The Commons in the Wars of the Roses
This collection of articles highlights the ongoing research of our House of Commons 1461-1504 section, exploring the individuals, events and themes relating to the dramatic history of the later 15th century.
-
Why was Sir Richard Vernon chosen as Speaker in the ‘Parliament of Bats’ of 1426?
Although the modern Speaker of the House of Commons must remain politically impartial, this was not always the case. But,…
-
The poetic memorialization of late-medieval MPs
Producing biographies on late-medieval MPs comes with its unique set of challenges, notably the lack surviving records indicative of their…
-
Legitimism and the origins of the Wars of the Roses: the motivations of Richard, duke of York
Following recent articles on the origins of the Wars of the Roses, Dr Simon Payling of our House of Commons…
-
Lineage and Architectural Display: the ‘Golden Chapel’ at Tong (Shropshire) and the Commemoration of Sir Henry Vernon, governor of the household of Prince Arthur
Dr Simon Payling of our 1461-1504 section explores the life and remembrance of MP for Derbyshire Sir Henry Vernon, and his family’s enduring…
-
Henry, Lord Scrope of Masham, and the Southampton Plot of 1415: a false conviction of treason?
In August 1415, three conspirators were executed for their role in the Southampton Plot, an attempt to usurp Henry V.…
-
An unwilling ‘pretender’: reassessing the unfortunate career of Edmund Mortimer, earl of March (1391-1425)
Although heir presumptive to Richard II, Edmund Mortimer, 5th earl of March never took the throne after the Lancaster usurpation…
-
Paddington in Parliament
Dr Hannes Kleineke of our Commons 1461-1504 Section explores how Paddington Bear’s favourite sweet treat was traded by some members of the late…
-
Bosworth and other battles: the illustrious career of Sir Gilbert Talbot (d.1517) of Grafton, KG
Dr Simon Payling of our Commons 1461-1504 project explores the career of the early Tudor figure Sir Gilbert Talbot, who…
-
A Lancastrian City? Coventry and the Wars of the Roses, 1451-1471
This piece is in memory of Professor Peter W. Fleming, who died in April 2025. His publishing career spanned 40…
-
From Lancaster to York and back again: the political evolution of the Derbyshire Blounts
Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the fortunes and shifting loyalties of one gentry family in Derbyshire during…
-
A Yorkist Family during the Wars of the Roses: the Devereuxs of Weobley in Herefordshire
Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the fortunes of one particularly loyal Yorkist family during the Wars of…
-
The story of a manor in memorials: the early tombs in the Shropshire church of Kinlet
The Shropshire church of Kinlet stands isolated in parkland, the village it once served re-sited in the early-eighteenth century on…