The Yank in King Authur's Court

21/06/2020

17/04/2020

There's a common misconception that the Mary Rose sank on her maiden voyage. In fact, she was a successful warship, in the service of Henry VIII for 34 years.

16/04/2020

Notre Dame de Paris, Aufnahme von 1910.

14/04/2020

ON THIS DAY: 14 APRIL 1471

The Battle of Barnet was fought in Hertfordshire, England between the forces of King Edward IV and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, during the Wars of the Roses.

The Yorkist King Edward led 7,000-15,000 men against Warwick (who is best known as 'Warwick the Kingmaker') who had defected to the Lancastrians. Warwick had been a critical player in establishing Edward on the throne but he had forced him to flee to Burgundy in October 1470 and restored the Lancastrian Henry VI.

Edward re-invaded his own kingdom, entered London and captured Henry VI. He then marched north to deal with Warwick who had a larger army of 10,000-30,000 men. Henry was forced to accompany Edward on campaign and the two sides met in fields north of Barnet. After a night-time artillery clash, Edward fought Warwick in a chaotic battle that was shrouded in fog. The obscured vision led the Lancastrians to mistakenly fight each other at one point, which led to a rout.

Among the Yorkist commanders was Edward's younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) who was slightly wounded while Edward "vigorously and valiantly assailed his enemies". Meanwhile, Warwick was unhorsed and killed by Yorkist foot soldiers. His body was subsequently displayed for three days at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Barnet was one of the most decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses because it finally eliminated the powerful influence of Warwick. Although the Lancastrian forces were again defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury a few weeks later, it was Barnet that marked the end of Henry VI's reign and 'Readeption' (restoration). Edward's throne had been secured and the battle was later heavily mentioned in Act V of William Shakespeare's play 'Henry VI, Part III'.

14/04/2020

On this day in 1322, alongside Batholomew Badlesmere at Canterbury, the ex*****on of my ancestor Bartholomew Ashburnham.

Badlesmere fate writes Kathryn Warner was...

"ordained for him by Edward: he was dragged three miles to the crossroads at Blean, hanged and then beheaded, and his head set on a spike over the gate into Canterbury at Edward's own command as an example to those who would betray the king."

I wonder did Ashburnham suffer in the same way, was his head placed on Burgate in Canterbury next to Badlesmere.

30/03/2020

🖤Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire National Trust
The earliest parts of the house were built for the prosperous Cheshire landowner William Moreton in about 1504–08, and the remainder was constructed in stages by successive generations of the family until about 1610. The building is highly irregular, with three asymmetrical ranges forming a small, rectangular cobbled courtyard. A National Trust guidebook describes Little Moreton Hall as being "lifted straight from a fairy story, a gingerbread house"
Photo: instagram.com/timholt

27/03/2020

Today in 1625... King Charles I ascends to the throne on the death of his father, James VI of Scotland and I of England. He would reign until his ex*****on in 1649.