Richard III Society, Inc. Volume XVII No. 2 Summer, 1992

PROFESSOR CHARLES T. WOOD HIS MAJESTY’S LOYAL OPPPOSITION REGISTERSTAFF

EDITOR: Carole M. Rike I? 0. Box 13786 l New Orleans, LA 70185 l (504) 827-0161 (SO4)822-7599(FAX) RICARDIANRFXADINGEDITOR: MymaSmith 400 Greens Road #1903 . Houston, TX 77060 ARTIST: Susan Dexter 1510 Delaware Avenue l New Castle, PA 16105-2674 0 1992 Ri&tdIII So&& Inc. A//n@ tesen~& No part may be n@duezd or transmit& in any form or RICARDIAN TRAVEL EDITOR: Marti Vogel 4837 Fairfield Street l Mctairic, LA 70006 l (504) 455-5349 by any means - me&nhz~, ekxtnka~ or otherwise - including, but not limited to ~ofoeopying, monfing or EXECUTIVEBOARD information storage nffitval- wihoutexpnxs wdten petmission from the &n&y. CHAIRMAN: Eugene McManus 345 Harvard Street l Cambridge, MA 02138 l (617) 864-0241 Th Ricardian Register is pubb%d quarterly as a VICE CHAIRMAN: Ellen Ekstriim Femandez setvice to members. 1017 Virginia Street l Berkeley, CA 94710 l (510) 526-3943 Tk RichaniIIISo&ty, Inc. isa non-profit, edueationa~ SECRETARY: Toni E. GoIliis corgoration. Dues, grants, and eontnibutions are tax- 11 Page Street l Danvcrs, MA 01923 l (508) 777-7685 deduetabble to tfie extent a&wed by taw. TREASURER: Joe Ann Ricca 638B Sixth Street l Carlstadt, NJ 07072 l (201) 933-6861 Dues an $30.00 annual/r. Ea& additional famit’y member is $5. Members of the Amencan Society ate also M EMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN: &role M. Rike I? 0. Box 13786 l New Orleans, LA 701853786 l 504) 827-0161 membets of the EngJish So&y. AIISo&ty pubkations (504) 822-7599 (FAX) and items for saie may be punha.& either direct at the IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN: Roxane C. Murph U.K. member’s rate, or via the U.S. Society, when 3501 Medina Avenue l Fort Worth, TX 76133 l (817) 923-5056 awaiiabie. Papers may be bortowedfrom the English Librarian, but boo&s are notsent osxneas. When a U.S. C OMMITTEE C HAIRMEN: member visits the U.K., a// meetings, expditions, and ARCHIVIST: Robert W. Cook otheraclioitics am open, in&ding the ACM, where U.S. 4006 Bcltsvillc Road l Bcltsvillc, MD 20705 members an wekome to casf a vote. CHAPTERCOORDINATOR: JanetM.Sweet 240 Fairdalc Avenue l Wcstcrvillc, OH 43081 l (614) 891-4030 Advertise in the Ricardian Register ENDOWMENTS COORDINATOR : Anthony C. Colliis Your ad in the Ricardian Register wi// teach an 11905 Triple Crown Road l Reston, VA 22091 l (703) 620-9659 audience of over 750 So&y membetx andcolt’eagues - LIBRARIAN: Research & Non-Fiction: Helen Maurer demonstratedmai/buyersandptimeprospeetsforbooks 24001 Salcro Lane l Mission Vicjo, CA 92691 l (714) 768-0417 relating to the late medieva~era, as we11 as forgift items LIBRARIAN : AudidvisuaWiction: Marie Martinelli

3911 Fauqicr Avenue l Richmond, VA 23227 l (804) 262-4592 and other met&and&e misting to this period. They are a/so prospects for lodgings, tours, and other setviees LIBRARIES COORDINATOR: Eirene Varley F! 0. Box 27252 l Austin, TX 787552252 relaed to travel in England and on the continent. R ESEARCH O FFICER: David Zbybig Cksssified Advertising Rates: 8 7SOjer inch. Send copy 170 Lee Road l Bcrca, OH 44017 with your temittanee to the Ricardian Register, PUBLIC RELATIONS: Laura Blanchard Advertising Sales Ofja, Suite 106, 303 vine Stmet, Vine Street l Apt. 106 l Philadelphia, PA 19106-1143 l (215) 574-1579 303 Phikde&hia, PA 191061143, Phone(215) 574-1570 FAX: (215) 574-1571 (voice) or (215) 574-1571 (FAX). Forinfonnation on PUBLICATIONS: Dr. James A. Moore display advertising rates and sizes, contact the Adv- Department of English l East Central University l Ada, OK l 74820-6899 tising Sales Ofice. S ALES O FFICER: Liia B. McLatehie 330 Cedar Street l Ashland, MA 01721 Deadlines: SCHALLEK MEMORLU~GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP: Joe Ann Ricca 638B Sixth Street l Carlstadt, NJ 07072 l (201) 933-6861 Sc~o0L.s COORDINATOR: Anne Vineyard Fall Issue August 25 4014 Broken Bow Lane l Garland, TX 75044 Winter issue November 25 SPEAKERS COORDINATOR : Pam Milavec 9123 West Arbor Avenue l Littleton, CO 80123 l (303) 933-1366 Spring issue Fcbruaty 25 Summer issue May 25 TOUR COORDINATOR: Liida Ti-eybig 170 Lee Road l Bcrca, OH 44017

Changes of address and dues payments to: P. 0. Box 13786 9 New Orleans, LA 70185-3786

Summer, 1992 - 2- Ricardian Register CHAPTERCONTACTS 1992 Chicago&and Anne Butzen Annual 4320 North Claremont Chicago, IL 60618 General (3 12) 463-2938 Middle Atlantic Meeting Mary Schaller 584.5 Parkeet Drive October 2-4 Burke, VA 22015 (703) 323-7339 NewOrleans Michigan Area Sara Fiegenschuh Ponchartrain 12236 Canton Center Road Plymouth, MI 48170 Hotel (313) 4557128 New England Watch for Linda Spicer registration packett 109 Chapman Street to arrive shortly1 Watertown, MA02172 New Jersey Susan Mahoney 28 Floyd Avenue Bloomfield, NJ 07003 New York City Suzanne Present 162 Avenue B #8 New York, NY 10009 Northern California Andrew Knight N HE . . 1731 Pine Street COMING I T FALL ISSUE.. Martinez, CA 94553 (51) 2294973 FocusONBOSWORTH Northwest Beverlee Weston 25 18 Cascade Place W. Our Fall issue of the Register will feature Bosworth, which - to my Tacoma, WA 98466 knowledge - we have not done before. If you have pictures, slides, (206) 5664995 personal experiences or some knowledge of the events of August 22, Ohio 1485, please contact your Editor and share them with the Society. Thomas L. Coies We’ll have a special prize at the AGM for that member who submits 817 Madison Avenue Lancaster, OH 43130 the most interesting information on Bosworth Field, the events of the (614) 654-4657 day, or those leading up to it! Rocky Mountain Let us hear from you! Pam Milavec Carole Rike 9123 West Arbor Avenue Littleton, CO 80123 (303) 933-1366 Southeastern Pennsylvania Regina Jones 253 Ashby Road Upper Darby, PA 19082 (215) 352-5728 Southern Cahforniu Karl L.Bobek 500 S. La Vera Park Circle #37 Orange, CA 92668 (614) 6544657 Southwest Pat Poundstone 4924 Overton Avenue Fort Worth, TX 76 133

Ricardian Register -3- Spring, 7 992 Schallek Advisory Board Profile: Charles I: Wood HIS MAJESTY’S LOYAL OPPOSITION

This traditional historian’s damning assessment of Richard III is tempered by a curious sympathy for his predicament

well-developed sense of whimsy brought Dart- gating crouch-backed Dickon intriguing or ‘camp’ mouth history professor Charles T. Wood to the enough that adequate numbers would sign up, as astudy of Richard III-a study that has spanned indeed they did. Then, once in the course and familiar a quarter-century, embracing both teaching and writ- with the evidence, I anticipated that not a few of them ing, and including several articles and a critically-ac- would find themselves desperately anxious to pin claimed book on comparative constitutional history. down the truth of the matter, totally irrelevant through they knew that truth to be. Such a contradictory set of reactions struck me as not a bad introduction to the Wood began his academic career, metaphorically whole academic enterprise.“3 speaking, on the other side of the Channel, as a And desperately anxious they became. One re- French historian; his The French Apanages ad the sourceful freshman undertook a series of surveys of Capetian Monarchy 22242328 (Harvard Historical popular opinion about Richard’s reputation. The re- Monographs No. 59, Harvard University Press, 1966) sults were not encouraging to Richard’s defenders: is among his early publications. In the late 196os, ten out of thirteen Dartmouth librarians found him though, Wood was tapped to teach an experimental guilty, as did eight out of twelve faculty members. freshman seminar at Dartmouth. These seminars “Nor were these results limited to Dartmouth,” adds were designed to serve as a replacement for the man- Wood. “Snowed in one day at Boston’s Logan Airport, datory second semester of English composition, plac- our budding sociologist found that passenger opinion ing students as close to the frontiers of knowledge at Eastern Airlines went against Richard of Gloucester within a field as possible. ten to one (three undecideds), while at American the Recalls Wood of the time, “The late 60s were a unfavorable margin was fourteen to two.‘* crazy time to be an historian and especially a medieval There were two significant consequences to historian. The counter- culture was in; history was out; Wood’s choice of Richard as a seminar topic. First, his and anything that had happened more than live min- “irrelevant” subject, fueled by the passions and dis- utes ago was deemed irrelevant. Being of a somewhat coveries of his students, inevitably became a research impish disposition, I was naturally curious to find out topic. As Wood puts it, “I learned more than my just how bad the situation was really becoming, so students did. And among the things I learned was that decided that I should teach my seminar on absolutely the reign of Richard III was one heck of a lot more the most irrelevant topic I could think of.“l interesting than either Miss Cam or any other histo- As it happened, irrelevancy was easy to come by. rian had ever made it out to be. Richard III went on Wood had studied medieval English history under my research agenda, and my first article on him ap- Helen Maude Cam at Harvard during the period that peared in the mid-1970s.“’ Second, and perhaps Josephine Tey and Paul Murray Kendall were stirring equally inevitably, he was invited to be the American the pot with their revisionist works. Miss Cam, a Branch AGM speaker in 1968 and has maintained a constitutional historian of some repute, was not shy Ricardian connection ever since. about expressing her annoyance. According to Wood, one day in class Miss Cam remarked with some asper- The ‘Cock-up Theory’ of 1483 ity: “I just do not understand how people can get so upset over the fate of a couple of snivelling brats. Wood’s first article on the subject, “The Deposi- After all, what impact did they have on the constitu- tion of Edward V,” reviews the events of the April- tion?“* And so, in search of medieval irrelevance, June 1483 period in the context of other medieval Wood remembered Richard and Miss Cam, and his English depositions and, in particular, with regard to first Freshman Seminar became “The Great Richard the deposition’s impact on the power of parliamentary III Murder Mystery.” authority. His view of Richard’s actions during the “My assumption here was that students would of period of the Protectorate is comforting to most Ri- course recognize the hopeless irrelevance of the cardian moderates: “There is little evidence to sustain topic, ” he explains. “At the same time, though, my bet the traditional view that from the beginning Richard was that they would find the whole notion of investi- aimed at the throne. On the contrary, his every move

Summer, 1992 - 4- Ricardian Register suggests a much more limited ambition.. . that at most to explain why and how France and England had the Duke of Gloucester was, in modem terms, ‘keep- developed such different forms of government, many ing his options open.‘“‘j In subsequent paragraphs, of the introductory chapters could be drawn from Wood offers a sympathetic and refreshingly pragmatic other articles that had hitherto seemed to lack fo- Richard’seye view of the political situation facing CUS.“‘~ Central to the thesis of the book is the notion that him, the fragmentary intelligence he would have re- England evolved its concept of monarchy limited by ceived in Yorkshire, and the very real and unpleasant parliamentary authority as a response to the many dis- consequences that inaction could bring to him and his continuities in royal succession. Wood points out that family. “Little wonder, then,” observes Wood, “that from Hastings to Bosworth, eight of the 19 kings of he should have so boldly seized Rivers and the rest at England, over 42%, were not the sons or grandsons of Stony Stratford . . . since retaining some Woodville their predecessors, as opposed to only three out of 21, hostages provided an obvious form of self-protection less than 15%, in France. To put it simply, England had against an unknown future. . .“’ to evolve an alternative to royal authority because it In the T&o article, Wood also introduces a view of found itself without that authority so regularly. Early Richard’s character which will later find its full expres- chapters of the book explore issues of royal legitimacy, sion in Joan of An and l&dad III: Sac, Sain& and Gw- the age of royal majority, the concept of kingship and emmm# in t&c M&b% Ages (oxford University Press, the counterbalancing forces of the nobility or parliament 1988): “Despite the tactical ability [Richard] displayed during the reigns of Louis IX, Edward I, Edward II, and in gaining custody over Edward V at Stony Stratford, Richard II. little in the record of the following month and a half In the chapters on Richard III, Wood stresses Rich- suggests much political skill or sagacity. Far from domi- ard’s reliance on the legitimating authority of parlia- nating the situation, Richard appears mush more fre- ment. Before his accession, Richard apparently quently to have been trapped by it, uncertain what his intended to have parliament extend the Protectorate. next move would be.‘* This view of Richard’s capabili- After his accession, Richard called a parliament for ties was colorfully described by A. J. Pollard as Professor November 1483, which was cancelled in response to Wood’s ‘Cock-Up Theory of History’* the Buckingham rebellion; within two weeks of his Ricardians, reading the Tradifio article and the return to London after quelling the rebellion, Richard more comprehensive treatment of the issues in Joan had called the January 1484 parliament. The Act of andRt&d, often become embroiled in the contro- Succession passed by this body profoundly extended versies over Richard’s actions and character to the parliamentary authority, to the equally profound dis- exclusion of Wood’s analysis of Richard’s impact on quiet of the lords spiritual at least, by rendering a the development of parliamentary authority. Accord- judgment on the legitimacy of Edward IV’s marriage ing to Wood, the 1484 Act of Succession stresses to Elizabeth Woodville, “not only on a temporal mat- parliamentary authority to the extent that “the reader ter but also a spiritual one, the validity of a sacra- is practically invited to draw the conclusion that, con- ment.“” trary to Richard’s own assertions, he had not fully While Ricardians debate Elizabeth Woodville’s become king until Parliament declared him so.” He motivations in emerging from sanctuary and coming continues: to terms with Richard in the spring of 1484, Wood observes that she began her negotiations within days If one pursues this line of reasoning, Parliament emerges as considerably more important than a court of the end of the 1484 session and argues that she, too, of record. Its members are no mere judges; rather, they accepted the strategic importance of the 1484 Act of embody the realm and as its representatives they, not Succession: the king, speak to its interests and on its behalf. Historians have often assumed that the parliament of Pushing the argument even further, one is tempted to the later Middle Ages had little practical authority and say that insofar as the Parliament of 1484 made Rich- that its chief purpose in the kingmaking process was ard truly king, its legitimating authority surpassed that merely to lend an air of specious legality to accessions traditionally accorded to rights of inheritance, corona- that were, in truth, no more than the brutal results of tion, and the grace of God. Ironic though it may be, conquest. If so, though, the parliamentary legitimation Richard III, legendary usurper and tyrant, has some of a usurper should have had no effect on the conduct claim to having been the one possessor of a genuine1 parliamentary title during the entire Middle Ages. 1J of those opposed to him, whereas the present case shows just the opposite. Once parliament had declared Rich- Wood’s Joan of hand RtSiard III is the synthesis of ard to be England’s legal king Elizabeth concluded that research sparked by three of his classes: the Richard III the game was lost, dubious though everyone knew his Freshman Seminar, a subsequent seminar on Joan of tide to be. She would take what she could get, and in so Aft; and an advanced class on the comparative histories doing, she demonstrated that she, too, believed that ‘the of England and France. “It suddenly occurred to me for court of parliament is of such authority. . . that manifes- no known maso&,” explains Wood, “that if I were to tation and declaration of any truth or right, made by the write a book on Joan of Am and Richard III as two three estates of this realm assembled in parliament. . . IiReenthcentury figures whose careers would do much maketh before all things, most 6&h and certainty ‘. . .

Ricardian Register -5- Spring, 1992 mall wonder, then, that Richard should have so dog- - gedly sought a meeting of parliament, for even a man of his limited political perceptions had to recognize The Line We Love to Hate: that in its approval lay his best hopes for long term “Fittingly Unshriven” success.13 If there’s one single sentence Charles And, indeed, Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, de- Wood has written that’s most likely to make fended his allegiance to Richard III to Henry Tudor’s the average Ricardian go ballistic, it’s one face by citing parliamentary authority, as Wood notes that ends his Joan of Arc and Richard III at the conclusion of Joan and Richard: “ ‘He was my narrative of the battle of Bosworth Field: crowned king,’ Surrey explained, ‘and if the parlia- mentary authority of England set the crown upon a By midmorning, Richard III lay van- stock, I will fight for that stock. And as I fought for quished, having died very much as he him, I will fight for you, when you are established by lived: blindly unrepentant, fittingly un- that same authority.’ “I4 shriven, and in a characteristically dra- matic charge. A Love Letter to the Society II Maybe Wood was just looking for a dra- Shortly after “The Great Richard III Murder Mys- matic close? Well, not exactly: it turns out tery” was launched at Dartmouth, retired Dartmouth every word was carefully weighted and cho- art librarian and long-time Society member Maude sen, as he patiently explains: French spotted the course description in the Fresh- “As anyone concerned with rhetoric and man Seminar catalog. She passed it along to American style will assure you, things often sound Branch chairman Bill Hogarth. As Wood tells it, “I best if they are constructed in triads, and take it that this gripping news arrived just at the that’s especially the case when one is trying moment that Bill was beginning to exercise the chair- to ring down the curtain. As it happened, manly duty of finding a speaker for the next AGM, too, I had just quoted Croyland to the effect one who might prove both more entertaining and less that there had been no priest around, which insulting than A. L. Rowse, who had just finished meant that Richard had not, in fact, been spitting in everyone’s soup at the most recent AGM, shriven. Thirdly, I had earlier argued that a and in me he saw opportunity.“” Freshman seminar lot of Richard’s villainous reputation had and AGM talk bore the same name, “The Great resulted precisely from the blind ways in Richard III Murder Mystery.” Wood did indeed en- which he had several times violated the tertain some forty attendees at the meeting, held at moral norms of his age. Moreover, the Croy- the John Barleycorn restaurant in New York City. land quote emphasizes that Richard, far Libby Haynes, who attended the meeting, recalls from being reflective or penitent, was look- it vividly: “He told us how he designed the course, ing forward to what he was going to do to using To Provea Vi/lain as text, so that students would his enemies if he proved victorious. do their own research and come to a conclusion using “That evidence led naturally to the first their own reasoning skills, which many of them had third of the triad, ‘blindly unrepentant.’ never had to do before.” Then, however, my knowledge of theology Wood’s 1968 Ricardian debut as AGM speaker intruded. Absolution is granted only to marked the beginning of an association with the So- those who are penitent or who at least claim ciety that continues to this day. to be penitent (and on that issue the priest Following the AGM speech, Wood became a regu- must give the benefit of the doubt). Here, lar attendee at annual meetings in New York City however, it wasn’t just a case of there not through the 1970s and early 198Os, and an occasional being a priest present. On the contrary, the contributor to Tire Ricardian. He has lectured on Ri- quote demonstrates that Richard was far cardian topics in many venues, including the annual from being sorry for anything. Because he Medieval Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan. When wasn’t, he wasn’t eligible for absolution or, William Schallek established the scholarship fund in in other words, in quite precise theology he 1978, Wood was a natural candidate for the Advisory was ‘fittingly unshriven.’ The final third of Board, of which he is still a member. His commitment the triad-”in a characteristically dramatic to the viability of the Schallek Award program is charge’-was my attempt to give the man further evidenced by his status as a leadership con- his due in terms of his bravery; but that tributor to the Endowment Campaign. phrase, too, must be tempered by what I Further (and this is a fact largely overlooked by had had to say earlier about the curiously many Ricardians), he serves as an unofficial academic fragmented way in which Richard appears publicist for the Society, taking pains to mention the to have viewed the world.” Society, and especially to cite Jeremy Potter’s Good King R&/lard? as a source, wherever possible in his

Summer, 1992 - 6- Ricardian Register publications. Never mind that his impish disposition and because he acted to contain the forces opposing may occasionally prompt him to have a little fun at the him individually, without regard for potential relation- expense of some of our more charming eccentricities: ships, he was to find, in the course of his reign, that these citations have served as the impetus for more matters went steadily from bad to worse. One won- than one freelance Ricardian to come looking for the ders, really, whether he ever knew why,“18 Society. In his analysis of the events of Richard’s reign, Wood Wood confesses to a bit of a soft spot in his heart for draws on several traditional sources, notably Vergil, the Society; indeed, he once referred to his Harvard Mancini, and Croyland, to support his thesis that Rich- Magazhze article, ‘Who Killed the Little Princes in the ard’s concrete response to specific threats provided the Tower?” as his love letter to the Society. And, as he stuff from which Shakespeare’s legend was ultimately recently remarked, “I have a friend who argues that fabricated. the whole point of a liberal education is to teach Encouraging the reader to try to view medieval people not to be bored with themselves, so that if the events as they were seen by medieval people, he TV breaks down some night, one can happily pick up stresses, for example, the importance of the tale of the a book instead. It seems to me that the Richard III Massacre of the Holy Innocents in the medieval Society has that kind of stimulating function for all of church, and its impact on the contemporary reaction its members. It provides a focus for a whole range of to the rumors of the Princes’ demise: “The extraordi- activities both mental and physical, and it provides a nary devotion Christians displayed on Holy Inno- home for people to do so at an incredible range of cents’ Day can only underscore the extent to which levels, from the serious research scholar to the roman- children were never, never to be made pawns in the tic dreamer and/or poet to the determined tourist to deadly games played by their fathers.“” In Richard’s Ricardian England to the embroiderer of kneelers for apparent willingness to violate sanctuary to gain custody Sutton Cheney. In other words, the Society is a kind of the young Duke of York; in his summary execution of liberal education in action, and I like that.““j of Lord Hastings; in the presumption of the death of the Predictably, Wood’s publications have received vanished Innocents and the proposed incestuous mar- mixed reviews from Ricardians. Although the Traditiu riage with his niece; and, finally, in the chaotic events article was largely sympathetic to Richard’s plight, leading up to the battle of Bosworth, with troops bereft subsequent publications tackle the more difficult is- of priests or breakfast and Richard dying in “that last, sues of his reign, including the legitimacy of his claim mad, and lonely charge, “20 Wood sees the unconnected to the throne, his competence as king, the Elizabeth responses that fueled the Black Legend. As he puts it, of York affair and, of course, the murder of the Princes. “Blindly and all unknowingly, Richard III was well on Wood’s conclusions are not always entirely flattering the way to creating the factual basis for Shakespeare’s to Richard. myth of the monster.“21 The characterization, in the Tr-ho article, of Rich- Ricardians will find a dismally satisfying number of ard as a man not entirely in control has evolved, by Joan specific points with which to take issue in the last and Richard, into a sympathetic but nevertheless damn- chapter of Joan and Richard. In fact, it prompted ing assessment of Richard’s assets and liabilities. While Jeremy Potter to comment, “All in all, [the final chap- giving Richard full marks for courage, tactical ingenuity, ter] confirms me in the belief that the impact of the and forcefulness, Wood sees in these very traits the key Society on academic historians has been wholly nega- to the flaws in Richard’s character. “A brave man, given tive. They have simply been put on their mettle to to risking his all on a single toss of the dice, he appears resist revisionism.“22 ever to have moved from one unexpected crisis to the Yet when Ricardians pause in their debates of such next, each time attempting to extricate himself from his issues as whether Richard did in fact ever think of immediate dilliculties with a bold and decisive stroke.“17 marrying Elizabeth of York, or whether he did indeed In Wood’s view, Richard responded only to “definite and order the murder of the Princes, they find that Wood’s definable problems,” which he tried to handle “through two central points remain unchallenged: Richard’s the use of brute force, typically applied both pure and accession had a far-reaching impact upon the consti- simple.” tutional development of parliamentary authority; and In one profoundly insightful passage which per- his tendency to solve problems with bold strokes haps disturbs Ricardians most because it offers a com- failed to take into account probable consequences, to pelling vision of how a basically decent human being his lasting detriment. might come to do some appalling things, Wood ob- Or, to let Wood have the final word (as he inevitably serves that Richard is “one of those people who sees does): “I don’t at all see a villain with designs at the trees rather than forests, a person never quite able to start. On the contrary, I see a perfectly decent guy who grasp the fact that events are interconnected and that was perfectly prepared to serve honorably as the Pro- actions taken in response to one event are likely to tector of his nephew and his realm, but who then got have consequences in others, often those where they caught up in a series of political binds for which he are least expected. In short, he was a person who lacked the human skills needed to resolve them with- viewed the world in an incoherently fragmented way, out violence. It’s more a tragic story of all sorts of

Ricsrdisn Register -7- Spring, 1992 imited people out of their depth than it is one of evil 6. Wood, “Deposition,” p. 254. and villainy. I submit that the people I envisage are 7. Ibid, p. 255. believable human beings, including my Richard.“23 8. Ibid, p. 263. 9. Pollard, A. J. Richard III and the hinccs in t/x Tm (New [Note: Charles Wood is Daniel Webster Professor of History and York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991). 249. Outlining the reac- Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New tion of contemporary historians to the events of June Hampshire. He is currently working on a new translation of 1483, Pollard engagingIy comments, “Both Horrox and Froissart’s chronicles, in addition to a book on the political uses of Ross favour the conspiratoriaI interpretation of Richard’s the Arthurian legend from 1200-1600. For the 19X-93 academic seizure of power. Charles T Wood. . . . tends to favour the year, Wood will be Visiting Barnaby and Mary Critchfield Keeney ‘cock-up’ theory of history. My wife’s view might be char- Professor of History at Brown University, Providence, Rhode acterized as that of a cocked-up conspiracy.” Island. In addition to his academic activities, Wood plays a key 10. Wood, “Deposition,” p. 282. role, as Treasurer and memberofthe Endowment Campaign team, 11. Wood, ‘Transitive Verb.” in the activities of the Medieval Academy of America, reported on 12. Wood, Charles T. Joan ofArc andRicbardIII.- Sex, Saints elsewhere in this issue. Joan of Arc andRichardlII: Sex, Saints and and Government in the M&k Ages (oxford: Oxford Uni- Gowernmenf in the Middh Ages is available from the Sales Offrcer in versity press, 1988), 195. hardcover, $31.00, and from Oxford University Press in paperback 13. Wood, Joan and Richard pp. 197- 198. ($14.95). To Prove a Wain, a casebook that includes the full text 14. Ibid, p. 207. of Shakespeare’s Richard III and Tey’s Th Da&ter of Eme plus 15. Personai communication from Charles T Wood, March excerpts from More, Holinshed, Vergil, Croyland, Buck, Walpole 31, 1992. and other sources, is available from the Sales Officer for $14.00. 16. Ibid. Add $2.00 shipping per order for orders from the Sales Officer.1 17. Wood, Joan and Richard p. 18 1. 18. Ibid, p. 182. NOTES: 19. Ibid, p. 33. 1. Wood, Charles T. “In Medieval Studies, is ‘To Teach’ a Tran- 20. Wood, Charles T. “Richard III, William, Lord Hastings sitive Verb?” Keynote address at conference, Teaching the and Friday the Thirteenth,” in Kings & Nobks in the Later Middle Ages, Eastern Illinois University, March 14, 1992. Middk Ages, ed. Ralph A. Griffrths and James Sherbourne 2. Wood, Charles T. ‘The Deposition of Edward V,” Tmditio, (Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1986), p. 162. 3109751,286. 21. Wood, Joan and Richard p. 187. 3. Wood, “Transitive Verb.” 22 Personal communication from Jeremy Potter to Charles T. 4. Wood, Charles T. ‘Who Killed the Little Princes in the Wood, January 12,1989. Tower? A Ricardian Murder Mystery,” Harvard Magazine, 23 Personal communication from Charles T. Wood, February 80, no. 3 (January-February 1978), 36. 18, 1992. 5. Wood, “Transitive Verb.”

Membership Survey

The Board of Directors of the Richard III Society is discussing the possibility of supporting other Ricardian- related organizations, such as the Middleham Restoration Endowment and the Medieval Academy of America. Groups such as these may be of benefit to the Society, and we in turn may benefit them. If the goals and objectives of another organization are compatible with the goals of the Richard III Society, would you (as a member of the Richard III Society) react favorably to the Society’s support of: Middleham Restoration Endowment? 0 Yes ONo The Medieval Academy of America? 0 Yes ONo Other Ricardian-Related Organizations? (Specify):

..______._...... _.____......

Comments:

. . . ..____.______...... ______......

Please return to Toni Collins by August 22, 1992: Toni Collins, 11 Page Street, Danvers, MA 01923

Summer, 1992 - a- Ricardian Register REGINALD BRAY

Toby Fn-edmbetg

This article is based on a paper w&ten by R J. Bennett, part of a series and the Earl’s advancement to the throne, the bishop done in the 1960’s on prominent people of the 15th century. It has been recommended Bray for the communication of the edited and rzwised b Ms. Ftidenhg. affair to the countess, telling the duke that he had an old friend who was in her service, a man sober, secret and well-witted, called Reginald Bray, whose prudent Reginald or Reynold Bray was a loyal follower of policy he had known to have compassed matter of Henry Tudor, and played a part in his successful grab great importance; and accordingly he wrote to Bray, of the crown. For that help Bray was well rewarded then in Lancaster with the countess, to come to Breck- following the Battle of Bosworth. neck with all speed. Bray readily obeyed the sum- He was born in the parish of St. John Bedwardine, mons, entered heartily into the dssign, and was very near Worcester, the second son of Sir Richard Bray, active in carrying it into effect.... one of the council of Henry VI, by his wife Joan Troughton. Sir Richard was of Eaton-Bray in Bedfor- After the collapse of the rebellion, and the execu- shire, and lies buried in the north aisle of Worcester tion of Buckingham, Bray shared in the remarkable Cathedral. He may have been physician to Henry VI’. show of clemency on the part of Richard, and was not Reginald Bray was a shrewd and energetic man of even included in the Act of Attainder, having received affairs, who first came into prominence as the Re- pardon two weeks before Parliament met, doubtless ceiver General and Steward of the Household to through the good offices of Lord Stanley. Henry Stafford, the second husband of Margaret Bray is strongly suspected of having had a consid- Beaufort, Countess of Richmond. Her first husband erable share in the subsequent campaign of slander had been Edmund Tudor, son of Katherine of Valois, which the Parisians of Henry Tudor waged against Queen to Henry V, and Owen Tudor. Months after the Richard, particularly in the spreading of rumors that death of Edmund Tudor, Margaret, at age 14, gave he contemplated marriage with his niece, Elizabeth, birth to her only child, who was named Henry in honor eldest daughter of Edward IV At the same time it was of his uncle, King Henry VI. Margaret passed the undoubtedly Rotherham, Archbishop of York, who Beaufort claim to the throne of England to her son, betrayed the King’s negotiation with the Duke of Henry Tudor. Brittany for the capture of Tudor. That consummate When the Countess married Thomas, Lord Stan- intriguer, Morton, was now in Flanders, and was one ley, her third husband, Bray continued in her service. of the most active directors in the slanderous cam- He was used as a messenger by Margaret and John paign. Morton, Bishop of Ely in their incessant plotting. When Richmond’s invasion was in imminent pros- In early autumn of 1483 an insurrection was brew- pect, Bray collected a large sum of money, according ing in the southern counties against the King, Richard III. Bray, acting on behalf of the Countess, went to the Duke of Buckingham at Becknock. John Morton, Bishop of Ely, was being held in custody at the castle, following the events that led to the execution of Wil- liam, Lord Hastings. Morton introduced the emissary to the Duke, who told Buckingham that her ladyship was in communication with a number of Lancastrian friends. Together Morton and Bray developed plans to aid the cause of Henry Tudor, keeping Buckingham in ignorance of these, while the Bishop worked upon the Duke’s own ambitions for the throne. Bucking- ham began to scheme with the Countess, and also with the former Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, who was in sanctuary at Westminster. Ross’ credits Bray with recruiting rebels to accept Buckingham’s scheme to rebel against the King. “When the Duke of Buckingham had concerted with Morton, bishop of Ely (then his prisoner at Becknock in Wales), the marriage of the Earl of Richmond with the Princess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward IV,

Ricardian Register -9- Spring, 1992 to Polydore Vergil, before the expedition left Nor- It can well be reckoned that no supporter of the mandy, to defray the expense of the venture, and kept King was more fully rewarded for his loyalty than Bray. in touch with Henry’s adherents throughout the coun- He managed Warships astutely to increase the try. After landing, Henry sent a stream of messages to King’s income. The Committee under the Council, his mother, to Bray, to the Stanleys and others, and at the “Council learned in the Law,” consisting of legal Shrewsbury the untiring and devoted steward paid experts among the Councillors, sat under the presi- over to the Earl monies he had gathered. From the dency of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Stanleys Henry received only promises. That position was first held by Bray, who kept it until Bray was present at the Battle of Bosworth, if not 150s7. actually engaged in the light. His name has been Palmer’ writes that Henry VII had packed his son, mentioned in connection with the legend of Richard’s Prince Arthur, off the Welsh Marches, with tutors and crown - actually this was a chaplet of gold worn a trusted governor (Sir Reginald Bray). So passive and around the helmet -pushed under a hawthorn bush immature was Arthur that he seemed constantly to after the king’s death. Some follower, or one in search have been upstaged by those around him, the King, of booty, may have discovered and hidden it. Bray is Princess Catherine, and his 10 year old brother Henry. said to have taken the crown to one of the Stanleys, Arthur did what was recommended to him by his tutor, either Lord Stanley or Sir William Stanley, his brother. by Sir Reginald Bray, or by the King. On the marriage One of them carried it triumphantly to the man who of Prince Arthur, Bray was associated with persons of had been enabled through their treachery to seize the high rank in the church and state as a trustee for the throne, the new king, Henry VI14. Gairdner also cred- dower assigned to the princess Catherine of Aragon. its Bray with finding the crown under the hawthorn He was also an architect, and is credited with having bush. However, this is conjecture. finished St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, originally built Bray became a great favorite with Henry VII, and by Edward III (under the direction of William of retained his confidence until the King’s death. At the Wykenam). coronation he was made a Knight of the Bath, and later Bray was a considerable benefactor. He built, at his was appointed a Knight of the Garter. own expense, a chapel in the mid-south aisle of St. The King made him his joint chief justice, with George’s, which still bears his name in various parts, Lord Fitzwalter, of all forests south of Trent, a privy as well as possessing on the ceiling his arms, crest, and councillor, also high treasurer, and the chancellor of initials, frequently repeated, together with his pun- the Duchy of Lancaster. In October 1494, Bray be- ning device, a hemp-bray, an instrument used in the came high steward of Oxford University, and it is manufacture of hemp. Bray designed the famous believed that he occupied the same office at the Uni- Henry VII Chapel at Westminster, the first stone of versity of Cambridge. which is supposed to have been laid by him, in con- In June 1497 he was with the royal forces when the junction with Abbot Islip and others on 24th January revolting Cornishmen, under Thomas Flamank, a 1508. lawyer, and Michael Joseph, a farrier of Bodmin, had Unfortunately he did not live to see the completion marched to London to demand from the King a relaxa- of the Chapel, as on 5th August the same year, he died tion of the taxation imposed to pay for an army to resist and was buried in his chapel at Windsor. a Scottish invasion. Williams’ states that they wanted He was a munificent benefactor to churches, mon- to force the King to dismiss his financial experts, asteries, and colleges. Bray married Catherine, daugh- Morton and Bray. Lord Audley, a south country baron, ter of Nicholas Husse, a descendant of ancient barons was in command of the rebel host, which at Black- of that name in the days of Edward III. He left no heath was completely defeated. The three leaders issue. were taken and executed. Bray, who was made a knight banneret for his services, was also granted a FOOTNOTES: portion of Lord Audley’s estates after that Lord’s : Dictionary ofNational Biography, pp. 1145-6 death and attainder. Ross, Charles, RicbatdZZZ, p. 112 According to Lander’, Bray, who was one of King : DNB Henry’s most prominent servants, was denounced by ’ Gairdner, James, History of the Lift and Re& of Rirhard ZZZ, the Cornish rebels in 1497. During the Warbeck re- 1969 (1898), p.246. bellion, “I asked who ruled the King, who has control z Williams, Neville, Hmty WZ, p. 79 over him. He said there is only one who can do Lander, J.R., The Wars of the Zhes, 1966, p. 285 anything, and he is named Master Bray.” 7 Williams, Ibid., pp. 173-4 * Palmer, Alan, Princes of Wks, pp. 87-8

Summer, 1992 - 70- Ricardian Register All New Richard III Debuts in Dallas! New Production Dispels Old Myths About Richard III

“Now is the winter handsome young man. is the unwitting beneficiary of a series of tragtc, but of our discontent coincidental, misfortunes that befall made glorious summer his relatives and heirs to the throne. Gone are the contrived stories of by this sun of York” Richard plottmg and murdering his way to the throne, in their place is the Since 1591. when William Shake- true story of a throne thrust upon a speare wrote his classic play Richard deserving but unassuming prince (it’s /I/, the world has known Richard III not his fault that his brother happens as adeceiving, murderous arch-villian. to drown m a vat of wine, or that his born hunchbacked, withered in arm nephews take a wrong turn in the and toothed. Now Barbara Ann Tower of London). Barbara Ann Productions best known for the immensely popular THEATER REVIEW Kelly Lynn - an Irrsh/ American Prme~s. doesafantasticjob in making Productlow together wth director thts new Richard III come to life. Richard W. O’Brien 11, haveset out to Assisted by Dwector Richard W. correct this aberration of hrstory. O’Brien 11. they combine to produce The all new Rtchard III made his an endearmg young man who will debut this past Wednesday. and rest grow to be a true king among men. assured that the world will quckly Rodrlquez. Richard III has been Richard Walter O’Brten I11 is well take to this lovable monarch. Based transformed into a carlog. benevolent cast in the title role. He brings a on new historical evidence uncovered king. born pure of heart and beautiful youthfulness and innocence to the by renowned specialist, Dr. Alfred of hod) character and imparts a rare vitality The or~gindl Richard Ill. killed on upon the entire company. The sup- Performance Information Bohworth Field in 14115 by Henry porting cast. from the Medical City Troupe, does an excellent job, but R,chard///presented by Barbara Ann Tudor lHenry VII). appears to have Productloos. directed by Richard W. been lhe \,ct,n? of one of the world’s true to Shakespeare, Richard 111 O’Bnen Il. Showmg at O’Brien Theatre, longest \randing hlsrorxal deceptions. domtnates the play commanding 250 Canyon Oaks Owe. Argyle. Texas The House of Tudor (which ruled atten!ion wtth each royal utterance. 76226. Execubve Directors Mr. 8 Mrs England Ior I I8 year, after wresting The new Richard 111 is by far this Richard W. O’Swan I, Associate Pro- thecrwn lrom Richard and the House season’s best and is a must see for all ducers Mr. 8 Mrs. Frederick G. of York) apparently fashioned hlstory enlightened followers of the arts. Schmauk III to their own self-serving interests. ‘1 have set my life upon a Debut portormance. February 13. decelvlng Eden the noted bard in the 1991 at4-52 p.m. CST. 6lbs.. 130~s.. procea\. cast and I will stand the 21% inches. The Veu Richard Ill. a dashingly hazard of the die”

The Dallas Enquirer Friday, February 1.5,1991

Richard O’Brien II of Argyle, Texas writes:

“Elaborate birth announcements tend to run in our Shakespeare made him out to be. Years later, when I family. My father, Richard I, is a frustrated English sat down to announce our newborn son to the world, major/aspiring writer who took to electronic compo- I remembered the hints of a cover-up and proceeded nent sales to feed and clothe his family of six. Dad to expound upon that theme. started out with a simple, witty announcement for my “In mid-March 1991, I had just started mailing out older brother and escalated to a poster-sized, color the finished announcement when my bother called announcement for his sixth child (and first daughter). to tell me about the article in 7% Wa//Street Journal. “As my wife and I planned to have a sizeable The timing and similarities between the two “arti- family, I had always thought that there would be a cles”was an amazing coincidence that I thoroughly Richard III. A few years ago, in an attempt to learn enjoyed. To further confuse our friends and relatives, more about my namesake, Richard II, I read Shake- we mailed out the remaining announcements along speare’s Richard II. As you may know, Shakespeare with a copy of the WSJ article. I am sure that more wasn’t especially kind to Richard II either, painting than a few friends thought that I was crazy going to him (maybe justifiably) as an incompetent king who the trouble to counterfeit both articles. lost his crown without much of a light. “My wife Barbara, my daughter Kelly, Rich and I “I continued on and read Richard III and immedi- are now expecting a new addition to the family this ately had misgivings about naming my future son coming May. I have two more months to come up after such a “monster”. Digging through the notes in with a new announcement that will hopefully give the back of the book, I detected several hints that him/her the introduction afforded our Richard III.” Richard III may not have been quite the creature that

Ricardian Register -f7- Spring. 1992 Available from The Medieval Academy of America

The Preaching of the Crusades lavishly illuminated Books of Hours for the laity of the fifteenth century. to the Holy Land, 10951270 Medieval Academy Reprint for Teaching #28, PENNY J. COLE 116 pp. $65.00 cloth O-8020-5910-4; $24.95 paper O- 8020-6853-7. Order from University of Toronto Press, This book is the first comprehensive study of crusade 5201 Dufferin Street, Downsview, Ontario, Canada preaching. Cole identifies preachers, examines their M3H 5T8. sermons, and attempts to assess the impact that the sermons had upon the laity who heard them. Setting her subject within the wider contexts of crusade history and of general developments in medieval preaching, Cole shows how and why the character of crusade preaching Join the Medieval Academy! changed in the years from 1095 to 1270 and throws new light on the doctrines and ideals of holy war. Transcrip- Anyone with an interest in the Middle Ages is welcome tions of five previously unpublished crusade sermons to join the Medieval Academy of America, the oldest are provided at the end of the book. and largest organization of medievalists in North Cloth. Pp. xiv, 281. List price: $35. Price to America. Academy members: $28. Order from The Medieval Members receive the Academy’s quarterly journal, Academy of America, 1430 Massachusetts Avenue, Speculum, and the triannual newsletter, Medieval Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. Academy News. Members also receive a 20% discount on Academy books and monographs and offers of spe- cial sales on Academy publications. The Academy’s annual meeting, to which all New Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching Title members are invited, is a three-day program of lectures Available from University of Toronto Press and special events: the 1993 meeting is scheduled for April l-3 in Tucson, Arizona. The Academy’s prizes The Medieval Book for best first article, best first book, and most distin- BARBARA SHAILOR guished book on a medieval topic are awarded at the annual meeting. In recent decades new interest has developed in the Academy projects of special interest to Ricardians physical format of the medieval book and its historical include CARA, the Academy’s standing Committee on context-how manuscript books were made and how Centers and Regional Associations, which fosters they have deepened our understanding of the intellectual support for the teaching of medieval subjects in colleges and social milieu of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. and universities; and its Medieval Academy Reprints for One of the richest storehouses of early manuscripts is Teaching (MART) series, produced in cooperation with Yale University’s Beinecke Library. Its collection the University of Toronto Press, to keep books needed provides the basis for Barbara Shailor’s fully illustrated, for classroom use in print at affordable prices. two-part study of the medieval book and its place in Membership fees are: medieval and Renaissance society. Student/unemployed/retired member $ 20 The first section examines the manuscript book as Regular member $ 35 an archaeological artifact of a period when mass- Contributing member S 45 production was unknown and every volume had to be Life member $700 written and assembled by hand. Shailor discusses physi- cal format, script, decoration, and binding, as well as For further information and membership forms, contact parchment, paper, and the various types of ornamental the Medieval Academy. initials, borders, and miniatures that often made the medieval book a brilliant artistic achievement. In the second part, books are grouped by genre- both religious and secular-to show how the contents of a volume and its function within society influenced its The Medieval physical appearance and the way in which it was pro- Academy of duced. Fashion, use, and financial considerations dictat- ed the design of the book, the style of its script and America illumination, and the manner in which it was bound. As 1430 Massachusetts Ave. a result, the medieval book appeared in a myriad of Cambridge, MA 02138 forms ranging from modestly executed monastic texts to (617) 491-1622

Summer, 1992 - 12- Ricardian Register SCHALLEKFUNDING 1991 SCHALLEKAWARD U PDATE RECE~IEIVT

This year we were able to award a scholarship to The recepient of this year’s Schallek Award is Ann Ann Elaine Bliss for $750. Will we be able to give Elaine Bliss. $1,000 next year, will it be the same, or will we have Ann’s dissertation topic examines and investigates to decline an award altogether? research into the ceremonies in fifteenth-century pri- In the past year, two positions on the Comittee mary sources, including chronicles, letters and con- have been filled with the appointments of Mary Don- temporary descriptions of civic pageants and other ermeyer and Morris McGee. ceremonial occasions. She is interested in the function The Southeastern Pensylvania Chapter com- of ceremony and how it provided order and cohesion pleted a mailing to universities, resulting in a prom- in both literature and life. Ms. Bliss is researching how ising response from a number of these contacts. the cremony unifies the Arthurian world portrayed by Anne Sutton was kind enough to allow us to run an Sir Thomas Malory in LeMorted’ArtAur, first publish- ad in The Rican&an at no charge. Anne also provided ed by Caxton in 148.5. It is her contention that the us with the proper information on the University of contemporary ceremonies of the later fifteenth-cen- York, where people there had not heard of our Schol- tury influenced Malory when recounting the death of arship. This garnered two responses from students Arthur. who will be seeking their education in the U.S. Le Morte d’ Arhr, written during the Wars of the The Medieval Academy of America ran an ad for Roses, betrays that period’s insecurity through its us in their Speci&m in February of 1992. They have description of treachery and instability. In contrast, also provided us with a mailing list. the order provided by ceremony is prevalent through- With all of these ingredients, we are missing one out the manuscript. Caxton, a shrewd businessman, vital detail: funds. While many individuals have re- was well aware of the political climate and chose sponded to our appeal, we still need more help. works which would interest his reading public. Only the New Jersey Chapter has declared them- Ann Elaine Bliss is a Ph.D candidate at the Univer- selves a Leadership Chapter. Don’t let them stand sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Medie- alone! If you are unsure of what your chapter needs val English Literature and Studies. She graduated to do to become a Leadership Chapter, contact Joe summa cum laude from her Cedar Rapids, Iowa high Ann Ricca. school, where her senior thesis as an English major was on Shakespeare’s festive comedies and went on to win the same honors at Luther College, where she Top Ten Ways to (Accidentally) was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. As an undergradu- Get Rid of Pesky Royal Nephews: ate, she was fortunate to have the opportunity to study German in Bregenz, Austria and to receive a scholar- 10. Withhold all strawberries and hope they get ship to attend Trinity College in Carmarthen, Wales. scurvy. As an independent research project, she was granted 9. Promote teasing of the Tower ravens. persmission to examine three of the oldest Welsh 8. Suggest bathing in wine improves teenage com- manuscripts at the National Library of Wales in Ab- plexions. erystwth, which further fueled her interest in medie- 7. Assign as stud-grooms to White Surrey. val studies. 6. Provide buckshot-filled pillows for those bedtime A graduate student at the University of North Caro- pillow fights. lina, Ms. Bliss is pursuing their excellent medieval 5. Drop a hint about Roman treasure buried under programs. She has expressed her pleasure and honor the stairs. to have been chosen as this year’s receipient for the 4. Ask Cousin Harry to babysit. William B. Schallek Memorial/Graduate Fellowship 3. Encourage bungee jumping from Tower Bridge. award. 2. Remove bulb from nightlight at the top of the Bloody Tower Stairs. And the number one way to get rid of ex-princes: NEEDED! Circulate story of William Tell, then leave RafTle prizes for the 1992 AGM apples conveniently near archery butts! If you have any suitable memorabila or gift that would be appropriate to help us Reprinted from the Ohio Chapter’s Crown &Helm. with this fund-raising effort, please Sourceunknown(butsuspected). contact Roxane Murph. Found underohab-oushionof PalaceofWestminster.

Ricardian Register -13- Spring, 1992 RICARDIAN POST

Houston, Texas cardians on the Plantagenet Trail in France (as Al & Ellen Perlman of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter did in the Betty Miller informs me that Cafaels’s name is summer of ‘91). You might even encounter a stray pronounced Codvil. This from the highest authority: True Believer in the North woods of Canada. But Peters herself, at a book-signing. She hints a glossary EGYPT? Egypt!! may be out soon. The latest mystery is out now, T’e Egypt, the land of pharaohs, gods and sphinxes, is Summer of the Danes. a most unlikely haunt for Ricardians. Yet there in the Betty would like to hear from other Ricardians who middle of the mighty Nile River, cruising between have met Ms. Peters or know something about the Aswan and Luxor, background of the books. Her addresss is: 15’21 Wind- Mary and Marty sor Way #3, Racine, WI 53406. Schaller of Burke, Myrna Smith VA met with Vie and Betty Hanson of (Editor> Note: See Myrna i Review Column, Fall of 1991) Birmingham, AL over breakfast. Ri- Olean, New York cardians are every- May 14,1992 where! Raise high the Blue and Mur- As we approach the 507th anniversary of the battle ray Banner! An im- of Bosworth, there are two items of Ricardian interest mediate meeting of I would like to bring to the Society’s attention. the Richard III Society, Upper Egypt Chapter, was Have we Ricardians ever thought of Richard III as convened, appropriately at the Tmple of Horus at a godparent? 0ne of his nephews, Richard de la Pole, Edfu. Horus is the falcon god of the rising sun and carried his name. It was the custom of the time for the eternal life -The Sunne in Splendor!?! child to take the name of his godparent, and it is quite Mary Schallet possible that Richard III was Richard de la Pole’s godparent. Richard de la Pole fled from Henry VII’s 383 1 Northwestern Parkway clutches in 1501. With the execution of his older Louisville, KY 402 12 brother Edmund in 1512, Richard became known as April 17, 1992 the White Rose earl of Suffolk. Like his Uncle, Rich- ard met his fate in battle, being slain in the service of I have an entry for Laura Blanchard’s “Ricardian Francis I of France at the battle of Pavia on February Hall of Shame”. I have a copy of a book entitled 21, 1525. Makers of History, Richard III by Jacob Abbott. It was Members of the society are familiar with Henry published by Harper & Brothers, in New York and Percy, the fourth earl of Northumberland who be- London, in 1886. I found this book in my mother’s trayed Richard III at Bosworth. However, that infa- attic. She insists that I read this book as a child, mous day of August 22 would come back to haunt the although I have no recollection of it. It certainly hasn’t Percy family. On that date in 1572, the seventh earl, colored my feelings about Richard now. Thomas Percy was executed for holding the Catholic On another note, are there any other members of faith. The fourth earl, in part for his actions on the the Society living in Louisville, KY or the surround- 22nd of August, would later suffer an ignominious ing area? Occasinally, I wear my White Boar to work, death at the hands of his tenants in 1489. The seventh which has sparked some interesting conversations, earl’s actions on that fateful date would merit his particularly with a “Tudor”co-worker, but I’d love to being declared Blessed by Pope Leo XIII in 1895. be able to talk with others of the same bent. If anyone . James Ignatius M&uley out there would like to start a mini-chapter, please feel free to contact me. Burke, Virginia I enjoy the Register immensely and look forward to receiving it each time. It pulls me out of the hum- You would expect to find Followers of the White drum day and gives me an excuse to dream about what Boar trooping around musty old castles in England. It might have been. would not be surprising to discover White Rose Ri- Shawn Marie Herron

Summer, 1992 - 14- Ricardian Register In the Public Eye

W HY I S UPPORT THE M EDIEVAL A CADEMY

Laura Blanchrd

I’m abandoning my usual public relations topics member of the Schallek Academic Advisory Board this issue to talk about an organization that is in the and the author of books and articles on the life and forefront of a drive to strengthen the position of me- reign of Richard III. There are other connections dieval studies in North America: The Medieval Acad- between the Society and the Academy. When I took emy of America. over the publicity for the Schallek Award program, for The Medieval Academy is the pre-eminent inter- example, the Medieval Academy helped me hit the disciplinary organization for medieval studies in the ground running by making its list of centers for me- United States. Founded in 1925 by people who be- dieval studies, embracing over 100 universities in the lieved that the Middle Ages should be better repre- United States, available to us at no charge. The Acad- sented in the study of the humanities, the emy regularly runs an announcement of the Schallek organization has grown to a membership of just under Awards in its newsletter, bringing us applications from 4,000, representing scholars in the fields of art, archae- qualified graduate students. ology, history, law, literature, music, philosophy, sci- This issue of The Rican&an Register includes a new ence, social and economic institutions, and all other experiment in cooperation: the Medieval Academy’s aspects of medieval civilization. Although most of its full-page advertisement in this issue is comple- members are medieval scholars, it is an open-door mented by a half-page advertisement for the Schallek organization: membership is open to anyone inter- Awards and the Richard III Society, scheduled to ested in the medieval era. appear in the current issue of Speculum. This adver- As Medieval Academy Treasurer Charles T. Wood tisement will bring the activities of the Society to the recently wrote, “The foundations of the European attention of many of the country’s leading medieval portion of our culture were laid in the Middle Ages, scholars, many of whom may not have heard of us the period in which we find the sources for the greater before. part of our intellectual and artistic life, of our political Although the Medieval Academy has a much and social institutions, of our means of expressing and broader focus than we do, its work serves to create a communicating knowledge. Our medieval legacy in- climate in which fifteenth century English studies cludes not just monuments of art and architecture . . can grow and flourish. Through its Committee on . but the common-law basis for our legal system; the Centers and Regional Associations (CARA), it sup- institutions of effective representative government; ports a series of conferences devoted to teaching the chief instrument of higher education, the univer- medieval studies at the graduate, undergraduate, and sity; and, possibly most important of all, the formation high school level; it helps individuals with funding of the modern languages of Western Europe, on proposals for summer institutes aimed at these teach- which most work in the humanities depends. In ef- ers; and it provides summer institutes in disciplines fect, then, the Middle Ages represent the childhood such as paleography and codicology, which are impor- of the humanities today, that formative period when tant building blocks for the medieval scholar but are our culture began to take on recognizable shape.” not part of many regular curricula. The Academy’s quarterly journal, Speculum, con- The Medieval Academy was also instrumental in tains some 250 pages of articles, book reviews, and the publication of the recently-completed thirteen- advertisements per issue; an informal newsletter, volume Dictionary of the Middie Ages, published by published three times a year, provides news on up- Charles Scribner’s Sons. This mammoth work, in- coming events, calls for papers, available scholarships. cluding articles by some 1,300 authors, was designed, Through an arrangement with the University of as Wood observes, “to be accessible to everyone from Toronto Press, the Academy keeps an arsenal of about high school student to research scholar.” If you’ve 30 basic medieval studies texts available for teaching. never seen it, it’s worth a trip to the nearest library Many of these texts are worthy candidates for the that has one just to browse the entries on your favorite average Ricardian’s bookshelf, and it is thanks to the topics. Academy that they are available at such reasonable The list of Medieval Academy activities could go cost. Its three-day annual meeting includes several on and on, but one final one is worth mentioning: plenary lectures, issue-specific sessions in over a they’re striving mightily to save an entire century of dozen disciplines, plus the usual banquets, entertain- medieval scholarship. Virtually everything published ments, business meeting, and so on. between 1850 and 1950 was on acid paper, and these Sharp-eyed readers will note that I’ve quoted books are quietly being consumed by that acid’s slow Charles T. Wood, profiled elsewhere in this issue as a fires. The Medieval Academy’s plan to identify and

Ricardian Register - 15- Spring, 1992 microfilm critical medieval studies and works from In the two years that I’ve been a member of the this period will help preserve an important part of our Medieval Academy, I’ve relished my quarterly issues intellectual heritage. of S’cdum (which it takes me a good three months Listening to the officers’ reports at the last annual an issue to read), enjoyed seeing Schallek Award an- meeting, I was struck by the similarities of the issues nouncements in the prestigious company of such au- faced by Medieval Academy and Richard III Society gust organizations as the Andrew W. Mellon alike. Like us, they must raise funds to carry out the Foundation and the J. Paul Getty Museum; found ongoing activities and special projects that fulfill their lectures and exhibits to attend; and, ofcourse, enjoyed mission; like us, they must mount a capital campaign, my attendance at the annual meetings. As an amateur raise dues, boost membership, work on both the aca- medievalist, I’m grateful for the scholarship they’ve demic and popular level (although the meaning of made available to me at such minimal cost; as a poten- those terms is a little different in the two contexts). tial medieval scholar, I’m grateful for the academic Like us, they must continually defend the relevance opportunities they foster. As a Ricardian, I can’t thank of their activities in today’s project-oriented, here- them enough for what they’re doing to help provide a and-now-social-benefit funding climate. Like us, they pool of qualified applicants for the Schallek Award and are usually not the primary society for their members, to bring the activities of the Richard III Society to the who give pride of place to the society that relates to attention of the broad community of American medie- their specific discipline. valists. This is why, in addition to being a member, I am To meet the challenge of continuing and expand- also a modest contributor to their Endowment Cam- ing these important projects while maintaining finan- paign. On balance, I believe that I’m still receiving far cial good health, the Medieval Academy launched a more than I’m giving. five-year endowment campaign, with a goal of Membership in the Medieval Academy is a surpris- $1,400,000, in 1989. This is a very ambitious goal, ingly modest $35 per year. I’d strongly suggest that particularly in an era when funding for the humanities any Ricardian seriously interested in broadening his is rapidly evaporating. As of December 1991, the or her understanding of the medieval era would find Academy has received almost $600,000 in gifts and that $35 to be money well spent. Through the CARA pledges. Last fall, the Academy became the recipient program, you can be involved on a local or regional of a $258,000 Challenge Grant from the National level. To join, send your check to The Medieval Endowment for the Humanities. For this grant to be Academy of America, 1430 Massachusetts Avenue, awarded, the Medieval Academy must raise $3 in Cambridge, MA 02138. Add a little for their endow- contributions from other sources for each $1 in the ment campaign, and Uncle Sam will match you 33$ grant. Writing in the February 1992 issue of Mea%val for every buck. And be sure to tell them you heard Academy iVkw, Endowment Chairman John Leyerle about them through the Richard III Society! estimated that the additional funds still to be raised to make the NEH match was about $274,000. WENSLEYDALE CHEESE

Joe Ann R&a

The perfect companion to that consumption, but some did find their way into the pint of Old Peculier is a Plough- local markets. man’s Lunch - provided that it Edward Chapman, a Hawes merchant, decided in includes Wensleydale Cheese. 1897 to purchase milk in bulk and manufacture the The medieval abbots of Jervaulx cheese himself; by 1935, the newly formed Milk Mar- were well known for their special keting Board threatened to close the Hawes creamery. breed of hardy horses, but they were Kit Calvert of Hawes put up the capital to encourage I 1 also responsible for introducing local farmers to support him. Under his tutelage, an- cheese-making in Wensleydale. other new creamery was opened and in 1964 the large Since 1156 the original formula (from ewes milk) has creamery at Kirkby Malzeard was established. been handed down from generation to generation and Today these creameries, together with the one at only recently has a written recipe been used. Coverham, produce tons of Wensleydale cheese for By the seventeenth-century, short-horn cows were the area. The cheese is still matured in the traditional replacing ewes as milk producers with sheep being way which has made it so popular. mainly the source of wool and mutton. The farmhouse Blue Wensleydale is another choice available but cheeses, the responsibility of the wife during the sum- whichever you choose, you can’t go wrong - it will mer, were pickled in brine until 1890 when dry salting please the palate and will make your Ploughman’s was utilized. Most of the cheeses were made for home Lunch all the more pleasurable.

Summer, 1992 - 16- Ricardian Register SCATTERED STANDARDS

New Jersey President Rahne Kirkham reviewed “ancient”his- tory with an outline of boy-kings and their regents The New Jersey Chapter held its May 9th meeting until Richard III. With many details and asides, she in the Highland Park home of Joshua Cherniss. brought the history alive over the decades, talking Thanks were given to Suzanne Present, Wendy Gitt about the many hazards and dangers of caring for a and the Lefkowitzs for their tireless work on the April minor who is also king during the middle ages. 25th garage sale, which raised $142.00 for the Middle- We look forward to the Highland Games resuits, ham Restoration Endowment and was so successful and our August meeting which is also the Battle of that it was proposed to be held annually. Bosworth date. Recently, we have set our October The membership was brought up to date on the meeting as an opportunity for a general review and issue now before the Board of the American Branch update of Richard III’s history and Society affairs, for as to whether or not the Society should support ourselves as well as new members. Richardian related organizations such as the Middle- Beverlee Weston ham Restoration Endowment and the Medieval Ohio Chapter Academy of America. A number of members will be attending the June On March 28, 1992 the Ohio Chapter held its 13th performance ofRi&zrdlllstarring Ian McKellan winter meeting at the home of Cindy and Spencer at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This is in con- Northup. The program, conducted by national Chap- junction with the Society efforts for self-promotion ter Coordinator Janet Sweet, consisted of a review of during the tour. the possible fates of the Princes in the Tower. The Joshua will be doing a quarterly AGM report for the motives and opportunities of the three traditional newsletter. Barbara Woods has been appointed Mem- suspects were outlined (i.e., Richard III, Henry VII, bership Director. Margaret Gurowitz volunteered her and the Duke of Buckingham), and then more con- services with brochure reproduction. Joe Ann an- jectural solutions were offered: suicide or even nounced two upcoming speaker engagements at Rut- survival. The extensive handouts accompanying the gers University and Montclair State University. presentation were so impressive that Chapter presi- Sadly, we bid farewell to long-time member Laura dent Tom Coles instructed they be photocopied and Blanchard who is moving to Pennsylvania. We’ll miss sent to the members not in attendance. her greatly! A three-day Medieval conference was held in Co- Topping off this informative and exciting meeting lumbus during March, 1992, sponsored by the Medie- was guest speaker Regina Jones from the Southeast- val Academy of America. Scholars from around the ern Pennsylvania Chapter. Regina’s topic was “The country attended the event. Public Relations Chair- Battle of Bosworth Field” and we were enthralled man Laura Blanchard and American Branch Chair- with her remarkably detailed and well-researched man Gene McManus were guests of honor at a party presentation. held on March 21, attended by several members of The New Jersey Chapter will be celebrating its the Ohio Chapter. third anniversary at our next chapter meeting on Au- The next meeting of the Ohio Chapter will be at gust 15. Squire’s Castle in Cleveland’s Metro Park on Sunday, Susan Mahoney July 19. The fall meeting will be in Lancaster, Ohio: a birthday feast for Richard hosted by Tom Coles. Northwest Chapter Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter We have welcomed a growing membership with The Spring meeting on March 21 was one of our pleasure, and put everyone to work on our annual stint best ever! Twenty members attended to hear Joe Ann at the local Highland Games in July. Ricca speak on Middleham Castle. The presentation Our spring programs have been as varied as our was lively and interesting; it was spiced up by the host-homes and our new members. In March Bever- ongoing comments and questions, which Joe Ann lee Weston spoke on Sir John More, father of our encouraged, from the audience. She ended the pro- sainted Thomas. With pictures, a timeline, and a gram with a videotape of the quincentenary celebra- genealogy, a good deal of background information was tions at Middleham in 1985. Thanks, Joe Ann, for a offered. great afternoon. In May, Marge Nelson spread out her maps and David Macool deserves some thanks also - not talked about London under Richard III. We each only for procuring the meeting site but also for warm- received two maps of the area, each entirely different, ing up the crowd for Joe Ann by showing off the to follow along, and to keep for ourselves. helmet from a suit of armor he is having made. We all Ricardian Register - 17- Spring, 1992 Scattered Standards(conhnw4 __.-- ANOTEOFTHANKS enjoyed seeing - and in some cases trying on” the helmet. It definitely added interest to the meeting! Recently the members of the American Branch of In April our Chapter was pleasantly surprised by a the Richard III Society responded overwhelmingly to request from a local Rotary Club: could we provide a a letter from the Middleham Restoration Ednowment. guest speaker for their next meeting? Wendy Logan Since our inception in March of 1990, the Middle- bravely stepped into the breach and on April 23 ad- ham Restoration Endowment has been working dili- dressed the group on “Richard III: Fact and Fiction”. gently in conjunction with English Heritage. Our sole Once again we were able to enliven the presentation purpose is to raise funds for the fabric of the castle to with a visual aid provided by David: in this case a insure that the restoration and preservation of this replica of a medieval sword. Wendy did a fine job and important Ricardian landmark continues. many people from the audience stayed behind after- Chapters such as Ohio, Mid-Atlantic and Southern wards to thank her and to get a copy of our Chapter California were among the first to feature our cause reading list. through their newsletters. To them we are truly grate- Our library exhibit went up in early May, as sched- ful. Since that time we hav also captured the attention uled, at the Upper Merion Library; in June it will be of the Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northern Califor- at the Radnor Library. We are concerned that we do nia and New Jersey chapters. not have it booked for August, when our memorial Our base has broadened with representatives in the notice generates a lot of interest in the Society. It will U.K., Spain, France and Austria. Prominent publica- be a great time to showcase the exhibit, so to all our tions such as UKMagazine, Realm, the English Heri- Chapter members reading this: HELP! Can your local tage newsletter and Heritage magazines have featured library host our display during August? stories and articles about our work. We have been Our next meeting will be on Saturday, June 13, at contacted by many individuals and organizations who the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. had no previous knowledge of Richard III. They merely share the same convictions we do - a com- mittment to history and heritage. To KEEPTHEATRE Every year our goals become higher. But, with every year, our committment grows stronger. At the last meet- ALIVE ing with English Heritage, I toured the castle grounds and our goals for 199’2 were duly noted. One has already The Maxwell Anderson Playwright Series is dedi- been realized: we have secured the funds to commission cated to carrying on Mr. Anderson’s generous policy a replica of Richard’s standarad which shall be presented of helping playwrights develop their new works for to English Heritage later this year. Our other concern the theatre. Presentations are made of professional was the northern wall of the castle, or as our public actors and directors in staged readings by established relations manager refers to it, ‘“The Heart of Richard’s and emerging playwrights, with audience discussion Lordship of the North”. Every year the Yorkshire winds afterwards. and winter ravage the delicate walls, making it even Each year a Maxwell Anderson play is re-intro- more vulnerable. Other Northern properties affiliated duced. To commemorate their tenth anniversary, a with Richard such as Scarborough, Barnard, and Rich- very special reading will take place on October 10 and mond will feature information on the Middleham Res- 11 of Anderson’s “Richard and Anne”. toration Endowment. For further information on this reading, contact Ms. The next time you have the opportunity to visit Muriel Nussbaum, MAPS Artistic Director at (203) Middleham, take pride in knowing that no matter 847-4124, orwrite to herat 11 Esquire Road, Norwalk, what role you played, you helped further Middle- CT 06851. ham’s existence. You shall also come away under- standing our committment and work. But - more MEMBERSHIPCARDS importantly - it will become apparent why Richard and Middleham are forever entwined. The practice of issuing membership cards was dis- In conclusion, on behalf of the Executive board of continued two years ago. The mailing of these cards, the MRE, Susan, Jenny, Bobbie and I would like to which had little practical purpose, saves the Society extend our deepest gratitude to those who have given on postage and handling, as well as the printing of the so generously and who have placed their trust and cards. If you have a need for a card for identification confidence in our work. I can assure you it has not purposes (such as attending the AGM in England), been misplaced. please send a self-addressed envelope to the Mem- With our deepest appreciation, bership Secretary Joe Ann Ricca Chairman/Founder Middleham Restoration Endowment

Summer, 7992 - lt3- Ricardian Register RICARDIAN READING

The first part of this column has been changed for this Richard’s early career as Lord of the North was not one issue to allow for an in-depth discussion of two without its imperfections. The portrait of Richard in new biography-studies. Your guest-reviewer, Laura the early 1470s that emerges from Pollard’s pen is one Blanchard, appears by courtesy of Epistula regis, the of the hotheaded and somewhat belligerent kid newsletter of the New Jersey Chapter. brother who has to be reined in ever so often. After the English invasion of France in 1475, Pol- Richard III and The Princes In The Tower - A.J.. lard has Richard settling down with an apparently Pollard, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991. 260 pp. sincere desire to provide good government in the hard cover, lavishly illustrated. North. His characterization of the maturing Duke of Long-time Ricardians will remember Pollard as Gloucester is a cautiously sympathetic one of a man one of the witnesses for the Bad Guys in the 1984 who, after a storm-tossed youth, has found his role in British television production, The Tria/of RichardIll. life and is largely at peace with himself and his place What a treat, then, to open this handsome volume in the world. Pollard does remind us, however, that and to read, on page 5, such sentiments as “All the the motivation behind Richard’s actions as Lord of the accounts of his reign written after Henry VII became North, like other questions relating to his piety or king are compromised. The works of Sir Thomas general character, cannot be determined from the More and Polydore Vergil . . . are histories, not sources, fragmentary evidence left to us. heavily influenced by the official interpretation and For the critical events of the April-August 1483 the memories of the victors. In the case of Vergil, the period, Pollard gives a “soft traditional” reading of the reminiscences of men like Fox, Bray and Urswick who evidence. While taking Richard roundly to task for the happily recalled the experience of exile and conspir- executions of Rivers, Vaughan, Gray, and, particularly, acy before 1485 are invaluable, but the viewpoint is Hastings, Pollard remarks on the possibility that Rich- inevitably partisan.” ard had no intention of assuming the throne until the This does not mean that our one-time Tudor apolo- events of June 1483 swept him into it. Pollard at- gist has painted all his roses white and gone on academic tempts an even-handed analysis of the mystery of the campaign for Saint Richard. While acknowledging the Princes in the Tower. He makes a stronger-than-usual flaws of the post-1485 historians, Pollard also finds case for John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, being in- enough contemporary’evidence to suggest that Rich- volved (either with or without Richard’s direction) ard’s reputation is not without stain; for this, he is pointing out that it was Howard, not Brackenbury, likely to draw the wrath of the ardent Ricardian. who was Constable of the Tower while Richard was Pollard has made an academic career of studying on progress at Warwick Castle. the Yorkist era. On staff at Teeside Polytechnic Insti- Pollard’s final judgment on Richard’s life and reign tute in Middlebrough, he has spent much of the past leaves us with a complex, enigmatic, flawed and un- ten years writing about the gentry and nobility in timately tragic figure. Surviving a troubled youth to Richmondshire, that corner of Yorkshire that Richard find meaning and balance in his life as Lord of the called home for much of his adult life. Throughout North, he loses his moral footing in the currents of the the book, his efforts to reach a truly balanced assess- events of 1483, which swept him to a series of ruthless ment of an issue that arouses strong emotion on either acts that cost him his peace of mind, his throne and side are evident. For this, he is entitled at the very his life. As Ricardians we may not agree with all of least to a courteous hearing. Pollard’s conclusions but we must respect the integ- Pollard acquits Richard of the predictable crimes, rity of his attempts to make an objective assessment. like the murder of Edward of Lancaster. His personal This book is worth having in your personal Ri- jury is out on the question of Richard’s courtship of cardian collection for a variety of reasons. It’s an Anne Neville -was she a willing bride or not? -was excellent review of the old evidence, the early and there love or affection on either side before the mar- later historians, Shakespeare, and the whole colorful riage? He does, however, paint a picture - quite assembly of defenders and accusers. Beyond that, it unflattering to all parties -of the two ducal brothers, adds a new dimension for those Ricardians whose Richard and George, and their duchesses, squabbling views were largely shaped by Tey or Kendall, drawing over the inheritance of Warwick’s widow, who was as it does on the vast array of recent historical inquiry inconveniently still alive. Pollard also suggests that into the events of the Yorkist era.

Rkardian Register -19- Spring, 1992 In fact, it can even serve as a study guide. The book puzzling. What’s Marlon Brando doing here? More is grouped into logical sections: early and late stories important, Pollard writes with skill and wit, which about Richard; his childhood and youth; Richard and may cause many readers to overlook his errors both the North, usurpation and rebellion; the fate of the logical and tactical. Princes; the reign, and Richard’s character. In addi- tion to the meticulous footnotes and bibliography, Item: For reasons too complex to go into here, much there’s a “Further Reading” section, recommending of Richard’s power in the North depended on his general texts as well as specific books or articles to nephew George Neville. After making a case for Rich- review in pursuit of specific subjects. This section ard’s ambition as the motivation for his usurpation, concentrates on scholarship from the Sixties to the Pollard tells us that George died on May 4, 1483, Nineties, and is invaluable in helping the layman leaving Richard in a financial pickle. (Not his exact achieve a “state-of-the-art” grounding in current his- words.) Pollard says Richard m have (not his italics, torical thought. Articles from the Ricardian and even either) known that George was dying before he seized The Ricardian Register are liberally cited as important power on April 30, and he had to take the throne to reading in this section, including a recommendation keep his power in the North. Isn’t that going to ex- for the recent articles by the American Branch’s own tremes? It is, Pollard admits. “What is striking is the Helen Maurer. lengths to which Richard would thus appear to have Another advantage: the book, while unquestion- gone to protect himself against what was still only a ably the work of a scholar with a grasp of the minutiae potential danger.” (P. 105) This is the logical error of fifteenth century English history, is no scholarly known as begging the question -basing an argument tome to be read with the aid of a yellow hi-liter and a on an unproved and unprovable premise - and it is handful of NoDoz. Pollard has captured the drama a tactical error because it is overkill. Reaching for this and sweep of events behind the details and laid out far-fetched “evidence” weakens his other, stronger, the trends in fifteenth century historical research for evidence. a non-academic audience in vigorous, vivid prose. For Item: Nine out of ten men in Richard’s position, a Ricardian, especially, it’s a gripping read. says Pollard, would have played by the rules. Playing Finally, the book is drop-dead gorgeous. It’s with- by the rules, and being implausibly self-sacrificing, out question the best coffee-table book on Richard Richard could have had “the stain of illegitimacy. . . ever published. Many of the “usual suspects” were removed by the ritual of coronation. Edward V, like involved in the book’s production: Alan Sutton gave Elizabeth I later, could have been declared legitimate and all doubts removed.” Neither Richard nor those the impetus, and such Ricardian household names as Geoffrey Wheeler and Carolyn Hammond feature nine hypothetical gentlemen could have acted by a precedent which was to be set in a Protestant England prominently in the acknowledgments. In addition to nearly a century later. Besides, if it was so simple to the formal chapters, there are eight photo-essay sec- “remove the stain” why did not Henry VII do this for tions, reminiscent of spreads in Life or National Geo- Elizabeth of York, rather than trying to hunt down all graphic, on topics such as “Richard III’s Birth Sign,” copies of Tituhs Regis? “Pigs and Boars,” and my personal favorite, “Cartoons and Caricatures,” including a reproduction of pages Item: Why did Elizabeth Woodville agree to come out of Sanctuary in March l484? Insurance, says Pol- from the Jonny Quest comic book where Jonny saves lard, against Henry Tudor’s defeat. She would not the Princes just before Bosworth (from Tudor assas- have done this unless she believed her sons were dead sins, at Richard’s request). The book attracts more and it was no longer possible to back their cause. He than Ricardians. I took it to work and it drew curious then intimates that Elizabeth favored, if she did not browsers by the busload. Even the Reluctant Ricardi- promote, a match between her daughter and Richard ans in your household may find themselves leafing because “it would have facilitated her full rehabilita- through it and learning a thing or two in the procqss. tion at the centre of events. But such a marriage I got my copy from the Book of the Month Club would . . . have been unthinkable had Elizabeth of for two Book Dividend Credits plus $17.95. I think it York not been universally considered the eldest sur- lists at about $35.00. It’s one of the best Ricardian viving child of Edward IV” We thus have Elizabeth investments I’ve made this year. Woodville as a devoted mother who could not have Laura Blanchard compromised the position of her sons as Edward’s heirs so long as they were alive, and a monster who A Fm AaVitiona/ Comments, by your Reading Editor: agreed to the bastardization of her daughter, clearly Certainly this is the coffee-table book en a/t. It is alive and Edward’s heiress -and even tried to tie her indeed lavishly illustrated, mostly in color, though for life to her brother’s murderer! We could accept some of the illustrations are, at first glance, a little the madonna or the Medea, but not both in one!

Summer, 1992 - 20- Ricardian Re&ter Richard III: The Man Behind The Myth - Michael the execution unless they had no fear of retribution. Hicks, London, Collins & Brown Limited, 1991. US Hence they knew in advance of Richard’s usurpation, distributor: Trafalgar Square, North Pomfret, Vt. 175 which actually occurred on the day of the execution. pp., illustrated. How could they have known? Richard told them, but not by letter or credence. He told them face to face Because this book covers much of the same mate- before he left for London, because he did not see rial as A.J. Pollard’s book, it is bound to be compared them later. Here, then, is the fallacy which most to it. This is not comparing apples and oranges, more historians fall into at one time or another: the assump- like oranges and tangerines. Hicks is narrower in his tion that as we know how things were going to turn scope, covering the “usurpation” and events leading out, t&y must have known too. If Richard confided his up to it. The ultimate fate of the Princes is almost an plans at that early date, neither he nor Northumberland, afterthought. Pollard is clearly writing a “popular” et al, could be certain he was going to achieve his goa!s history for non-academics, but he does have foot- until he actually did so. Nor could he be sure, however notes. Hicks is writing a more serious, less colorful much he hated and wanted to entrap them, that the treatise, apparently intended for the scholar, as he Woodvilles would make themselves available at the presumes a certain previous knowledge -but he has right time and place for use as patsies. not one single footnote! His references at the end of This is not to say that the book has no virtues. the text are in the form of a bibliography, and seem to Hicks is not stuffy, and he tries to be fair. You can see consist mostly of secondary sources. him trying to be fair, and sense his admiration of The author’s theme throughout is that Richard was Richard’s loyalty to his esquires who were killed at a master propagandist, a chameleon-like figure wear- Towton, even while condemning his disloyalty to his ing a different face for everyone, and building his nephews. He shows us the X-ray of the famous por- campaign so subtly through all the steps that led up trait with the Tudor overpainting. And he mentions to his accession that “contemporaries found in favor the Ricardians, whom he acknowledges also in the of the defense.” (Richard). Immediately on his coro- bibliography, as an “influential majority.” Flattering, nation, however, everyone turned against him be- but inaccurate. A few thousand world-wide does not cause his crime was so heinous. In order to support a majority make. There is evidence of in-depth re- this theme, he commits, unwittingly perhaps, many search, for instance as regards Edward IV’s treasure - logical errors. insufficient, says Hicks, to even pay for a funeral. He is inconsistent. When referring to the Lancas- This puts a different light on events, and makes one trian usurpers he says “ . . . kings did not reign by wish all the more for some documentation. hereditary right alone.. . ” but becomes a strict dynast Over and over, Hicks tells us that “it doesn’t matter where Edward IV’s sons are concerned. Additionally, what the truth was, but what people perceived as the he confuses absence of proof with proof. The Wood- truth.“’ Sorry, but it does matter. It matters in so small villes had no animosity toward Richard, he claims, and a matter as H.L. Menken’s bathtub, and it matters lists various business and social relations between the here. The historian may not be able to determine the parties to back this up. He can justifiably claim that truth. He or she may be forced to speculate and even there was no hostility apparent, no plot prowen. He to build an argument on speculation, so long as specu- cannot flatly claim that there was none, because this lation is not confused with fact, and the conclusion is a statement he cannot prove. One can sympathize arises from the facts given. All too often, this is not with the scholar of this period, as there is so little real the case. evidence. The Earl of Oxford, petitioning Henry VII Myrna Smith for redress of a wrong done by Richard to his late mother, points out that there was no record of this in Laura Blanc/rard’s comments: 1493, and he was afraid it would be forgotten alto- gether. In fact we know of it only through Oxford’s Recently, I started re-translating Mancini as an own evidence. This does not necessarily make it false exercise to brush up my Latin. Although it quickly - although why did the earl wait 8 years after Bos- became obvious that I’ll have to do more than sit with worth? But one has to wonder how much other evi- Mancini and a dictionary, I couldn’t help but be struck dence for or against is gone forever - destroyed by by the degree of translator bias in C.A.J. Armstrong’s Richard or his men as being too incriminating? By translation. Any time he had a choice between a neutral Henry or his followers as being too flattering? Or meaning and a pejorative meaning for a word Mancini simply never recorded by lazy or incompetent clerks? used, Armstrong went for the pejorative. One wonders From my experience, I suspect the last. how much of Mancini’s reputed hostility to Richard was Hicks’ most damming evidence against Richard is Mancini’s, and how much Armstrong’s. not negative evidence, though it would be hard to call it And I think we’re in much the same case with positive. He reasons this way: Richard executed Rivers Hicks’ new work. It was not exactly surprising to read and Grey only when he knew his accession was assured in the introduction that Hicks had Armstrong as his and he would not have to answer to anyone for their supervisor at Oxford and that he writes glowingly of deaths. His men on the spot would not have carried out “Armstrong’s splendid edition of Mancini.” Not

Ricardian Register -21- Spring. 1992 once, but several times, Hicks reminds us that Manc- between sanity and raving madness. Their beautiful ini was so hostile that he titled his work “The Usur- mother, Isabeau of Bavaria, took her husband’s prob- pation of Richard III.” Most Ricardians know that lems in good spirits and her lovers’ attentions in quick usu$ation is at best a secondary definition of the term succession. The eldest of the princesses, Isabella, had occupation, which more properly means occupation or been sent to England at the age of eight to become taking. Armstrong-like, Hicks will never ascribe a the bride of Richard II. The king treated her as a little decent motivation to anything Richard does if he can sister and she was devastated when he died. She blame it on a machination instead. refused to consider marriage to the king’s cousin, Get a load of this passage, for example: “By rescu- Henry of Monmouth, who later became Henry V His ing and marrying Warwick’s daughter Anne Neville, second choice was her sister Katherine. Richard could wrest more of her father’s lands from Isabaella told her sister wonderful stories of being Clarence. He refused to take her without her lands . “the little queen”, but had no good to say of Mon- . . When Richard whisked [Nan Beauchamp, the Earl mouth. Thus, when Katherine learned that Henry of Warwick’s widow] away to the North, he did so not had asked for her hand in marriage as part of the peace to restore her inheritance but to deprive her of it treaty, she looked forward to England with delight, permanently.” Maybe Anne wasn’t so happy about but only with trepidation upon her future husband. having her brother-in-law, George of Clarence, get her She grew to love him and early on bore his son. Henry lands either. Maybe Richard (who, let’s not forget, was away for long periods, however, continuing to isn’t even twenty, for all he’s commanded the van- light the French, and the nine years of their marriage guard at Barnet and Tewkesbury) simply didn’t feel passed slowly for his neglected queen. like seeing George get all the perks after leaving Some of the facts in this story may be questionable. Edward in the lurch. Maybe Richard was rescuing The novelist must be allowed a bit of romantic free- Nan Beauchamp in the only way open to him. (Or dom, however, and if the book isn’t gospel, it still maybe he wasn’t. Maybe she’d been really nasty to makes for good reading. him when he was a page at Middleham and he was The rest of the story is based on Katherine’s at- enjoying a little payback.) After five hundred years, tachment to Owen Tudor. Plaidy says they were mar- who knows? Well, apparently, Hicks does. I’d sure ried in a secret ceremony so their children would not like to know his source for the line that he wouldn’t bear the stigma of illegitimacy. How Katherine and marry Anne without her lands. I’d like to know the Owen kept their family a secret from the court and the source for a lot of his other statements, too, but since nation is fascinating reading. he isn’t telling his sources, I’m not buying his conclu- We meet a number of Ricardian friends in this story. sions. (Since Anne was a well-broug/rt-up 15th century The Beauforts and the Tudors are here, of course, as maiden, s/le wouldprobably have been as/lamed to be taken well as Warwick the Kingmaker. John of Bedford, at without a dowry. - MS.) that time regent of France, was the first husband of It’s really a shame, too, because it appears that Jacquetta de St. Pol, who, as Lady Rivers, was the Hicks’ initial section on the nature of politics during mother of Elizabeth Woodville. Seems like old home the Wars of the Roses is a worthwhile analysis. I’ll week. never know, though, because his sources aren’t docu- Plaidy gives us 306 pages of interesting reading mented and enough of his conclusions in other sec- about a queen whose place in history is only vaguely tions of the book are suspect that I’m reluctant to take chronicled. I imagine much of it is true. The rest of any of his comments on faith. it provides a pleasant story that does no harm to her memory. Me again: Laura thinks that I’ve been easier on Hicks Helen Curd and harder on Pollard than she was. I guess it balances out then. (Since I entered this on the computer under Richard III -Jacob Abbott, from the series Makezs the file name Ph, for Pollard/Hicks, you might say it’s OfHistory, New York and London; Harper Bros., 1902. ph-balanced!) A reviewer can only give you some idea of what the book contains and express his/her I had little hope for a nearly ninety-year-old book, own impressions. That’s why we need opinions from and I was not disappointed. The author begins by as many of you as possible. stating that there was nothing of depravity in Rich- ard’s personality -but that the influence of his proud and haughty mother created in him great ambition. The Queen’s Secret, The Stoty Of Queen Katherine -Jean Plaidy, G.F? Putnam’s Sons. He was consistently loyal to his brother Edward, and a very good soldier -which meant that he was a very The f&t American edition of The Queen’s Secret bad man. Everyone knows that only a very bad man appeared in 1990, giving us an insight into the life of can be a good soldier! Katherine de Valois, wife of the recently movie- The style of the book is so simplistic that it might starred King Henry V. have been written for children. The errors are so Katherine and her siblings were neglected chil- many and so blatant that it appears to have been dren. Their father, Charles VI of France, fluctuated written from memory, not from any source material.

Summer, 1992 - 22- Ricardian Register Example: Abbot describes a scene in which Anne, “set in the court of King Henry VIII in the period just half-dressed and with her disheveled hair around her following the War of the Roses”. If any of you have shoulders, runs screaming down the corridors begging read it, please send us your comments. I love to read Richard not to poison her. Perhaps Abbot was think- these kind of books, just to tear them apart! ing of Henry VIII and either Katherine Howard or On a more positive note, Toby Friedenberg writes Katherine Parr. about Tke Fate Of Princes, by PC. Doherty, reviewed Another blatant mistake is an engraving from an here recently. While pointing out that there are errors “ancient portrait” which shows an armored and mus- both of grammar and fact (e.g. identifying the Duch- tachioed Richard in a haughty pose. The armor is ess of Buckingham as Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter decorated, but not with the arms of England! rather than her sister), Toby adds: It really rather pleases me to own a 90 year old “I enjoyed the descriptions of the horror of London book, and we can use it to measure the progress of especially when contrasted with the green English historical method. countryside of Minster Lovell. The Yorkist characters Dale Somers were well drawn, a mixture of weakness and strength, fear and ambition . . . The opposition team, particu- Another candidate for the Hall of Shame is offered by larly Morton and Margaret Beaufort, were sterotypi- Kim Dziurman: Roberta Gellis’ Tke Dragon And Tke tally evil. . . but ofcourse we cannot criticize a narrator Rose. Space limitations prohibit using the full review for showing his own bias. (with excerpts, yet) this time, but I must give her “The plot against the princes, as revealed to Lovell, summation: “ . . . in defense of Ms. Gellis, she makes is convoluted rather than diabolical, but makes for a a sincere effort to portray Henry Tudor as a Romantic most interesting assumption. It does serve to answer Hero, which has not been hitherto attempted, to my some difficult questions logically, always a welcome knowledge. . . Perhaps, as optimists, [Elizabeth] and addition to the famous conundrum.” Gellis were merely following the old advice: “If God By the way, for Ricardians who are also detective gives you Henry Tudor, make lemonade.” (You will story aficionados, may I recommend Kate Sedley’s hear more about this in the next issue - I hope.) Death and The Ckapman, about a 15century shamus, and possibly the first of a series. I hope to have a Karen Friedman sent an excerpt from the Book-of- review of this soon, if fate and you gentle people the-Month Club bulletin describing a likely competi- cooperate. tor. It’s Command Of Tire King, by Mary Lide, and is BOARD CHRONICLES

May 3,2992

In attendance: Chairman Gene McManus, Vice Exhibit for the National Tour: Gene reported that Chairman Ellen Fernandez, Immediate Past Presi- much thought went into the production of an exhibit dent Roxane Murph, Treasurer Joe Ann Ricca, Mem- to accompany the Ian McKellan National Theatre bership Chairman Carole Rike and Secretary Toni tour. Discussions with Publicity Director Laura Collins. The Board happily and gratefully welcomed Blanchard led to concerns about transporting, mount- Carole Rike as Membership Chairman. ing and insuring a large scale display. A scaled down Memberskip: Carole reported that we now have 614 version of the exhibit, in poster format, is being pro- members, with activities in this area being brisk. Work duced. The poster can be reproduced in volume and is being done on follow-ups and the creation of new can be shipped to the local chapter contact. Chapters databases. will be reimbursed for having posters drymounted, Pubhztions: Roxane received a detailed report from and the posters can be exhibited as chapters are able. sales Officer Linda McLatchie concerning prices for AGM Subsidy of Board Member: Ellen and Toni reprinting Under The Hog. Roxane recommended report that there is some willingness to ease the finan- that enough copies be pre-sold to cover our costs. She cial burden on board members who must attend the also suggested that we consider a hardcover printing AGM. In particular, it is felt that the Chairman’s as the price difference is small between paperback expense might be covered in whole or in part. Ellen and hardback. The Board accepted Roxane’s recom- will prepare a written report. mendations. Future AGM’s: Gene has a request from the North- Work on the potential publication of Rickard and ern California Chapter to host the next available Anne is ongoing - kudos to Roxane for her efforts. AGM, which would be 1995. The Board requested Sckai,fekAward Joe Ann announced that the Schol- that the Northern California Chapter submit a pro- arship Committee has made a $750 award to Ms. Ann posal to the Board concerning such items as possible Bliss of Missouri, whose research field is Chaucer. meeting sites, accessibility, etc. The 1993 campaign will begin in September.

Ric8rdiin Register -23- §pring, 1992 BACK ISSUES

The Ricardian: A gripping novel about a young boy haunted by the ghost of Richard III December 1988 $3.00 March 1989 3.00 Knight on Horseback June 1989 3.00 Ann Rabinowitz September 1989 3.00 June 1991 3.00 Macmillan Fiction; 176 pp. full color jacket by Sherilyn van Valkenburg. Ages 8-12, grades 3-7. September 1990 3.00 Asthmatic thirteen-year-old Eddy Newby has a hard December 1990 3.00 enough time trying to measure up to his father’s expec March 1991 3.00 tations without starting to imagine he’s being followed June 1991 3.00 --by the ghost of King Richard III. But he soon realizes it is not his imagination. Ricardian Register From the time he finds a small carved figure of a knight on horseback in a London antique store, Eddy’s vacation in England takes on a new dimension as he is Summer, 1989 $2.00 pulled back into the fifteenth century by the ghost. Fall, 1989 2.00 Richard, longing for his own son Edward, thinks Eddy is Fall, 1990 2.00 that boy. He takes Eddy hunting, on a raid across the Winter 1990 2.00 Scottish border, and at last calls Eddy “home” to his castle in Middleham. There, Eddy must make the Spring 1991 2.00 agonizing decision about where he truly belongs. Summer 1991 2.00 In this gripping novel that blends history and sus- pense, a boy must come to terms with his feelings Mail check payable to about himself and his family. Richard III Society, Inc. $11 .OO postpaid. Order from: Linda McLatchie, Sales OfGcer Richard III Society, Inc. ANN RABINOWITZ Highfield Lane, Nutley, NJ 07110 330 Cedar Street 169 201-667-8123, FAX 201-667-8562 Ashland, MA 01721 Ann Rabinowitz is a member of the Richard III Society Add $2.00 for shipping - each order

0 New Membership Application 0 Renewal Individual Membership $30.00 Contributions Family Membership* I Schallek Fellowship Awards $ General Fund (publicity, mailings, library, etc) $ Memorials (Publications & events in England) $ Contributing & Sponsoring Membership: (50% to the William Schallek Memorial Graduate Fellowship) Honorary Fotheringay Member: $ 75 Total Enclosed: $ Honorary Middleham Member: $180 x Honorary Bosworth Member: $300 *Family Membership $25 for yourself, plus $5 for each Plantagenet Angel: $500 x additional family member residing at same address Plantagenet Family Member: $500+ $ Please list family members other than yourself:

Mail to P. 0. Box 13786, New Orleans, LA 70185-3786 Mr. D Mrs. Cl Miss a

______City, State, ZQ: ______

______Country: ______~______Phone.

Summer, 1992 - 24- Ricardian Register