Letter from Cecily to Margaret of Anjou

Is anyone familiar with a letter from Cecily Neville to Margaret of Anjou presumably written in October 1452 describing the birth of her son, Richard? it's mentioned in the new book about Richard, "Return of the King," but as I have only the free sample (Kindle version) , I can't follow the link to the endnote.

Thanks,
Carol

Hi Carol,

Yes, it's in Anne Crawford's 'Letters of Medieval Women'. I can scan it tomorrow and upload it to files.

Actually, Cecily doesn't even mention Richard's birth in it - Cecily's use of the word 'labour' has been misrepresented!

Marie

---In , <> wrote:

Is anyone familiar with a letter from Cecily Neville to Margaret of Anjou presumably written in October 1452 describing the birth of her son, Richard? it's mentioned in the new book about Richard, "Return of the King," but as I have only the free sample (Kindle version) , I can't follow the link to the endnote.

Thanks,
Carol

Really, how interesting&&.I guess she wasn't singing Rule Britannia in her head, but to not mention your last baby. Yes, I am, using my modern brain here, not the Medieval one.

From: [mailto:] On Behalf Of mariewalsh2003
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 3:13 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Letter from Cecily to Margaret of Anjou

Hi Carol,

Yes, it's in Anne Crawford's 'Letters of Medieval Women'. I can scan it tomorrow and upload it to files.

Actually, Cecily doesn't even mention Richard's birth in it - Cecily's use of the word 'labour' has been misrepresented!

Marie

---In , <> wrote:

Is anyone familiar with a letter from Cecily Neville to Margaret of Anjou presumably written in October 1452 describing the birth of her son, Richard? it's mentioned in the new book about Richard, "Return of the King," but as I have only the free sample (Kindle version) , I can't follow the link to the endnote.

Thanks,
Carol

Hi Carol,

Just to let you know I've uploaded the letter in Files as 'Cecily's Letter to Queen Margaret'.

There was no reason why Cecily should have mentioned her last birth, and certainly every reason why she shouldn't have chosen that time to complain to QM about what a difficult delivery she'd had. It wasn't a chatty letter between two friends, but a humble supplication by the Duchess to the Queen for help in getting her husband restored to the King's favour. It was written some months after York had been arrested at Dartford and banished to his estates; he was still banished to his estates at the time she wrote.

Queen Margaret was, of course, expecting her first baby at this time, which is why Cecily absolutely wouldn't have written anything to make her more afraid of childbirth than she may already have been.

The painful and encumbrous labour she refers to is, if you read the text carefully, the labour she had taken upon herself in joining QM, as she travelled back south from Walsingham in the spring of 1453, in order to petition the Queen in person to do something for her husband. Historians are sometimes just SO eager to find evidence to support the Tudor tales that they leave their critical faculties behind.

It's a really interesting letter, though, and reminds us that QM was, until they became rivals for the regency, much more partial to York than her husband was.

Marie

---In , <> wrote:

Really, how interesting&&.I guess she wasn't singing Rule Britannia in her head, but to not mention your last baby. Yes, I am, using my modern brain here, not the Medieval one.

From: [mailto:] On Behalf Of mariewalsh2003
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 3:13 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Letter from Cecily to Margaret of Anjou

Hi Carol,

Yes, it's in Anne Crawford's 'Letters of Medieval Women'. I can scan it tomorrow and upload it to files.

Actually, Cecily doesn't even mention Richard's birth in it - Cecily's use of the word 'labour' has been misrepresented!

Marie

---In , <> wrote:

Is anyone familiar with a letter from Cecily Neville to Margaret of Anjou presumably written in October 1452 describing the birth of her son, Richard? it's mentioned in the new book about Richard, "Return of the King," but as I have only the free sample (Kindle version) , I can't follow the link to the endnote.

Thanks,
Carol

Thanks for the clarification Marie. That puts it in place, and yes, is perfectly understandable.

From: [mailto:] On Behalf Of mariewalsh2003
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2013 9:10 AM
To:
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Letter from Cecily to Margaret of Anjou

Hi Carol,

Just to let you know I've uploaded the letter in Files as 'Cecily's Letter to Queen Margaret'.

There was no reason why Cecily should have mentioned her last birth, and certainly every reason why she shouldn't have chosen that time to complain to QM about what a difficult delivery she'd had. It wasn't a chatty letter between two friends, but a humble supplication by the Duchess to the Queen for help in getting her husband restored to the King's favour. It was written some months after York had been arrested at Dartford and banished to his estates; he was still banished to his estates at the time she wrote.

Queen Margaret was, of course, expecting her first baby at this time, which is why Cecily absolutely wouldn't have written anything to make her more afraid of childbirth than she may already have been.

The painful and encumbrous labour she refers to is, if you read the text carefully, the labour she had taken upon herself in joining QM, as she travelled back south from Walsingham in the spring of 1453, in order to petition the Queen in person to do something for her husband. Historians are sometimes just SO eager to find evidence to support the Tudor tales that they leave their critical faculties behind.

It's a really interesting letter, though, and reminds us that QM was, until they became rivals for the regency, much more partial to York than her husband was.

Marie

---In , <> wrote:

Really, how interesting&&.I guess she wasn't singing Rule Britannia in her head, but to not mention your last baby. Yes, I am, using my modern brain here, not the Medieval one.

From: [mailto:] On Behalf Of mariewalsh2003
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 3:13 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Letter from Cecily to Margaret of Anjou

Hi Carol,

Yes, it's in Anne Crawford's 'Letters of Medieval Women'. I can scan it tomorrow and upload it to files.

Actually, Cecily doesn't even mention Richard's birth in it - Cecily's use of the word 'labour' has been misrepresented!

Marie

---In , <> wrote:

Is anyone familiar with a letter from Cecily Neville to Margaret of Anjou presumably written in October 1452 describing the birth of her son, Richard? it's mentioned in the new book about Richard, "Return of the King," but as I have only the free sample (Kindle version) , I can't follow the link to the endnote.

Thanks,
Carol

Marie wrote:

"Hi Carol, Yes, it's in Anne Crawford's 'Letters of Medieval Women'. I can scan it tomorrow and upload it to files. Actually, Cecily doesn't even mention Richard's birth in it - Cecily's use of the word 'labour' has been misrepresented!"

Carol responds:

Thank you! I was afraid that the letter might support the "difficult birth" myth that Desmond Seward makes such a big deal of in the first chapter "England's Black Legend." So much for Patricia Collins's new book objectively presenting the evidence!

Carol

---In , <> wrote:

Is anyone familiar with a letter from Cecily Neville to Margaret of Anjou presumably written in October 1452 describing the birth of her son, Richard? it's mentioned in the new book about Richard, "Return of the King," but as I have only the free sample (Kindle version) , I can't follow the link to the endnote.

Thanks,
Carol