tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21412209487403390272024-02-01T20:57:37.917-06:00Sunnes & RosesA blog where I can post interesting information regarding Richard III that I find. I do plan to post more!DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-62618400701071887812017-08-26T11:23:00.000-05:002017-08-26T11:23:37.234-05:00Weasel WordsI have a strong suspicion that our favorite weasel isn't long for this world. Part of me is hoping that Arya figures out how to use Sansa's face & tricks Littlefinger into thinking she's Sansa, then offs him with his own dagger before donning his face. What better way to secure the loyalty of the Knights of the Vale to Jon? However they kill him, if they do, I hope it's a really gruesome one right up there with what happened to Joffrey. Some people are speculating that he's already dead, but that would be bad writing---people have loved to hate this slimy bastard for years, so they want to see him die on screen.<br />
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I've been re-watching Season 1 because, well, there's only so much Hurricane Harvey coverage I can handle, and I about fell off my couch at a throwaway line they gave to LF!! Literally, blink & you miss it, but it tells you so much about him & how he's played the Stark family (& everyone else, btw) this whole time. In the scene where Ned goes to LF's brothel to find Cat, Ned grabs LF by the throat & threatens him, much like Jon did before he left for Dragonstone. In S7, LF merely smirks & you simply think "well, that's LF trolling Jon." BUT it's what he says immediately after Ned lets him go & runs off to Cat that lets you know what he's thinking "Stark men-quick of temper, slow of thought."<br />
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But, unfortunately for LF, he's not dealing with Jon as a Stark, because Jon is a Targaryen, and Bran is, to quote Lesley Jones, high & can barely remember what it was like to be a Stark. (Bran is definitely not quick of temper or slow of thought, although he could start dropping dimes.)<br />
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Sidebar: A big FU to Cat Stark for telling Ned to trust LF because "he's like a brother to me." I knew there was a reason I've never liked her character & this one line sealed it for me. She acts all high & mighty about Ned's "bastard" child, when in fact she & Ned *barely* knew each other when they were married---she had been meant to marry his brother Brandon, after all---so there's no reason for her to get (& stay) all snippy to Jon, other than to be petty & cruel.<br />
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For all LF's smirking at Sansa about Lyanna being kidnapped & raped, he STILL hasn't put 2 & 2 together on Jon Snow. The only reason I want him to hang around now is to learn just how badly he was played by Ned Stark, who hid the true king of Westeros under everyone's nose with a bullshit cover story THAT NO ONE QUESTIONED. EVER. They never stop & think "hey, he came back with his sister's body & a baby & we know she was raped by Rhaegar a year ago & this kid is 3 months old...." So much for this "imagine every possibility" bullshit...I'd love to see that smile wiped off his smug face when he realizes he's been played by people he thinks are beneath him, but I feel his time with us has reached its end & we'll have to make do with him realizing he's been done in by his beloved Catlyn's daughters.<br />
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Rewatching S1 with this in mind puts a whole new spin on Ned Stark's actions & motivations, especially his resignation as Hand of the King.<br />
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I would love LF to find out he wasn't as smart as he thought he was all this time, & was only surviving because there were bigger targets to take out. Now those targets are gone & it's his turn in the barrel. I don't think he quite realizes this, despite almost all of his machinations since the Battle of the Bastards never quite panning out. He's failed to see that women are emerging as acceptable leaders (he still sees himself as King, not Sansa as Queen for example. He only needs her for the support from the Northern Lords). DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-21792840557774228022017-08-22T10:30:00.000-05:002017-08-22T10:30:12.665-05:00Bed, Bath, & Beyond the WallFor those of you still scratching your heads over the timing of S7E6, please watch the opening scene again.<br />
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It's a fire place & from there we go to an aerial view of Jon's party north of the wall.<br />
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There's only one person who views events from above: Bran.<br />
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Bran saw they were in trouble & started sending ravens out. We saw him do so earlier in the season, so there's no reason not to believe he didn't do so this time. So by the time Gendry runs all the way back to the Wall (thank God he never skipped leg day!), Dany's already flying north on the dragons.<br />
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<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-82298943722389384222017-08-18T11:09:00.003-05:002017-08-18T11:09:54.687-05:00For the Net is Dark & Full of Spoilers<div style="text-align: justify;">
But not here. There are *no spoilers* in what I post, only my speculations based on what I've read in the books & seen on the shows. </div>
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Here is something that I have been ruminating on for a while: Now that Drogon knows Jon is a Targaryen, do the dragons follow him north & show up at the last moment, like Dragons Ex Machina to save him from the Night's King? We know they fly around unsupervised for days or months at a time, but show up when Dany is in danger. It would make sense if they somehow "knew" Jon was also in danger.</div>
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Am I the only person who thinks that Winterfell servant girl is not long for the world, now that Arya has seen her feeding information to Littlefinger? I hope Bran stops her before she does something stupid like killing Sansa just when she's become interesting.<br />
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Oh poor Sam! Giving up his dream job because the Maesters are basically mansplaining the whole Night King & telling him he's nuts. His last look at the library in the Citadel was a really good "Library at Alexandria" moment.<br />
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So what happens to Sam now? I'm still thinking that the whole series is really Sam's version of events. You can go through the whole series & tie them all to someone who met Sam along the way, even those who died without ever meeting him. Someone was around who will tell Sam at some point. But now he & Gilly & Baby Sam (shouldn't that kid be a lot older, btw?) are off to parts unknown--are they going to the Wall? Will they be stopped by the Lannister army or the Dothraki? Are they headed to Sam's home or to Winterfell?<br />
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I certainly hope he picked up the right books to take with him, though.<br />
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I am also suspecting that they will rediscover how to forge Valerian steel--it may call for a combination of metal, dragon glass, & dragon blood, either from the dragons themselves or the Targaryens. Not a lot, mind you. It doesn't take much blood for Dondarian to light up his sword--could it be that all Valerian blades were meant to light up like that?--so it wouldn't take much to add to the mix.<br />
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-2684807196933175282017-08-14T20:41:00.001-05:002017-08-14T21:00:57.192-05:00The Three Heads of the Dragon<div style="text-align: justify;">
OMG, I just figured out WHO the three heads of the Dragon are, and they are NOT Dany, Jon, & Tyrion!!</div>
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Let's face it: there isn't much time left in the entire series to flesh out the whole "Tyrion the Targaryen" storyline (they haven't even done the full reveal of Jon Targaryen yet), so who are the three heads of the dragon?</div>
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Dany, Daughter of the Mad King & his wife</div>
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Jon, Son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Crown Prince, & his 2nd wife, Lyanna Stark</div>
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Gendry, Son of Robert Baratheon aaaaannnnnnnddddddddd</div>
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Think about it, folks! Way back in Season 1, Cersei nattered on to Catlyn about her & Robert's little black-haired son, their first-born who supposedly died. </div>
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BUT: What if he didn't die, after all? In a plot line as old as Sophocles, the son that was supposed to die, didn't & has been brought back to the story just in time--that's right, everyone's favorite smithy: Gendry! His father is already established as Robert Baratheon, there are now no more Baratheons left. Add to this he is about Jon's & Dany's age, perhaps a bit younger. Lest you think "Well, how can he be a dragon, he's not a Targaryen"--Hold the phone, HE IS! His great-grandmother was Rhaelle Targaryen! All of this is already established in the TV series, or can easily be added, since Robert's family tree is part of the books.</div>
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The Dragon Has Three Heads: Dany, Jon, & Gendry.<br />
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Update: I'm not the first one to figure this out, but it did dawn on me while I was thinking about what to write today. I also think that "Three Heads of the Dragon" does not refer to "Three Dragon Riders." Time will tell how this all plays out.</div>
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Now wouldn't it be sweet if "valonqar" also has been mis-translated & can also mean "child?" So Cersei will be strangled not by Tyrion or Jaime or even Arya, but Gendry.</div>
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Despite Internet articles to the contrary, the only person who missed Gilly's wonderful throwaway line about Rhaegar & his second wife was Sam. I sure hope she brought that book with her. I suspect that information is going to come in handy soon. That giant sucking sound you heard at about 50 minutes' in was the millions of fans gasping & then shouting for joy at that little tidbit of information, coming on the heels of Drogon recognizing Jon as a Targaryen (not that he or Dany realize the significance of that yet. OMG, now Gendry has to meet a dragon!!!)</div>
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But, it will be just my luck that Gendry bites it in S7E6. That's the way the Game of Thrones goes, sometimes. But I sincerely hope not.</div>
DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-5898087376778272017-08-13T17:32:00.000-05:002017-08-13T17:32:05.225-05:00Game of Thrones Musings<div style="text-align: justify;">
I make no apologies for being a huge fan of "Game of Thrones." Unlike many book readers, I am enjoying what the TV series has done with the plot lines. I found the most recent books to be in need of editing--too many new characters have been introduced, only to be killed off pages later, the already-established plot lines continue to be dragged out (Dany continually going in the wrong damn direction, for example), and too much space devoted to descriptions of food & world-building. Enough!</div>
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I am "Ride or Die" House Stark. Even in the dark days after the Red Wedding, when Starks were dying off at an alarming rate, I still remained true to my House. Others may have drifted off to House Targaryen or House Lannister or even House Bolton, but not me! I know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark!</div>
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So now we're half-way into the penultimate season. We're all eagerly awaiting Bran revealing Jon's true parentage to him (FINALLY) & the repercussions from that disclosure. Does he, as a Targaryen, remain King in the North or do the Northern lords switch allegiances to Sansa? (We all know Bran has repeatedly refused to be called "Lord Stark.") What happens when he reunites with Arya, the sister who is most like his mother, Lyanna? What happens to the upcoming alliance with Dany, his aunt? </div>
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And what about Episode 4? After 7 years, it was about damn time we started seeing stuff lit up! We've heard for years about how terrifying the Dothraki are, how terrifying dragons in battle are--WE FINALLY GOT TO SEE IT & IT WAS AWESOME! I almost (almost) forgive the production team for spending the CGI budget on the dragons at the expense of the dyrewolves, but really, throw us a bone, dammit, & let us see Ghost this season at least once & not because he dies. Please. I don't care how many humans get lit up like torches, just don't touch the dyrewolves. kthanxbi</div>
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Let me just say that so far this season, I have enjoyed each show. The cold opening in Episode 1? OMG, I knew it was Arya 2 seconds in, I knew what she was going to do & I did not care! That retribution has been a season too long in coming, so it was delicious to watch over & over & over. </div>
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Which makes me wonder, who controls the Twins now? Perhaps the Tullys? That would be poetic justice, even if Catlyn's brother Edmure is completely worthless. </div>
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I'm not sure how deep they are going to go into the Lyanna/Rhaegar storyline from the books, but there has already been mention (at least one time this season) of the tournament where they met. I find it interesting that Varys & anyone else who knew Rhaegar's face has not commented on how much Jon looks like him---folks, Ned Stark was a lousy liar with a bullshit cover story & even a reputation for being "honorable" isn't enough to overcome just how ludicrous that story was. Ned didn't just show up to Winterfell with a baby in his arms, he was bringing with him his sister's body. Everyone knew she was betrothed to Robert Baratheon (unwillingly), & was supposedly "kidnapped & raped" by Rhaegar. Ned goes off to find her, & comes home with a baby & her body. It kills me that only smug Littlefinger seems to have figured it out (see his scene in the crypt with Sansa from Season 6), but his partner-in-crime Varys hasn't said squat. For further evidence that Jon is a dead ringer for Rhaegar is the fact that when Robert came to Winterfell, they essentially hid Jon away & did not let him attend any festivities where he could be seen. WHY? Because he looks like his father, Rhaegar!</div>
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By the same token, Jon cannot be a Baratheon. Lyanna was Robert's betrothed, he loved her (actually I think he just idolized & romanticized her memory as the years went by) & he wasn't married to Cersei at the time. Here comes his best friend in the whole world with good news & bad news & not only does Westeros have a new king, it has a new heir. There would be no need to hide Jon from Robert if Robert was his father. The only reason to hide Jon is that Rhaegar was.</div>
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More clues to Jon being a Targaryen: The Tower of Joy was guarded by Kingsguard. Since when do they guard bastards? IJS</div>
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We're just a couple of hours away from the next episode. Feel free to join in with any of your pet theories & we'll see which ones pan out as the series unfolds. </div>
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Winter Is Here.</div>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-79008706640752636742016-09-30T14:55:00.000-05:002016-09-30T14:55:29.418-05:00Making Richard's CookiesI've become interested lately in historic recipes & a friend of mine frequently posts her adventures in antique recipes on Facebook. Some of these are beyond my pay grade--either too time-consuming or requiring utensils that I don't have--but I recently stumbled across one that is right up my alley: Bosworth Jumbles.<div>
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According to a news article in the Hinkley Times, the recipe for these cookies originated with Richard III's own chef. And of course legend has it that the recipe was ripped from the dead chef's hands after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485--perhaps by Margaret Beaufort herself? I'm sure the Ricardian fans who blame her for everything else will begin swearing up & down she did. </div>
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The recipe presented in the article, however, had some discrepancies. The list of ingredients was simple: Eggs, flour, sugar, butter. No BFD. The instructions, however, mentioned lemon zest. Uh, whut?</div>
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It's not a big deal, lemon zest. Take a lemon & rub it against a cheese grater--Voila, lemon zest. But since it wasn't in the rather short list of ingredients, I was concerned that the author had left out other, possibly more important, ingredients &/or instructions.</div>
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What I found in a Google search was a wide array of recipes all claiming to be "authentic" Bosworth Jumble recipes. They had the same ingredients but varied widely in the amounts (one called for a POUND of sugar & a cup of flour, for example. What the....?) I ended up having to "read between the lines." This picture is the recipe I used:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxihkZvwSjDII9PY4aGML9wo5lLaWV5AiRe0MgXN4GS4f3fbstG9CtjYa-rVjrc1NGFHs-AhyphenhyphenfKvQCnMiWsaFqQ4LS4CMfJEmUlbg_4WKTa7u4NHV3KAFtog8dYH4ES0iBuso7V1T0QC1/s1600/Bosworth+Jumble+recipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxihkZvwSjDII9PY4aGML9wo5lLaWV5AiRe0MgXN4GS4f3fbstG9CtjYa-rVjrc1NGFHs-AhyphenhyphenfKvQCnMiWsaFqQ4LS4CMfJEmUlbg_4WKTa7u4NHV3KAFtog8dYH4ES0iBuso7V1T0QC1/s320/Bosworth+Jumble+recipe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided after looking through several recipes to just go with the one that was closest to a sugar cookie. Since I'm from Texas, I am required by law to add pecans. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SHIJrw0NEL_dJHx1nGOGiY-3FIM4fCALfaxdOjKbqZ2MdrPLq2grtddRtuOXp75xxbxrg23ANeZv7an-JKUuZXBQ8w1-o087TCsbUIllavq-gU6cHEtmITPOfwclWI53l54nPDzEUNJz/s1600/Bosworth+Jumbles+ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SHIJrw0NEL_dJHx1nGOGiY-3FIM4fCALfaxdOjKbqZ2MdrPLq2grtddRtuOXp75xxbxrg23ANeZv7an-JKUuZXBQ8w1-o087TCsbUIllavq-gU6cHEtmITPOfwclWI53l54nPDzEUNJz/s320/Bosworth+Jumbles+ingredients.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Everything mixed together just fine. I didn't think the lemon zest was enough, so I squeezed the lemon to add the juice to the dough. However, I had serious trouble getting the dough to form the required "S" shape. I even chilled the dough for 30 minutes & while that trick worked for the first few cookies in the 2nd batch, the dough quickly melted again in my hands. I ended up grabbing a couple of spoons & making drop cookies instead.</div>
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The end result was 2 batches of crispy, sweet cookies with a lemony flavor and scent. When I do these again, I will definitely chill or freeze the dough for a lot longer amount of time, perhaps overnight. And even though the cookies don't look "done" in the pictures, they were crispy throughout. The middles just didn't brown like the edges (something I intend to work on as well).</div>
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I am also toying with adding chopped dried fruit, such as cherries or cranberries, and maybe adding a mint or vanilla flavoring. We'll see how it goes. </div>
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I suspected the cookies would quickly disappear at the party, & I was right. Good thing I took a picture! (And yes, those are bluebonnets decorating the plate.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4mNvOhE7hxhMD39n9ei05mWd-fbeJN1cOs_1if8nYMn6qHCVpMcstAYUT8BbsJ8akX0qoBR1ClEMgV6hh1iY4SoOS9QvGhRGdD87HOSYBrAl7hICpZGt2bZ5Le9yAM_U8boL58xrieGb/s1600/Bosworth+Jumble+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4mNvOhE7hxhMD39n9ei05mWd-fbeJN1cOs_1if8nYMn6qHCVpMcstAYUT8BbsJ8akX0qoBR1ClEMgV6hh1iY4SoOS9QvGhRGdD87HOSYBrAl7hICpZGt2bZ5Le9yAM_U8boL58xrieGb/s320/Bosworth+Jumble+cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-24013584275330424442016-02-27T19:39:00.002-06:002016-02-27T19:39:46.464-06:00Big Surprises In Small Packages<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGTzybf_8n3zhDGcMtUgB-o99wr4JySFNEmDocIjoYu2ICdp5Dnnk3lPdujtNR1u8pk2vlaK4YBsWmon5xmN5t74n0l92DsbL_acPkp9Zm0rzgcGYl36R3pb_BNznqmEiP36xLlaoH03n/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGTzybf_8n3zhDGcMtUgB-o99wr4JySFNEmDocIjoYu2ICdp5Dnnk3lPdujtNR1u8pk2vlaK4YBsWmon5xmN5t74n0l92DsbL_acPkp9Zm0rzgcGYl36R3pb_BNznqmEiP36xLlaoH03n/s320/IMG_1264.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nellie Serena Pallady</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>or so the saying goes. And so it is with the various genealogical DNA tests offered by several different companies. I should know--I've tried most of them. With the exception of one, all the tests involved spitting into a small tube, mailing the tube to the company, & then stalking your email waiting for the notification that your results are in. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>There weren't too many surprises in the results that I got back. Probably the biggest one was finding out I was more British & French than Irish & that my mother's haplogroup originated in the Basque region of Spain.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Each company has its own method of linking your results up with other people who share the same genetic history, with varying degrees of success. I have had some success in finding new relatives & connections on Ancestry.com, but the absolute biggest success for me came from the way 23&Me connects users. Because of this method, I was able to blast through a previously-thought impenetrable brick wall just 3 generations back: my paternal great-great grandparents, James Stillman Pallady & his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Spencer.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The information that my mother & great uncle had put together for this couple amounted to little more than their names & when & where they were born. And my great uncle even got my great-great grandfather's name wrong! It's a pattern that's seen again & again--youngest child of a parent who dies when said child is still very young leads to not very much information about the parents for the child to pass on to his or her own children.</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sarah Elizabeth Spencer</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And so it was with poor Nellie Serena Pallady. Until recently, we thought she was an only child born of parents who seemingly appeared out of nowhere & vanished without leaving a trace. Try as I might, I could find no information about James Stillman Pallady, other than where he was born in upstate New York. I found a reference to his marriage to Sarah Elizabeth Spencer at a church in Malone, New York around the time that Almanzo Wilder was living there (brush with greatness #1). That same announcement listed some of the guests, including the bride's father, James C. Spencer, but not her mother's name. The 1840 Federal Census indicates the mother was alive, but that census was only a tally of people in each household. By the 1850 Census, the mother had obviously died, as James C. appears in that census as a widower living with a few of his children, who thankfully, are named. This was the extent of the information I had discovered about this little family group until I got the results of my 23&Me test.</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>James Stillman Pallady</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Since Pallady was a name that I am on constant alert for, I tried out my first filter with it, and struck pay dirt. I found a close DNA match & sent out a request to share information. What I got back blew my mind. This person's own great-great grandparents were the older brother & sister of my own Pallady/Spencer couple! Double cousins! Not only that, she sent along a couple of links to some local history articles that included names, dates, and locations of the Pallady & Spencer families! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Now armed with this information, I kept plugging away. I discovered that my g-g grandfather's brother attended the Franklin Academy that a future vice president of the United States (William Wheeler) & Almanzo Wilder's older siblings did. (In the book "Farmer Boy," Almanzo watches his mother weave the cloth she would use to make Royal's academy uniform. Although the name of the school is never stated, the author wrote that it was in Malone.) I also found mention in a census that James Stillman worked with leather, making boots, saddles, & harnesses at a business in Atlanta, Illinois. "Oh!" said my newly-found cousin. "That explains my family oral tradition that someone in our family made the boots worn by Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration!" (brush with greatness #2) I wondered why Lincoln would go all the way to Atlanta, Illinois to get his boots, but later discovered that the Pallady brothers owned several boot & saddle making businesses, with James actually starting the business in Springfield in the 1850's. Their reputation was such they were able to expand to other cities, such as Atlanta, in the 1860's.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Not all the information I found about them has been happy, however. I knew that at some point, James Pallady died and his widow remarried and moved to Kansas. In looking at various federal censuses, I found mention of two sons, Charley & Bertie. Having narrowed down when James could have died by looking at federal censuses, I decided to roll the dice and find his gravestone on FindAGrave.com. Paydirt again: He was listed as "J S Pallady," buried in Atlanta, Illinois in 1879. Even more surprising was that on the reverse side of his tombstone was a list of the couple's children who had already died. None of these children had lived more than a year or two. Interesting note: In the 1900 Federal Census, Sarah E. Spencer is listed as a widow, living with her younger sister. She told the census taker that she had had seven children, only 2 of whom were still living. (Shortly after this, I discovered that Charley had died in 1897.) Sarah does not appear in any other federal census, so it is likely that she died before 1910. I have not yet traced when and where, however. As for Nellie, she died at home suddenly and only a neighbor was nearby to give the coroner any information. All she had to give the coroner was the surname of Nellie's father & a possible name of her mother (which was incorrect.) Until this year, all the information my family had on this couple was based on this death certificate. How wonderful it has been that something as simple as a small tube of saliva could turn these ancestors into actual people who lived instead of just names and dates on a genealogical chart!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Of course, as more and more people get their DNA tested, more and more connections are being made. Who knows what new discoveries await for family historians! Just today, I got hints that might help break down another brick wall in my family tree, this time from Ancestry.com, so it does pay to test with more than one service. I have been quite satisfied with the results I have received & feel that what I have been able to uncover has been worth the cost of the tests. (All photographs in this entry belong to me.)</b></span></div>
DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-36171142061238471162016-02-13T11:40:00.001-06:002016-02-13T11:40:09.315-06:00Royal Footie Fan<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Hello, yeah, it's been a while. Not much, how 'bout you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been dealing with quite a few issues since last I posted an entry on my blog, not the least of which was a group of trolls from an allegedly "friendly" group. But it seems they've finally <strike>grown up </strike>moved on, so I'm venturing back slowly to actually enjoying the subject of Richard III. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I do have other topics for this blog in mind, but I'm still sorting those out and getting the posts in order, so for now, I'll just point out that the Leicester Football Club seems to be having an amazing season since Richard's reinterment in Leicester Cathedral. Since my interest in sports fades if neither the Seahawks or Spurs are playing, I'll just leave this entry with the following picture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Richard III a footie fan? Who knew? Guess he likes Leicester after all. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqfPz1h4clcg-1V1eEAzLTx7aYkuRPiWnuc6zzbSKlAdg6rmlwe9rAAaFcRW0lUef-3g7hfim-KewcRfdYCZ2LWlP4lex7-dgP-CbABXuA0mjaOAxzYH77WDNloqJl0oo0jWcrS-MbEJv/s1600/Footie+Fan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqfPz1h4clcg-1V1eEAzLTx7aYkuRPiWnuc6zzbSKlAdg6rmlwe9rAAaFcRW0lUef-3g7hfim-KewcRfdYCZ2LWlP4lex7-dgP-CbABXuA0mjaOAxzYH77WDNloqJl0oo0jWcrS-MbEJv/s320/Footie+Fan+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-37502956606820023522015-09-13T18:30:00.001-05:002015-09-13T18:30:46.347-05:00Lazy Sunday Musing: The Weirdness of English<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the things I find most fascinating is how the English language has evolved over time. Every now & then, videos & articles show up on Facebook demonstrating how researchers believe English sounded centuries ago. It's easy enough to SEE the changes (how many of us had to memorize the "Prologue" to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales?"), but what did the language SOUND like?</div>
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Here's one really good clip that I shared on Facebook this week, "Speke Parrott" by Jack Skelton, poet laureate under Henry VII: </div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=17&v=tCckcTHWqKw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=17&v=tCckcTHWqKw</a></div>
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While he wasn't at court during Richard's era, he did arrive in 1488, so what you hear in this poem is very close to the English spoken in Richard's court.</div>
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Here's another clip, this time with a researcher reading aloud one of Richard III's own letters:</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxRzEXiQ66M">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxRzEXiQ66M</a></div>
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While we can recognize words & phrases in these clips, it does sound as though Early & Middle English are foreign languages & not English at all. Because of this, I often wonder if people who lived back then would be able to understand our modern English. It's an interesting conundrum that's not often addressed in time travel novels, movies, & TV shows ("Doctor Who" & "Star Trek" are exceptions.) </div>
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The most interesting thing I learned about English this week did not come from a video, however. It came from an article on Mental Floss by Arika Okrent & discusses why we say "won't" instead of "willn't."</div>
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<a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/55232/why-does-will-not-become-wont">http://mentalfloss.com/article/55232/why-does-will-not-become-wont</a></div>
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It's always fascinating to find out new things about English, even more so when they connect with Richard III. </div>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-74529241474767018622015-09-11T17:33:00.000-05:002015-09-11T17:33:04.759-05:00Life Does a 180 (A Memory of 9/11/2001)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 12.864px;">Three minutes. 180 seconds. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 12.864px;">Three minutes was all it took </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">for life, as I knew it, to shatter & </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">to feel like I fell down a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 12.864px;">rabbit </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">hole. The amount of time it </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">to</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">ok me to pull into the </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">parking </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">lot, turn off the radio, get out</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">of my car, walk into my </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">office, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">turn on the computer, and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">then, the radio. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">180 seconds </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">to go </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">from "Workin' for the Weekend"(played a few days </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">early </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">some reason) to "We've just confirmed that...." </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">I don't </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 12.864px;">remember much about the rest of that day....but I do </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; line-height: 12.864px;">remember clearly </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; line-height: 12.864px;">those 180 seconds.</span></span>DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-16105083581970240672015-09-06T21:08:00.001-05:002015-09-06T21:08:11.754-05:00Reblog: Witness to HIstory Reflections on the Burial of Richard III by Susan FrostSeveral months ago, I was approached by Susan Frost to give some of my thoughts on the events in Leicester this past March. I had forgotten completely about it until yesterday, when she posted the link to her article. I have linked to it below & recommend it. She interviewed many people, including Phil Stone & Philippa Langley, & her article includes her own photographs.<br />
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<a href="http://frostphotographyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/EyewitnessAccountRIII.pdf">http://frostphotographyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/EyewitnessAccountRIII.pdf</a>DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-15651474497227720172015-08-31T13:11:00.000-05:002015-08-31T13:11:09.148-05:00Just sayin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I prefer to keep my blog about ideas & events surrounding Richard III, including any breakthroughs in archaeology or historical research. Unfortunately, not all blogs hold this view & actually encourage cyber-stalking, bullying, & harassment of people they deem "anti-Richard," whatever that means. All you have to do is read a particular blog's entries to figure out what type of blog it is.</div>
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<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-30514916245667170372015-08-15T10:33:00.000-05:002015-08-15T19:56:53.068-05:00Where's the Hump? Or, Richard III in Keevil Manor (UPDATE)<div style="text-align: justify;">
It never fails to amaze me how I come across the inspiration for another blog entry. For example, this morning, a friend posted a link to her results from searching "Richard III" on the National Trust Collections website. I did my own search, & discovered this rather striking, modern-looking portrait of Richard III. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0F1a5QOS8oGsVkirokvEw-x2tgYXX4BF7RT9KbufXhMfWihHiApyqihG5wG5V6YDWzTltAxGahyphenhyphen_lXPokSGPwzBeIcQ2I5wMyeRK82regkLsFwC1pVOt27qy_0Wo15aAFXw-D-u7EiAp/s1600/Richard+III+Keevil+Manor.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0F1a5QOS8oGsVkirokvEw-x2tgYXX4BF7RT9KbufXhMfWihHiApyqihG5wG5V6YDWzTltAxGahyphenhyphen_lXPokSGPwzBeIcQ2I5wMyeRK82regkLsFwC1pVOt27qy_0Wo15aAFXw-D-u7EiAp/s320/Richard+III+Keevil+Manor.PNG" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/222829</td></tr>
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In looking at the additional information, I discovered that it is dated to approximately 1650 & came into the National Trust from Keevil Manor in 1910. It is now on display at Westwood Manor in Wiltshire, according to the National Trust website.</div>
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Apart from the rather 20th Century look this portrait has, what piqued my curiosity was the lack of any deformity one would think would have been shown in a portrait of Richard III done centuries after his death. If "Tudor propaganda" was so successful & so ingrained as we are practically beaten over the head to believe, where is the hump? And why would there be a portrait of Richard III in Keevil Manor? Where is Keevil Manor anyway?</div>
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So off I went in search of this information. What I found was rather interesting & some familiar names crop up in it. As it happens, Keevil Manor was owned by the Earls of Arundel. During the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV, & Richard III, the Earl of Arundel was William Fitzalan. He participated in Henry VI's "Loveday Council" in 1458, but his Yorkist loyalties were such that he had to be ordered by the king to stop footdragging & attend. He fought at the Second Battle of St. Albans for the Yorkist side, and in 1483, served as "Pincerna" (cupbearer) at Richard's Coronation. He is listed as a Bosworth Combatant on Richard's side as well, but that didn't prevent him from being "Pincerna" at Henry VII's coronation a few months later. Keevil Manor itself was later sold in the 16th Century to Richard Lambert, husband of Alice Paston (!!). The current manor dates from this time & is located about 13 miles southeast of Bath.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbe4NnP7aTLVOxn_IPzJcrct8C0gcENev4vVOqhsiZvXiXycKVhrPTizMZvESxLsIgN0dOPPNDZEiZTeUpYjrlEjmAuVCiop8xjrvjuctb4Cuc7DZx_6dCZjLbikuJVE_FNeWANJNIL0p/s1600/keevil+map.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbe4NnP7aTLVOxn_IPzJcrct8C0gcENev4vVOqhsiZvXiXycKVhrPTizMZvESxLsIgN0dOPPNDZEiZTeUpYjrlEjmAuVCiop8xjrvjuctb4Cuc7DZx_6dCZjLbikuJVE_FNeWANJNIL0p/s320/keevil+map.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYpXmNLu9-dYj_Go_oJpUBfkqiRJmapAPVXeGbKYuzU-D7ZsFqIdtAsN2TpKstBfkvSoJYRm3HRvRyEmR-zIhESprhbWZW8b1-WCpmrG9O1NtVd-wpMg522BxlLVgruxqfCLNV8PVf9B3/s1600/keevil+manor+house.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYpXmNLu9-dYj_Go_oJpUBfkqiRJmapAPVXeGbKYuzU-D7ZsFqIdtAsN2TpKstBfkvSoJYRm3HRvRyEmR-zIhESprhbWZW8b1-WCpmrG9O1NtVd-wpMg522BxlLVgruxqfCLNV8PVf9B3/s320/keevil+manor+house.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.bathintime.co.uk/image/412545/keevil-manor-house-wiltshire-c-1930</td></tr>
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Although I didn't find an answer to satisfy my curiosity about this portrait, I'm quite happy with the results of my search. I found a new-to-me portrait of Richard, learned a little bit more about one of the Yorkist supporters, & another museum to visit on a future trip to the U.K. Plus, I have a lot of information to use while speculating why this portrait doesn't have a hump!<br />
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UPDATE: I came home this evening to do some more searching online to see what I could find out about this painting. I came across a Trip Advisor review of Westwood Manor & looked through the photos posted there. In the slideshow, I came across the photo below. It appears that this portrait is part of a "Kings & Queens of England" series from the 17th Century, but that still doesn't explain to me how or why the "Tudor propaganda"-inspired hump wasn't included or how this portrait came to resemble Richard so closely. Was it a copy from a now-lost original?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRFXsr-W4oyPP5waPZFp_jUdLIsucgLHbvHLjWmPyxFydOQ-lZRmIbOYlDwgNhPNj4kI-ACDXFPNwrRUt9I5v5q0rs0bEDN_R4d9cOaJnIwzWwNxEK0PYR1720njvM7R4IXrhf0MlklVy/s1600/actual+photo+from+inside+Westwood+Manor.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRFXsr-W4oyPP5waPZFp_jUdLIsucgLHbvHLjWmPyxFydOQ-lZRmIbOYlDwgNhPNj4kI-ACDXFPNwrRUt9I5v5q0rs0bEDN_R4d9cOaJnIwzWwNxEK0PYR1720njvM7R4IXrhf0MlklVy/s320/actual+photo+from+inside+Westwood+Manor.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g209965-d212024-Reviews-Westwood_Manor-Bradford_on_Avon_Wiltshire_England.html</td></tr>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-85011588739937384662015-08-10T13:29:00.001-05:002015-08-10T21:39:24.306-05:00The Last Medieval King of England<div style="text-align: justify;">
History very rarely has bright line rules where you can say one historical era ended and another began. Richard III is often called the last king from the Medieval time period in England, & some people seem to get upset by that. The statement isn't exactly correct, but because we like to have bright line rules & definitive starting & stopping points, I think Richard gets the "honor" of being the last Medieval king because of the incredible number of changes that happened during the Renaissance & Reformation, most of which occurred after he died. </div>
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For example, just a tantalizing seven years after Richard died, Columbus set sail for China & ended up wandering around the Caribbean. And a couple of decades after that, Martin Luther did the equivalent of starting a petition on Change(dot)org: He nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Church in Wittenberg. (Some wet blankets are now pointing out he merely mailed them to the bishop, but that doesn't make a good story, does it?), precipitating Henry VIII to write a defense of the Catholic Church, for which he was awarded the title "Defender of the Faith." At this point, events happen like collapsing dominoes--it's impossible to keep up with all the changes and inventions happening, so in the interest of simplicity (and sanity), we end up with Richard III being the last medieval king & Henry VIII being the first Renaissance king. (Forgive me, but I get a big kick out of Henry VII being relegated to the status of historical place holder.)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1ddivXIyKoANJjCcDqX52rhBJ6qaoTh_bEi8kKgMWsPhbIrsmk6y6OvPdpX05HM6zVHVDttlfl1QFeljvDkSDq3HPA9wCcIDH4pPbe3RaCIC2U8wEnp1iWhcFKsuKMd8Sw9Wj1cFjIJw/s1600/Wife+of+Bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1ddivXIyKoANJjCcDqX52rhBJ6qaoTh_bEi8kKgMWsPhbIrsmk6y6OvPdpX05HM6zVHVDttlfl1QFeljvDkSDq3HPA9wCcIDH4pPbe3RaCIC2U8wEnp1iWhcFKsuKMd8Sw9Wj1cFjIJw/s320/Wife+of+Bath.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3b3b3b; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2950801849365px; line-height: 18.4426193237305px; text-align: start;">Geoffrey Chaucer (d. 1400), The Canterbury Tales (Westminster: William Caxton, about 1483). PML 693, f. q6v. The Morgan Library & Museum, Purchased with the Bennett Collection, 1902.</span></td></tr>
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However, one of the hallmarks of the Renaissance, the printing press, was actually invented & in full use during the majority of Richard's life. The credit is given to Johannes Gutenberg, who printed off 180 copies of the Bible in 1455, three years after Richard was born. Books became more affordable and literacy spread beyond the nobility & upper classes. In the context of England, the printing press was brought to England by William Caxton in 1476, when Ricard was 24. Caxton set up his press at Westminster and began running off copies of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." (Interesting side note: Chaucer was married to the sister of Katherine Roet, mother of Joan Beaufort, whose mitochondrial DNA helped identify Richard's remains.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76VMVRuynbQbmtbCnIizh0vjY_LjmKgl6hEiKo_k3EUa7lqHRZS8lq9aFScR0OKTJYRqvEUAL7FmWCjwNaH7siTJZul3SVsB4W02NtIUyapBsQnSZjDwt2YWn5z5zYDuxzYsdd2twIuiT/s1600/06401GoldenLegend_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76VMVRuynbQbmtbCnIizh0vjY_LjmKgl6hEiKo_k3EUa7lqHRZS8lq9aFScR0OKTJYRqvEUAL7FmWCjwNaH7siTJZul3SVsB4W02NtIUyapBsQnSZjDwt2YWn5z5zYDuxzYsdd2twIuiT/s320/06401GoldenLegend_1000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">Jacobus de Voragine (ca. 1229–1298).<br /><em>The</em> <em>Golden</em> <em>Legend</em>.<br />Translated and enlarged by William Caxton.<br />Westminster: William Caxton, [between 20 November 1483 and March 1484]. </strong>Bridwell Library | Perkins School of Theology | Southern Methodist University </td></tr>
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Richard was a bibliophile & owned several printed books. Caxton even dedicated one book to Richard, according to the Richard III Society: "Order of Chivalry." Access to published material & the spread of learning was so important to Richard & his one Parliament, that an exemption to "anti-alien" legislation was made so that clergymen & scholars could still have access to & import publications printed abroad and in languages other than English. </div>
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It is in a way unfortunate that Richard, a well-educated man who valued literacy & promoted & supported education & the printing press during his lifetime, is associated with the Middle Ages, a time period most people associate with superstition, plagues, & illiteracy. But in a way, speculating on what Richard would have done & how he would have reacted to the changes that were just around the corner from 1485 is one of the reasons people are still fascinated by him 500 years on.<br />
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Note on the illustrations: I chose the Wife of Bath illustration because she went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, which I have also done. While her story is bawdy (Richard would probably have said "Merrie"), her tale has special meaning for me as it is one of the earliest mentions in the English language of this particular pilgrimage. In Chaucer's time, the pilgrimage to Santiago was already over 500 years old.<br />
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The second illustration is from a book printed by Caxton during Richard's own reign. Both books were printed at Westminster.</div>
DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-31037383544442018132015-07-25T11:50:00.001-05:002015-07-25T11:50:24.875-05:00"The Bones of a King" Book Review Part I<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I recently purchased the latest book published regarding the discovery of Richard III's remains, "The Bones of a King." The book is a group effort by the Greyfriars Research Team, along with Maev Kennedy & Lin Foxhall. By now there are countless books all covering the same topic. What I was hoping to get at long last was a book that was informative, accurate, but without the unnecessary drama that some books seem to focus on. And, well, for the most part, that is what I'm reading. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Credit: Me</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will say that it was rather eye-opening (& not in a good way) to crack open my book & discover that the tomb of Edmund, Earl of Rutland has been identified in the book as that of "Duke Edward." Now, I've been the victim of guerrilla typos myself, but that error should have been caught & corrected before the book went to print. I hope it's corrected before the 2nd edition comes out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've decided to write my review in parts as I read the book because there's always something really interesting that I seem to forget to add to my reviews. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The book itself starts at the beginning, with the team doing the research needed to figure out the best places to dig as well as the most likely places the remains of the Greyfriars Church could be. They were limited in time, money, and available space, so figuring out where to dig was a high priority. Keep in mind that even the earliest maps we have identifying where the Greyfriars priory was were not drafted within living memory. The book includes the Thomas Roberts map from the 18th Century, as well as a modern-day reconstruction of medieval Leicester. What I find most remarkable is that all these maps, based on oral history, turned out to be stunningly accurate once the archaeologists were able to excavate the ruins & research what they found.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another beef with this book: While the authors mention several people who correctly identified where Richard's remains were likely to be (including David Baldwin), they left out Audrey Strange, the lady from the 1960's who was told to go wash pots when she nicely suggested where archaeologists could dig. I only hope the "scientist" who told her that was still alive in 2013 for his nice big helping of crow. For an interesting look at Mrs. Strange, check out her son's web page about her: <a href="http://www.ac2litre.com/audreystrange.html">http://www.ac2litre.com/audreystrange.html</a> How accurate was she with that facial reconstruction she did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I have found most interesting about the book thus far is the inclusion of the Epitaph that reportedly was hung by Richard's tomb within the church of the Greyfriars. The authors of the book include all the translations of it & I have to say, as much as I'd love George Buck's version to be true, none of the other translations agree with his, so I think Buck's translation was wishful thinking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The authors also go into a discussion of how & why Richard ended up at Greyfriars when there were several other churches in Leicester he could have been interred at, such as St. Mary de Castro, where his father was knighted & created Duke of York. The authors point out that several of the friars had been convicted of treason some 80 years before & beheaded. (In fact, the researchers thought they might find their bodies during the dig) The idea struck me that maybe Henry VII was sending some sort of message that Richard was a traitor, but because he was a king, he was interred without being beheaded in a place of honor inside the church of the Greyfriars, but not in a place that the public had access to. I haven't read further in the book yet to see if the authors pick up on this connection; it's certainly not one I've seen anywhere else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall, I am thus far pleased with this book. It includes sources at the ends of each chapter, as well as suggestions for further reading both on & offline. Major bonus: NO DRAMA! (well, at least up to Chapter 3) And now, on to Chapter 4. </span></div>
DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-11688621104273386622015-07-17T21:08:00.002-05:002015-07-17T21:08:29.617-05:00Kicking Tin Cans Along the Road of History (this is a long one, folks)<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>When I was growing up, I had to walk to school each day, maybe half a mile or so. Unlike a lot of kids, I preferred to walk by myself, kicking a rock or a can down the street as I walked. There was something soothing, pleasant about doing this that attracted me.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>I’ve kept this habit throughout the years, except that the “tin cans” I actually kick around now are ideas in my head. I look for patterns, trying to make little puzzle pieces fit or look at things in a different light. I read different sources, talk to different people with different life experiences than me, think about how people today would act under similar circumstances. It also helps that I’ve never seen the point of just accepting something because a lot of other people believe it. I’m more interested in WHY such things are believed wholeheartedly, without question. I find especially suspect ideas that people insist you cannot challenge, or must accept, because if you don’t, it just means you “haven’t read all the sources.” (Well, perhaps I HAVE, but I have questions I’d like to have answered first, thanks.)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>And so it is with all the wonderful little puzzles that make up the life of Richard III. With the “traditional” view consistently being challenged (more than ever now that his remains have been found & all the interest his reinterment in Leicester continues to generate), and revisionist theories sometimes confused with historical fiction wishful thinking, this “can kicking” technique has lead me to some rather interesting ideas. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>For example, the belief, stemming from historical fiction, that Richard was the one who convinced his brother George to reunite with Edward. Lots of people believe it, & so did I, until someone asked me a simple question “Have you read 'The Arrivall of Edward IV?'” Well, no, I hadn’t, but I quickly looked it up & read the relevant portion regarding Edward, George, & Richard. As it turns out, it was Cecily Neville & her daughters who put the pressure on George to switch sides. I’m sure it didn’t escape George’s notice that if Edward won, Warwick would either be dead or executed, & his lands & wealth forfeit. Who better to take over all that wealth than Warwick’s own son-in-law? I’m just speculating here, but what if that was the bait Edward had his mother & sisters use to reel George in? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>And what about Richard? Much is made, in contemporary sources & sometimes exaggerated in historical fiction, of his loyalty to his brother, Edward, in such a trying time. While it may have made sense to jump sides & go with Warwick, Richard chose to remain loyal to Edward. Could part of that reason why have been Richard looking at those same Warwick lands & wealth? I’m sure by now some heads are exploding because this idea challenges the Saint Richard of Plantagenet view of his loyalty, but it is only human to consider your own best interests in making decisions. Counting on Edward winning his crown back was a huge gamble, but it would mean both Warwick AND George out of the way & again, all those lovely Warwick lands & wealth there just waiting for someone to get them. He wouldn’t even have to marry Isabel or Anne to get them, either, which is just as well seeing as how they were (or became) married women.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>Speculation: If Richard thought he would be getting all the Warwick inheritance for himself, perhaps he was not so pleased as we’ve been lead to think when George reconciled with Edward. While “The Arrivall” describes the reconciliation in extraordinary detail & states that Richard & George made pleasantries, you have to remember that they were “on stage” at that point. Public behavior is many times the exact opposite of private behavior. The war was still on & any public sign of dissension in the ranks, especially among the three York brothers, would have been widely reported & remarked upon. But everyone behaved themselves & did the 15<sup>th</sup> Century equivalent of playing nice for the cameras. But oh to be a fly on the wall once the doors were shut & it was just those three alone in a room together.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>As we all know, Edward triumphed over the Lancastrians & Warwick, with Warwick & Henry VI’s son dying in battle. (Well, that solved a couple of problems.) But now, if you’re Edward & you’re smart, you’re not quite so certain that one man should be in control of all of Warwick’s domain. Especially if that man has already demonstrated a lack of loyalty & a willingness to take up arms against you. So, how do you go about solving this conundrum, seeing as how you’ve already forgiven your brother & so can’t attaint him, taking away his wife’s inheritance? Wouldn’t you find it handy that there is another Warwick daughter, recently widowed, who you can pair up with your baby brother? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>This would mean, of course, that Richard & Anne were not childhood sweethearts (& really, they couldn’t have been, seeing as how he was 4 years older than she was & what 13-year-old in his right mind gets a crush on a 9-year-old?). I can hear more heads exploding at this point, but in reality, the idea that you marry the person you’re in love with is a relatively recent invention. In medieval times, people got married because the match was a good one to progress the families’ interests, not the couple’s. They may have been friends & liked each other, or even felt affection towards each other, but “riding off in the sunset together” soulmate love? Nope.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>(More heresy: I sometimes wonder if Anne thought becoming the Duchess of Gloucester was a demotion from being the Princess of Wales, even if it meant she didn’t have to live out her days in a convent. I’m not sold on the image of a goody-goody, pale & frail Anne Neville. She wasn’t raised to be sweet & innocent.)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>So, with Edward’s blessing, Richard goes off in search of Anne, while Edward publicly tells Richard to find another bride, like say, maybe, Isabella of Castile, in order to keep George happy & off his back. We all know at this point what happened: Richard & Anne married secretly (funny this is never a problem for THEIR marriage :cough:precontract:cough: ), George had a massive cow (pun intended), Richard gave up some titles & some of the Warwick inheritance to make George happy, & Edward had successfully divided said inheritance up so that one man could not control it & use it to challenge his throne.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>See how that works?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>Maybe this is how it all happened. Maybe it isn't. That's the beauty of the life of Richard III. So many possibilities, so many questions to keep people intrigued over 500 years on. </b></span></span></div>
DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-31016295886174228082015-06-14T12:36:00.002-05:002015-06-14T12:36:43.404-05:00Richard's Hair Color<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ever since the research conducted on Richard III's DNA revealed that he had blond hair that darkened as he aged, people have troubled & argued over what his hair looked like exactly. According to Dr. Turi King, who conducted the research, the painting that comes the closest to what she believes Richard's hair color to have been is the portrait owned by the Society of Antiquaries.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbj2mZe9KexfmfBAq13v4rDl70elb8l4hH1_2yTa65t-2SrFHCXr_wiTZ_A6Xy9vcQ2ZMu73iP0eN64SU03f01YHBEOTBUdafgfvHfjpZx2J661uiQQo0D1YqqALzsdoFVMVQBZZPfXO5/s1600/Richard_III_earliest_surviving_portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbj2mZe9KexfmfBAq13v4rDl70elb8l4hH1_2yTa65t-2SrFHCXr_wiTZ_A6Xy9vcQ2ZMu73iP0eN64SU03f01YHBEOTBUdafgfvHfjpZx2J661uiQQo0D1YqqALzsdoFVMVQBZZPfXO5/s320/Richard_III_earliest_surviving_portrait.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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source: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_of_England#/media/File:Richard_III_earliest_surviving_portrait.jpg">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_of_England#/media/File:Richard_III_earliest_surviving_portrait.jpg</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The owners of the facial reconstruction went a bit further, & turned the reconstruction into a medieval version of a Ken doll: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYljPKa3fvCUSXIB880-DPShgO0eyiZ1uLuleudOktUWE20Gta5TKeMdv7kFnq-wkcHdmmd3soxOU8VMuLSWEEfTl7NdZ4Vn3KmXBbBv79GTVf6C_T_EdGPs99pZseC2F4GH8xfaubCCD/s1600/10469442_10203477952172040_210767032543732127_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYljPKa3fvCUSXIB880-DPShgO0eyiZ1uLuleudOktUWE20Gta5TKeMdv7kFnq-wkcHdmmd3soxOU8VMuLSWEEfTl7NdZ4Vn3KmXBbBv79GTVf6C_T_EdGPs99pZseC2F4GH8xfaubCCD/s320/10469442_10203477952172040_210767032543732127_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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credit: Me</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It doesn't look that bad up close, but under TV lights, no.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reaction to Richard's new wig was not positive, to say the least. I've heard that they are going to change the hair color yet again, & hopefully this time it will be closer to the correct shade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the meantime, if you want to get an idea of what Richard's hair color most likely was, you need look no further than Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Here is a photo of Prince William and his son, Prince George, taken this weekend after the Trooping of the Colour:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XZ_jKIWwR4hV9v9WPsoiLIM5K4D5GaLJL0ZS1gGn6vd3q3NknANfGEFvmenT-lRasI9FHrKRB3zbAUBAA_kwY6qSOUHKxiED0oOA4-odJgh6hfp-YyqDtf2dAjGtkxORVxeH0oQktOav/s1600/AP+Photo+Tim+Ireland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XZ_jKIWwR4hV9v9WPsoiLIM5K4D5GaLJL0ZS1gGn6vd3q3NknANfGEFvmenT-lRasI9FHrKRB3zbAUBAA_kwY6qSOUHKxiED0oOA4-odJgh6hfp-YyqDtf2dAjGtkxORVxeH0oQktOav/s320/AP+Photo+Tim+Ireland.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: AP/Tim Ireland</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For further comparison, here is the photograph released by Kensington Palace on their Twitter account, with side-by-side photographs:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HI-gMjBv6xJ3r380jcVvrUKeqlBU_UjMv9beQzwrxtS9Cp33Wmm8zpyNRfDX2jL5gORBJZ6G3lNO4DR5e4Zfn33Bwy-F6CfgJIJStUxNixe6e8CpWA1G2EuOnwMqz-Q0RON9laEqseyP/s1600/Kensington+Palace+Tweet.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HI-gMjBv6xJ3r380jcVvrUKeqlBU_UjMv9beQzwrxtS9Cp33Wmm8zpyNRfDX2jL5gORBJZ6G3lNO4DR5e4Zfn33Bwy-F6CfgJIJStUxNixe6e8CpWA1G2EuOnwMqz-Q0RON9laEqseyP/s320/Kensington+Palace+Tweet.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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source: <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/609702549957025794">https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/609702549957025794</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's a little ironic that you can illustrate what Richard's hair color might have been by using examples from the current Royal Family, I think. But this photo collage is an excellent example of how someone's blond hair can darken as they age.</span></div>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-59814522184853904652015-06-11T18:18:00.002-05:002015-06-12T08:02:10.772-05:00I Would Like to Thank the Academy<span style="font-size: large;">Or rather, the editors of the new online newsletter for the Richard III Society-American Branch. I was asked if I would give permission for them to use one of my articles ( <a href="http://sunnesandroses.blogspot.com/2015/04/from-birth-to-death-in-one-day-sixty.html">http://sunnesandroses.blogspot.com/2015/04/from-birth-to-death-in-one-day-sixty.html</a> )along with the photographs, in the first edition of their newsletter. It was an interesting experience, and came on the heels of another request for an interview and photographs to be published later this summer. Both offers came completely out of the blue at a time when I wasn't feeling particularly upbeat. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> In this issue are several articles by others who were also in Leicester for the reinterment ceremonies, including my good friend & Fellow Loon Susan Troxell, so if you're jonesing for more pictures and eyewitness accounts, check out this link:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.r3.org/newsletter/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.r3.org/newsletter/</span></a><br />
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<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-55123567673610268302015-06-03T20:35:00.002-05:002015-06-03T20:35:59.184-05:00How Do You Know When the "True Ricardians" Are Bored?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRxcfp3URQBPCAfeyZlC4jXnCCWZulWR-x9uCmzSFgRlbSrqXr_tzvQO4db8z0n3muawZKJ1er_CeyCGPXGmNTpcpHuptwiP1TDWDOPDIoOqek5C6u7O9rffyEvmfVm9DuAGhOaP5ZQXP/s1600/11159543_10203665897910566_6945217983186334654_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRxcfp3URQBPCAfeyZlC4jXnCCWZulWR-x9uCmzSFgRlbSrqXr_tzvQO4db8z0n3muawZKJ1er_CeyCGPXGmNTpcpHuptwiP1TDWDOPDIoOqek5C6u7O9rffyEvmfVm9DuAGhOaP5ZQXP/s320/11159543_10203665897910566_6945217983186334654_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sometimes, you just gotta vent. This is one of those times.<br />
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Instead of finding something interesting to research & write on, every now & then, the "True Ricardians" get bored & post little hit pieces on their blogs & other social media to see if they can stir things up. They derive much amusement from calling other people names & making reference to their own little in-jokes, none of which actually advances Ricardian scholarship. I've been stunned to see the drivel that has actually been posted on one "serious" blog. How low those standards have sunk!<br />
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The "True Ricardians" love throw around labels like "fake" or "anti" Ricardians any chance they get. Of course, if you ask them to actually define all those terms, they just ignore your question. I have noticed, however, that the people & groups labelled as "fake" or "anti" Ricardian are those that dare to ask difficult, uncomfortable questions & those that conduct adult conversations about what happened back in 1483-1485. <br />
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There are plenty of topics & theories out there to keep everyone interested in Richard III & his times occupied without falling back on writing attack blogs & resorting to name-calling. There are no such things as "True," "fake," or "anti" Ricardians, anyway. We're all just "Ricardians," even if some <strike>are dead wrong,</strike> er have different opinions about Richard.<br />
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<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-28034658881096455682015-04-24T19:53:00.000-05:002015-04-24T19:53:50.135-05:00Random Thoughts & Shots from the Reinterment Week<table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOFQ-VI6xqgHf6JhdAiEgl4Fb_Xk4FuVtcIOV8TX_zdaHRLpTLCBFUO8kCQGsQ5zYio9djesM_VxgpyKSQvBz27PblWFIsRP6iVOQzyB456bm7wGWt2YuNdQFQ0qdParb1xP52Wl5zYEx/s1600/IMG_0323.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOFQ-VI6xqgHf6JhdAiEgl4Fb_Xk4FuVtcIOV8TX_zdaHRLpTLCBFUO8kCQGsQ5zYio9djesM_VxgpyKSQvBz27PblWFIsRP6iVOQzyB456bm7wGWt2YuNdQFQ0qdParb1xP52Wl5zYEx/s1600/IMG_0323.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest photobomb ever :)<br /></td></tr>
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I was going through all the photos that I took on my trip & decided to post a few random ones that I took here & there. The above shot is from Sunday at Bosworth Battlefield. We were really early, on the first bus, & the volunteer guiding us had this amazing standard (which was not for sale in the gift shop--boooo). She held it out so we could take pictures of it & was I surprised to see this little cutie show up in my photo! I didn't see her when I took the picture, but there she was.<div>
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Here are some various photos that I took in & around St. Mary de Castro, where Richard's father was knighted.<br /><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjbRUPDnsRdINwB_EsseV8I6tIiicUdiYobEvN97DXC6GKfuL8csU2qTpHwuED9Qioo1eltXQnoa7KIlL_-VMi_FC7T1f3mI_rVD37MX2yEwz3RBPthjNr9KlCXzbJ3nzTYmti2I2RLz6/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjbRUPDnsRdINwB_EsseV8I6tIiicUdiYobEvN97DXC6GKfuL8csU2qTpHwuED9Qioo1eltXQnoa7KIlL_-VMi_FC7T1f3mI_rVD37MX2yEwz3RBPthjNr9KlCXzbJ3nzTYmti2I2RLz6/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapel with Richard's picture in it.</td></tr>
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I told myself to write down why this chapel has a connection to Richard, but nooo. But it does & it's important enough for the church to let you know that. Ah well, next time....</div>
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I love seeing how the sun makes the colors from stained glass shine inside churches. St. Mary de Castro is essentially two churches in one: one side for the nobility & the other side was for the commoners (back in the day when John of Gaunt was around). Now the wall separating the sanctuaries has been taken down & replaced with pillars, so the church is open to all.<br /><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6ReZIBoFL4IQ2GuJJQZDY3Q7xBau3BuKO5h9ErSefZOPMMqOKn1B1YyBw7jojEkGCpjHs2WAWznECi56vOxRP7wb1Ty7tzB6HrceGip_0H0eXrw7cG4ebfqaEsG715FYxsMCUfxHM-l0/s1600/IMG_0423.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6ReZIBoFL4IQ2GuJJQZDY3Q7xBau3BuKO5h9ErSefZOPMMqOKn1B1YyBw7jojEkGCpjHs2WAWznECi56vOxRP7wb1Ty7tzB6HrceGip_0H0eXrw7cG4ebfqaEsG715FYxsMCUfxHM-l0/s1600/IMG_0423.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Altar in the Royal side of the Church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y9-3zRHe9ilhlobvFU9yTaYgNuwhRInIRpotYHk9jFVkX0A_pvU2IffcMsmRXdVXtkqeH03QWm2c5P8O7ot96r4ItEZfEDWKSPz6B4lu2y9S_2Tledrw4Mbt-eFgEVP2FURGrEJ1lPSm/s1600/IMG_0426.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y9-3zRHe9ilhlobvFU9yTaYgNuwhRInIRpotYHk9jFVkX0A_pvU2IffcMsmRXdVXtkqeH03QWm2c5P8O7ot96r4ItEZfEDWKSPz6B4lu2y9S_2Tledrw4Mbt-eFgEVP2FURGrEJ1lPSm/s1600/IMG_0426.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained glass colors shining on the stone work<br /></td></tr>
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<br />There are only three of these guys decorating the pews of the church:<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Esvnci9zHY2g-rF5dD8QDuO2UL3gt1LPOfim9_yF7Qj1Opr4qc-BFGhTvxKY1ZOmqetlyQLra3UCNmz2kTEYCNRcF3ddO9ZYkUbd1QpKBu3Wx3x68y0cs1gxakwxHJwlCPR9Gg_79oR5/s1600/IMG_0427.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Esvnci9zHY2g-rF5dD8QDuO2UL3gt1LPOfim9_yF7Qj1Opr4qc-BFGhTvxKY1ZOmqetlyQLra3UCNmz2kTEYCNRcF3ddO9ZYkUbd1QpKBu3Wx3x68y0cs1gxakwxHJwlCPR9Gg_79oR5/s1600/IMG_0427.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Man (Victorian Era carving)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORXvIFz5zJDespQqS80DQ_vqaAALg7qrmSkrblU8KqZaAlWa9XFbUJX472mArhOaDKgHFiC6Taogv00r15z2dqMU6l_4WiWWLrVRKyivPehi9QBCiPGIQQnEvfHJ5ZlJZikAN6Tztg6KX/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORXvIFz5zJDespQqS80DQ_vqaAALg7qrmSkrblU8KqZaAlWa9XFbUJX472mArhOaDKgHFiC6Taogv00r15z2dqMU6l_4WiWWLrVRKyivPehi9QBCiPGIQQnEvfHJ5ZlJZikAN6Tztg6KX/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring flowers in the churchyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV0cy_ul_Q0SNEK8MiXp8mhhVqUukRMW76I6uS6A9UqOQb6WlxIrWIc1GBqB4JbOQkAX1wSRXBWkOxfqlBIpTDthXRNRVUFH5BNy7LmfXUbu_074-VhFXPQBy7tAFioTU3hrtaxSmH6nz/s1600/IMG_0397.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV0cy_ul_Q0SNEK8MiXp8mhhVqUukRMW76I6uS6A9UqOQb6WlxIrWIc1GBqB4JbOQkAX1wSRXBWkOxfqlBIpTDthXRNRVUFH5BNy7LmfXUbu_074-VhFXPQBy7tAFioTU3hrtaxSmH6nz/s1600/IMG_0397.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Mary de Castro<br /></td></tr>
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<br />The Tree of Life, a gorgeous artwork commissioned by Holy Cross Priory for the Requiem Mass celebrated there. I was lucky & shown to a seat in the Lady Chapel, which had a direct view of the main altar. As a result, I had my eyes on the vestment from Richard's royal wardrobe all night long. It is so beautiful & a miracle that it survived & was in good enough condition to use. I didn't get a photo of it because you're not supposed to take pictures during religious services. But fortunately, I was able to get a photo of the Tree of Life afterward. It was especially commissioned by Holy Cross Priory for the Requiem Mass.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSod8QIXJI58AHeB8adrPvCfZG0NQ88_Kq9XRtwiIpFmpltfImuzBYjxx5cEeOajiJZTsHfmWCaoGTJyicU6t2ebW7dl0Oo68pAroSOTJ09Sh0Q8mhkLLQ6NPpyfpR-5zKYZMq8Xe-9rFR/s1600/Tree+of+Life.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSod8QIXJI58AHeB8adrPvCfZG0NQ88_Kq9XRtwiIpFmpltfImuzBYjxx5cEeOajiJZTsHfmWCaoGTJyicU6t2ebW7dl0Oo68pAroSOTJ09Sh0Q8mhkLLQ6NPpyfpR-5zKYZMq8Xe-9rFR/s1600/Tree+of+Life.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree of Life<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Another of the original misericords from Fotheringhay Church. I'm pretty sure Richard also saw & touched this one. A rather "interesting" carving to put in a church, huh?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGtT2EbTu6IAm_k9c2ZXveiFuuxU0YiETRnRkte8P9qXHBXdl11J69sArqAiRkrc3OqB5bv439CyXatnt-7oviJjxcQnxyFcMpbV3zPv0WG62Co-RBmQOUBADATC16-M2kS5OaxukptcC/s1600/IMG_0571.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGtT2EbTu6IAm_k9c2ZXveiFuuxU0YiETRnRkte8P9qXHBXdl11J69sArqAiRkrc3OqB5bv439CyXatnt-7oviJjxcQnxyFcMpbV3zPv0WG62Co-RBmQOUBADATC16-M2kS5OaxukptcC/s1600/IMG_0571.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unusual Misericord<br /></td></tr>
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Still not a fan of the blond wig on the facial reconstruction. If they went just a little bit darker (& curlier), it would be a lot more accurate.<br /><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK5LVDDWqL5Lb3tfvrJpUdVkgDHANslJDHmjpryruBlmIdMHn_L9NFLp0WOHLZk6YVm90zfZgRkgUNfoJ97MuYuvZsnb-1hTV3Wu6_1H_3KYQd6HgZTlJBE_pMTYC36quoj03km5y5QDM/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK5LVDDWqL5Lb3tfvrJpUdVkgDHANslJDHmjpryruBlmIdMHn_L9NFLp0WOHLZk6YVm90zfZgRkgUNfoJ97MuYuvZsnb-1hTV3Wu6_1H_3KYQd6HgZTlJBE_pMTYC36quoj03km5y5QDM/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blondie doesn't look that bad in this light<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Stood in line for 3 hours, but it was worth it to be one of the first to see Richard's tomb in place.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnPDWJzX3O4-4Cpad_I5ugZlv428wXh1JU4svMJ__gfaWBEkXtWDIF95H98tm4OwDfTHtsvz3Qr0Tl-8zOfBB9DnTKmb-5xdLN-Hgq4oRAcH8GABgdiwix1-ml8GDGZwEPHn3kLeZQUMZ/s1600/IMG_0716.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnPDWJzX3O4-4Cpad_I5ugZlv428wXh1JU4svMJ__gfaWBEkXtWDIF95H98tm4OwDfTHtsvz3Qr0Tl-8zOfBB9DnTKmb-5xdLN-Hgq4oRAcH8GABgdiwix1-ml8GDGZwEPHn3kLeZQUMZ/s1600/IMG_0716.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard's tomb & motto</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZAtyFsYWTqCoSgfQK0Bn_yLZBslG680_RL9-mXWFH1mptNiWrzNoWeb7OVtASxGsa3uo9AqB0NrHeqihSj1bLFDIsAB1Vx8f8eJl2aHCnsddXwttMKdXnoF46KJIAx68Yb02PA_mEPjD/s1600/IMG_0719.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZAtyFsYWTqCoSgfQK0Bn_yLZBslG680_RL9-mXWFH1mptNiWrzNoWeb7OVtASxGsa3uo9AqB0NrHeqihSj1bLFDIsAB1Vx8f8eJl2aHCnsddXwttMKdXnoF46KJIAx68Yb02PA_mEPjD/s1600/IMG_0719.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window that shines on Richard's tomb<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSi_0CNYJSQbhVIcvzU8o5lHyZwfcD6xsY0KEN1Z_axkoG1zFxdvfi0-0IVskV4m56hvwsZZ9i731dwc_r_ET7kQCE4QGuT3X_r-kWLQHMvRNqXnEa8kVxaoG1mxqH3SwpZyNBOf9HLMJx/s1600/IMG_0723.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSi_0CNYJSQbhVIcvzU8o5lHyZwfcD6xsY0KEN1Z_axkoG1zFxdvfi0-0IVskV4m56hvwsZZ9i731dwc_r_ET7kQCE4QGuT3X_r-kWLQHMvRNqXnEa8kVxaoG1mxqH3SwpZyNBOf9HLMJx/s1600/IMG_0723.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The screen separating Richard's tomb from the main sanctuary<br /></td></tr>
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And a side view of what I call the "Everything is Awesome!" chair.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9AbJO2t3T5A2DcvKYH7Xpgvpj-OMzxSB7-eLQZJlASnOGBBlIO_1ak0XEBigfAuXZK5S012OAt7_mhCSsdyv88ulinu00g9QRuDrTdkl6QBUnU1JKrZ-SdnwlhafSR1cy6huXVUvlHqa/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9AbJO2t3T5A2DcvKYH7Xpgvpj-OMzxSB7-eLQZJlASnOGBBlIO_1ak0XEBigfAuXZK5S012OAt7_mhCSsdyv88ulinu00g9QRuDrTdkl6QBUnU1JKrZ-SdnwlhafSR1cy6huXVUvlHqa/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the screen & chapel beyond from the main sanctuary<br /></td></tr>
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<br />I find it interesting that a month later, & I'm still thinking back to this week & everything I did, all the people I met, the experiences we shared. From looking at my Facebook feed, I'm not the only one. But the week was an important one for those of us who went. We were part of something unique that will never happen again, so I guess it makes sense that we're all still thinking about it.<br /><br /><br /><div>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-70080569184908444092015-04-13T21:28:00.002-05:002015-04-13T21:28:44.748-05:00From Birth to Death in One Day & Sixty Miles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UMWxlD2VxkPMZrMRsikTzqFflmirMpDqCnOTn9RnfUM-XhC0iuMoI61NQ-lw0zq80NCIH_Uv1zY5tVFn-WSL5qKUrk-EDZY_jgU-SVbzZCzMJXoZFdw3185pCvYiXHZUSnvEgRYDldEA/s1600/11069798_10203463634654111_777114602982887339_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UMWxlD2VxkPMZrMRsikTzqFflmirMpDqCnOTn9RnfUM-XhC0iuMoI61NQ-lw0zq80NCIH_Uv1zY5tVFn-WSL5qKUrk-EDZY_jgU-SVbzZCzMJXoZFdw3185pCvYiXHZUSnvEgRYDldEA/s1600/11069798_10203463634654111_777114602982887339_n.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Mary & All Saints, Fotheringhay<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While I will always remember the week I spent with my Ricardian friends, the day that stands out the most to me is the day we went to Fotheringhay for a special service in honor of Richard's parents & older brother, Edmund.</span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The day started early, as we had to set up refreshments in the community center before the church service started. We weren't expecting many people, maybe the 15 who had said they would be there. To our surprise, 60 people attended, filling the pews of this beautiful little church which was built on orders of Richard's father, the Duke of York, before he was born. A copy of the contract to build the church, the only one of its kind in existence dating to medieval times, is displayed in the sanctuary.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCZ1YsYq4hd5nDQE3Yu39Ffcg15DLUmdtO1ZkTs4KV1vqL8F_2zVc0cjNGwZaoa-gd3LHja8pWsgAOdEE-K-PXsZNe2zLV24F23OqErxJ5gsiPkuWpgFxP_rJ1CSuHutUwCLwcNA5odqd/s1600/11069785_10203463635174124_2353739397619609725_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCZ1YsYq4hd5nDQE3Yu39Ffcg15DLUmdtO1ZkTs4KV1vqL8F_2zVc0cjNGwZaoa-gd3LHja8pWsgAOdEE-K-PXsZNe2zLV24F23OqErxJ5gsiPkuWpgFxP_rJ1CSuHutUwCLwcNA5odqd/s1600/11069785_10203463635174124_2353739397619609725_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Falcon & the Fetterlock, the device of Richard's father<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The church of St. Mary & All Saints was once much larger than it now is, but thanks to time & the Reformation, just a small portion of it remains. We were lucky that day. The sun was shining brightly through the windows of the church. I could only imagine how it would look if all of the windows were made of colored glass. An English version of Paris' gorgeous Sainte Chappelle! One of the guides told us that the church is popular for summer weddings. Imagine being married in such a beautiful place!</span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TxFRpzxaWvyQmbVZsgRD7F5f0E4N62YPK0uVNJnbLsjiBmGTY235wMMbF4gr-y62b8WPf376rVrBx24DXEtQCPtlzvIjuK4ZbMpv2t0SzXH_lDa9Si047Basx-IgSiE8zv6YDTfR_CFJ/s1600/10168031_10203463636814165_1693483753492597588_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TxFRpzxaWvyQmbVZsgRD7F5f0E4N62YPK0uVNJnbLsjiBmGTY235wMMbF4gr-y62b8WPf376rVrBx24DXEtQCPtlzvIjuK4ZbMpv2t0SzXH_lDa9Si047Basx-IgSiE8zv6YDTfR_CFJ/s1600/10168031_10203463636814165_1693483753492597588_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The York Window casting colors on the white walls<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was here at Fotheringhay that Richard was born & here he served as chief mourner at the reinterment of his father & brother Edmund. While their original tombs had to be rebuilt (on orders of Elizabeth I), the church still contains the original pulpit constructed on the orders of Edward IV, complete with the heraldic devices of both Richard, then Duke of Gloucester, & George, Duke of Clarence. </span><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjzzoWuZkO-1z9Jlde5WL0gsfvjBjxRbUP8lOLyOua2v9u4dmFNT_wMjPjcggb1gFNLS3Qs83Khg5rpyKAvFlGAjyjnH06WUyNZp2uq16SSgCB2sPAxqLFH6JF45boxoXIl8QMlgT8GDV/s1600/11088249_10203463636534158_3598328612431533615_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjzzoWuZkO-1z9Jlde5WL0gsfvjBjxRbUP8lOLyOua2v9u4dmFNT_wMjPjcggb1gFNLS3Qs83Khg5rpyKAvFlGAjyjnH06WUyNZp2uq16SSgCB2sPAxqLFH6JF45boxoXIl8QMlgT8GDV/s1600/11088249_10203463636534158_3598328612431533615_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulpit of Edward IV<br /></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;">You have to get up close & inside the pulpit in order to get clear pictures of the Boar & the Bull:</span><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjFQ1IBPSjUzxOIbKJIOUs4ajZWyIONpx-tKEfeq1bwwd3yRCwGHAgjtJKI18XTv4C0WfStOK9pMpKTtFgimaE-unVSvWNK9yZUmfgdfkE5j768lZ0J2TDSYGpHP8Op3uNWvLvct7eArE/s1600/10505355_10203463637534183_1222030140086852403_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjFQ1IBPSjUzxOIbKJIOUs4ajZWyIONpx-tKEfeq1bwwd3yRCwGHAgjtJKI18XTv4C0WfStOK9pMpKTtFgimaE-unVSvWNK9yZUmfgdfkE5j768lZ0J2TDSYGpHP8Op3uNWvLvct7eArE/s1600/10505355_10203463637534183_1222030140086852403_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The White Boar of Richard, Duke of Gloucester<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Black Bull of Clarence:</span><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo1bmE1TM0fIP6RIYVE4NuS16fVl85tQH37yBMNzK7Nrj3Lcqz-5Mvy-D_jQuPjV84hgQJx2_t-gJzS_OJEF4wgnMQcq59ZSv-3ZB3gHJ2JSXMViV4wbpv03IlD3LDbCVsX2H7WAyq1vP/s1600/19506_10203463638294202_9088703995363529839_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo1bmE1TM0fIP6RIYVE4NuS16fVl85tQH37yBMNzK7Nrj3Lcqz-5Mvy-D_jQuPjV84hgQJx2_t-gJzS_OJEF4wgnMQcq59ZSv-3ZB3gHJ2JSXMViV4wbpv03IlD3LDbCVsX2H7WAyq1vP/s1600/19506_10203463638294202_9088703995363529839_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heraldic device of George, Duke of Clarence, the Jan Brady of the York Brothers<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tombs of Richard's parents & his older brother Edmund face each other on opposite sides of the main altar. I had wondered earlier if Edmund had his own heraldic device, but it doesn't appear that he did. His tomb was decorated with the device of his father, the Falcon & the Fetterlock.</span><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfU2HpfI1R34xWxolb5TgXHXNcswrB371Dmv16GwdELfHlOjVxUDauiosgHaSMYuMz4ZHMbEtyGwezHci6wWGWb719niRyWwSBC7IA0dOgZ_EYeTv8viKfviyR4SQChWJi4IMhnYPmoy-l/s1600/10570385_10203477953372070_5852653680748035123_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfU2HpfI1R34xWxolb5TgXHXNcswrB371Dmv16GwdELfHlOjVxUDauiosgHaSMYuMz4ZHMbEtyGwezHci6wWGWb719niRyWwSBC7IA0dOgZ_EYeTv8viKfviyR4SQChWJi4IMhnYPmoy-l/s1600/10570385_10203477953372070_5852653680748035123_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomb of Edmund, Earl of Rutland, who was murdered after battle when he was only 17.<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the service at the church, & refreshments & an interesting talk by Susan Troxell in the community center, we headed to another church nearby to examine some misericords. These misericords were originally part of the church at Fotheringhay & were there when Richard lived there. On one of them was a decoration familiar to Ricardians:</span><table align="center" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIi0rlWp2qnuXxzZVTEB8JL6rKY467uzPzGhaq22Qjc18MYCwjwZi9aLDM4Ka58b1p9RWrGtS2en7wgvM56nkY3xBEHpi5-M7srYW0MAlDn9fSKK7axc6nuFILRTVEXpioOhdE8cYeA6F3/s1600/11046440_10203477953012061_6798827960170919073_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIi0rlWp2qnuXxzZVTEB8JL6rKY467uzPzGhaq22Qjc18MYCwjwZi9aLDM4Ka58b1p9RWrGtS2en7wgvM56nkY3xBEHpi5-M7srYW0MAlDn9fSKK7axc6nuFILRTVEXpioOhdE8cYeA6F3/s1600/11046440_10203477953012061_6798827960170919073_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look familiar?<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was so amazing & emotional to see & touch something Richard also saw & touched over 500 years ago. So much from his time has been lost. It's a miracle anything survives & in such good condition that it is still in weekly use! We felt like teenage nerds, but ones who wander into churches (with the key!) & take pictures of misericords. </span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a short stop at this tiny church, our group went in separate directions. Since one person in the vehicle I was in had not been to Bosworth, we decided to head there so she could get some pictures before the sunset. As luck would have it, we were close enough to Fenn Lane Farms before the sun went completely down, & so we were able to stand on the road which overlooks the field where Richard lost his life. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriGcx9NAUvoG0ykdHA4S4RthskFn6JnM-XgM1BglVjbvRpSkoP5ATm_7_hl6Bf9KNVNfCaEGO-OmBV0xl3edHKngDGm4TtL_yKgFP068jGQWbaUtsn2bDX95vVNIjTrKTojWGhJ9vycf5/s1600/10849983_10203463640614260_1223351667996163967_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriGcx9NAUvoG0ykdHA4S4RthskFn6JnM-XgM1BglVjbvRpSkoP5ATm_7_hl6Bf9KNVNfCaEGO-OmBV0xl3edHKngDGm4TtL_yKgFP068jGQWbaUtsn2bDX95vVNIjTrKTojWGhJ9vycf5/s1600/10849983_10203463640614260_1223351667996163967_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fenn Lane Farm, the actual battle site<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While this picture may not look like much, I was so emotionally overcome at this moment, I started crying. I actually "felt" the presence of the spirits who still wander this field, 530 years after the battle. I'm sure all of the activity woke them up, especially since several men stood vigil for Richard the night before the procession to Leicester. It was as though I felt the weight of a half- millennia's worth of unexpressed emotions clamoring for an outlet, for release. Perhaps all of the people in the crowds & those who felt drawn to Leicester were answering this call & now that these emotions have found voice, the healing & restoring of Richard's reputation can now begin in earnest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was later, on our way back to Leicester, that we realized we traveled the length of Richard's life in one day, & that the place where he was born & the place where he died are only 60 miles apart. </span></div>
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DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-37997175591166404772015-04-11T13:25:00.000-05:002015-04-11T21:31:51.718-05:00About the Queen....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe it has been three weeks since the dramatic events in Leicester. I'm still processing everything that happened. Friends & family who don't ordinarily share my love of history in general & fascination with Richard III in particular still comment on the events as they followed them via my posts on Facebook & news stories they saw in the papers & on TV.<br />
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And yet, there are still those who want to do nothing but complain about the events in Leicester because they wanted Richard III reinterred in York Minster. They hold themselves out as the only "true" Ricardians, & some of these elitist snobs showed up in Leicester bound & determined to find offense at every possible thing. And because you always find what you're looking for, they did. I've seen complaints about the young girl who placed the crown on Richard's coffin (just who in their right mind complains about a CHILD?), complaints that "true" Ricardians weren't allowed to hold up the repose line at the Cathedral so they could pray (read: perform) by the coffin (the fact that they were in a Cathedral with chapels set aside for that purpose apparently eluded them), and of course, complaints that the Queen did not attend the reinterment because she "hates" Richard. Seriously. The cattiness & pettiness these "true" Ricardians have put out there in social media is as embarrassing as it is ignorant & uninformed.<br />
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According to information I learned from a friend & from the Yeoman Warders who attended the reinterment themselves, the Queen very much approved of the events in Leicester. But why didn't she attend the reinterment herself? For many reasons, apparently, & none of them have anything to do with "Tudor propaganda."<br />
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First of all, the Queen does not attend funeral services & as it turned out, she had a prior engagement to honor veterans of the Battle of Britain. As the niece of uncles & aunts who served in WWII, I dare anyone to tell me this event was "minor" or "unimportant.". Second, however, is the fact that the Duke of Gloucester has long been the patron of the Richard III Society & has been involved in the search & discovery of Richard III's remains for a very long time. If the Queen had attended the service, she would have taken attention away from the Duke of Gloucester at his own event, something that Royal protocol does not permit. <br />
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In a further show of her approval, the Queen asked the Countess of Wessex to attend the reinterment ceremony as her personal representative. The Queen also permitted two or three Heralds from her own Household to attend, including the Herald of the Garter. To keep from upstaging the Duke of Gloucester, however, they were only permitted to wear their chains of office & not their regalia.<br />
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Also in attendance with the approval of the Queen, and with permission to wear regalia, was the Lord Constable of the Tower. The Lord Constable always travels with two Yeoman Warders as his personal escorts and they were also in their blue undress uniforms with permission from the Queen. (See photo above.) Had the Queen not given her consent, the Lord Constable and his escorts would have attended in civilian clothing.<br />
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As you can see, far from disapproving of the reinterment ceremonies, the Queen was actually quite engaged & approved of them. Yes, I am disappointed that I did not get to see her, but I am glad to learn that she permitted so many to attend, some in their regalia, because it added to the pomp & ceremony of the occasion.<br />
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The above picture was taken on Thursday, after the ceremonies, at the Queen of Bradgate. My friends & I went to get some lunch & while we were there, the Yeoman Warders showed up. They were incredibly friendly & very informative, patiently putting up with our questions & requests for photographs. It turns out that they are Ricardians themselves (!!!) & were planning to come up to Leicester anyway on their day off just to stand in the crowd, when their boss asked them to escort him to the ceremony. They were taking back a couple of souvenirs for another Yeoman Warder who couldn't attend, but is also a Ricardian.<br />
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And as if that particular day couldn't get any more amazing, my friend Kim & I ended up sharing a cab back to our hotel with two of the Somerset heirs. How awesome is that!<br />
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<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-68915303223682234772015-04-01T18:42:00.001-05:002015-04-01T18:42:56.490-05:00"Richard" by Carol Ann DuffyAs illustrated by photographs I took last week in & around Leicester. The last photograph was taken at Fenn Lane Farms, the actual battle site.<br />
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<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-4340529706027091292015-02-28T10:41:00.001-06:002015-02-28T10:41:38.569-06:00What A Wild Ride It Has Been!Exactly one month from today, I will be heading home from Leicester after participating in several of the many events planned for the reinterment of Richard III. The people & organizations of Leicester should rightfully be proud of all they have accomplished since the discovery of Richard's remains, & those malcontents who have contributed nothing but trouble, negativity, & chaos should be ashamed of their immature behavior. <br />
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When I started this blog, I had small hope of even being in Leicester when Richard III was reinterred in the Cathedral there. But Life has a funny way of sorting things out & sure enough, I'll be winging my way to the UK next month. I can't wait!<br />
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There have been many surprises along the way, but the biggest one (to me at least) was the extent of cooperation between Leicester Cathedral & the Roman Catholic Church. The highest ranking official in the Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Westminster (himself a great-nephew of Richard III) will be presiding over the ceremonies alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury.<br />
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All segments of the Leicester community have been involved in some way in the preparations, including cute little school kids who made fabric bags for some of Richard's bones. Outside of Leicester, the community of Market Bosworth has taken on a project to create bunting for their town to display on Sunday, March 22 when Richard's remains are processed from the Battlefield to Leicester Cathedral.<br />
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There will even be representatives of the Royal Family. The Duke & Duchess of Gloucester will be at all three ceremonies at Leicester Cathedral, & will be joined by the Countess of Wessex for the reinterment ceremony itself. <br />
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Despite the mumblings of the discontented (who claim they won't be going to Leicester anyway, so why are they so obsessed about it?), the week of Richard's reinterment promises to be a grand one & I am very excited to be able to go.DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141220948740339027.post-738480987601201052015-01-12T12:53:00.000-06:002015-01-14T21:46:53.103-06:00The Sunne in Splendour, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Of the many fascinating stories surrounding Richard III and the House of York, the story of the "Sunne in Splendour" is, to me, one of the most amazing ones.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>On the morning of February 2, 1461, at Mortimer's Cross, three suns appeared on the horizon. Medieval minds being what they were, many of Edward's troops viewed this as a bad omen. Edward thought fast on his feet and convinced his followers that the three suns represented the Holy Trinity & meant that God was on their side. But why did he make this allusion and why did it work?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Besides the obvious answer, that medieval people were more religious & superstitious than we are, what is often overlooked by many today is that February 2 is also the date the Catholic Church celebrates Candlemas. Candlemas marks the 40th day after the birth of Jesus & the date of his first presentation at the temple. It is the day people bring candles to Church to be blessed & borne in procession to signify Jesus' role as "the light of the world." The origins of Candlemas stem from much older pagan traditions, which mark February 1 or February 2 as Imbolc, the halfway point between winter & spring, "the return of the light." The appearance of the "Sunne in Splendour" on such an important day, then, had added religious significance for Edward & his troops. So strong, in fact, that Edward adopted it as his personal device.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>So what did this phenomenon look like? A similar one appeared in my home town a few months ago, but it was at noon. Yesterday, however, a much more spectacular one appeared in New Mexico, & in my opinion, is more like the one that appeared before the Battle of Mortimer's Cross than other pictures I've come across. I posted a photograph of it, taken by Joshua Thomas in Red River, New Mexico, at the top of this entry. </b></span><b style="font-size: x-large;">See also here <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NWSAmarillo/photos/a.376992752312629.94660.208741279137778/940978792580686/?type=1&theater">https://www.facebook.com/NWSAmarillo/photos/a.376992752312629.94660.208741279137778/940978792580686/?type=1&theater</a> </b><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Even though we know what causes this phenomenon today, it still takes our breath away. More than 500 years on, it is still easy for us to see why Edward & his followers were so in awe & considered it a sign of God's favor.</b><br />
<br />DGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04107010714337224660noreply@blogger.com1