Branch News

Branch News

Ricardian Name Game

As part of the Centenary celebrations, we have a game for our members! Canada is full of things that might remind us of Richard III and his time &/or the Richard IIII Society. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to find as many Richard related places/items as possible.

Street sign says King Edward Ave

Place names, businesses, products, road signs, a white rose on a building, you name it.

Send some proof of its existence, and if the connection is tenuous, explain why it is included. Please send them all at once before the deadline.

Points given for quantity with extra points for ingenuity & creativity!

This is open to members of the Canadian Branch only.

Launch Day: April 23

Deadline:  NOVEMBER 6, 2024 midnight PDT.

Prizes – a copy of The King’s Grave by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones, and the praise and admiration of all the Canadian members!

Questions? Drop Sheilah O’Connor a line at info@RichardIII.ca

Our thanks to the South Australian Branch of the Society for this excellent idea.


Saturday July 6, 2024 Centenary Luncheon

Held at Montgomery’s Inn from noon to 4:00. A catered lunch including Salmon, Chicken and 4 kinds of Salad followed by a very special cake will be served.

Our Speaker for the day will be Danièle Cybulskie, and her topic is: “Reflecting Richard: Mirrors for a Prince “ The talk will explore the type of chivalric treatises and mirrors for princes that Richard would have grown up with and which would have influenced his perspective on kingship.

Event cost is $45 per person, payable preferably by Interac. For details on payment, email treasurer@RichardIII.ca. For more information on the event, send your questions to info@RichardIII.ca.

For those who can’t make it to Toronto, the talk will be Zoomed. A small donation of $5 to cover the cost of the speaker would be most welcome and can be paid by Interac e-transfer to treasurer@richardiii.ca.  When paying, please remember to give your name and specify the payment is to attend the Zoom lecture. Send your RSVP for the Zoom talk to chair@RichardIII.ca .

TICKET SALES CLOSE ON JUNE 15TH.  Any cancellations before June 15th will be refunded.  Any refunds for cancellations AFTER JUNE 15th will be at the discretion of the Executive Committee

18th C Brick building with highrises in the background.

Donations

Over the years, the Richard III Society of Canada has made several donations to Ricardian-related causes.

Church of St Mary and All Saints – Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire (Made 2015)

The Church of St Mary and All Saints in Fotheringhay has a special place in the hearts of Ricardians as Richard III’s parents are interred there, as well as his paternal grandfather and older brother. Richard himself was born at nearby Fotheringhay Castle. Every year, white roses are laid at the church by members of the Richard III Society on his birthday. In 2015, an appeal was launched to restore this Grade I listed building, which means it is considered to be of national importance. In addition to using part of David Yuill’s bequest, fellow Canadian Ricardians also generously donated funds to the Church of St Mary and All Saints.

White Rose Roof Boss – St. George’s Chapel, Windsor (Made 2014)

Looking for Richard Project – Leicester (Made 2012)

In July 2012, just weeks before work was set to begin on an archaeological dig in Leicester, seeking the resting place of Richard III, the organizers encountered a sudden and unforeseen financial shortfall. An appeal was sent by Philippa Langley to all branches of the Richard III Society and the Canadian branch pledged funds from the David Yuill bequest. Unfortunately, due to the tight turnaround (five working days), we did not have a chance to ask our members if they would like to pool their donations with ours, however, several Canadian members did send money independently. The archaeological dig in Leicester was a momentous success and we Canadians were proud to contribute.

Church of St Mary and St Alkelda – Middleham, North Yorkshire (Made 2012)

In 2012, the Church of St Mary and St Alkelda in Middleham, North Yorkshire, required extensive repair work. The church was formerly the Collegiate Church of Richard III. In 1477, Richard had the church elevated to the status of a college and it retained its collegiate constitution for about 350 years. Today, the church is a Grade I listed building, which means it is considered to be of national importance. In addition to using part of David Yuill’s bequest, fellow Canadian Ricardians also generously donated funds to the Church of St Mary and St Alkelda.


Richard III: Discovered and Uncovered

July 7, 2022

Sheilah O’Connor, Membership and Corresponding Secretary of the Canadian Branch &  Susan Troxell, chair of the American Branch, were speakers at the Stratford Festival in the July 7th Meighen Forum panel, titled  “Richard III: Discovered & Uncovered”. 

The Stratford Festival is celebrating the opening of its new Tom Patterson Theatre with a production of Richard III. The play was also the first to be performed when the Festival opened in 1953. This Meighen Forum event was the first held in the Lazaridis Hall, part of the Tom Patterson building.

Susan, Randal & David Prosser listen to Sheilah speak

Sheilah & Susan were accompanied by Randall Martin formerly of the University of New Brunswick, who spoke about the play and what was happening in the world as Shakespeare wrote it, particularly concerns about Elizabeth I’s age and lack of an heir. David Prosser, former Literary and Editorial Director at Stratford, served as moderator.

Sheilah spoke first, covering the Society, what was inaccurate about the play (many things!) and finally, some information about the real Richard III.

Susan discussed the work behind finding the remains of Richard III and some of the things learned from his DNA.

Susan speaks at the Podium

There was a brief panel discussion then a few thoughtful questions from the audience including asking why Richard didn’t make any sort of statement about the princes and what happened to his feet.

Audience members expressed disappointment that the event had not been recorded for Stratfest@Home – Stratford’s digital subscription service.

After the talk, the speakers had time to chat with those present, answering some of the questions that had not been asked, due to time constraints.

two women peruse the table witth brochures

A table by the door held Society brochures and selected publications which were eagerly snapped up by people wanting to know more. Although the Canadian Branch has had a fruitful collaboration with the Festival in the past, this was the first time we had been invited to speak. Long may this continue!


White_Rose_Roof_Boss – St. George’s Chapel, Windsor

Stone carved white rose with gold interior

The Canadian Branch is very proud to have adopted a roof boss in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor this year, donating the funds necessary for its cleaning and conservation.  Identified as “NN3.8 White Rose of York”, this boss is located in the northwest end of the chapel, in the Nave, as indicated on the floor plan.

Certificate of Adoption

From the accompanying literature (Courtesy of St. George’s Chapel):

Portrait of Elizabeth of York holding a white rose

The white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster are well known from historical accounts of the Wars of the Roses, but their origins as royal badges are uncertain.  There is evidence that the Yorkists had adopted a rose by at least 1436.  Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, a founder knight of the Order of the Garter, had a white rose assigned to him in Writhe’s Garter Armorial and it is likely that Edward IV adopted the white rose as a royal badge in acknowledgement of his descent to the throne through the Mortimer family.   A pedigree roll of Edward IV dating from 1461 now held in the British Library (BL Add Ms. 18268A) indicates that the rose emblem had descended to the House of York from the Mortimers, although its colour was not specified.  However, on another contemporary pedigree Edward IV’s rose is shown as white and there is evidence that he bore a white rose on his banner in 1471.  The white rose was employed as a badge by later Yorkist leaders and roses appeared on the coinage of Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III.

..The white rose is also found without adornment as a roof boss, to represent Elizabeth of York….This white rose roof boss, situated on the north side of the Nave, forms part of the Nave vaulting constructed between about 1503 and 1506. The device symbolises Elizabeth of York, who married Henry VII in 1486 and was crowned Queen Consort in November 1487. According to contemporary accounts, the white rose was much in evidence at her coronation and during the remainder of her lifetime.

Several members of the House of York are interred in the chapel, including Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth, as well as several of their children. St. George’s Chapel continues to play a role in the royal family today, holding the wedding of the Duke of Sussex to Meghan Markle in 2018 and is the burial place of Elizabeth II & Prince Philip.

(March 2014 updated 2022)