Off-site News – Richard III Society

Cut-price Magna Carta ‘copy’ now believed genuine

Published on May 16, 2025 by r3waLeave a comment

A manuscript once considered an unofficial copy of Magna Carta is now believed to be a genuine version and ”one of the world’s most valuable documents”, according to UK academics.

Harvard Law School paid $27.50 (then about £7) for it in 1946 and for years it has remained tucked away in its library, its true identity unknown.

But two medieval history professors have concluded it is an extraordinarily rare and lost original Magna Carta from 1300, in the reign of King Edward I, that could be worth millions.

The Broomway, Essex.

Published on December 3, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

A perilous medieval road leading right into the sea.

The Broomway is a centuries-old footpath which begins as a rickety causeway at Wakering Stairs and, at high tide, abruptly disappears into the sea. There is evidence the path has been around since 1419 and was the only access to Foulness Island before a road bridge was built in 1932. AtlasObscura.com

The Broomway at high tide. Julieanne Savage

The Mystery Manuscript Found in a Used Copy of ‘Alice in Wonderland’

Published on August 29, 2023August 22, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

When a strange document appeared in her shop, an Australian bookseller turned detective.

The top of the document had been cut into a zig-zag, and below that were tight lines of handwriting, in a language didn’t look quite like English. And the document, Smith says, didn’t feel like paper, but rougher, like some sort of parchment. She couldn’t read most of the writing, but at the bottom were recognizable numbers—1583. AtlasObscura.com

The front of the document. Lorraine Smith

How Did a Medieval Spice Cabinet Survive 500 Years Underwater?

Published on August 23, 2023August 22, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

Exotic saffron, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and more offer a look into how Scandinavian royalty lived.

Built in 1485, the Danish warship Gribshunden served as the flagship and mobile seat of government for King Hans of Denmark and Norway. AtlasObscura.com

The trove of spices was found in the stern of the ship by Brendan Foley and a team of archaeologists. Brett Seymour

The bride’s journey

Published on July 10, 2023April 28, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

How do you bring a soon-to-be queen to her new kingdom?

In November 1444, an expedition of over 300 people was sent to France with a specific mission: to bring Margaret of Anjou (b. 1430, d. 1482) to England for her marriage to King Henry VI (r. 1422–1461, 1470–1471). The receipts and expenses of the journey and of the preparations made for it were recorded in an account-book (Add MS 23938) which has been digitised for the British Library’s Medieval and Renaissance Women project. The volume in question, covering the period from 17 July 1444 to 16 October 1445, was compiled by two royal clerks, John Breknoke and John Everdon. blogs.bl.uk

Queen Margaret of Anjou and King Henry VI in the ‘Talbot Shrewsbury Book’: Royal MS 15 E VI, f. 2v

Claim of thrones

Published on June 20, 2023April 28, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

Who was the first Queen of England in her own right? Matilda? Lady Jane Grey? Mary? Does Isabel of Portugal spring to mind?

To set the scene. On 21 May 1471, King Henry VI of England (r. 1422–1461, 1470–1471) died at the Tower of London, the prisoner of his rival Edward IV (r. 1461–1470, 1471–1483), the first Yorkist king. Henry had no surviving heirs, and his death took place during the Wars of the Roses, a time of political turmoil in England. For over a century, the English throne had been disputed by two rival families: Lancaster and York. Blogs.bl.uk

John of Gaunt and his relationships with the ruling houses of Portugal and Europe, including Isabel of Portugal (in red, right-hand margin), from the ‘Portuguese Genealogies’ (16th century): Add MS 12531/3, f. 10r

Venusse was her name

Published on May 17, 2023April 28, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

How were royal children brought up in the Middle Ages? A manuscript newly digitised as part of the British Library’s Medieval and Renaissance Women project supplies us with clues. Add MS 37656, a household account book compiled in 1305 by John de Claxton, keeper of the wardrobe, demonstrates how women were in charge of key aspects of the care of two medieval princes, Thomas of Brotherton (b. 1300, d. 1338) and Edmund of Woodstock (b. 1301, d. 1330). Blogs.bl.uk

The household account of Princes Thomas and Edmund: Add MS 37656, f. 1r

Newport Ship: Medieval vessel is ‘world’s largest 3D puzzle’

Published on May 1, 2023April 28, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

With almost 2,500 pieces, measuring 30 metres and weighing 25 tonnes, it has been called the world’s largest 3D puzzle.

Archaeologists can now, after 20 years of painstaking restoration, start to reassemble the wreck of a 15th Century ship found in a south Wales riverbank.

Experts believe the medieval vessel is as significant a find as the Mary Rose – and it is a century older. BBC.com

This is what builders uncovered in 2002 when constructing a new theatre in Newport

Curious cures for medieval maladies

Published on April 28, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

If you feel unwell today you can pick up a prescription or head to a medical centre, but how did ill people treat their ailments in the Middle Ages? A major new project at Cambridge University Library aims to find out, by digitising, cataloguing and conserving over 180 medieval manuscripts, containing well over 8,000 medical recipes. Dr James Freeman speaks to Emily Briffett about what these weird and wonderful recipes – using ingredients like puppy stomachs and eel grease – can tell us. HistoryExtra.com

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Royal sibling rivalry: Henry VIII, Richard III and other monarchs whose fate was determined by their brothers and sisters

Published on January 6, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

Through history, the role of the second or third royal sibling has not always been easy. Here, historian Sarah Gristwood explores 10 of the most famous – and dysfunctional – royal sibling relationships… HistoryExtra.com