Fundraising appeal letter.

It's a church, so you're right in saying it will be hard up. Not seen the article - refuse to fork out to get through a Murdoch paywall - but I wouldn't *necessarily* take everything at face value. They probably will solicit donations from top prospects, but it can't be in exchange for places for all kinds of legal / ethical reasons.

Of course, their fundraising set-up may be amateurish, but that would surprise me given that the Duke of Gloucester is their patron. The invitation list is likely to include names from his address book and those of trustees / board members. The appeal probably has an allocation of places separate from those ring-fenced for dignitaries etc.

It would be interesting to see the article, but the bottom line is that the money has to come from somewhere, short of the Crown or government agreeing to under-write it all, which - sadly - is unlikely.

Jonathan

------
Jonathan M C Evans

Jan here after reading in today's Times.
The cathedral's King Richard III Appeal has sent letters to people ( no indication of how they were chosen) inviting them to attend the private service marking the entry of the king's remains into the cathedral & soliciting them for a donation of £2,500 per head in exchange for attendance.
The cathedral wishes to find an ambulatory around the tomb, says the article, quoting one recipient of the letter who describes it as a cynical attempt to sell seats.
I haven't looked at the cathedral's website today so far.
The kindest thing I can think of at present to say is that the cathedral must be very hard up.

Sent from my iPad

No doubt this being a gesture of gratitude for kind donations is one way to explain it but in essence it comes close to "buy a ticket to attend a funeral"....

Leicester Cathedral desire to make the new tomb area as attractive as possible and this is part of their wider fund-raising for the cathedral works but I think it was an unwise offer, considering that the grand opening of the finished works is not just a service of thanksgiving for works completed (as it would be in any church or cathedral) but essentially a burial service (yes, I know it isn't actually a burial service but a re-interment).

Any chance of actually typing the article out, Jan?

Descendants of those who fought, hmmm....

Well, there's the 12th duke of Northumberland, descendent of Hugh Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, formerly called Sir Hugh Smithson, who took the name of Percy by Act of Parliament in 1750. He'd married the daughter of Lady Elizabeth Percy [1667-1722], last of the blood of the ancient House of Percy.

There is currently an E R W Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby who is a remote descendant of the second earl, grandson of the one who married Margaret Beaufort.

There is an 11th Duke of Beaufort, the title being a 1682 creation for one Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquis of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, a descendant of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, killed after the battle of Hexham in 1464.

Thank you, Wikipedia.

Maybe the Prince of Wales & the Duke of Cambridge have had invitations too.

If these peers all attend & each donate £2500 each the cathedral will receive £12, 500.

Lord Finchley tried to mend the electric light

Himself. It struck him dead and serve him right.

It is the business of the wealthy man

To give employment to the artisan. [Hilaire Belloc.]

Jan, not entirely seriously.

"In a letter to supporters the cathedral said the coffin's return flanked by descendants of nobles that fought at Bosworth would be a very powerful moment."

From the article, this is one of the things that most caught my eye. Just who are these descendants? Does anyone know? This is the first I've heard of this.

Please forgive the "snippage".
--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 9/2/14, colyngbourne <[email protected]> wrote:

Subject: Re: Fundraising appeal letter.
To:
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014, 1:26 PM


It appears that the story is also in The
Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/leicester-cathedral-denies-it-is-cashing-in-on-richard-iiis-reinternment-9706943.html

Descendants of those who fought,  hmmm....

Well, there's the 12th duke of Northumberland, descendent of Hugh Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, formerly called Sir Hugh Smithson, who took the name of Percy by Act of Parliament in 1750. He'd married the daughter of Lady Elizabeth Percy [1667-1722], last of the blood of the ancient House of Percy.

There is currently an E R W Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby who is a remote descendant of the second earl, grandson of the one who married Margaret Beaufort.

There is an 11th Duke of Beaufort, the title being a 1682 creation for one Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquis of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, a descendant of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, killed after the battle of Hexham in 1464.

Thank you, Wikipedia.

Maybe the Prince of Wales & the Duke of Cambridge have had invitations too.

If these peers all attend & each donate £2500 each the cathedral will receive £12, 500.

Lord Finchley tried to mend the electric light

Himself. It struck him dead and serve him right.

It is the business of the wealthy man

To give employment to the artisan. [Hilaire Belloc.]

Jan, not entirely seriously.

"In a letter to supporters the cathedral said the coffin's return flanked by descendants of nobles that fought at Bosworth would be a very powerful moment."

From the article, this is one of the things that most caught my eye. Just who are these descendants? Does anyone know? This is the first I've heard of this.

Please forgive the "snippage".
--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 9/2/14, colyngbourne <[email protected]> wrote:

Subject: Re: Fundraising appeal letter.
To:
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014, 1:26 PM


It appears that the story is also in The
Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/leicester-cathedral-denies-it-is-cashing-in-on-richard-iiis-reinternment-9706943.html 

Hi, Hilary 

OK, the idea of having Richard's remains flanked by the descendants of people who fought at Bosworth may not be all bad. As a matter of symbolism  if the descendants are of supporters of Richard, well, that's only fitting. But even if they are descendants of those who fought for Henry  well, surely it can be interpreted as the nobles finally giving Richard the recognition of him as rightful king of England, which is so long overdue. So that could be a very rich moment, indeed, in my view.

On the other hand, I agree that Richard would have been concerned for the welfare of the common soldiers. Perhaps they should make an effort to find representatives from all social strata, even if they can't find poor people who are known descendants of participants of the battle, they could make the symbolism clear. There would have been a lot more peasants than nobles participating, would there not?

Johanne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Johanne L. Tournier

Email - jltournier60@...

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From: [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 6:09 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

I've just caught up, and I'm with Jonathan on this. I go to a lot of churches and generally the affluence of an Anglican church reflects the affluence of its area. So St Peter's Eaton Square is gold-encrusted and gives out glasses of wine at Christmas, whilst Sempringham Abbey in the Lincolnshire fens (one-time prison of Gwellian) can't afford electricity, let alone a toilet. In a recent survey Leicester came out the fourth poorest city in the UK in terms of its population's income and bear in mind that the majority of that population are not of the Christian faith. So I do understand the cathedral's begging letter - and you do get a return for your investment in terms of a seat.

I'm more concerned about these ancestors of those who fought in the battle - sounds a bit like another group of hooray Henrys (sorry!). Where were they in the search for Richard? Some of their ancestors, like the Howards, did pretty well under the Tudors, didn't they? And what about the descendants of the poor souls buried at Daddlington whose names we will never know? I think Richard would have been more interested in them. H

Descendants of those who fought, hmmm....

Well, there’s the 12th duke of Northumberland, descendent of Hugh Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, formerly called Sir Hugh Smithson, who took the name of Percy by Act of Parliament in 1750. He’d married the daughter of Lady Elizabeth Percy [1667-1722], last of the blood of the ancient House of Percy.

There is currently an E R W Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby who is a remote descendant of the second earl, grandson of the one who married Margaret Beaufort.

There is an 11th Duke of Beaufort, the title being a 1682 creation for one Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquis of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, a descendant of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, killed after the battle of Hexham in 1464.

Thank you, Wikipedia.

Maybe the Prince of Wales & the Duke of Cambridge have had invitations too.

If these peers all attend & each donate £2500 each the cathedral will receive £12, 500.

“Lord Finchley tried to mend the electric light

Himself. It struck him dead and serve him right.

It is the business of the wealthy man

To give employment to the artisan.” [Hilaire Belloc.]

Jan, not entirely seriously.

"In a letter to supporters the cathedral said the coffin’s return flanked by descendants of nobles that fought at Bosworth would be a “very powerful moment”."

From the article, this is one of the things that most caught my eye. Just who are these descendants? Does anyone know? This is the first I've heard of this.

Please forgive the "snippage".
--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 9/2/14, colyngbourne <[email protected]> wrote:

Subject: Re: Fundraising appeal letter.
To:
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014, 1:26 PM


It appears that the story is also in The
Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/leicester-cathedral-denies-it-is-cashing-in-on-richard-iiis-reinternment-9706943.html

The regular troops’ descendants will be more difficult to find, of course. I think there was one Catesby generation after the Plot. There were Staffords of Grafton at the Union of the Crowns but the Buckingham branch is far easier to trace, through their titles.

From: [mailto: ]
Sent: 03 September 2014 13:59
To:
Subject: Re: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

But it's confusing isn't it? So if I'm Richard Broughton, murdered the day before by Henry's troops whilst out recruiting for Richard my descendants don't get an invite? Or what if I'm a Catesby, not a fighter but I definitely died for Richard, as did the Staffords? Seems to me, as a cynical being, that someone thought that anyone who knows their descendants died in the battle must be from the upper classes. So that makes sure there are a few nice hats at the service and not many hoi polloi in annoraks and rucksacks. Though whether the nice hat brigade have any money to give is of course another issue. And no I'm not a raving socialist but even on occasions like this the civil servants in the shadows have to make sure that the 'right people' are there. That was always going to happen, wherever the service was. H

My great grandmother was a Buckingham, but whether she had any connection with "the" Buckingham's I don't know.
She died before I was born and my Christian name is the same as hers.
I believe she was originally from East Ansty in Devon.
But she was buried in Fobbing in Essex.

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

The regular troops' descendants will be more difficult to find, of course. I think there was one Catesby generation after the Plot. There were Staffords of Grafton at the Union of the Crowns but the Buckingham branch is far easier to trace, through their titles.

From: [mailto: ]
Sent: 03 September 2014 13:59
To:
Subject: Re: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

But it's confusing isn't it? So if I'm Richard Broughton, murdered the day before by Henry's troops whilst out recruiting for Richard my descendants don't get an invite? Or what if I'm a Catesby, not a fighter but I definitely died for Richard, as did the Staffords? Seems to me, as a cynical being, that someone thought that anyone who knows their descendants died in the battle must be from the upper classes. So that makes sure there are a few nice hats at the service and not many hoi polloi in annoraks and rucksacks. Though whether the nice hat brigade have any money to give is of course another issue. And no I'm not a raving socialist but even on occasions like this the civil servants in the shadows have to make sure that the 'right people' are there. That was always going to happen, wherever the service was. H 

Buckingham was not their surname – Stafford , then Stafford-Howard, then Jerningham and now Fitzherbert. Buckingham and Grafton were just the geographic reference names for the branches that separated a century or two before Richard’s time.

From: [mailto: ]
Sent: 03 September 2014 15:30
To:
Subject: Re: RE: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

My great grandmother was a Buckingham, but whether she had any connection with "the" Buckingham's I don't know.
She died before I was born and my Christian name is the same as hers.
I believe she was originally from East Ansty in Devon .
But she was buried in Fobbing in Essex .

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

From: 'Stephen' stephenmlark@... [] < >;
To: < >;
Subject: RE: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.
Sent: Wed, Sep 3, 2014 1:38:05 PM

The regular troops’ descendants will be more difficult to find, of course. I think there was one Catesby generation after the Plot. There were Staffords of Grafton at the Union of the Crowns but the Buckingham branch is far easier to trace, through their titles.

From: [mailto: ]
Sent: 03 September 2014 13:59
To:
Subject: Re: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

But it's confusing isn't it? So if I'm Richard Broughton, murdered the day before by Henry's troops whilst out recruiting for Richard my descendants don't get an invite? Or what if I'm a Catesby, not a fighter but I definitely died for Richard, as did the Staffords? Seems to me, as a cynical being, that someone thought that anyone who knows their descendants died in the battle must be from the upper classes. So that makes sure there are a few nice hats at the service and not many hoi polloi in annoraks and rucksacks. Though whether the nice hat brigade have any money to give is of course another issue. And no I'm not a raving socialist but even on occasions like this the civil servants in the shadows have to make sure that the 'right people' are there. That was always going to happen, wherever the service was. H

Buckingham was not their surname  Stafford , then Stafford-Howard, then Jerningham and now Fitzherbert. Buckingham and Grafton were just the geographic reference names for the branches that separated a century or two before Richard's time.

From: [mailto: ]
Sent: 03 September 2014 15:30
To:
Subject: Re: RE: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

My great grandmother was a Buckingham, but whether she had any connection with "the" Buckingham's I don't know.
She died before I was born and my Christian name is the same as hers.
I believe she was originally from East Ansty in Devon .
But she was buried in Fobbing in Essex .

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

From: 'Stephen' stephenmlark@... [] < >;
To: < >;
Subject: RE: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.
Sent: Wed, Sep 3, 2014 1:38:05 PM

The regular troops' descendants will be more difficult to find, of course. I think there was one Catesby generation after the Plot. There were Staffords of Grafton at the Union of the Crowns but the Buckingham branch is far easier to trace, through their titles.

From: [mailto: ]
Sent: 03 September 2014 13:59
To:
Subject: Re: [Richard III Society Forum] Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

But it's confusing isn't it? So if I'm Richard Broughton, murdered the day before by Henry's troops whilst out recruiting for Richard my descendants don't get an invite? Or what if I'm a Catesby, not a fighter but I definitely died for Richard, as did the Staffords? Seems to me, as a cynical being, that someone thought that anyone who knows their descendants died in the battle must be from the upper classes. So that makes sure there are a few nice hats at the service and not many hoi polloi in annoraks and rucksacks. Though whether the nice hat brigade have any money to give is of course another issue. And no I'm not a raving socialist but even on occasions like this the civil servants in the shadows have to make sure that the 'right people' are there. That was always going to happen, wherever the service was. H

I wonder if that is because o and u were sometimes interchangeable in English, as in Romsey being pronounced Rumsey?

Jess
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

Going back to the Buckingham surname I bump into a lot of Bokinghams in Oxfordshire, which is of course next door to Bucks. H 

On Wednesday, 3 September 2014, 17:37, "Jonathan Evans jmcevans98@... []" <> wrote:


  Yes, that is a little bit amateurish.  And I'm slightly appalled that a form inviting a "donation" doesn't provide an opportunity to give more than the suggested amount.  And where's the Gift Aid option?  I hope there's more to it than just that page...

Jonathan

From: "wednesday.mac@... []" <>
To:
Sent: Wednesday, 3 September 2014, 17:12
Subject: Re: Re: Fundraising appeal letter.

  Here is an image (readable if you enlarge it) of the actual letter that went out to raise funds for the ambulatory.

Leicester Cathedral - "Paying Respects...." quite literally... Leicester Cathedral - "Paying Respects...." qu... Copy of the letter which was handed out to prospective Benefactors as mentioned in The Independent and apparently also The Times.. View on forrichardteam.tumb... Preview by Yahoo