Northumbria 2025 -- Alison Weir Tour

Day 4

We left after breakfast for Kiplin Hall. On the way, Tracy Borman discussed the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell. The interesting note was that the King remarried the day Cromwell dies. Henry soon realized what he had lost.

Kiplin Hall is the county seat of George Calvert, the Founder of Maryland and 1^st Lord Baltimore. The Hall is now shown as a Victorian home with belongings of its previous owners. There is a surviving WWII Kitchen and bath from when the RAF requisitioned the Estate. All Creatures Great and Small was filmed here.

We had some rain this day but did fine. We had lunch provided by the cafe and then left for Raby Castle.

It one of the most impressive intact castles in the North of England. Built in the 14^th century by the Neville family, and birthplace of Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV and Richar III. It was the scene of the plotting of the north, and a Parliamentary stronghold during the Civil war.

The old kitchen

The Chapel

The Nevilles

Raby Castle

Cricket pitch

Michael Jones had talked to us on the bus about Cecily Neville. Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495) was an English noblewoman, the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1411–1460), and the mother of two Kings of England—Edward IV and Richard III. Cecily Neville was known as "the Rose of Raby", because she was born at Raby Castle in Durham, and "Proud Cis", because of her pride and a temper that went with it, although she was also known for her piety. She herself signed her name "Cecylle".

Cecily's husband, the Duke of York, was the leading contender for the throne of England from the House of York during the period of the Wars of the Roses until his death in 1460. Their son Edward actually assumed the throne as Edward IV in 1461, after the deposition of King Henry VI of the House of Lancaster. The Duchess of York thus narrowly missed becoming queen consort of England.^[1]

We then departed for St Marys Church, Staindrop. The Church of England parish church of St Mary (formerly dedicated to St. Gregory) is Anglo-Saxon. The first church on the site is recorded as having been built in the 8th century (771AD) and the church has been extended and remodelled across the centuries. The church contains monuments including effigies of members of the Neville family, it underwent restoration around 1849.^[14]^[15] A Congregational chapel also stood from 1868 until the 1970s.^[16]

All pictures of St. Mary's Church

Alison discussed Joan Beaufort also.

Joan Beaufort was a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, a legitimised son of John of Gaunt by his mistress (and later third wife) Katherine Swynford.^[5] She was born in 1404.^[6] Joan's mother was Margaret Holland,^[7] the granddaughter of Joan of Kent (wife of Edward the Black Prince) from her earlier marriage to Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent. Joan was also a half-niece of King Henry IV of England, first cousin once removed of Richard II, and great-granddaughter of Edward III. Her uncle, Henry Beaufort, was a cardinal and Chancellor of England.^[5]

King James I of Scotland met Joan during his time as a prisoner in England, and knew her from at least 1420.^[7] The marriage was at least partially political, as their marriage was part of the agreement for his release from captivity^[11] under the Treaty of London (4 December 1423).^[12] From an English perspective an alliance with the Beauforts was meant to establish Scotland's alliance with the English, rather than the French.^[7] Negotiations resulted in Joan's dowry of 10,000 marks being subtracted from James's substantial ransom.^[13]

The royal couple had eight children, including the future James II, and Margaret of Scotland, future spouse of Louis XI of France.^[7]

The last talk of the day was by Julian Humphreys on the revolt of the northern earls.

The rebellion was led by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, and Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland. In November 1569 Westmorland and Northumberland occupied Durham. From Durham, the rebels marched south to Bramham Moor, while Elizabeth struggled to raise forces sufficient to confront them. But, hearing of a large force being raised by the Earl of Sussex, the rebels abandoned plans to besiege York, and captured Barnard Castle instead. They proceeded to Clifford Moor but found little popular support. Sussex marched out from York on 13 December 1569 with 10,000 men against the rebels' 6,000,^[5] and was followed by 12,000 men under Baron Clinton. The rebel earls retreated northward and finally dispersed their forces, fleeing into Scotland.

The view from the pub. Can't get much closer.

Returned to our hotel. Lynn, Jessica and I went to a pub that had a great view of the Minster. And it was great! I had a strawberry cider and was glad I only had one the next morning!

The gates of York

Day 5

OH MY!!!!!!!!!!WE OVERSLEPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Nobody knew it but Lynn and I hardly had seven minutes to get on the bus from our room. We made it but you can imagine that scene! I am so glad we made it though as Whitby Abby was a highlight of the tour. But SO COLD! The wind blew and blew! It added to the aura!

It is a spectacular cliff top landmark. It is a large visitor attraction. It was founded in 657 AD by Oswy, the Saxon King of Northumbria. He appointed Lady Hilda, niece of Edwin, the abbess. In 664 the abby was the site of the Synod of Whitby at which the Northumbrian Celtic church was reconciled to Rome. In 867 the abby fell to a Viking attack and was abandoned until 1078 when it was refunded by Regenfrith, a soldier monk under the orders of his protector, William de Percy. The second monastery lasted until it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540. In 1890 Bram Stoker was inspired by the Abby to create the famous novel Dracula.

I visited the church and the coffee shop too and at a cherry scone on the bus. Thanks to Lynn!

This was a great stop, one of my favorites as it was so dramatic. It certainly woke me up after our run to the bus!

The coffee shop

The cold North Sea.

All the pics from the church were so dramatic

Gift shop

Abby Pictures

The wind!!!It was so cold!!!

The town of Whitby

The North York Moors-drive to Whitby

On the bus Alison talked about Richard the III in the north,

Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth Field marked the end of the Middle Ages in England.

Richard was created Duke of Gloucester in 1461 after the accession to the throne of his older brother Edward IV. This was during the period known as the Wars of the Roses, an era when two branches of the royal family contested the throne; Edward and Richard were Yorkists, and their side of the family faced-off against their Lancastrian cousins. In 1472, Richard married Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and widow of Edward of Westminster, son of Henry VI. He governed northern England during Edward's reign, and played a role in the invasion of Scotland in 1482. When Edward IV died in April 1483, Richard was named Lord Protector of the realm for Edward's eldest son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V. Before arrangements were complete for Edward V's coronation, scheduled for 22 June 1483, the marriage of his parents was declared bigamous and therefore invalid. Now officially illegitimate, Edward and his siblings were barred from inheriting the throne. On 25 June, an assembly of lords and commoners endorsed a declaration to this effect, and proclaimed Richard as the rightful king. He was crowned on 6 July 1483. Edward and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, called the "Princes in the Tower", disappeared from the Tower of London around August 1483.

There were two major rebellions against Richard during his reign. In October 1483, an unsuccessful revolt was led by staunch allies of Edward IV and Richard's former ally, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. Then, in August 1485, Henry Tudor and his uncle, Jasper Tudor, landed in Wales with a contingent of French troops, and marched through Pembrokeshire, recruiting soldiers. Henry's forces defeated Richard's army near the Leicestershire town of Market Bosworth. Richard was slain, making him the last English king to die in battle. Henry Tudor then ascended the throne as Henry VII.

Richard's corpse was taken to the nearby town of Leicester and buried without ceremony. His original tomb monument is believed to have been removed during the English Reformation, and his remains were wrongly thought to have been thrown into the River Soar. In 2012, an archaeological excavation was commissioned by Ricardian author Philippa Langley with the assistance of the Richard III Society on the site previously occupied by Grey Friars Priory. The University of Leicester identified the human skeleton found at the site as that of Richard III as a result of radiocarbon dating, comparison with contemporary reports of his appearance, identification of trauma sustained at Bosworth and comparison of his mitochondrial DNA with that of two matrilineal descendants of his sister Anne. He was reburied in Leicester Cathedral in 2015.

Tracy Borman discussed Matilda of Flanders. This was in large part due to the role of medieval queens in the history of the North.

Matilda of Flanders (French: Mathilde; Dutch: Machteld; German: Mechtild) (c. 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy.^[1] She was the mother of nine children who survived to adulthood, including two kings, William II and Henry I.^[2] Hers was the first coronation at Westminster Abbey.

We then visited Burton Agnes Hall where we had lunch. The estate has been in the hands of the same family since Roger de Stuteville first built a manor house on the site in 1173.

A fabric picture of Burton Agnes Hall

The outside as pretty as inside

Burton Agnes Hall

The present Elizabethan house was built nearby in 1601–10 by Sir Henry Griffith, 1st Baronet, after he was appointed to the Council of the North. His daughter Frances Griffith, heiress of the estate, married Sir Matthew Boynton, Governor of Scarborough Castle and the first Boynton baronet. On her death in 1634 the estate was bequeathed to their son Francis, later the second Baronet Boynton. According to legend, the skull of Sir Henry's youngest daughter Anne is bricked up in the Great Hall. It is reputed to be a screaming skull, and to return to the house whenever it is removed.^[6]

This is a painting by Duncan Grant of the Bloomsbury Group

Everywhere we went there was a garden store to buy plants

Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan manor house in the village of Burton Agnes, near Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

The present Elizabethan house was built in 1601–10 by Sir Henry Griffith, 1st Baronet, after he was appointed to the Council of the North. His daughter Frances Griffith, heiress of the estate, married Sir Matthew Boynton, Governor of Scarborough Castle and the first Boynton baronet. On her death in 1634 the estate was bequeathed to their son Francis, later the second Baronet Boynton. According to legend, the skull of Sir Henry's youngest daughter Anne is bricked up in the Great Hall. It is reputed to be a screaming skull, and to return to the house whenever it is removed.^[6]

On the way, Sarah Gristwood discussed Stately Homes on screen including:

Craigside-used in Jurassic Park

York-The Shambles-Diagon Alley in Harry Potter

Durham Cathedral- Hogwarts in Harry Potter

Whitby-Dracula, Victoria

Bamburgh-Ivanhoe, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth

Alnwick-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Downton Abbey Christmas special,

Castle Howard-Bridgerton, Death comes to Pemberley

After this tour, we then got back to our hotel to get ready for our dinner at…. Castle Howard!

It was incredible place and evening. Tracy Borman sat at my table. What a great human!

Castle Howard is an architectural masterpiece. It is the family home of the Howard family. It took over 100 years to complete. In 1982 the Castle was chosen as he setting for Brideshead Revisited. It has the same architect as Blenheim.

After dinner there was a wonderful talk by Helen Castor. It was one of the best of the trip. It was about Henry IV and Richard II.

Henry IV (c. April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (a son of King Edward III), and Blanche of Lancaster.^[3]

Henry was involved in the 1388 revolt of Lords Appellant against Richard II, his first cousin, but he was not punished. However, he was exiled from court in 1398. After Henry's father died in 1399, Richard blocked Henry's inheritance of his father's lands. That year, Henry rallied a group of supporters, overthrew and imprisoned Richard II, and usurped the throne; these actions later contributed to dynastic disputes in the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487).

Henry was the first English ruler whose mother tongue was English (rather than French) since the Norman Conquest, over 300 years earlier.^[4] As king, he faced a number of rebellions, most seriously those of Owain Glyndŵr, the last Welshman to claim the title of Prince of Wales, and the English knight Henry Percy (Hotspur), who was killed in the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Henry IV had six children from his first marriage to Mary de Bohun, while his second marriage to Joan of Navarre produced no surviving children. Henry and Mary's eldest son, Henry of Monmouth, assumed the reins of government in 1410 as the king's health worsened. Henry IV died in 1413, and his son succeeded him as Henry V.