1941: Following a Ministry of Home Security circular on the carrying of gas masks, a Mrs Mellows organised four lectures aimed principally at housewives of active servicemen, on how to handle a gas situation. The second talk was held on this day. Each lecture covered: latest information about gas attacks; first aid for gas casualties; how to protect yourself and dealing with incendiary bombs and fires. All lectures were very well attended. (Gray, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Gray, 2011)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.
Richard of Gloucester, later Richard III of England was born at Fotheringhay Castle. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. He was the supposed killer of 'The Princes in the Tower', his nephews Edward and Richard, the sons of his brother King Edward IV, and was portrayed as a villain in William Shakespeare's play 'Richard III'.
He died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 beaten by Henry Tudor, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor dynasty, so ending the War of the Roses.
In 2012 Richard III's body was found buried under a car park in Leicester and was re-interred in Leicester Cathedral. Analysis of his body showed that, as legend reported, he did have a curvature of the spine (scoliosis) which would have meant that his right shoulder was higher than the left, though with a good tailor and custom armour this would not have been obvious.
On the 1st of August 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots was buried in the Cathedral, 5 months after having been executed at nearby Fotheringhay Castle. The Dean, Richard Fletcher, officiated at both her execution and her funeral.
On Sunday 30 July her body was carried to Peterborough by night and placed in the Bishop’s Palace. The Funeral was held on the 1 August, with the Cathedral being hung with black and the arms of Francis II and Darnley displayed. An effigy of Mary was carried along with her emblems of state. The cortege included the Countess of Bedford, the Bishop and Dean of Peterborough, the Bishop of Lincoln and one hundred poor widows clothed in black. The Bishop of Lincoln preached the sermon. The Dean presided over the burial, and the officers cast their broken staves on the coffin. A lavish funeral banquet was held in the Bishop’s Palace. The funeral cost £321, one third of which was for food and drink!
Mary was re-interred on the orders of James I at Westminster Abbey in 1613, where she was buried next to Elizabeth I.
The abbey and town were sacked by a Lancastrian army led by Queen Margaret of Anjou during the Wars of the Roses. The abbey was in the orbit of Fotheringhay Castle, the main seat of the House of York. Both the future Edward IV and Richard III would have visited the monastery as children. Royal visitors to Peterborough Abbey were very common – as well as those mentioned above they have included: Henry III in 1268, Edward I in 1302, Edward II in 1314 (twice), Edward III in 1326, then annually 1332-6, Henry IV in 1392 & 1394, Henry VI in 1452 and Henry VII in 1486.
Mary Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on 8th February 1587 and buried at Peterborough Cathedral. The funeral nearly six months later has been frequently written about, but less so the local connection at her execution.
William Cecil, Lord Burghley, persuaded Elizabeth I to order her execution but he did not attend it. Instead his nephew MP Robert Wingfield of Upton, Peterborough, was tasked with witnessing and reporting back the event to his uncle. He wrote a description three days later, which is still one of the most influential accounts of the execution. In it he recounts the fine details of her clothing, her final words, her mannerisms and the actions of her staff and dignitaries. He recalled how the axe was dropped twice to sever her head after a small piece of flesh remained after the first chop and that her little dog was found hiding in her skirts after her death.
This report differs somewhat from the sentimental report of Pierre de Bourdeille, one of Mary's household. He retold a more dramatic story that emphasised her suffering before she died and supported the idea of her dying as a martyr.
Many sources name him as Sir Robert Wingfield, but he wasn't knighted until 1603 after showing hospitality to the new King.
References:
"The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1587," Eye Witness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2005).
R. Wingfield, Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, History's Eye Witness Account, 8 February 1587, Wingfield Family Society (2017) < https://www.wingfieldfamilysociety.org/execution-of-mary-queen-of-scots/>
Richard of Gloucester, later Richard III of England was born at Fotherin…
On the 1st of August 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots was buried in the Cathedr…
The abbey and town were sacked by a Lancastrian army led by Queen Margar…
Mary Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on 8th February…