Tomorrow (23 April) I will be visiting Barnard Castle for a study day organized by the Northern Dales Richard III Group.
Barnard Castle in County Durham was of course a very important location in the life and times of King Richard, and it’s one of those places (particularly in northern and north-east England) where his memory still very much lives on, even after more than five centuries. He was, and still is, known there as a good lord and king, despite the hundreds of years of attacks on his reputation by those who follow the Tudor ‘history’.
I’m looking forward to the talks throughout the day and chatting to fellow Ricardians and others interested in the king and his times. And I’m also looking forward to the launch of a very special project: Windows for the King.
The Northern Dales Group is working in association with St Mary’s Church Council and the Diocese of Durham to commemorate King Richard’s close links with the town through the creation of new windows for the King’s collegiate church. Full details of the project can be found here.
The seven etched-glass windows will be installed in 2024 by the Swansea Architectural Glass Centre and will depict saints and subjects close to King Richard’s heart. (An indication can be viewed in the following images.)
Funds will be raised over the next two years to ensure the windows are installed in time for the 550th anniversary of Richard’s lordship of Barnard Castle. If you would like to contribute to the project, full details can be found here.
If you would like to know more, please follow the links below or contact Kim Harding (chair of the Northern Dales Group) at kirklandergirl@googlemail.com
Loyaulte me lie
Alex Marchant is author of two books telling the story of the real King Richard III for children aged 10+, The Order of the White Boar and The King’s Man, and a third in the sequence, King in Waiting, which continues the adventures of the young members of the Order in the following years. A fourth book, Sons of York, is due out in 2022.
Alex is also editor of Grant Me the Carving of My Name and Right Trusty and Well Beloved…, two anthologies of short fiction inspired by King Richard, sold in support of Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK).
Alex has also published a standalone timeslip novel for readers aged 10+, Time out of Time, relating the adventures of Allie Turner through a doorway into history found under layers of old wallpaper at ancient Priory Farm.
Alex’s books can be found on Amazon at:
My Twitter handle and Matthew Wansford’s
Instagram: AlexMarchantAuthor
The Order of the White Boar 