Ludlow is a small town in Shropshire, and it's a brilliant place to visit for anyone interested in medieval and Tudor history. I've visited it many times. One of the best places to visit there is St Laurence's Church. The church is about 800 years old. Here are my pictures after a recent visit.
The entrance to St Laurence's Church. There are volunteer staff there who are very knowledgeable.
August 22nd marks the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The battle was fought between Richard III, and Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond. Henry was a rank outsider for the crown. He was the son of Edmund Tudor, half brother to King Henry VI through his mother, the dowager Queen Katherine and her second marriage to Owen Tudor, and Margaret Beaufort, descended through the bastard line of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. (They were later legitimised by Gaunt). Recent fiction has done a lot to damage the reputation of Margaret Beaufort, with the idea she was plotting to put her son on the throne during the reign of Edward IV. Utterly ridiculous and of course a work of fiction, but I've had people cite it to me as 'historical fact'. That would make Margaret an incredible woman with the superb gift of hindsight. During the reign of Edward IV, the House of York should have been triumphant in the so-called War of the Roses. Edward had 2 sons with his wife Elizabeth Woodville, and he also had 2 brothers, George, Duke of Clarence, for a while his brother's heir, who also had a son, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who also had a son, and then there was their relative, the Duke of Buckingham, with a claim to the throne. However, the House of York destroyed itself, with Edward executing his brother George and alienating his brother Richard to such an extent that following the death of Edward IV, Richard usurped the throne from his nephews, imprisoning them in the Tower of London from which they never emerged. Richard executed Buckingham, his own son died, and there was dissatisfaction at his reign after only 2 years. It was then that eyes turned to Brittainy, where Henry Tudor had been living in exile with his uncle, Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, to keep him safe from Yorkist plots. All Margaret Beaufort had wanted was to keep her son safe from plots, and that he should have his title Duke of Richmond and live safely in the court of Edward IV. It was only Richard III's usurpation that drove her to plot with Edward IV's former wife, Elizabeth, and arrange a marriage between Henry and the eldest Yorkist princess, also called Elizabeth. Richard III was an experienced soldier from a young age and facing an inexperienced Henry Tudor, (it was Henry's first battle) who was barely known in England, Richard should have been victorious. Instead, the battle was a short one, with Richard making a calamitous mistake which meant he was trapped between Henry Tudor's army and the so far uninvolved army belonging to Lord Stanley, step-father to Henry Tudor, and whose son was being held hostage by Richard III to ensure he fought on his side. Lord Stanley seized his chance and Richard was cut down. This is a well known story, and much has been made of Stanley's so-called treachery, but there was another army, led by the Earl of Northumberland, another supporter of Richard, who also did not engage in the battle.
There is a superb museum at Bosworth, and whilst there is some debate over where the actual battle took place, you can walk the battle trail. I've been there twice, and it is well worth a visit. Every year, on August 22nd, there's a re-enactment of the battle and this year is no different. Check out their website here - https://www.bosworthbattlefield.org.uk/
Here are some photos from my last visit.
I saw this model as a child and was delighted it was still on show in 2018!
If only.......this had happened, or hadn't happened. Many history fans have often thought this. And it's noticeable there are 'alternative' history novels being written. We often wish we could change key events of history. Watching 'Anne of the Thousand Days' for the umpteenth time the other week, I still wished that Anne Boleyn's speech to Henry VIII in the Tower had happened - whereby she tells him that she won't admit her marriage is invalid, and that Elizabeth will make a fantastic Queen, better than any king Henry might produce with any other wife. She then tells him her blood will have been 'well spent'. If only.....but of course, once she was arrested, Anne never saw Henry again, and she could not have known what was going to happen to Elizabeth, but she was no doubt extremely worried about her daughter's future.
Other 'if only' s for me - well, that the Earl of Pembroke, Aymer de Valence, was not desperate to see his wife at Bampton, leaving Piers Gaveston with a small garrison to guard him at Deddington Priory. That would ensure that Guy, Earl of Warwick, didn't storm the Priory and capture Piers, take him prisoner, march him to Warwick Castle and arrange his execution. No doubt Guy had spies, watching Pembroke's movements, waiting for an opportunity to strike. But he may not have got another opportunity. Or maybe he would have challenged Pembroke openly. Piers trusted the honourable Pembroke. If only he hadn't he might have tried to escape. But he had surrendered on favourable terms, and both Piers and Pembroke kept their word.
If only.... Edward II had not allowed his son to join his wife, Isabella, in France, to pay homage for Gascony. Although, hindsight is a brilliant gift, and the events of 1327 could not have been imagined!
If only.....Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, had lived. Then Henry, his younger brother, would have remained just that! I've often wondered what sort of King Arthur would have made. I've read a coupe of books about him, and visited his tomb at Worcester many times. He had all the makings of a great king - his education and character seem to bear this out. Of course, we'll never really know, but he had a strong sense of duty from an early age, and so much had been invested in him. He had ruled his mini-court at Ludlow with support from a young age. Would he and Katherine of Aragon have had children that survived? Would the Tudor dynasty have survived? Would Prince Henry have remained loyal, or would his Yorkist genes caused rebellious trouble? Of course, had Arthur survived, we would not have had Anne Boleyn, and then Elizabeth 1st, although I'm sure the Reformation would have taken a hold of some sort.
If only....Anthony Woodville had avoided his meeting with Richard of Gloucester and the Duke of Buckingham at Stony Stratford. Although I have the feeling Richard was determined to ambush Woodville and take custody of Edward V wherever he could.
If only.....Edward IV had married Elizabeth Woodville in a ceremony with lots of witnesses. Enough said.
If only....Anne Boleyn had produced a living son. Her position would then have been unassailable. But then we'd have no Elizabeth 1st.
If only Margaret of Anjou had lived long enough to see the defeat of the Yorkists at Bosworth and the start of the Tudor dynasty - the final triumph of Lancaster over York. That would not really have changed history that much, but it would have been wonderful!
There are many other 'if only's in history I could include. The ones I've listed are my favourites.
The Earl of Gloucester, who stood by and did nothing to help Piers, was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn when he recklessly rode into the battle without his colours. It was rumoured Warwick may have been poisoned, but he did not live long enough to enjoy his 'triumph', whilst Lancaster faced the King's revenge and was executed himself, in a parody to what he had done to Piers. The Earl of Pembroke united solidly behind Edward II. At Blacklow Hill, a monument was erected in 1823 to record what had happened there.
Scarborough Castle, where Piers surrendered, May 19th, 1312.
May 19th is always an important date of rememberance for me. It's the date when Piers Gaveston surrendered Scarborough Castle. You can read more about it in this post - Surrender at Scarborough Castle
Following on from my St David's Day post and Pembroke Castle, here's a tale from another Welsh castle, Carew about Princess Nest. She was the daughter of the Welsh Prince Rhys Ap Tewder, who died in 1093. Nest spent time at the court of Henry Ist, and bore him a child, a son. She then married Gerald De Windsor, an Anglo Norman Lord. He was given land at Carew and together they began to build the first castle.
Nest was considered the most beautiful woman in Wales, and there were many who admired her beauty. Despite being married to Gerald - she bore him 5 children - she was desired by others, including the Welsh Prince Owain ap Cadwgan. In a daring attack on the castle, he set it alight and captured Nest. Her husband escaped via a garderobe, aided by Nest. It may have been that Nest wasn't that distressed by being captured by Owain. She was finally rescued some 6 years later - and with 2 new children by Owain - by her husband and Owain was killed. Gerald died the following year and Nest married again, and had more children. In all, it is thought she had about 20 children. She sounds a fascinating character and died in 1136. The earliest part of Carew Castle, where Nest sheltered when the castle was under attack, can still be seen at Carew today. It would have been painted white with limestone when first built, as a reminder of the power of Norman rule.
I've posted about Carew Castle before. It was the home of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, the 'man who killed Richard III'. It's a hidden gem of a castle. From it's beginnings with Princess Nest, it's continued fortifications, and then it's turn around from defensive castle to luxury manor house, it's all to be discovered. Henry VII even visited Carew for a celebration tournament hosted by Sir Rhys and you can see the arms of Henry VII and Prince Arthur still.
Wales is often called the land of castles, and an awful lot of them were built by Edward 1st. However, they had always been hill forts, wooden castles and hunting lodges built in Wales long before. One of the oldest castles in Wales, and the birthplace of one of my favourite Kings, Henry VII, is Pembroke Castle. It is a fabulous castle to visit, and has a magnificent round, stone keep built by William Marshall. There is also the Henry VII Tower, where legend says 13 year old Margaret Beaufort gave birth to her only child, Henry Tudor, although it's more likely to have been the manor house built inside the castle grounds which no longer stands.
