (the street drawn at the wrong side of the Greyfriars’ church, according to written sources of contemporaries) and the old medieval streets must have been located a bit differently from what reconstructions of historical Leicester so far made believe.
    This changed the location and the area of research entirely and was based on the research of Dr. John Ashdown-Hill.
    So, why is there no mention of this fact?
     
    You would think, after all this research so essential for finding King Richard III, there should be a hall of fame for Dr. Ashdown-Hill.
    Perhaps next year’s opening of the King Richard Museum in Leicester will remedy that fact and will give praise where praise so clearly is deserved.
     
    We at the KRA website already started our small contribution to a ‘hall of fame’ here and hope to be able to contribute to set things straight.
     
     
    One aspect, which especially fascinates me in the work of Dr. Ashdown-Hill, is his research, remaining unbiased by the ‘mainstream’ line of previous historical research and starting to get to the fact beneath layers of wrong and long traded interpretation.
     
    This is a fact which exceedingly makes me happy about the research of Dr. John Ashdown-Hill and the finding of King Richard III.
    It gives me hope for the art of history in its entirety, that with new perspectives and openness, history with its extensive tools and methods is able to discover great things about the past in the future.
    History loses its dust cover and the strictures and rules by some self announced dictators and starts to get truly ‘researchable’ again.
     
     
    So the real questions about King Richard III for me are not
    will he be buried in York or Leicester or …,
    was he a good or bad king,
    was he a saint or murderer,
     
    but that finding him was able to break up traditional perceptions of a story and a new approach was found and the truth behind it was revealed, after over 500 years!
     
    This fact alone makes me absolutely jubilant!
     
    History is no static entity any longer, but a playground opened up for new research. (While ‘playground’ not in the slightest means this is an easy task, but what history always has been, hard work and an enormous accumulation of knowledge of all kind.)
     
    So go and search and keep your mind open for any possible result!!!
     
     
    I hope to find out much more about the developments and events leading to the archaeological research in Leicester in the new book by Philippa Langley announced for the end of October 2013:
    .
     
    And Dr. John Ashdown-Hill publishes his new research about royal marriage traditions and currently works on a new book about Richard III’s third brother, George, Duke of Clarence:
    .
     
    Kindle version:
    .

     

    Links: King Richard Week 2013 & Quiz

    KRA-Week 2013 - Banner 2
     

    KRA-Week 2013-6: Richard III – England & Wales – by Jim Cowan

     
    KRA-Week 2013 - Banner 2

    Links: King Richard Week 2013 & Quiz

     
     
     


    ♕ ♛ ♕

     

    King Richard III & Cardiff

     

    by Jim Cowan

     


     
     
    For some time, I had been aware of the historical website about Cardiff and Wales by Jim Cowan:
     

    Cardiff History and Hauntings

     
     

    RIII and Queen Anne Neville - Stained glass window at Cardiff Castle (Source: Geoff Wheeler, Richard III Society)

    RIII and Queen Anne Neville – Stained glass window at Cardiff Castle (Source: Geoff Wheeler, Richard III Society)

    The knowledgeable historical background on the website impressed me, when I had been searching for more information about the well known Richard & Anne glass window in Cardiff Castle.
     
    This window was also the reason which brought us in contact.
    Mr. Cowan commented on that picture here on the KingRichardArmitage website and, instead of releasing that comment, I asked him, if he could share his wide knowledge with us here at the website at more length.
     
     
    See for yourself, what wonderful article developed from that comment, as Mr. Jim Cowan can tell the mysteries, story and connection between Cardiff and King Richard III so very gripping:
     
     
     


     
     

    cardiff castle triptych (Source: Jim Cowan - Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    Cardiff Castle triptych (Source: Jim Cowan – Cardiff History and Hauntings)


     
    Cardiff is a city that often surprises the casual visitor. It is the capital city of Wales and has the buzz and activity that you associate with such centres of population, but at first glance does not appear like a typical capital city. Where are the historic palaces and churches? Why is the Cathedral more than 2 miles from the city centre? Where exactly is the “historic centre”?
     
    As a proud citizen of Cardiff, and lover of royal history, one thing which for many years frustrated me was that Cardiff did not enjoy the colourful royal associations of the other capital cities of Britain: London and Edinburgh both have their palaces and sagas of Royal intrigue, plotting, triumphs and calamities.
     
    Cardiff, by contrast, is a city which most associate with the industrial revolution; a Victorian dockland town which boomed when the coal mined in the nearby Welsh valleys was in demand throughout the world and Cardiff was its outlet. However, so rapid and dramatic was that transformation, that Cardiff’s life before the 19th century has been almost entirely forgotten.
     
    Discovering this colourful but little known history has been for me a wonderful voyage of discovery. The jewel in the crown (pun fully intended!) has been discovering that, throughout its history, Cardiff has had fascinating, intriguing and, at times, dramatic links to English Royal History from the 12th to the 21st centuries. To paraphrase the famous line attributed to the cult TV series “Star Trek”, you might say of Cardiff that “It’s a Royal City but not as we know it!”
     
    We even have a period of Cardiff’s history where key characters from the last turbulent years of the Plantagenet dynasty have links to the town.
     
    So how is this so? For 600 years prior to the Victorian coal exporting boom, Cardiff was, in British terms, of no significance whatsoever. Its population hovered approximately between 1,500 and 2,000 people. It was a walled town, and by all accounts fairly prosperous in Welsh terms: it was the largest borough in Wales and, as a staple port, was the chief port of south Wales for exporting the produce of an essentially rural economy, and importing vital supplies, primarily trading with nearby Bristol. However, that fact alone illustrates the insignificance of Wales since its resistance to Anglo-Norman invasion was finally crushed in the late 13th century. In contrast to Edinburgh and London it was never a centre of Government and never a Royal powerbase.
     
    However, all throughout its history we find the Royal connections! Some are admittedly on paper only but others are far more dramatic. These connections begin with the arrival of the Normans in south Wales in the late 11th century, some two decades after William the Conqueror’s Norman Conquest. The south-eastern region of Wales was seized from the Welsh Prince Iestyn ap Gwrgan by Robert Fitzhamon. Fitzhamon made a base in Cardiff, on the site of a mighty but ruined Roman fortress. Cardiff Castle was born, with a classic Norman Motte and Bailey Keep.
     
    Fitzhamon was given the title “Lord of Glamorgan”. Essentially this role was equivalent to Governor General for the region stretching from the South Wales border with England to South West Wales. The Lord of Glamorgan would wield considerable power and autonomy and his was the most powerful of the so called “Marcher” Lordships, which, until the 16th century, existed along the entire English-Welsh border, to keep England safe from Welsh resistance. Through this title, its office and its system of inheritance, the Royal connections with Cardiff began.
     
    Robert Fitzhamon, the First Lord of Glamorgan, arranged for his daughter Mabel to marry another Robert, the eldest illegitimate son of King Henry I. As the son of a King his upbringing had all the trappings of Royal privilege resulting in him being a brilliant soldier and tactical expert. This marriage brought the young suitor considerable land and titles, including inheriting the position of Lord of Glamorgan from his father in law, to which was added another title, 1st Earl of Gloucester. He fortified Cardiff with a stone keep which still stands today nearly 900 years later.
     
    Robert is more commonly known as Robert the Consul and played a significant role in England during the 12th century struggle for the throne, between Henry I‘s daughter, Matilda (Robert the Consul’s half sister), and her cousin Stephen of Blois. During his Lordship events at Cardiff Castle changed the course of English Royal history when the castle was, in effect, occupied by two sons of Kings. One was Lord and Master of the castle, Robert the Consul, and the other his captive, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror, and uncle of Robert the Consul. He was imprisoned following his failed attempt to depose his younger brother Henry I, spending the last eight years of his life the prisoner of Robert the Consul in Cardiff where he died in 1134.
     
    The Royal link fleetingly re-emerges with Robert the Consul’s granddaughter, Isabel of Gloucester, in the late 12th century, with her marriage to Prince John, son of Henry II. Through that marriage Prince John took the title Lord of Glamorgan before the marriage was annulled and the title passed to relatives of Isabel.
     
    From that point the title passed through a number of great noble families in the ensuing centuries including the De Clare family (the coat of arms of Cardiff still bears the three inverted Chevrons of this family); the Despenser family (one of whom, Hugh Despenser the Younger, was executed brutally in 1326 for his association with the ill fated Edward II), and the Beauchamp family.
     
    Cardiff castle showing Norman Keep and the main house with the grey bay windowed section the Plantagenet house (Source: Jim Cowan - Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    Cardiff castle showing Norman Keep and the main house with the grey bay windowed section the Plantagenet house (Source: Jim Cowan – Cardiff History and Hauntings)


     
    The Beauchamp family were responsible for the creation of the house on the west wall of Cardiff Castle, which forms the core of the present castle apartments. Their construction followed the dramatic years of the early 15th century when Cardiff was, like many towns in Wales, all but destroyed during the great but ultimately unsuccessful Welsh uprising against the English, led by the powerful Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr.
     
    It is in the mid-15th century, however, that we find Cardiff Castle becomes associated with some of the leading figures in the Wars of the Roses, between the houses of Lancaster and York.
     
    Cardiff Castle showing bay fronted grey stone Plantagenet house surrounded by the later Victorian Towers (Source: Jim Cowan - Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    Cardiff Castle showing bay fronted grey stone Plantagenet house surrounded by the later Victorian Towers (Source: Jim Cowan – Cardiff History and Hauntings)


     
    The Beauchamp claim to the Lordship of Glamorgan died out with their failure to produce a male heir. Eventually the Lordship was inherited by Anne, Countess of Warwick. Females were unable to carry the title in their own right, so it was assumed by her husband: Richard Neville, better known as Warwick the Kingmaker. Following his death at the battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 the title passed to George Duke of Clarence, spouse of his eldest daughter Isabel, who held it until his death in 1477. After that time the title passed to Richard of Gloucester, spouse of Warwick’s other daughter, Anne.
     
    Richard of Gloucester, of course, became King in 1483 which meant that de facto the Lordship of Glamorgan merged with the crown.
     
    Richard Neville’s part in the general saga of the Wars of the Roses is widely known. What is frustrating is that so few details are known about the detail of life in Cardiff and Glamorgan at this time that we simply do not know the extent of the comings and goings of the Nevilles when they held the Lordship. Perhaps somewhere such details exist, buried and hidden as incidental detail and trapped in some archive for someone to discover one day. We see the references to Richard Neville in the Glamorgan Charters issued at this time but that is it. However, there are tentative clues to suggest that the Nevilles did more than hold the Glamorgan Lordship as a mere title.
     
    For evidence of this we look not to political or military events at or directed from Cardiff Castle, but to something more aesthetic which still stands proudly to this day 200 yards from the castle: The Church of St John the Baptist.
     
    St Johns Church tower, Cardiff (Source: Jim Cowan - Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    St Johns Church tower, Cardiff (Source: Jim Cowan – Cardiff History and Hauntings)


     
    While the Nevilles held the Lordship, a new building began to emerge in the city centre. The Church of St John the Baptist had been in existence since the 12th century but the old building had been destroyed during Glyndwr’s 1404 attack on the town, which he had viewed as an English Colonial outpost.
     
    The new Church was unlike anything seen in the town before: a 40m (130 ft) high tower emerged, taller than any building in the town, topped by a flourish of pinnacles. To this day no church tower in the southern half of the UK has as many ornamental pinnacles as this one. It was a sign that there was serious finance and intent behind its construction. Where could this support have come from? Certainly not the merchants of Cardiff. Cardiff was too small and modest for such opulent gestures.
     
    The answer comes in a document contained in a church a few miles west of Cardiff. The 1721 register of the Church of Llanblethian, Cowbridge, contains the following entry:
     

    “Anno 1473 Anne the second daughter and co-heir of Richard Neville the late Earl of Salisbury and Warwick was married to Edward Prince of Wales, son of King Henry the sixth. She was late Lady of the Manor of Glamorgan and Morganwg. Built this Tower the south part of Cowbridge Church and St John’s Tower in Cardiff was also married to Richard Duke of Gloucester afterwards King of England by usurpation…..”

     

    St Johns Tower, Cardiff (Source: Jim Cowan - Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    St Johns Tower, Cardiff (Source: Jim Cowan – Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    While there is clearly an error in this record regarding the date of the marriage of Anne to Edward, there has never been any evidence to contrary regarding the date of the construction of the Tower, so this date is generally accepted and, with it, the acceptance that there would have been no other likely local patron of a building of such elegance and opulence at the time. Another suggestion which has been made is that both sisters commissioned the construction, with Isabel Neville responsible for the nave, and Anne responsible for the tower. Add to that the known piety of Richard and we may have a church in Cardiff whose elegance we owe to Richard and Anne, as well as Isabel. Whether as a statement of power or a genuine act of religious observance, the rationale is there to support such a view.
     
    It would be wonderful to have some evidence that, while Lord of Glamorgan, Richard himself ever spent time in Cardiff Castle. The official line taken by the castle is that there is no evidence that he did. However, I tend to take the view that he may well have spent time there, even if it was brief. While there is no official record of his presence in Cardiff, Richard was known as a keen administrator. As Lord of Glamorgan from 1477 it would have been in character for him to oversee personally, even if only occasionally, the running of the region for which he was responsible. Had he come to Cardiff then business would probably have been conducted from the Plantagenet Hall of Cardiff Castle. In the nineteenth century this was remodelled into (and remains) the library of the castle.
     
    Sadly we have no more than such speculation on which to base thoughts on Richard’s link to Cardiff. However, we have the visual evidence on which to base our imaginings, not only in St John’s Church, but with the Plantagenet exterior of the Cardiff Castle apartments.
     
    Richard & Anne - Cardiff Castle Window, 19th century (Source: Jim Cowan - Cardiff History and Hauntings)

    Richard & Anne – Cardiff Castle Window, 19th century (Source: Jim Cowan – Cardiff History and Hauntings)


     
    In addition, the castle rooms are lined with stained glass windows of every Lord of Glamorgan from the twefth century creation of the title to its 16th century dissolution by Henry VIII (the last Lord of Glamorgan). This is thanks to the talented nineteenth century designer Charles Campbell, part of the team of the ingenious art architect William Burges, whose patron was the Third Marquess of Bute, richest man in Europe, and owner of Cardiff Castle, who transformed the building into a spectacular fairytale monument to his ancestry through gold, glass, marble, stone and wood. Whether by accident or design, as you enter the castle apartments, the first two figures you see are Anne Neville and Richard III beautifully portrayed in stained glass. It would be difficult to find in south Wales a more fitting place of pilgrimage for anyone seeking to discover and revere this much maligned figure.
     
     

    by Jim Cowan,
    Cardiff History and Hauntings

     
     


     
     

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