#sir richard croft

[richmond-rex]

Did Henry Tudor meet Elizabeth of Edward IV of England and York in house of york?

Hello, I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking if Henry Tudor ever met Edward IV and Elizabeth of York whilst Edward was still king? It's impossible to know, but there might actually be a possibility that Henry met Edward IV (less likely he met Elizabeth imo). To be clear, this is a personal theory based on some of the testimonies given for Henry and Elizabeth's marriage dispensation in 1486.

William, earl of Nottingham (64 years old): 'says that he has known the aforesaid prince Henry well for twenty years and more, and the said lady Elizabeth for sixteen years' => That means he knew Henry since at least 1466, and Elizabeth since 1470/1.

Sir Richard Croft (54 years old): 'says and answers that he has known king Henry well for twenty years, and the said lady Elizabeth for sixteen years' => Again, that means he knew Henry since at least 1466 and Elizabeth since 1470/1.

Sir William Tyler (43 years old): 'says that he has known prince Henry [now king] well for twenty years, and the lady Elizabeth for twelve years' => That means he knew Henry since at least 1466 and Elizabeth since 1470/1.

Those two dates are relevant to the Yorkist establishment (hold this thought). I think it's possible those three men first met Elizabeth of York as she fled with her mother and siblings in 1470 to the Tower and then to Westminster Abbey, or they might have met her in 1471 when Edward IV returned and rescued his family from sanctuary. I don't know exactly what kind of ceremonies were held after Edward's triumph over the Lancastrians but it's possible Elizabeth was present on those occasions.

Some of the other witnesses said they knew Henry for sixteen/fifteen years as well — specifically Christopher Urswyck (Margaret Beaufort's confessor) and Sir William Knyvett. It would make the most sense for the majority of people to say they knew Henry since 1470/1, considering Henry Tudor came to London during the readeption of his uncle Henry VI, and would have met the courtiers at that time. But those three people* — the Earl of Nottingham, Sir Richard Croft and Sir William Tyler — said they knew Henry at least since 1466. What was Henry Tudor doing in 1466?

At that time Henry was a 9 year-old in the custody of William Herbert, an important representative of the Yorkist king in Wales described as 'King Edward's master-lock'. It's possible William Berkeley (later Earl of Nottingham), Sir Richard Croft and William Tyler all knew Henry from visiting the Herberts in Rhaglan Castle**, though it's impossible to say if they had any degree of personal friendship with the Herberts. In 1466 there was however an event that was of importance for both the Herberts and Edward IV.

In that year William Herbert married his eldest son and heir to Mary Woodville, the king's sister (in-law) in a ceremony that took place in Windsor Castle, one of the king's residences. It was apparently such a great event a Welsh poet later praised it in one of his poems dedicated to Willaim Herbert:

The foremost king of Britain and its realm / Gave his sister to him / He held a great wedding-feast in Windsor / For this man, in his royalty / A generous feast for our lord who is of our tongue, / May he be seen again as a prince!

This is pure speculation but I ask myself: is it possible William Herbert took his whole family to Windsor, including his ward Henry Tudor, for his son's wedding feast? If so, many Yorkist partisans such as the Earl of Nottingham and Sir Richard Croft would have had the opportunity to meet Henry on that occasion — in turn, Henry would have had the opportunity to at least see King Edward. Of course there's no way to really know that whilst no concrete evidence comes up, but it's fascinating to think Henry might have seen/know Edward IV.

This isn't taking into account, for example, the possibility that Edward IV might have visited William Herbert at Raglan in one of his travels, to which Henry would have seen him as well. A royal visit to Raglan is the only way I can think of that Henry might have seen Elizabeth of York, as she was only merely a few months-old at the time of her aunt's wedding in Windsor, and would not have attended the ceremony. Furthermore, if Henry and Elizabeth had been present on the same occasion/wedding the three witnesses above would have given the same number of years for knowing them both***, which was not the case.

However, I think a royal visit from Edward IV to Raglan is less likely, given it was not documented anywhere, not even in Welsh poetry, and William Herbert was enough of a patron to have this visit documented in that way. So all in all, I think it's very unlikely Henry Tudor ever met Elizabeth of York before 1485, though I think there's a slight chance that he have met Edward IV in 1466. Again, this is all pure speculation, though.

_____________

* It's important to notice that all three were Yorkist partisans: Sir Richard Croft fought at Mortimer’s Cross, Towton and Tewkesbury on Edward IV's side — he and his brother were tutored with or were the one who tutored Edward whilst Earl of March and his brother Edmund in Ludlow*. Apparently the letter Edward and Edmund jointly wrote to their father Richard of York complained about Sir Richard Croft and his brother. The Crofts were neighbours of the Mortimers, which then encompassed Richard of York and his sons. The Battle of Mortimer's Cross took place on Croft soil. Sir Richard's wife Eleanor ran the household of Edward Prince of Wales, Edward IV's son, and his younger brother (also called Richard Croft) was one of Edward's tutors in Ludlow. Henry VII later made Sir Richard Croft his treasurer, and also made him Prince Arthur’s steward in Ludlow later on.

William Berkeley was created Baron Berkeley by Edward IV and became one of his privy councillors in 1482/3. He might have been the same William Berkeley, knight of the Body, who was attainted in Richard III’s Parliament and joined Henry in exile. It would be weird for the act in Parliament not to mention his title, though, since he was created Earl of Nottingham two days after Richard III was declared king. Either William Earl of Nottingham or this other William Berkeley, knight of the Body, hosted Margaret of York when she visited England in 1480.

** It would be really awkward if William Berkeley (later Earl of Nottingham) was intimate enough to visit the Herberts, considering he killed in battle William Herbert's son-in-law, Thomas Talbot, 2nd Baron/Viscount Lisle (Margaret Herbert's husband) after Lisle challenged him to a trial of arms over the Berkeley lands in 1470. Lisle had been Herbert's ward in the same way Henry Tudor had been. His wife Margaret Herbert miscarried a boy shortly after his death. I believe this is the dowager Viscountess of Lisle that Henry granted a financial settlement in 1492.

*** For example, Sir William Knyvett said he knew Elizabeth of York from the day of her birth 🥺 (and had known Henry for fifteen years, that is, since 1470/1 the Readeption years).

[thegoldenretrieverandthegaynerd]

‘I want to punch myself in the face’

Don’t we all Bash! I love that out of all of us you will always hate Ben the most, and we hate him a hell of a lot!

Lovely interview with Bash ahead of 4000 miles, but a small tiny bit where he talks heartstopper!

[lands-of-fantasy]

Persuasion

Adaptions from 1971, 1995, 2007, 2022

The sixth of Jane Austen’s novels, first published in 1817, posthumously, has had many adaptions over the years. The ones pictures above are detailed below:

Persuasion (1971 Miniseries)

5 episodes x 45min Written by Julian Mitchell, directed by Howard Baker

Starring Ann Firbank as Anne Elliot, Bryan Marshall as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, David Savile as Mr. William Elliot, Morag Hood as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Basil Dignam as Sir Walter Elliot, Marian Spencer as Lady Russell, Georgine Anderson as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

Persuasion (1995 TV Film)

While made for british TV, the film was later released in US theaters Written by Nick Dear, directed by Roger Michell

Starring Amanda Root as Anne Elliot, Ciarán Hinds as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, Samuel West as Mr. William Elliot, Sophie Thompson as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Corin Redgrave as Sir Walter Elliot, Susan Fleetwood as Lady Russell, Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

Persuasion (2007 TV Film)

Written by Simon Burke, directed by Adrian Shergold

Starring Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot, Rupert Penry-Jones as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, Tobias Menzies as Mr. William Elliot, Amanda Hale as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Anthony Head as Sir Walter Elliot, Alice Krige as Lady Russell, Marion Bailey as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

Persuasion (2022 Film)

While made for Netflix, this film was first released in US theaters The film departs from the original novel in some points (a lot in tone)

Written by Ronald Bass & Alice Victoria Winslow, directed by Carrie Cracknell

Starring Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Cosmo Jarvis as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, Henry Golding as Mr. William Elliot, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Lady Russell, Agni Scott as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

*****

I’m not big on Persuasion but I prefer the 2007 version myself. Then 1995. I also like 2022, but it feels different.

[guerrerense]

Sir Berkeley At The Middleton Railway por Richard Croft

[artistrichardhfay]

Article "Edward IV"

The fifteenth century English civil war that became known as the "Wars of the Roses" arose out of tension between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. Both dynasties could trace their ancestry back to Edward III. Both vied for influence at the court of the Lancastrian King Henry VI. The growing enmity that existed between these two noble lineages eventually led to a pattern of political manoeuvring, backstabbing, and bloodshed that culminated in a contest for the crown and Edward of York’s seizure of the throne to become Edward IV, first Yorkist King of England.

Born at Rouen on April 28, 1442, Edward was the eldest son of Richard, Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, "The Rose of Raby". Dubbed “The Rose of Rouen” due to his fair features and place of birth, Edward sported golden hair and an athletic physique. Growing to over six feet tall, the young Earl of March developed into the conventional medieval image of a military leader, ever ready to enter the fray. Intelligent and literate, Edward could read, write, and speak English, French, and a bit of Latin. He enjoyed certain chivalric romances and histories as well as the more physical aristocratic pursuits of hunting, hawking, jousting, feasting, and wenching. Edward proved time and again to be a valiant warrior and competent commander, personally brave and at the same time capable of understanding the finer points of strategy and tactics. As king, he displayed a direct straightforwardness and lacked much of the devious cunning exhibited by some of his contemporaries.

Young Edward of March became embroiled in the dynastic struggle between the Houses of Lancaster and York while still a teen. The family feud erupted into violence for the first time on May 22, 1455, when Yorkist forces under command of the Duke of York and the Earl of Warwick, and Lancastrian forces under command of the Duke of Somerset and King Henry, came to blows on the streets of St. Albans. After a disastrous debacle at Ludford Bridge on October 12, 1459, the Yorkist leaders fled for Calais and Ireland. Edward, Earl of March, was among those declared guilty of high treason by an Act of Attainder passed by Parliament on November 20.

In the summer of 1460, the Earl of March sailed from Calais to Sandwich with the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick and two-thousand men-at-arms. During Edward’s first proper taste of battle at Northampton in July of that year, he and the Duke of Norfolk co-commanded the vanguard that eventually breached the Lancastrian field fortifications, thanks in part to the traitorous actions of the Lancastrian turncoat Lord Grey of Ruthyn. After the Yorkist victory at Northampton, Edward’s father returned to England and made clear his desire to become king, but the assembled lords failed to support his claim.

With the contest between Lancaster and York still undecided, Edward was given his first independent command. He was sent to Wales to quell an uprising led by Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, while his father marched out of London to tackle the northern allies of Henry VI’s Queen Margaret of Anjou. Drawn out of Sandal Castle by the appearance of a Lancastrian army, Richard of York fell in battle outside its walls on December 30, 1460. His severed head, along with those of his younger son Edmund, the Earl of Rutland, and Richard Neville, the Earl of Salisbury, soon adorned spikes atop the city of York’s Micklegate Bar. A paper crown placed on his bloody pate mocked the Duke’s failed bid for the throne. On the site of his father's death, Edward later erected a simple memorial consisting of a cross enclosed by a picket fence.

Now Duke of York, Edward gathered an army in the Welsh marches to avenge the deaths of his father and younger brother. Having spent his boyhood in Sir Richard Croft’s castle near Wigmore, Edward was well known in the region. He made ready to march toward London to support the Earl of Warwick, but then turned north to face an enemy force led by the Earls of Pembroke and Wiltshire. A strange sight greeted the anxious Yorkist troops at Mortimer's Cross that frosty dawn of February 2, 1461. Three rising suns shone in the morning sky. Quick to declare this meteorological phenomenon a positive omen, Edward announced that the Holy Trinity was watching over his army. After his victory at Mortimer’s Cross, Edward added the sunburst to his banner and badge. To make clear that the conflict had entered a more savage phase, Edward ordered the execution of Owen Tudor and nine other captured Lancastrian nobles. Tudor’s severed head went on display on the market cross at Hereford, where a mad woman combed his hair, washed his bloody face, and lit candles around the grisly memorial.

On February 17, the Earl of Warwick suffered his first defeat at the second battle St. Albans, brought about in part by treachery within his ranks. However, London refused to open its gates to Queen Margaret’s looting Lancastrian army, a force the citizens of the capital feared was full of northern savages. Reunited with King Henry, but frustrated by London’s mistrustful citizenry, the queen withdrew her forces toward York. Warwick and what troops he had left then met up with the victorious Edward at either Chipping Norton or Burford on February 22.

Greeted by cheers, Edward and the Earl of Warwick, marched into the capital on February 26. Warwick’s brother, the Chancellor George Neville, asked the people who they wished to be King of England and France. They answered with shouts for Edward. On March 4, 1461, the Duke of York rode from Baynard’s Castle to Westminster, where the Yorkist peers and commons and merchants of London formally proclaimed him King Edward IV.

The new Yorkist king’s official coronation was postponed while he prepared to set out in pursuit of Margaret and Henry. After sending Lord Fauconberg northward at the head of the king’s footmen on the 11th, Edward marched out of the capital on the 13th. He issued orders prohibiting his army from committing robbery, sacrilege, and rape upon penalty of death. He followed the trail of pillaged towns and razed homesteads left behind by Margaret’s northern moss-troopers.

On March 22, Edward received word that his enemies had taken up position behind the River Aire. On March 28, his vanguard tangled with a Lancastrian force holding the wooden span at Ferrybridge. Outflanking the defenders by sending a part of his army across the Aire at Castleford, Edward managed to push his men across the bridge and up the Towton road.

The two armies drew up in battle order on a snowy Palm Sunday, March 29, 1461. At some point during the morning the snow shifted, blowing into the faces of the Lancastrian soldiers. Taking advantage of the favourable wind, Fauconberg ordered his archers forward. The ensuing volley initiated the biggest, bloodiest, and most decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses.

Edward displayed steadfast courage as the battle raged. The young king rode up and down the line and joined in the melee whenever the ranks appeared ready to waver. No quarter was given, for both sides wished to settle the issue once-and-for-all, and the dead piled up between the opposing men-at-arms. At times, the fighting momentarily ceased while the bodies of the slain were pulled aside to make room for continued bloodshed.

After several hours of fierce fighting, the Yorkist line began to give way. However, the arrival of the Duke of Norfolk’s reinforcements tipped the balance in the Yorkist favour, and the exhausted Lancastrian army eventually faltered and broke. Many fleeing soldiers were cut down by Yorkist prickers in an area now known as Bloody Meadow. As was allegedly his habit when victorious, Edward may have given orders to spare the commons but slay the lords. Those Lancastrian nobles that survived the slaughter, along with King Henry, Queen Margaret, and their son Prince Edward, sought sanctuary in Scotland.

Victory at Towton established the Yorkist dynasty, but over the next three years Edward’s rule still faced a series of Lancastrian-inspired rebellions. Many of these uprisings against the Yorkist crown centred on Lancastrian strongholds in Northumberland. Most of Queen Margaret’s moves in the years immediately following the battle revolved around control of various castles, with some rather dubious aid from the Scots. In 1463, Margaret was finally forced to flee to France when Warwick and his brother routed her Scottish allies at Norham. Left behind by his queen, Henry VI held state in the gloomy fortress at Bamburgh. Warwick besieged this stronghold during the summer of 1464, and it became the first English castle to succumb to cannon fire. Captured in Clitherwood twelve months later and abandoned by his queen and allies, the Lancastrian king was sent to the Tower of London. Edward's throne finally seemed secure. However, Edward next faced threat from an unexpected corner as Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, turned on the man he helped make king.

In 1464, Edward secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, a comparatively lowborn Lancastrian widow. This caused a rift to form between the king and the Earl of Warwick. Edward's in-laws began to exert a growing influence over his court. Displeased with his own waning influence, in 1469 Warwick orchestrated a rebellion in the north. Edward remained in Nottingham while his Herbert and Woodville allies suffered defeat at Edgecote on July 26, 1469. The king then fell under Warwick's protection. On March 12, 1470, Edward was able to rout the rebels at the battle of Losecote Field, a moniker that arose from the fact that many men fleeing the battle discarded their livery jackets displaying the incriminating badges of Warwick and Edward's treacherous brother, the Duke of Clarence. With their treachery made plain, Warwick and Clarence sailed to France and formed an unlikely alliance with Margaret of Anjou. When Warwick returned to England with his new Lancastrian allies, Edward the lost support of the country and fled to the Netherlands. Warwick "The Kingmaker" reinstated the Lancastrian monarch during Henry's Readeption of 1470-1.

Edward IV spent his time in exile assembling an invasion fleet at Flushing and trying to woo his wayward brother back to the Yorkist cause. On March 14, 1471, Edward returned to the realm he claimed as his own, landing at Ravenspur. The Duke of Clarence promptly deserted Warwick and marched to his brother’s aid. Edward headed for London and entered the capital on April 11. Reinforced by Clarence’s troops, Edward took King Henry out of the capital and led a swelling army to face Warwick at Barnet. Edward suffered an early setback as he clashed with his one-time ally on that misty Easter morn of April 14, 1471. The Yorkist left collapsed, and the centre was slowly pushed back, but confusion caused by the obscuring fog eventually doomed Warwick's army. Warwick’s soldiers mistook the star with streams livery worn by the men of the Lancastrian Earl of Oxford for Edward’s sun with streams and loosed volleys of arrows into the approaching troops. With cries of “treason”, Oxford’s men left the field. Sensing the unease that rattled the Lancastrian ranks, Edward rallied his men and pressed the attack. Under this renewed pressure, Warwick’s army wavered and broke. The earl tried to flee the battlefield, but Yorkist soldiers pulled him from his saddle and despatched him with a knife thrust through an eye. Edward arrived on the scene too late to save Warwick from such an ignoble fate.

On May 4, Edward once more led his troops into battle, this time against Queen Margaret’s army at Tewkesbury. Margaret and her son, Prince Edward, had landed at Weymouth with a small force the same day of Edward’s victory over Warwick at Barnet. Under the leadership of the Duke of Somerset, the Lancastrian force moved toward Wales to try to join forces with Jasper Tudor. Wishing to bring Margaret’s army to battle before it crossed the Severn, Edward gave chase. He caught up with Somerset and Margaret at Tewkesbury. Though his army was slightly outnumbered, the Yorkist king once again triumphed over the Lancastrians. Margaret's son, Prince Edward, was captured and slain. Some Lancastrian fugitives, including the Duke of Somerset, tried to seek sanctuary in Tewkesbury Abbey. Dispute surrounds the exact details regarding what happened inside. Edward either granted pardons to those sheltering within the abbey walls, and then reneged on his promise, or he and his men entered the building with swords drawn. Either way, those captives that survived the slaughter were subsequently executed.

With the exception of quickly quelled Kentish and northern revolts, Edward’s triumph at Tewkesbury signalled the end of Lancastrian opposition to his reign. Margaret was captured and brought before Edward on May 12. She remained his prisoner until ransomed by King Louis XI of France. After making his formal entry into London on the 21st, Edward arranged the clandestine murder of poor King Henry VI. Edward’s brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, entered the Tower that evening. By the next morning, Henry, the potential focus of future Lancastrian resistance to Yorkist rule, was dead.

Following his final victory, Edward IV reigned over a relatively stable, peaceful, and prosperous kingdom. Once the Yorkist usurper secured his throne, he showed a ravenous appetite for the opulence of royalty and eventually became rather overweight. As king, he ordered the construction of several grand churches. He was also known as a patron of the arts. A lover of luxury and keenly aware of the political power of a majestic presence, one of Edward’s first acts a few months after his return to the throne was the expenditure of large sums of money on a magnificent new wardrobe. The other crowned heads of Europe all recognized him as legitimate King of England. His brief war with France in 1475 ended when Louis XI agreed to pay Edward an annual subsidy. By 1478 Edward had paid off the debts amassed by his one-time enemies. Unlike many of England’s medieval kings, he died solvent. He introduced several innovations to the machinery of government that the Tudors later adopted and developed. However, his second reign was not without its troubles. Woodville influence over his court caused tension between Edward and the nobility. In 1478, Edward’s in-laws manipulated him into eliminating his disgruntled brother George, the Duke of Clarence. Edward died on April 9, 1483.

Edward of York had a remarkable military career. He personally commanded and fought in five separate battles, and never lost a single one. As a leader of armed men, he often displayed daring and dash. As leader of the Yorkist cause, he exhibited a contradictory mixture of magnanimity and ruthlessness. As king, Edward IV worked to elevate the crown above the nobility and did much to restore a sound government. Unfortunately, his rash marriage bore bitter fruit, sowing the seeds of disaster for his young sons. Edwards’s death in 1483 left a minor as heir. The Duke of Gloucester was named protector of the princes Edward and Richard. Gloucester eventually had his nephews declared bastards and had himself proclaimed King Richard III. His nephews may have been murdered in the Tower, perhaps under Richard’s direct order. Faced with an invasion force led by Henry Tudor, and betrayed by his barons, Richard fell in battle at Bosworth Field. His death marked the end of the Yorkist dynasty and the ascendancy of the Tudors.

The Poleaxe of Edward IV

Being a fierce fighter as well as a skilled commander, Edward was said to be especially proficient with that uniquely knightly pole arm, the poleaxe. A magnificently decorated example currently residing in the Musee de l’Armee in Paris, France, has been ascribed to that most aristocratic of medieval monarchs. The connection to Edward IV is dubious, but this beautiful weapon certainly belonged to some extremely wealthy French, Dutch, or English nobleman of the late fifteenth century. Any consummate warrior and lover of luxury such as Edward of York would certainly have appreciated how the weapon’s combination of fine fighting qualities and rich ornamentation.

Having more reach than a sword, the poleaxe was often the preferred weapon when men of rank fought on foot. Topped by a spike, the axe head was backed by either a hammer or a quadrilateral beak. Mounted on a haft about six feet long and wielded in both hands, the poleaxe could cut, bludgeon, and stab. Even though the example attributed to Edward’s ownership sports fine decorative elements, it still exhibits all the qualities of a functional weapon. A pronged hammer backs a slightly curved axe blade. A wickedly sharp, stout spike thrusts out of the hexagonal central socket. A sturdy rondel acts as a hand-guard.

The lordly embellishments of the Edward IV poleaxe set it apart from simpler period examples. It is profusely decorated with chiselled gilt bronze. The iron components emerge from the throats of stylized beasts. The socket is further decorated with engraved foliage, a knot of flowers, and a cluster of fiery clouds. The rondel takes the form of a full-blown heraldic rose. The assumption that this weapon once belonged to Edward IV arose from the fact that it exhibits the symbols of rose and flame, but such ornamentation was common in the fifteenth century. Still, this imagery does echo the white rose en soliel device Edward used on his banner and badge, so it may just be a weapon once wielded by that accomplished Yorkist warrior.

Sources

Arms and Armour from the 9th to the 17th Century by Paul Martin

Arms and Armour of the Western World by Bruno Thomas

Battle of Tewkesbury 4th May 1471 by P.W. Hammond, H.G. Shearring, and G. Wheeler

Battles in Britain and Their Political Background:1066-1746 by William Seymour

The Book of the Medieval Knight by Stephen Turnbull

Campaign 66: Bosworth 1485: Last Charge of the Plantagenets by Christopher Gravett

Campaign 120: Towton 1461: England's Bloodiest Battle by Christopher Gravett

Campaign 131: Tewkesbury 1471: The Last Yorkist Victory by Christopher Gravett

Men-at-Arms 145: The Wars of the Roses by Terence Wise

The Military Campaigns of the Wars of the Roses by Philip A. Haigh

Who's Who in Late Medieval England by Michael Hicks

[sci-firenegade]

The Youth Theatre puts on an Hamlet production on the West End, no less! And guess who's their guest of honour is!

Transcription:

[[MORE]]

SCHOOLBOYS' HAMLET OPENS IN WEST END By Leslie Mallory A Croydon car dealer, two Southport sisters and a television star put up the £700 which will help a schoolboy cast to break into theatreland tonight with their first West End play. William Russell — Sir Lancelot of the TV serials — will be a guest of honour at London's newest playhouse, the Queen's, when the Youth Theatre opens with "Hamlet" this evening. The other donors may be there too, but few will recognise them, for they have asked not to be named. In turmoil All day yesterday the gleaming new theatre was in turmoil as the boys rehearsed. Most of them aged between 14 and 21 are still at school. Hamlet is 21-year-old Richard Hampton, who is now studying for an English degree at Oxford. During the last scene an unsuspected critic spoke up from the dark stalls: "You must remember Hamlet is really a joker—don't play him like a policeman." he roared. Richard nlinked out across the footlights... and made out the face of Sir Ralph Richardson. Tbe actor, who is president of the Youth Theatre movement, had dropped in to see how his proteges were doing. Theatre knights The Youth Theatre, founded three years ago by Michael Croft, novelist, actor and producer., aims not to breed future stars but to help young people express themselves in disciplined team-work by putting on their own productions. As well as Sir Ralph, the boys have the support of three theatre knights, Sir John Gielgrud, Sir Alec Guinness and Sir Michael Redgrave, who are all members of the Youth Theatre Council. The Youth Theatre, whose only finance is a tiny charity grant, has no permanent home. It is trying to raise funds to set up a base and help young people throughout the country.

[unchartedperils]

Little did the daughter of Sir Richard Croft know that treasure hunting was dangerous. But it was too late as she and her Endurance adventurer crew were stranded on the cursed island of Yamatai. And the mysterious inhabitants of the island were waiting for a innocent young woman such as herself to ‘experiment’ on.

For seven days and nights, Lara Croft would be a bound and gagged hostage of this mysterious cult. Where were the others, most notably her best friend Samantha Nirishuma? Would she find a way to break free? Or would she remain their slave forever until she was to be sacrificed?

A Survivor Was Born 10 Years Ago!

From being stranded on a mysterious island off the coast of Japan to unraveling all of its secrets and dark past, Lara sure wasn’t prepared for this unforgettable adventure.

Happy anniversary to Tomb Raider (2013) and congratulations for this big milestone to the development teams at Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal, the entire cast of actors, Square Enix, and other people involved in making the game.

[crypticcrossword]

Persuasion Dream Cast yes i know no one is thinking about this anymore

I love this book too much, and have read it too many times. I have been trying not to think about this out of anger but inspiration bows to no one. If no one else gets this, fine, but that doesn’t make it less correct

Sarah Snook and Joel Fry as Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth.

Are you fucking kidding me they would have been perfect. The loss of what might have been is even more painful if I had never known it was a possibility, and I wouldn’t have beacause I wouldn’t have pieced this together originally. I wouldn’t have thought of Sarah Snook as Anne Elliot until I became not stupid (watched the season 3 finale of Succession) and realized no one else could play the hold your emotions in until you combust game like her. I have also fallen in love with Joel Fry to the point that I am considering watching Cruella. Having a comedic actor play Wentworth is galaxy brain, because the tragedy of his love life can only be countered by how ridiculous it is. Also he could perfectly pull off writing a letter to someone who’s in the room, then leaving it conspicuously on a table, then coming back and handing it directly to her just to be safe.

Richard E Grant as Walter Elliot.

I am sick in my stomach to think that the only way I can hear Richard E Grant say Sir Walter’s lines is by also sitting through Dakota Johnson Fleabagging the camera like she’s making one of those annoying ass TikToks. I used to be ok with Dakota Johnson now her voice just makes me wanna punch that gap back in her teeth. Meanwhile Richard E. Grant could shit talk men’s haircuts and recommend a better beauty product to his daughters for two straight hours and it would still be funny

Danusia Samal as Elizabeth Elliot

She’s perfect and highhandedly bitchy as Countess Svenska in The Great, and that’s also how I know she can bring the right Hot Entitlement to the role.

PATTI HARRISON AS MARY MUSGROVE.

You are a fool and a coward if you think Mary shouldn’t be played by the funniest comedian in the movie. No one else could make Mary’s histrionics over her toddler breaking his arm funnier than Patti Harrison, and now I can only dream about it.

Lolly Adefope as Louisa Musgrove.

1. She’s a genius. 2. Imagine Kitty from Ghosts going “Catch me! Catch me!” before jumping and plummeting to concrete and tell me I’m not correct. She could also play post-accident Louisa deeply, but still funny, and that’s hard to pull off.

Susan Wokoma as Henrietta Musgrove.

Very excited to watch Year of the Rabbit, and I watched Chewing Gum so I know she can play the practical sister while also trying to flirt with Wentworth in the worst ways possible.

Zach Cherry as Charles Musgrove

He has perfect “this guy just wants to chill but life has made that impossible” energy. Also can picture him in a “I love my wife- and yes she bought me this shirt” t shirt.

Rachel House as Mrs. Croft

I want to be Mrs. Croft’s best friend and she was written 200 years ago, the casting of Fiona Shaw was genius and any actress playing her needs to convey that you can trust her with your life. She is the coolest MILF alive and there is no other choice.

Jake Lacy as Mr. Eliot.

I hate this bitch now thanks to White Lotus and I need him to bring that energy here now. He wants you to trust him so bad and it’s a sick thrill that we and Anne share getting nasty gossip about him because it confirms something you already felt.

Sophie Okenedo as Lady Russell. 

You should trust and like Lady Russell, but she should also be able to infuriate you like only your mother can when you’re visiting her at home and she asks a innocuous question that makes you want to eat glass.

Jamie Demetriou as Benwick.

Benwick seems absolutely heartbroken by the death of his fiancee until he can read poetry to a pretty girl for a few weeks, and Demetriou can play that soggy sadness and desperation to be loved just *chefs kiss* Also I want to see his face when Sarah Snook tells him he should read less poetry and more prose for the sake of his health.

Adeel Akhtar as Admiral Croft.

I just want Adeel Akhtar to be in everything. Cool uncle energy.

Honorable mention I think a truly great actress should play Mrs. Smith so that you’re totally absorbed in her story like you are in the book. Fiona O’Shaughnessy. #UtopiaHive

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

NETFLIX PERSUASION LIVE REACTION

Okay, so far not so bad

*Anne drinks wine from the bottle, "single and thriving*... nevermind.

I say, What an oddly proportioned bed!

This is a lovely room... for, say a cottage.

Isn't the point of Anne that she doesn't have any hope of Wentworth? Isn't that what this whole thing is about?

Wait I'm sorry I didn't see what Mrs clay was saying there I was busy staring at her... wayward figure

Anne did you wake up in a daze that your put your blouse on the OUTSIDE of your dress?

I like these Crofts.

I wouldn't even mind the fourth wall breaking, if this dialogue was anything Anne Elliot would ever say.

Is that a shift?

If this was TRYING to be Tumblr Dialogue absurdist Jane Austen I would LOVE the empath line, but it's not trying to be that so I can't.

I'm struggling because I hate this scene of her with the wine bottle at the window but she's wearing a shift under those stays and that butters many parsnips for me.

Your hair is also suitability... appropriate *her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed*

That is... too big to be Uppercross Grange. This is as bad as the House Inflation in Emma.

Could we have cast someone [as Wentworth] who actually has a jaw please? Just once?

Oh look a brief glimpse of actual dialogue!

"Charles wanted to marry me first!" WHO IS THIS WINE AUNT?

Hilarious that Charles hasn't even like talked to Anne in this version?

I need to roll that back, because I must not have any occasion to miss this terrible dialogue -- my sister

*laughing at the blackbeard line*

This is not dance music

Wow do you have enough mascara on?

Oh I see she finally decided to put her hair up

Self-care! The words "self-care" just... *pounds chair arm* CAPPUCCINO! --my sister (fun-fact, the cappuccinos we know today were first known to exist IN ITALY, in the 1930's)

The height difference between Mary and Charles here is about the difference between Alice and Jasper in the Twilight books

This guy would make a better Edward Ferrars

Shifts but no bonnets...

The location cards on this movie out here in your face like the new covers for the Twilight books

What is with them and casting my sisters babies as Harvill? First Joseph Mawle now Edward Bluemel

Take a drink every time Anne takes a drink

Can we stop casting musicians as Austen heros?

"You've never had trouble speaking for yourself." Ummm

Ah yes schmoozing, prostrating oneself before the superiority of woman, very attractive

The only thing Henry Golding would be good for in my estimation is playing Sulu by that ship has sailed. He's too mustache twirly for anything else

I want Anne's green redingote

I just wanna say "hes a ten--I never trust a ten" has the same flavor as "my mother's oft repeated warning echoes in my ears: never trust a man who can dance" from Fifty Shades of Grey. Even if that line wasn't in the movie the association is enough to make me cackle like a fish wife.

I love how Anne always has a hangover in the morning

Richard E. Grant is just such a perfect Sir Walter

Okay for what this is, Dakota Johnson is actually doing a fine job

This is one of those Period dramas where all the awful characters are dressed impeccably well in things that you want to wear SO BADLY and the character you're supposed to "relate to" is dressed like a slovenly peasant, because the people making the film think that tasteful and intricate clothing is bougie and ostentatious. Like bitch you don't understand what ostentatious was in 1816.

The Octopussy speech... I... *downs whole glass of dry Vermouth*

Bitch what quiet dignity? You put jam on your lip!

I like everything about this version except for the leads, her costumes and the dialogue

He just does not cut a fine figure in his uniform. He's not dashing.

Is this concert in the daytime????

THOSE GLOVES ARE FISHNET

Why does that dress not fit

Put a feather in her hair and she'd look like a whore

Here we've all been bemoaning Dakota Johnson when the worst thing about this adaptation is what they've done to Wentworth.

I'm changing it from taking a drink every time Anne does to "every time Anne is a total wino"

Edward Bluemel is such a wonderful Harvill.

"The Universe" is invoked so many times here because we're allergic to religion

Bath Marathon? BATH MARATHON!

Guys the problem is I'm not moved at all. I feel nothing. At all.

What is this music?

Oh look a wedding! That's different

Why is Mr Elliot even in this version?

If he was a better Wentworth I would be really enjoying this wedding day sextant scene

My sister: *slurring because we've had a lot of prosecco* did she just wink.

Afterthoughts

Not Enough of the crofts

I'm VERY dissapointed that this petty bitch wino version of Anne didn't get to go off about Dick Musgrove. Which just proves that this is an adaptation of the Cliff Notes and not the actual book.

[unchartedperils]

Britain’s most famous explorer of the last decade has gone missing off the coast of Japan.

Lara Croft, the daughter of the now deceased legendary explorer Sir Richard Croft has disappeared off the southern coast of Japan.

Her and the Endurance Expedition crew led by Dr. Conrad Roth were said to have went at the request of former American TV show host and archeologist Dr. James Whitman in his search for The Dragon’s Triangle and its presumed Lost Kingdom of Yamatai.

It is unknown if they indeed made it into the perilous Triangle, itself known for missing ships since at least the 1950s and similar stories relay from its more famous part east of Bermuda in the Atlantic.

If anyone has any details on the possible whereabouts of Miss Croft, Dr. Roth, Dr. Whitman, and/or the rest of the Endurance crew, call the number posted below.

TOMB RAIDER.

[the-romantic-lady]

Can you talk more about Edmund? I always wanted to know more about him than I know.

YES, I CAN. I love that boy. His death is so incredibly tragic but we have some interesting tidbits from his life too. First, we know that his parents were head over heels for him. When he was born, his father literally booked Rouen Cathedral and the font that was used to baptize Rollo the Viking for the service. I mean come on...Getting christened in this:

That's what I call privilege. It was a very lavish affair and some historians think that his father was setting him up to be a French lord of sorts. He grew up basically like a twin to Edward. They always did everything together. He was also closely raised with his sister Elizabeth. I wonder if the Duke of York was doing that to compensate for the fact that he was separated from his sister and never had a brother. He seemed to learn from his experiences to better it for his children (I love that man honestly). Anne, Edward, Edmund and Elizabeth had a French nanny. When he was king, Edward was known to speak very good French and I am sure Edmund would have been similar. The boys were essentially French.

When he was 8, his father made him the Chancellor of Ireland which ummm... ok. He was present at all councils which makes me laugh. Imagine an 8 year old just sitting there confused lol. To me, it seems that Richard, Duke of York was trying hard to find some land and power for Edmund. Richard Duke of York had lands in France that he intended for Edmund but once Somerset lost France, there was no chance of that so he turned to Ireland where he was Governor.

At 8, Edward and Edmund were also put into knightly training in Ludlow Castle under Richard Croft. Its always interesting to me how Richard, Duke of York never send any of his children to other noble households. He raised his children himself which was rare. I digress. My favorite thing from this time are the two letters that Edmund and Edward wrote to their father. It is so incredibly sweet and just reminds us of how human they were. If you are interested in the letters, I have copies of both and would love to share and discuss them.

By 1459, when all hell had broken loose, Edmund pretty stuck with his father. Also in October 1459, he properly met his younger siblings for the first time, which is so odd to me lol. But yes, he fled to Ireland with his father. When his father made the claim to the throne, Edmund was present but I would love to know what his reaction was. He seems absent in the sources. There is a source that says that Edward was told to tell his father to negotiate with the council instead of planning his coronation. Edmund was never mentioned.

Unfortunately, in December 1460, he was killed and his body treated with so much cruelty. I will never understand why any of that was necessary but of well. I sometimes wonder how Edward must have felt. That was his literal companion of 17 years just dead. I would have lost it. Edward must have channeled his anger into more important things and managed to destroy the Lancasters. Edmund was reburied with his father 1476. Edward cried when he saw his father's effigy but I wonder how much of those tears were for Edmund. A brother and companion he was never able to bury. I will never understand why he had to be killed. We don't know the exact circumstances but if the Clifford story is true then why Edmund? York was the criminal so he should have bore the consequences. Poor Edmund was fleeing. Ugh, it makes my blood boil. Some sources say that when he was dead, his arm was reaching out for the chapel. Meaning he was still attempting to reach it and save himself. How tragic :(.

History would have been so different if he had lived. I often think that he would have been the mediator in the York brothers. George would be less ambitious and he likely had no deference to Edward. He could be blunt without being jealous like George or having a hero complex like Richard. Someone Edward really needed. And I really hope that his father never found out that his son had died in such a cruel way because of him. That is a very sad way to leave the world.

Also, an interesting tidbit about Edmund's appearance:

"While this battaill was in fightyng, a prieste called sir Robert Aspall, chappelain and schole master to the yong erle of Rutland ii. sonne to the aboue named duke of Yorke, scace of y age of. xii. yeres, a faire getlema, and a maydenlike person…."

He was apparently very soft and feminine looking. Although it must be said that the quote is from Edward Hall who definitely never met or saw Edmund and even gets his age wrong. However, he might have heard about him when he questioned around. He is also the source that desrcibes Edmund’s mother, Cecily, being a woman small of stature but high of honour. This also says something of Edmund's appearance and character:

"By the side of the Duke fought his second son, the young Chancellor of Ireland, whose years had not past their teens, but who, under a fair and almost effeminate appearance, carried a brave and intrepid spirit."

This is from the historian Hume who studied Irish archives and likely Hall too and he gets Edmund's age right! So we might assume that this was said about Edmund. Which makes him even more vulnerable in my mind. Poor boy. Gosh, I tear up just thinking of him.

Anyway, this is way too long! I hope I didn't bore you :D and you learned something new about Edmund. Let me know about your thoughts and opinions.

[wrotetheaboveoftoday]

1833 Fri. 22 March

7 25/.. 11 35/.. + L L soft morning Fahrenheit 46 1/4º at 7 25/.. and 39 1/2º at 8 1/4 outside my window - breakfast with my father at 8 3/4 in 35 minutes - till 10 1/4 settling my account with Cordingley - then with my aunt till 11 - then 1/2 hour writing out last 3 letters in business letter book volume 2 - from 11 35/.. to 12 3/4 (interrupted 10 minutes speaking to James Jowitt of High Sunderland) wrote 3 pp. [pages] and ends to Mrs. Norcliffe - chit chat - had she not been so good as ask me to write soon, should have waited a little longer to fix, or, at least, propose the day for being with her at Langton - but on this subject will write again - hope to be at Langton before the end of next month - anxious to hear how Mrs. Best - hear from M- [Mariana] she is out of danger - have thought of her and Mrs. N- [Norcliffe] perpetually

'I really feel for you, my dear Mrs. Norcliffe, very much, and shall not be quite comfortable without hearing of or from you, in the course of a few days - I need not say, that my anxiety, and gratitude, and regard, towards you, and yours, for all the never failing kindness I have received, are too deeply rooted to be easily torn up - From the moment I saw my being here must be prolonged, I determined, if possible, to see you again, and if you are not tired of me, I shall not limit my stay to a few days' -

Inquires after them all - mention M- [Mariana] having had Mrs. Chaloner for a fortnight and the Sympsons being at Leamington - surely IN- [Isabella Norcliffe] will be at home by the end of next month - if not, always so happy at Croft, it would be too selfish in me to wish to hurry her back - dare not read MacGregor's Canada for fear of longing to go there - 'tho' rather cured by various concerns at home, have not yet forgot my old propensity for wandering - having given up Italy for the present - the hot months there would not do - shall hope to profit by Norcliffe's experience - shall decide nothing till in Paris

- from 12 3/4 to 3 3/4 wrote 1 3/4 page to Breadalbane MacL- [MacLean] and then, wanting to find when I wrote and what I wrote last, unable to find it, took up my journal book and made out index from the beginning of this volume 12 January up to 25th ultimo inclusive the day before sending, and the very day of writing last letter to her and made out letter index from 13 January up to day inclusive - then 10 minutes by the upper kitchen fire to warm myself (winterly day - flying showers of small snow or light hail or rain) and out at 4 1/2 having left my letter to Breadalbane MacL- [MacLean] thinking, after seeing what I wrote so lately, it useless to put to the expense of postage just now for mere thanks of which she is assured especially having written to their agent to acknowledge the receipt of the plants -

Some time with John just finishing dressing up the hedge all along the top of trough of Bolland wood - then stood a long while with Pickels having cut more than 1/2 way along the far Bairstow my new road - (settled with my aunt and Marian today to call it Whiskam road) then took a turn or 2 to the end of my walk (a heavyish snow shower for some minutes while there that whitened all around) and came in at 6 3/4 - dinner at 7 5/.. - afterwards reading the article on minerals in Sir Richard Phillip's million of facts - a little nap and went into the other room at 9 3/4 - Letter from Hammersleys to say they had written to order the payment of £5 to Mrs. Tiler -

Very kind letter 3 pp. [pages] from Breadalbane Maclean (Coll house) telling me all about the girls and Mr. Robertsons brain fever and consequent necessity of being now under restraint - wonders if the Retreat near York would be advisable for him - shall offer to make inquiries - says she hears from Mrs. Cameron that V- [Vere] is to be confined in June - encloses letter from her Russian friend (vide 13. 54.) with information for my journey to Saint Petersburg and saying he had written me letters and sent them under cover to Lord Goderich - but for fear of some mistake in their being forwarded to me begged me to write and ask Lady Stuart to inquire about them for me - read over the courier - came upstairs at 10 35/.. - winterly snow-showery day - rain, and sleet, and small snow, and between 6 and 7 regular snow shower large flakes - Fahrenheit 45º now at 10 3/4 -

[mary-tudor]

“Edward IV was the eldest of the very numerous family of Cecily Neville, duchess of York, and Richard Plantagenet, duke of York, lineal claimant of the crown of England. He was born at Rouen in the spring of 1441-42, when the duke of York, his father, reigned as regent over that portion of France which still submitted to English domination.

When the duke and duchess of York returned to England, the young prince, who was called by the admirers of his fine person the ‘rose of Rouen’ was established by his father, during his education, on his important inheritance of the Welsh marches. The magnificent palatial castle of Ludlow was the place of his residence, and here he was living with his next brother, the unfortunate young Edmund earl of Rutland, under the superintendence of their governor, sir Richard Croft, a fierce and warlike marchman.

So little, however, did the young princes of York like their custodian, that they compounded a well-known letter to their father, when Edward was about twelve years old, taking the opportunity of ‘thanking his highness their dread lord and sire for the caps and green gowns he had sent them’ but complaining most piteously ‘of the odious rule and governance of Richard Croft.’ [...]

Lady Croft, the wife of this faithful but unbeloved castellan, was a near kinswoman of the princes of York; as she had been the widow of Sir Hugh Mortimer, she was called in Ludlow castle ‘their lady governess’. 

Young Edward very early entered into his martial career, and, however ferocious he might be in battle, he presented some traits of a generous heart in his youth, and he manifested in many instances an ardent attachment to his numerous tribe of brothers and sisters. 

It is remarkable that his subsequent passion for astrology, divination and every kind of fortune-telling, in which he imitated the pursuits of Henry V, first impaired the bonds of family affection, and at the same time his own prosperity.” 

From:  The True Story of the White Queen”, by Agnes Strickland.

[crying-over-spilled-feels]

Ships I Will Write Requests for as of January 17th, 2022

Ships Listed Are in No Particular Order

1.    Robin x Regina (Once Upon a Time)

2.    Happy x Toby “Quintis” (Scorpion)

3.    Megan x Sylvester (Scorpion)

4.    Paige x Walter (Scorpion)

5.    Cabe x Allie (Scorpion)

6.    Daphne x Simon (Bridgerton)

7.    Anthony x Kate (Bridgerton)

8.    Benedict x Sophie (Bridgerton)

9.    Colin x Penelope (Bridgerton)

10.  Violet x Edmund (Bridgerton)

11.  Flynn x Eve (Librarians)

12.  Jake x Mabel (Librarians)

13.  Judson x Charlene (Librarians)

14.  Diana x Steve (Wonder Woman)

15.  Chloe x Jackson (Zoo)

16.  Kaliis x Aurora (Aurora Rising book series)

17.  Finian x Scarlett (Aurora Rising book series)

18.  Cat x Tyler (Aurora Rising book series)

19.  Saedii x Tyler (Aurora Rising book series)

20.  Elizabeth x Will (Pirates of the Caribbean)

21.  Jack x Angelic (Pirates of the Caribbean)

22.  Thor x Jane (Thor)

23.  Tony Stark x Pepper Potts (Avengers and Iron Man)

24.  Loki x Sif (Thor)

25.  Loki x Nebula (Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy crossover)

26.  Ryder x Grace (The Grace Year novel)

27.  Fletcher x Sylva (Summoner book series)

28.  Clint Barton x Laura Barton (Avengers)

29.  Wanda x Vision (Avengers and WandaVision)

30.  Bruce x Natasha (Avengers)

31.  Steve Rogers x Peggy Carter (Captain America)

32.  Peter Quill x Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy)

33.  Scott x Hope (Ant-Man)

34.  Fitz X Simmons (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)  

35.  Coulson X May (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

36.  Trip X Skye (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

37.  Bobbi Morse X Lance Hunter (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

38.  Killian Jones x Female OC (Once Upon a Time)

39.  Will Scarlett x Anastasia (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland)

40.  Gendry x Arya (Game of Thrones)

41.  Tyrion x Shae (Game of Thrones)

42.  Sanji x Nami (One Piece)

43.  Zoro x Robin (One Piece)

44. Luffy x Vivi (One Piece)

45.  Jonathan Joestar x Erina (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures)

46.  Joseph Joestar x Suzi Q. (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures)

47.  Mista x Female OC (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures)

48.  Kit x Ella (Cinderella 2015 version)

49.  Joshua Faraday x Emma Cullen (Magnificent Seven 2016 version)

50.  Vasquez x Female OC (Magnificent Seven 2016 version)

51.  Gilbert x Anne (Anne with an E)

52.  Diana x Jerry (Anne with an E)

53.  Mary x Bash (Reign)

54.  Leif x Claude (Reign)

55.  Kili x Tauriel (Hobbit)

56.  Claire x Owen (Jurassic World)

57.  Mia x Nicholas (Princess Diaries)

58.  Joe x Clarisse (Princess Diaries)

59.  Maria x Georg (Sound of Music)

60.  Lara Croft x Lu Ren (Tomb Raider 2018 movie version)

61.  Maleficent X Diaval (Maleficent)

62.  Kate X Daniel Forsythe (The Spirit of Christmas)

63.  Tiger Lily X James Hook (Pan)

64.  Westley X Buttercup (Princess Bride)

65.  Chato X Grace (Suicide Squad)

66.  Logan/Wolverine X Mariko (Wolverine)

67.  Vlad X Mirena (Dracula Untold)

68.  Will X Elizabeth (Pirates of the Caribbean)

69.  Jack X Angelica (Pirates of the Caribbean)

70.  Galavant X Isabella (Galavant)

71.  Richard X Roberta (Galavant)

72.  Gwen X Arthur (Merlin)

73.  Gwen X Lancelot (Merlin)

74.  Gwen X Merlin (Merlin)

75.  Merlin X Morgana (Merlin)

76.  Morgana X Male OC/Reader (Merlin)

77.  Lancelot X Female OC/Reader (Merlin)

78.  Marian X Robin Hood (Robin Hood BBC)

79.  Will X Djaq (Robin Hood BBC)

80.  Marian X Allan (Robin Hood BBC)

81.  Allan X Djaq (Robin Hood BBC)

82.  Ban X Elaine (Seven Deadly Sins)

83.  Margaret X Gilthunder (Seven Deadly Sins)

84.  Meliodas X Elizabeth (Seven Deadly Sins)

85.  King X Diane (Seven Deadly Sins)

86.  Arthur X Merlin (Seven Deadly Sins)

87.  Ana X Alberto (Velvet)

88.  Claire X Matt (Daredevil)

89.  Lilette X Robbie (Rise)

90.  Hardison X Parker (Leverage)

91.  Nate X Sophie (Leverage)

92.  John X Sara (Alienist)

93.  Mary X Laszlo (Alienist)

94.  Farkas X Female Dragonborn (Skyrim)

95.  Vilkas X Lydia (Skyrim)

96.  E’lara X Caddoc (Hunted: The Demon’s Forge)

97.  Rime x Ember (Degrees of Separation)

98.  Cody x May (It Takes Two)

99.  Frank x Karen (Punisher)

100. Makoto x Abigail (Great Pretender)

101. Robb x Talisa (Game of Thrones)

102. Tadashi x MK (Big Hero 6 and Epic Crossover)

103. Eloise x Sir Phillip (Bridgerton)

104. Francesca x Michael (Bridgerton)

105. Hyacinth x Gareth (Bridgerton)

106. Gregory x Lucy (Bridgerton)

107. Okabe x Mayuri (Steins;gate)

108. Okabe x Kurisu (Steins;gate)

109. Edward x Elizabeth (White Queen)

110. Liam Jones x Elsa (Once Upon a Time fan pairing)

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

1)

343Ja. Gilbert Burnet. 16143-1714 & 343Jb. William Congreve 1670-1729

Two pamphlets on Queen Mary II.

Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, King William III & II, from 1689 until her death. Popular histories usually refer to their joint reign as that of William and Mary.

Although their father James, Duke of York, was Roman Catholic, Mary and her sister Anne were raised as Anglicans at the wishes of their uncle, King Charles II. He lacked legitimate children, making Mary second in the line of succession as James’s eldest child. She married her Protestant first cousin, William of Orange, in 1677. Charles died in 1685 and James took the throne, making Mary heir presumptive. James’s attempts at rule by decree and the birth of his son, James Francis Edward Stuart, led to his deposition in the Glorious Revolution and the adoption of the English Bill of Rights.

William and Mary became king and queen regnant. She wielded less power than him when he was in England, ceding most of her authority to him, though he heavily relied on her. She did, however, act alone when William was engaged in military campaigns abroad, proving herself to be a powerful, firm, and effective ruler. Her death left William as sole ruler until his own death in 1702, when he was succeeded by Mary’s sister Anne.

An essay on the memory of the late Queen by Gilbert, Bishop of Sarum.

Dublin : Reprinted by Jos. Ray for Will. Norman, El. Dobson, and Pat. Campbel .., 1695.                          $1,100

Quarto 7 ½ x 6 inches. Π2, B-K2. Disbound pamphlet.

Wing (2nd ed.), B5785:: ESTC R37518

Copies – Brit.Isles                                                                                                                             Cashel Cathedral Library Derry and Raphoe Diocesan Library Dublin Honourable Society of King’s Inn Marsh’s Library Trinity College Library Copies – N.America                                                                                                                         Boston Public, Main Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book

Along with this I am offering a Poem by an Irish Author on a Queen Mary II.

343Jb.  William Congreve.

 The Mourning Muse of Alexis. A Pastoral. Lamenting the Death of our late Gracious Queen Mary.

London: for Jacob Tonson, 1695.                    $1,100 (for both)

Folio 12 x 7 ½ inches. A-C2 Disbound  Wing C-5860

During the 1690’s there wasn’t much output from the Irish press concerning foreign affairs, the exception to this is the two  pamphlets on the Death of Mary II from small pox.  Both lament the  passing of a Queen loved by the Irish.

Congreve was educated at Kilkenny College, where he met Jonathan Swift, and at Trinity College in Dublin. He moved to London to study law at the Middle Temple, but preferred literature, drama, and the fashionable life. Congreve used the pseudonym Cleophil, under which he published Incognita: or, Love and Duty reconcil’d in 1692. This early work, written when he was about 17 years of age, gained him recognition among men of letters and an entrance into the literary world. He became a disciple of John Dryden whom he met through gatherings of literary circles held at Will’s Coffeehouse in the Covent Garden district of London. Dryden supported him throughout his life, often composing complimentary introductions for his publications.

                       )O(

2)

342J William Hamilton

The life and character of James Bonnel Esq; late Accomptant General of Ireland. To which is added the sermon preach’d at his funeral: by Edward Lord Bishop of Killmore and Ardagh. The life by William Hamilton, A. M. Archdeacon of Armagh. Psal. 37. 37. Mark the Perfect Man, behold the Upright; for the End of that Man is Peace.

Dublin: Printed by and for Jo. Ray, and are to be sold A. and J. Churchill, at the Black Swan in Pater-noster-row, 1703.                               ON HOLD

Octavo 6 ¾ x 4 ½.  Fold out portrait,1 , π1,a -c4 +1, B-S8(new title page)T-U8,X5, Lacking final blank X6. X5 is errata and present.  In this edition the first line of the imprint reads “to be”. It is bound in contemporary calf binding with the front board detached Ownership signature of Anne Orme (1698 Birth ?)

  Very little is known of William Hamilton one of the more than 15 children of Rev. James Hamilton and his wife, Catherine (Leslie) Hamilton. It is believed he died in 1729, without descendants, possibly a soldier fighting on the Continent during one of the many local wars in what is now Germany He was buried in St. John’s Church, Dublin, and his funeral sermon was preached by the Bishop of Killaloe (Edward Wetehall), who uses these remarkable words in his preface to the sermon: ‘I am truly of opinion that in the best age of the church, had he lived therein, he would have passed for a Saint.’  His life was written by the Archdeacon of Armagh (William Hamilton), who fully bears out this encomium. Archdeacon Hamilton has wisely fortified himself by attaching to his ‘Life’ letters from several bishops who fully endorse all that he has written, and there does not appear to be a hint from any other source which would lead us to doubt the truthfulness of the account. Bonnell’s piety was of the strictly church of England type, though he was tolerant of those who differed from him. During; the greater part of his life he attended church twice every day, and made a point of communicating every Lord’s day. He was a careful observer of all the festivals and fasts of the church, and made it a rule to repeat on his knees every Friday the fifty-first Psalm. He took a deep interest both in the ‘religious societies’ and the ‘societies for the reformation of manners,’ which form so interesting a feature in the church history of his day. Of the former, which flourished greatly at Dublin, we are told that ‘he pleaded their cause, wrote in their defence, and was one of their most diligent and prudent directors;’ of the latter ‘he was a zealous promoter, was always present at their meetings, and contributed liberally to their expenses.’ He gave one-eighth of his income to the poor, and his probity was so highly esteemed that the fortunes of many orphans were committed to his care. Bonnell was a man of great and varied accomplishments. ‘He understood French perfectly, and had made great progress in Hebrew, while in philosophy and oratory he exceeded most of his contemporaries in the university, and he applied himself with success to mathematics and music.’ Divinity was, however, of course his favourite study. He was a great reader of the early fathers, and translated some parts of Synesius into English. He also reformed and improved for his own use a harmony of the Gospels. His favourite writers were Richard Hooker and Thomas à Kempis. Many of his ‘Meditations’ (a vast number of which, on a great variety of subjects, are still extant) remind one slightly of the latter author.    Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 05  by John Henry Overton

[Hamilton’s Exemplary Life and Character of James Bonnell, &c.; Christian Biography, published by Religious Tract Society.]

ESTC N19165

Copies – Brit.Isles           Trinity College Library. Dublin, Republic of Ireland.                    Copac adds no copies.    National Library of Wales / Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru (Is possibly a copy but I’m not sure the description is sparse )

Copies – N.America                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Henry E. Huntington Library University of California, Los Angeles, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library.

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3)

344J.  Joseph Trapp 1679-1747

A sermon preach’d at Christ-Church, Dublin, before their excellencies the Lords Justices of Ireland; on Tuesday May the 29th. Dublin

Dublin: Printed by A.R. [i.e., Aaron Rhames] for J. Hyde,  1711.

Quarto 7 ½ X 6 inches. A2, B-D4.  Disbound.

In January 1711 Sir Constantine Phipps, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Whose term of office was marked by bitter political faction-fighting and he faced repeated calls for his removal. Trapp was taken on as as his chaplain, and Trapp wrote partisan political pieces, incurring scorn from Swift. He married in 1712 a daughter of Alderman White of St. Mary’s, Oxford, and resigned as a Fellow of Wadham. That year he was chaplain to Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, a place Swift claimed he had arranged. On 1 April 1713 Swift would not dine with Bolingbroke because he was expected to ‘look over a dull poem’ of Trapp’s; afterwards he did correct the poem, printed anonymously at Dublin, as Peace, a Poem. It was set to music by William Croft.

After reading this sermon it is obvious that Trapp missed his calling as a Puritan Hell and Dmanation Presacher. “ Can we be called  the City of Righteousness, when all sorts of Debauchery and Profaneness have, like the Deluge, overspread these Nation? When there are so many, whoeven Glory in their Shame, make a Science of Leudeness, and are not only Workers, but Professors of Iniquity?”  Fun reading indeed.

ESTC T172845

Copies – Brit.Isles                                                                                                                             Armagh Robinson Library Cashel Cathedral Library (3) London Library National Library of Ireland (2) Oxford University Regent’s Park College (includes Baptist Union Library) Royal Irish Academy Trinity College Library                                                                                                                         No US copies 

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  4)

349J.   Church of England. Province of Canterbury. Convocation. For the Church of Ireland. Convocation.

A representation of the present state of religion, with regard to the late excessive growth of infidelity, heresy, & profaneness: unanimously agreed upon by a joint committee of both Houses of Convocation, of the province of Canterbury, and Afterwards rejected by the Upper House, but Passed in the Lower House. Members of the Committee. The Bps. of Peterborough Landaff Bangor St. Asaph St. Davids. Dr. Atterbury, Prol. Dr. Stanhope Dr. Godolphin Dr. Willis Dr. Gastrell Dr. Ashton Dr. Smalridge Dr. Altham Dr. Sydell Archd. Brideock.

 [Dublin] : London printed : And, re-printed and sold by Edward Waters, Dublin,1711 $760

Quarto. 7 ¼ x 5 ¾ inches. A3,B-D2 (lacking E1&2) [2]17+[1]p  Disbound.

As with many 17th century tracts the title pretty much says it all. But to put it in perspective.

The convocation of the English Church in 1711 decided that by the opportunity by Royal License and permission to frame their canons and declarations  which could eventual become law. It  was true that the Irish Church was Weak not altogether by its own fault, If the Church of England was strong.  The English Church had had the opportunity of expressing, whatever value it might have, its concurrence with that measure.  The Irish Church appealed to them for the same permission. There was in Ireland as in England a Convocation, which had been in abeyance for many years as that of England had been for about the same period.   Called by Royal writ—it dated as far back as Parliamentary Government in Ireland; that from 1625 to 1711 it was repeatedly so summoned; that at its last period of meeting, in 1711, it passed five canons, which, having received the assent of Her Majesty Queen Anne, became part and continued part of the ecclesiastical law of Ireland.

ESTC T145807

Copies – Brit.Isles                                                                                                                       Armagh Robinson Library British Library Cashel Cathedral Library (4) Cork University College Boole Library Dublin City Libraries National Library of Ireland Royal Irish Academy Trinity College Library (3) Copies – N.America                                                                                                                                 Henry E. Huntington Library University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Center University of Virginia

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5)

A collection of Poems and Letters by Christian mystic and prolific writer, Jeanne-Marie Guyon published in Dublin.

348J    François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon 1651-1715  & Josiah Martin 1683-1747 & Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon 1648-1717

A dissertation on pure love, by the Arch-Bishop of Cambray. With an account of the life and writings of the Lady, for whose sake The Archbishop was banish’d from Court: And the grievous Persecution she suffer’d in France for her Religion.  Also Two Letters in French and English, written by one of the Lady’s Maids, during her Confinement in the Castle of Vincennes, where she was Prisoner Eight Years. One of the Letters was writ with a Bit of Stick instead of a Pen, and Soot instead of Ink, to her Brother; the other to a Clergyman. Together with an apologetic preface. Containing divers letters of the Archbishop of Cambray, to the Duke of Burgundy, the present French King’s Father, and other Persons of Distinction. And divers letters of the lady to Persons of Quality, relating to her Religious Principles

Dublin : printed by Isaac Jackson, in Meath-Street, [1739].    $ 3,800

Octavo  7 3/4  x 5  inches       First and only English edition. Bound in Original sheep, with a quite primitive repair to the front board.

Fenélon’s text appears to consist largely of extracts from ’Les oeuvres spirituelles’. The preface, account of Jeanne Marie Guyon etc. is compiled by Josiah Martin. The text of the letters, and poems, is in French and English. This is an Astonishing collection of letters and poems.

“MARTIN, JOSIAH (1683–1747), quaker, was born near London in 1683. He became a good classical scholar, and is spoken of by Gough, the translator of Madame Guyon’s Life, 1772, as a man whose memory is esteemed for ‘learning, humility, and fervent piety.’ He died unmarried, 18 Dec. 1747, in the parish of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, and was buried in the Friends’ burial-ground, Bunhill Fields. He left the proceeds of his library of four thousand volumes to be divided among nephews and nieces. Joseph Besse [q. v.] was his executor.

Martin’s name is best known in connection with ‘A Letter from one of the People called Quakers to Francis de Voltaire, occasioned by his Remarks on that People in his Letters concerning the English Nation,’ London, 1741. It was twice reprinted, London and Dublin, and translated into French. It is a temperate and scholarly treatise, and was in much favour at the time.

Of his other works the chief are: 1. ‘A Vindication of Women’s Preaching, as well from Holy Scripture and Antient Writings as from the Paraphrase and Notes of the Judicious John Locke, wherein the Observations of B[enjamin] C[oole] on the said Paraphrase . . . and the Arguments in his Book entitled “Reflections,” &c, are fullv considered,’ London, 1717. 2. ‘The Great Case of Tithes truly stated … by Anthony Pearson [q. v.] . . . to which is added a Defence of some other Principles held by the People call’d Quakers . . .,’ London, 1730. 3. ‘A Letter concerning the Origin, Reason, and Foundation of the Law of Tithes in England,’ 1732. He also edited, with an ‘Apologetic Preface,’ comprising more than half the book, and containing many additional letters from Fénelon and Madame Guyon, ‘The Archbishop of Cambray’s Dissertation on Pure Love, with an Account of the Life and Writings of the Lady for whose sake he was banish’d from Court,’ London, 1735.

[Joseph Smith’s Catalogue of Friends’ Books; works quoted above; Life of Madame Guyon, Bristol, 1772, pt. i. errata; registers at Devonshire House; will P.C.C. 58 Strahan, at Somerset House.]

C. F. S.

Fénelon was nominated in February, 1696, Fénelon was consecrated in August of the same year by Bossuet in the chapel of Saint-Cyr. The future of the young prelate looked brilliant, when he fell into deep disgrace.

The cause of Fénelon’s trouble was his connection with Madame Guyon, whom he had met in the society of his friends, the Beauvilliers and the Chevreuses. She was a native of Orléans, which she left when about twenty-eight years old, a widowed mother of three children, to carry on a sort of apostolate of mysticism, under the direction of Père Lacombe, a Barnabite. After many journeys to Geneva, and through Provence and Italy, she set forth her ideas in two works, “Le moyen court et facile de faire oraison” and “Les torrents spirituels”. In exaggerated language characteristic of her visionary mind, she presented a system too evidently founded on the Quietism of Molinos, that had just been condemned by Innocent XI in 1687. There were, however, great divergencies between the two systems. Whereas Molinos made man’s earthly perfection consist in a state of uninterrupted contemplation and love, which would dispense the soul from all active virtue and reduce it to absolute inaction, Madame Guyon rejected with horror the dangerous conclusions of Molinos as to the cessation of the necessity of offering positive resistance to temptation. Indeed, in all her relations with Père Lacombe, as well as with Fénelon, her virtuous life was never called in doubt. Soon after her arrival in Paris she became acquainted with many pious persons of the court and in the city, among them Madame de Maintenon and the Ducs de Beauvilliers and Chevreuse, who introduced her to Fénelon. In turn, he was attracted by her piety, her lofty spirituality, the charm of her personality, and of her books. It was not long, however, before the Bishop of Chartres, in whose diocese Saint-Cyr was, began to unsettle the mind of Madame de Maintenon by questioning the orthodoxy of Madame Guyon’s theories. The latter, thereupon, begged to have her works submitted to an ecclesiastical commission composed of Bossuet, de Noailles, who was then Bishop of Châlons, later Archbishop of Paris, and M. Tronson; superior of-Saint-Sulpice. After an examination which lasted six months, the commission delivered its verdict in thirty-four articles known as the “Articles d’ Issy”, from the place near Paris where the commission sat. These articles, which were signed by Fénelon and the Bishop of Chartres, also by the members of the commission, condemned very briefly Madame Guyon’s ideas, and gave a short exposition of the Catholic teaching on prayer. Madame Guyon submitted to the condemnation, but her teaching spread in England, and Protestants, who have had her books reprinted have always expressed sympathy with her views. Cowper translated some of her hymns into English verse; and her autobiography was translated into English by Thomas Digby (London, 1805) and Thomas Upam (New York, 1848). Her books have been long forgotten in France.

Jeanne Marie Guyon

b. 1648, Montargis, France; d. 1717, Blois, France

A Christian mystic and prolific writer, Jeanne-Marie Guyon advocated a form of spirituality that led to conflict with authorities and incarceration. She was raised in a convent, then married off to a wealthy older man at the age of sixteen. When her husband died in 1676, she embarked on an evangelical mission to convert Protestants to her brand of spirituality, a mild form of quietism, which propounded the notion that through complete passivity (quiet) of the soul, one could become an agent of the divine. Guyon traveled to Geneva, Turin, and Grenoble with her mentor, Friar François Lacombe, at the same time producing several manuscripts: Les torrents spirituels (Spiritual Torrents); an 8,000-page commentary on the Bible; and her most important work, the Moyen court et très facile de faire oraison (The Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer, 1685). Her activities aroused suspicion; she was arrested in 1688 and committed to the convent of the Visitation in Paris, where she began writing an autobiography. Released within a few months, she continued proselytizing, meanwhile attracting several male disciples. In 1695, the Catholic church declared quietism heretical, and Guyon was locked up in the Bastille until 1703. Upon her release, she retired to her son’s estate in Blois. Her writings were published in forty-five volumes from 1712 to 1720.

Her writings began to be published in Holland in 1704, and brought her new admirers. Englishmen and Germans–among them Wettstein and Lord Forbes–visited her at Blois. Through them Madame Guyon’s doctrines became known among Protestants and in that soil took vigorous root. But she did not live to see this unlooked-for diffusion of her writings. She passed away at Blois, at the age of sixty-eight, protesting in her will that she died submissive to the Catholic Church, from which she had never had any intention of separating herself. Her doctrines, like her life, have nevertheless given rise to the widest divergences of opinion. Her published works (the “Moyen court” and the “Règles des assocées à l’Enfance de Jésus”) having been placed on the Index in 1688, and Fénelon’s “Maximes des saints” branded with the condemnation of both the pope and the bishops of France, the Church has thus plainly reprobated Madame Guyon’s doctrines, a reprobation which the extravagance of her language would in itself sufficiently justify. Her strange conduct brought upon her severe censures, in which she could see only manifestations of spite. Evidently, she too often fell short of due reserve and prudence; but after all that can be said in this sense, it must be acknowledged that her morality appears to have given no grounds for serious reproach. Bossuet, who was never indulgent in her regard, could say before the full assembly of the French clergy: “As to the abominations which have been held to be the result of her principles, there was never any question of the horror she testified for them.” It is remarkable, too, that her disciples at the Court of Louis XIV were always persons of great piety and of exemplary life.

On the other hand, Madame Guyon’s warmest partisans after her death were to be found among the Protestants. It was a Dutch Protestant, the pastor Poiret, who began the publication of her works; a Vaudois pietist pastor, Duthoit-Mambrini, continued it. Her “Life” was translated into English and German, and her ideas, long since forgotten in France, have for generations been in favour in Germany, Switzerland, England, and among Methodists in America. ”

EB

P.144 misnumbered 134. Price from imprint: price a British Half-Crown.  Dissertain 16p and Directions for a holy life 5p. DNB includes this in Martin’s works

Copies – Brit.Isles.  :                                                                                                                                                          British Library,                                                                                                                                                                    Dublin City Library,                                                                                                                                                      National Library of Ireland                                                                                                                                              Trinity College Library

Copies – N.America. :                                                                                                                                                           Bates College,                                                                                                                                                                     Harvard University,                                                                                                                                                                            Haverford Col ,                                                                                                                                                                   Library Company of Philadelphia,                                                                                                                        Newberry,                                                                                                                                                                         Pittsburgh Theological                                                                                                                                               Princeton University,                                                                                                                                                   University of Illinois                                                                                                                                                     University of Toronto, Library

Some new Irish books…. By, For or About! 1) 343Ja. Gilbert Burnet. 16143-1714 & 343Jb. William Congreve 1670-1729 Two pamphlets on Queen Mary II.

[beesandwasps]

Someone build a time machine and teach Sir Richard Croft to use forceps for difficult childbirths, thus removing Queen Victoria from history.

The Choctaw-Irish Brotherhood(via)