Ricardian

Bulletin Magazine of the Richard III Society

ISSN 0308 4337 Summer 2004

Ricardian

Bulletin Summer 2004

Contents

2 From the Chairman 3 New Membership Arrangements 5 The Robert Hamblin Award 6 A Society Wedding 7 Media Retrospective 10 News and Reviews 13 The Man Himself 18 The Debate: Was Edward IV Illegitimate? 25 Bosworth, Merevale and Atherstone 1485: Recent Discoveries by John D. Austin 28 Correspondence 37 Barton Library 40 Bookseller 43 Letter from America 44 Obituaries 45 Report on Society Events 50 Future Society Events 52 Branches and Groups Contacts 54 Branches and Groups Reports 60 New Members 61 Calendar

Contributions Contributions are welcomed from all members. Articles and correspondence regarding the Bulletin Debate should be sent to Peter Ham- mond and all other contributions to Elizabeth Nokes. Bulletin Press Dates 15 January for Spring issue; 15 April for Summer issue; 15 July for Autumn issue; 15 October for Winter issue. Articles should be sent well in advance. Bulletin & Ricardian Back Numbers Back issues of the The Ricardian and The Bulletin are available from Pat Ruffle. If you are interested in obtaining any back numbers, please contact Mrs Ruffle to establish whether she holds the issue(s) in which you are interested.

The Ricardian Bulletin produced by the Bulletin Editorial Committee, General Editor Elizabeth Nokes and printed by St Edmundsbury Press. © Richard III Society, 2004 1

From the Chairman

t is now a year since we introduced the first edition of the new look Bulletin and I think that I it’s fair to say that it is a winner. Knowing some of the things in store for future issues, I'm sure that things are going to get even better. Writing of things getting better, we have already had two programmes this year on terrestrial television giving a positive image of Richard III to a wide viewing audience. First there was To- ny Robinson’s programme, which we reviewed in March, and now Terry Jones’series Mediaeval Lives. As befits a former member of the Monty Python team, Terry mixed serious history and humour in a clever and sometimes idiosyncratic way. No matter, it got the message across, de- bunking a number of mediaeval myths along the way. One in particular certainly hit home for us, and how nice it was to hear Thomas Langton’s panegyric description of Richard’s kingship quot- ed again on prime time television. The producers of Mediaeval Lives consulted the Society dur- ing the development stage of the series, and, as with the Robinson programme, we were able to influence the representation of Richard and his reign. The Society is making a real difference to how the king is perceived in the popular imagination. A simple fact illustrating what we gain from such a proactive approach is that the number of new members joining the Society during the first quarter of 2004 is double that of last year. A third programme, ‘Historyonics’, is reviewed by Geoff Wheeler later in this issue. It has been said many times that we are able to have this positive influence on both the aca- demic and popular view of Richard III because we have a strong and active membership. We do not take this for granted. As a part of the ongoing review of Society activities we have recently been looking at membership administration and have decided on some radical changes. They are explained next in this issue, but I would just like to say that the changes will benefit all members and I am especially grateful to Wendy Moorhen for her work in bringing it all together. On the subject of membership, it is worth noting already that the Members’ Day and Society AGM for 2004 will be held on the 2 October in Bristol at an exciting venue in the heart of the city. It will be only the second time that this event has been held outside London, so I hope that there will be a good turn-out of members from across the country. Undoubtedly, a highlight of this issue is the debate between Joanna Laynesmith and Michael Jones over the legitimacy of Edward IV. I’m sure that it’s a subject which will run and run. It will be interesting to read the responses to the arguments in the Autumn Bulletin, and that we are hosting such a debate goes to show that this Society is very much at the forefront of late-fifteenth -century history studies. This year we celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of HRH The Duke of Gloucester’s patron- age. The Duke has always taken a keen interest in the Society and over the years has attended many important events, most recently the Festschrift launch. We will celebrate this anniversary in the Autumn Bulletin. Finally, on a more personal note, I am very happy to be able to report in this issue on my re- cent marriage to Beth Argall, which took place in March just outside Chicago. I wish you all a good summer. Phil Stone

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New Membership Arrangements

The Executive Committee has decided not to renew its contract with RIMMS Ltd., who have for a number of years been responsible for handling the Society’s membership administration and distribution of the journals. This will now be undertaken with immediate effect by an in-house Membership Manager and a new mailing house. This move has enabled us to make considerable savings without compromising efficiency; indeed in many respects efficiency will be enhanced. Why the change? There are two principal reasons: 1. We need to provide members with an efficient and cost-effective membership service. It was felt that our future plans would be best achieved by bringing the function in house with a dedicated manager. The Executive Committee is confident that the changes being made will result in a considerably improved and more cost-effective service to our members. 2. We need a membership database that can provide more comprehensive and up-to-date infor- mation about membership statistics and profiles. Such information is necessary to enable the Executive Committee to manage the business of the Society effectively. With the change in the management of our membership administration we also have a new database designed specifically to meet the needs of the Society.

The Membership Manager The Membership Manager is the first point of contact for all matters relating to the administra- tion of our membership. This includes processing of new applications, receiving subscriptions, amending members’ records and dealing with any membership problems or issues. Rosemary Waxman will continue her role as the Membership Liaison Officer, which will enable the Execu- tive Committee effectively to monitor the contract with the Membership Manager. Consistent with our aim of improving the level of service to members, the Membership Man- ager will be required to acknowledge and respond to all correspondence, with the exception of receipts for subscriptions, within 21 days. It is sometimes quicker and cheaper to respond to que- ries by email or telephone so please always include these details with your correspondence. Contact details for the Membership Manager are as follows:

PO Box 1133 Bedford MK43 7ZX E-mail: [email protected]

Every effort has been made to ensure a smooth implementation of the new system. However, if you do experience any problems please be patient and contact the Membership Manager with the details so that the matter can be resolved.

Helping Us To Help You There are two important ways you can contribute to the efficient running of our membership ser- vices: 1. Always advise the Membership Manager of any changes to your personal details. This appl- ies even if you have informed another officer of such a change. It cannot always be assumed in the course of things that these changes will automatically be relayed to the Membership Manager. So the message is: always inform the manager directly. 2. Please pay your subscription promptly. We treat any members who have not renewed by the end of the calendar year as lapsed and they are suspended from our mailing list. Reminder letters are issued but this of course involves additional cost to the Socie