Author: Simon Payling

The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Buildings and Architecture, Henry VI, Local History, Medieval, Military history, Social history

The town of Shrewsbury and the Wars of the Roses: The campaigns of 1459-61

Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the political allegiance of the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury during the Wars of the Roses. While, during the Wars of the Roses, the political allegiances of individual noblemen are relatively easy to determine, those of individual towns are generally obscured. This is not surprising, for the notion of the corporate allegiance of a town is a … Continue reading The town of Shrewsbury and the Wars of the Roses: The campaigns of 1459-61

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 16th Century history, Legal history, Medieval, Religious history

Hugh Oldham, bishop of Exeter, ‘hath more poison in that grete fowle bely of hys then all the Bysshoppes in Englond’: scandalum magnatum in early-sixteenth century England

For the first article of 2025, Dr Simon Payling of our Commons 1461-1504 Section, explores the use of a unique form of medieval defamation law in the early 16th century. Hugh Oldham (c.1450-1519), bishop of Exeter from 1505, has had a good press from historians. Described by the Exeter MP and chronicler, John Hooker alias Vowell (d. 1601), ‘as a great favourer and a friend … Continue reading Hugh Oldham, bishop of Exeter, ‘hath more poison in that grete fowle bely of hys then all the Bysshoppes in Englond’: scandalum magnatum in early-sixteenth century England

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Constituencies, Elections, Local History, Medieval, Tudor

A disputed election in the wake of the battle of Bosworth: the Shropshire election of 1485

Following the battle of Bosworth and Henry Tudor’s accession to the English throne, the country’s gentry who had sided with Henry seemed destined to be elected to Parliament uncontested. However, as Dr Simon Payling of our Commons 1461-1504 project explores, this was not always the case… Election disputes were rare in late-medieval England. Indeed, it was not until the early fifteenth-century that any legal framework … Continue reading A disputed election in the wake of the battle of Bosworth: the Shropshire election of 1485

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Medieval, Military history

John, Lord Clifford, ‘the butcher’ and the killing of Edmund, earl of Rutland, at the battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460

In the 15th Century, the killing of rival faction leaders were commonplace, especially throughout the Wars of the Roses. However, as Dr Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project investigates, one Lancastrian commander in particular garnered a reputation for brutality, going above the limits of accepted violence… The Wars of the Roses, to state the obvious, were a series of battles, but they are equally … Continue reading John, Lord Clifford, ‘the butcher’ and the killing of Edmund, earl of Rutland, at the battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460

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Medieval, 14th Century history, Religious history

A Medieval Monk’s View of Parliament: Thomas Walsingham’s Chronica Maiora and the Parliaments of 1376 to 1410

Thomas Walsingham is best known for his role as a chronicler of his own religious life, but he was also privy to many of the events that took place in Parliament in the late 14th century. Simon Payling, from our Commons 1461-1504 project, explores what Walsingham’s writing can tell us of the medieval political landscape as well as his own feelings towards Parliament. Ordained in … Continue reading A Medieval Monk’s View of Parliament: Thomas Walsingham’s Chronica Maiora and the Parliaments of 1376 to 1410

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 14th Century history, 15th Century History, Henry IV, Medieval, Women and Parliament

A King’s Sister buried in a Shropshire church: Elizabeth of Lancaster, sister of Henry IV, at Burford

For Women’s History Month, Dr Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project discusses the life of Elizabeth Lancaster, the sister of Henry IV, who demonstrated a degree of independence unusual for an aristocratic woman. It is surprising to find the sister of a King buried in a remote Shropshire church.  Henry IV’s sister, Elizabeth, in marked contrast to her elder sister, Philippa (d.1415), wife of King John I … Continue reading A King’s Sister buried in a Shropshire church: Elizabeth of Lancaster, sister of Henry IV, at Burford

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Local History, Medieval

The Tomb of Sir Richard and Eleanor Croft in Croft Church, Herefordshire

Sir Richard Croft’s career spanned the entirety of the Wars of the Roses; he was able to adapt and maintain his prominence under each new political rule. Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project takes a look at his remarkable career and his commemoration in Croft Church. The tomb of Sir Richard Croft, MP for Herefordshire in the Parliament of 1478, and his wife, Eleanor, dominates the small church … Continue reading The Tomb of Sir Richard and Eleanor Croft in Croft Church, Herefordshire

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Medieval, 15th Century History, 16th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Local History

The tomb of William Rudhale (d.1530), Queen Katherine’s attorney-general, in the church of Ross-on-Wye

William Rudhale had a successful career in the medieval legal profession culminating in his promotion to serjeants-at-law. Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project discusses the significance of the decoration on his memorial in the church of Ross-on-Wye. The church of Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire has a series of remarkable memorials, none more so than chronologically the earliest, that of William Rudhale, King’s serjeant-at-law, and his wife, Anne Milborne. The … Continue reading The tomb of William Rudhale (d.1530), Queen Katherine’s attorney-general, in the church of Ross-on-Wye

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Henry VI, Local History, Medieval, Military history

‘No deed of shame so foul’: the treachery of Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin, and the battle of Northampton, 10 July 1460

On 10 July 1460 the Battle of Northampton was fought. This was a major battle in the Wars of the Roses and saw the Yorkist army reverse their previous misfortune. Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project discusses this dramatic battle. The ‘Wars of the Roses’ were notable for their striking reversals of fortune, but perhaps none was so extreme as that which occurred between the rout of … Continue reading ‘No deed of shame so foul’: the treachery of Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin, and the battle of Northampton, 10 July 1460

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Richard II, 14th Century history, Medieval

Preparations for the Coronation of Richard II

Continuing our blog series on coronations, Simon Payling from our Commons 1461-1504 project, reflects on the Coronation of the young King Richard II and the issue that hereditary roles had on the preparations for this Coronation. On 9 July 1377, a week before the day scheduled for the coronation of the ten-year-old Richard II, his uncle, John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, discharged a task … Continue reading Preparations for the Coronation of Richard II

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