Charlie Fenton > Recent Status Updates

‘Within a few months, he had gone from being the disinherited son of a traitor to being fifth in line to the throne of England. The speed with which blind Fortune could give, take away and regrant was dizzying and entirely unpredictable. This was the terrifying merry-go-round Richard was forced to ride as a child, and these experiences began to shape the man he would become and his view of the world around him’

‘What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment?’

Audiobook version, not on here.

‘Despite Shakespeare’s later dramatic reimagining of the battle, it was not the two-and-a-half year old Richard who killed the Duke of Somerset, however amusing the thought of a toddler swinging a mace at a grown man might be.’

‘Taking the villain we have long sneered at with a pinch of salt, we must take care not to try so hard to balance the scales as to offer an opposite and equally flat picture of a heroic Richard without fault. Much of what follows will necessarily be this writer’s interpretation of events and sources, which the reader may freely disagree with.’

‘Say you are poor and starving, as we were. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meagre year’s supply of grain and oil for one person. You may do this for each of your family members as well. So, at the age of twelve, I had my name entered four times. Once because I had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for myself, Prim and my mother.’

It has been years since I read this and only read it once. I recently started rewatching the films with my dad, so decided to read the series again.

‘The large sum of money set aside for the refurbishment of Whitehall Palace together with assembly of former royal furnishings and artwork came to the value of £35,497 16s 6d. Both Oliver and Elizabeth understood that they were not seeking to establish an extravagant lifestyle for themselves and their family, but provide surroundings to signify the dignity and authority of the Commonwealth’s Lord Protector.’

‘If addiction were the motivation behind the killings, would the murderer vacillate between extremes too? Between the craving and the satisfaction? Between living a life and taking a life? Yes, of course, but the mark of the demon would be permanent, just as Jacques’s costume remained whether drunk or sober. The stench of bonding with a demon would be imbued in the host. It must.’

‘Despite, no doubt, having a respectable life as a wife and mother, Oliver was concerned about her being ‘cozerned by worldly vanities and worldly company’. This was probably because John Claypole was a cheerful, outgoing cavalier in temperament and Bettie was in the same mould, rather than being a prim Puritan like her sister Bridget.’

“They were accused of consorting with the Devil and committing evil acts against their neighbors. And it’s true, there were some witches—warlocks mostly—who conjured destructive spells that brutalized a handful of villages. But they weren’t the ones caught and put in prison. It was almost always some hapless mortal from the valley who they were able to coerce a confession out of.”

I do love how all the books the author writes connect together, even if they aren’t direct sequels, it is nice to see how some of the other families are getting on.

‘two changes had occurred in Oliver’s life which potentially transformed his future. Through his mother he had received the funds necessary to return to gentry status, providing him the wherewithal to once again mix with the ruling classes and even be considered for public office. It was through other women in his family... that he had also gained some entrée to the main leaders of the Puritan movement.’

‘Could the old woman even doubt it? Elena’s veins practically ran red with wine from Château Renard. How could she wish for anything else but to be part of the vineyard? Its terroir was her blood, its mist her breath, its soil her bones, its harvest her unborn child. But covenants were covenants, and spells cast on mortals were strictly prohibited, though everyone fudged the rule now and then.’

‘They made a reasonably well-matched couple. What is known from the future letters between them is that they were to become completely devoted to each other. It is unlikely that Oliver would have achieved what he did in life without the firm foundation of love and support provided by Elizabeth. Oliver’s mother deserved credit for her part in bringing about this successful union.’

Wondering why this has no reviews

‘We will never know how much resentment Harry bore towards Edward or towards his wife and her family. Sources claim that he despised his marriage, that he felt Katherine was beneath him and that he was unhappy with the de Bohun estates being denied to him. At court he was welcomed but often sidelined, his duties being in the most part ceremonial’

‘The exact date of Margaret’s death is unknown, but it is believed to be around 1490, aged around thirty-five. Whether Margaret and Thomas had a happy marriage or not can only be guessed at. It is enticing, however, to imagine that the fact that Thomas never remarried, even though he outlived her by thirty-four years, illustrates the love they had for each other in his choice to not take another wife.’

‘After William’s death, Anne remarried, although there is some confusion over dates and indeed husbands! Several sources indicate she took as her second husband a gentleman called Edward Wingfield. However, there is no doubt that she also married George Grey... There doesn’t appear to be much time for Anne to have married Edward, particularly as he outlived her, so she would have had to have divorced him’

‘it is tempting to wonder if her [Jacquetta’s] shadowy existence means she may have managed to live a life least touched by the trappings of court life and politics. She cannot have been in love with her husband at the time of her betrothal, in all likelihood they had never even met, but they hopefully managed to forge a life together that contained some happiness:’

‘Most people in this country didn’t realise that she was coloured. The English cared more about class, and here the society people simply did not see those who were not in their world. Bertha wondered what she disliked most: to be noticed for her colour or to be ignored for her class.’

“I never wanted to be Duke, never. There are younger sons who think of nothing else but the health of their older brother. But I was glad that I was not going to inherit. I saw what happened to my father - he pretty much bankrupted himself trying to behave in the way he thought a duke should and all he got for it was the dubious pleasure of being cuckolded by the Prince of Wales, among others.”

‘I understand from reading the papers and seeing all the articles online that there was almost a meltdown on social media with people speculating that The Queen’s outfit and hat paid tribute to the EU flag, and that The Queen was making a subtle statement about the recent Brexit vote. It was a coincidence but, boy, did it attract a lot of attention, and it certainly made us smile.’

‘when Her Majesty visits a school or a children’s centre, she is always dressed in a bright, jolly colour, and her hat has the kind of details that will appeal to children - feathers, twirls, twists, flowers, and ribbons. When she visits a nursing or residential home for older people, she prefers to wear a strong, well/defined colour, with a structured hat, to help those who are visually impaired to see her’

‘The Queen liked the designs and suggested that we employ a machinist to help me. Before long, Her Majesty’s wardrobe is as being revitalised as, piece by piece, vibrant colours and stylish cuts made their way onto the rails. More to the point, The Queen was happy. It is an honour to be the first ever in-house Designer to Her Majesty The Queen.’

They really are all in this, I do love James Masters as John Hart too.

So Captain John killed Christopher Marlowe...

“Well if you will ride on a train with soldiers, you must expect a little discomfort.”

Seriously?! I really don’t think that whole scene was necessary, let alone that comment after.

Now that was a very uncomfortable scene.

‘Bertha’s mother had never had a ring though. The man who had seduced her had been white, so there was no question of marriage. Mrs Calhoun had kept her on in the laundry after Bertha was born. The Reverend called it an act of Christian charity, but Bertha’s mother never looked grateful.’