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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Making of a Marcher Town: Ludlow and the Wars of the Roses
Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the crucial role of the Shropshire town of Ludlow during the Wars…
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Almost a Parliament: Edward V’s assembly of 25 June 1483
The death of Edward IV on 9 April 1483 saw the accession of his son Edward V to the English…