The Complexities of Medieval Wardship

 I am currently trying to unravel the arrangements for the Despenser lands in the late 14th Century. It is quite complex.

When Edward, Lord Despenser died in November 1375, the wardship of his lands was given to his widow, Elisabeth. This was an unusual mark of favour and may reflect the fact that Sir Edward had been one of England's premier knights and was very well-regarded. Elisabeth also had a third of the lands in dower plus her inherited Burghersh lands which belonged to her in her own right. This made her a very wealthy and powerful woman, and all indications are that she did a very good job of protecting her son's lands rather than asset-stripping them as 'guardians' often did.

Of course, the grant was not absolute. She 'farmed' the wardship (which ultimately belonged to the King) and had to pay a fat annual fee for the privilege. This was quite normal practice. Some of that fee was certainly paid to the Duke of York, whose daughter was married to her son Thomas around about 1379. (They were both very small children.) This began a process where various members of the York family lived off the part of the Despenser revenues right up until 1415/16. But that's another story.

In December 1390, when Thomas was still only 17, he was associated with his mother in his own wardship. This was very unusual and shows a degree of favour from Richard II. However, it applied to only part of the inheritance. The two-thirds of Glamorgan not forming Elisabeth's dower were covered as was a selection of the English lands but by no means all of them. For this Thomas and Elisabeth had to pay £700 a year to the King plus smaller amounts to various people who had been given incomes based on the issues of the wardship. The implication is that the lands must have been worth more - perhaps much more. When it is borne in mind that the Duke of York's landed income was only £900, it shows how valuable the Despenser lands must have been.

How this worked in practice is hard to discern, but it looks like Elisabeth retained charge of much of the English inheritance. The purpose of this split eludes me.

In 1394 when Thomas was twenty, he was allowed full livery of all his lands some months before his birthday. This concession may have related to his decision to go with the King to Ireland, and the downside to it is we do not get a Proof of Age as he was never required to obtain one. This deprives us of a great deal of knowledge. Again, some people were given protection until he truly came of age, but he would have had the bulk of his inheritance and his mother's duty was at an end.

Is anyone else sick of hearing about Anne Boleyn?

 Apparently, there is to be yet another TV series around Anne Boleyn.

I get the distinct impression that the people who commission TV dramas are under the impression that England/Britain went straight from the Creation to the Tudors, and then directly to Jane Austen.

There were other eras in our rich and colourful history. There are literally hundreds of interesting tales that could be told.

To put it another way - I really like steak and chips. But I don't want it for every meal for the rest of my life. Variety is highly desirable.

The Road Not Travelled

 This book is now available in paperback format. It can also be had in Kindle format if you prefer.

It is raising money for the Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK) and contains several short stories set in the era of the Wars of the Roses. What's different is they are all Alternative History.

The stories are written by a team of excellent authors. Oh, and there's one in there by me too! It's about George Clarence.

Enjoy!

An Old Graveyard

This is a bit of an off-the-wall post but I had to write it somewhere.

When I was a lad I had the misfortune to attend one of Manchester's less pleasant schools. It was not 'approved' but judging from the attitudes and behaviour of certain pupils and staff it might as well have been.

Anyway, our playing fields were not attached to the school. That would have been far too convenient. No, they were a good country mile away at Nell Lane. Sometimes we actually played football or cricket, but just as often as not the pitches were judged unfit and we had to run around it. It was a very big field.

Just across Nell Lane was a little cemetery. On the gates were the words 'Southern Cemetery' and I assumed it was the very earliest part of that huge cemetery, the main bit of which is just across Princess Road, a long stone's throw away. There were tombstones with names and dates but I don't recall the details. Sometimes I would venture in to collect conkers at the appropriate season - it was a rich source of this bounty.

I am very sensitive to atmosphere, and in most cemeteries, I am at the least 'alert'. That is I have a sense of being watched, of needing to be on my best behaviour. This little cemetery was positively welcoming. It was as if the souls were glad to see you. It was so old and neglected that I doubt there were many visitors.

Eventually, about 1970, this little plot was destroyed to allow for road widening, and the inhabitants were moved to Southern Cemetery (proper) with many of them crammed together into boxes. Not a trace now remains of the place where I used to collect conkers. Even the former school field is largely destroyed.

Recently I discovered that the plot originally belonged to the nearby Nell Lane Workhouse. So, despite the legend of the gates, it was not strictly part of Southern Cemetery at all.

So to whom did the gravestones belong? Perhaps some of the workhouse residents had family who gave them a proper grave. The rest, poor souls, must have been left with nothing to mark where they lay, although of course, that was no obvious to a youthful, ignorant visitor.

I gather some of the stones survive in their new location. One day I must nip down and say 'Hi, you are not forgotten.'

Amazon Author Page

This Link will take you to my Amazon Author Page.

You will find details there of all my books and the books to which I have contributed.

I have no idea why UK Amazon is not showing new copies of Within the Fetterlock. To the best of my knowledge, they are still available, but you will have to import them via Amazon.com. Of course, if you live in America this will not be an issue. 

The Constance Prequel

 I am now well on with this. I had a bit of a mental block with the events of 1387/88. It was almost as if Constance didn't want me to write about the traumatic events! But now I am out the other side and working towards the point in the story where Richard II regains power.

I have decided to change the title. What I have not finally decided is what to change it to. Court of Treason is the front-runner, but I am not 100% decided.

UPDATE: The first part is now published as Walking Among Lions. Part 2 should follow by no later than December 2022!