FATAL COLOURS - Update on book and author coverage and Future Events

NEXT EVENTS

Sunday 15th May 11.00am  - GG Illustrated talk at Hampton Court Literary Festival.

Monday 6th June - GG illustrated talk to Towton Battlefield Society (7pm), Saxton Village Hall close to the battlefield.  Non-members can pay £3 on the door and are assured of a very warm welcome. Have a look at the TBS website  http://www.towton.org.uk/ 

Following a Series of Full House / Sell Out Talks - including Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, York (Mansion House),  Wakefield (Central Library), Chiswick (Waterstones) -  George will be giving additional illustrated talks in the Autumn (full details to be posted  - June)

Coverage 

BBC R4 Today interview (29 March) -  TO LISTEN AGAIN see recent blog of 31 March, below

Sunday Telegraph review by Helen Castor (17 April)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8450318/Fatal-Colours-by-George-Goodwin-review.html

Daily Telegraph review (2 April) 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8419024/Two-Books-on-the-Wars-of-the-Roses-review.html

Independent on Sunday feature (20 March)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/mass-graves-to-shed-light-on-britains-bloodiest-battle-2247057.html

BBC TV Look North  feature and interview (29 March)

History Today (May issue) cover article - look out for it here

http://www.historytoday.com

BBC History Magazine (May issue) Review - look out for it here

http://www.historyextra.com/

Yorkshire Post interview feature (29 March)

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/towton_the_bloodbath_of_a_battle_that_shattered_the_myth_of_english_kingship_1_3227237

BBC R4 Making History on the Towton archaeological and community project (29 March) http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00zsdss

for Fatal Colours see http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/making-history/factsheetwk132011.pdf

Economist  feature (16 December 2010) 

http://www.economist.com/node/17722650?story_id=17722650

BBC Radio York (29 March) interview with Jonathan Cowap repeated through the day

The Press -York (17 March) feature

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/history/8915267.Recreation_of_Battle_of_Towton_marks_550th_anniversary/

Chiswick W4 (17 March) - tying in with sell-out Waterstones event 

http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conauthor012.htm

NEW QUOTES (For Pre-publication Quotes see 'Quotes & Reviews' section of this website)  

"Utterly captivating, perfectly balanced between fascinating detail and nail biting narrative. I was particularly struck by the attention given to ordinary soldiers and the way in which George had winnowed out the often poignant stories of their lives from the documentary evidence- it's a subject which is often overlooked and gave a fresh perspective on the battle."  - Lisa Hilton, author of Queens Consort

"Full of fascinating detail.  I enjoyed it immensely."  - Allan Harley, Secretary of the Wars of the Roses Federation

'“I casually opened Fatal Colours before lunch on a Sunday; suddenly it was tea-time!  Full of intriguing fact and entertaining anecdote, this new narrative on Henry VI and the 1^st War of the Roses adroitly establishes just how the ruptured society of 15^th century England could lead to the cataclysm of Towton." - Julian Humphrys, author of English Heritage's Clash of Arms - Twelve English Battles and Development Officer,  The Battlefields Trust 

BBC Radio 4 - Today programme interview

This week, I was interviewed by BBC Radio 4's Today programme, about my new book Fatal Colours, which explores the history of the Battle of Towton. Fatal Colours is published to mark the 550th anniversary of the battle, and the interview took place on the exact anniversary day.
Click here to listen to the programme.

FATAL COLOURS & TOWTON. Publication Talks & Events

FATAL COLOURS – Towton 1461, England’s Most Brutal Battle

By George Goodwin

Introduction by David Starkey

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Officially available March 10^th 2011 – now on sale through all good bookshops  

   

George Goodwin - FATAL COLOURS talks & signings

Thursday March 24^th 7.00 for 7.30pm.  -  Waterstones Chiswick  (in conversation with Tracy Borman).  Further details from Waterstones : 020 8995 3559  

Wednesday March 30^th, 7.00 pm –at Wakefield Central Library, Drury Lane, Wakefield.  Further details from Rickaro Books,   01924 278811 http://www.rickarobooks.co.uk/

Saturday April 2^nd 6.30pm – Oxford Literary Festival  http://www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com/#

Sunday April 10^th 3.00pm - York Mansion House.   Joint talk and debate with Tim Sutherland, the Towton Battlefield Archaeologist     http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/event-calendar/35-Fatal-Colours-with-George-Goodwin-and-Tim-Sutherland/

Sunday  April 17^th – During the Day – Towton.  Signing for the Towton Battlefield Society as part of the 550^th Commemoration of the Battle at the Battlefield itself (see below)   

Saturday May 14^th Time & details tbc -  Hampton Court Literary Festival.   

Monday June 6^th 7.00pm  – Towton Battlefield Society  http://www.towton.org.uk/page6a.html

Other Relevant Towton Events and releases

Towton 1461 dvd - http://www.rkproductions.tv/rkp/Home.html

Saturday March 26^th  & Sunday 27^th (10am – 5pm)  550^th Towton Weekend at Royal Armouries, Leeds http://www.royalarmouries.org/events/events-at-leeds/calendar/2011-03-26/towton-1461

(tbc) Saturday March 26^th onwards   Micklegate Bar Museum, York  http://www.micklegatebar.com/

Thursday March 31^st 2.00-3.00pm – National Archives, Kew.  ‘The Battle of Towton – a 550 Year Retrospective’ Talk by Dr James Ross  of the National Archives  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/events/battle-Towton.htm

Sunday April 17^th 10am – 4pm - Towton Battlefield.   The Towton Battlefield Society Palm Sunday 550^th Commemoration http://www.towton.org.uk/page14aa.html

Selected Places to Visit and Related Organisations as listed in Fatal Colours

Selected Places to Visit and Related Organisations to Towton and  the 1st War of the Roses

Information at time of going to press of Fatal Colours

Updates may be available on www.georgegoodwin.com

IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST ANY ADDITIONAL PLACES AND ORGANISATIONS, I would be delighted to consider them - but no promises made!   e-mail me on george@georgegoodwin.com


 

Immediate to Towton

The Towton Battlefield Society is the official organisation for promoting understanding of the Battle of Towton and for research of the battlefield under protected conditions.    Run by an extremely lively and friendly group of volunteers, and dedicated to encouraging educational and popular interest in an extraordinary event in English history, the TBS is one of the most go-ahead battlefield societies in the country.  You don’t have to be a local to get full value from membership of this Society, which is affiliated to the Battlefields Trust. For full details of the TBS itself, of its visitor centre and of the Frei Compagnie (its group of re-enactors), www.towton.org.uk

Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey Project.   Tim Sutherland is the leading archaeological authority on the battlefield.  He was a key member of the team from Bradford University that investigated the mass grave from 1996 and has run a number of subsequent projects that have made major discoveries.   For more information, and if you are interested in funding further professionally-led excavations, www.towtonbattle.com  or contact tim@sutherland6579.freeserve.co.uk

The Royal Armouries Museum – Leeds. The Royal Armouries is home to the United Kingdom’s national collection of arms and armour, and is the country’s oldest museum. In addition to personal armour and small arms, the Leeds museum houses the reserve, study and archive collections.  Among their curators are some of the country’s leading experts on fifteenth-century warfare, who have taken a particular interest in the Battle of Towton. As a starting point for general information, www.royalarmouries.org

University of Bradford - The Biological Anthropology Research Centre (BARC). Details on the work of the specialist department responsible for the Towton Mass Grave Project, www.brad.ac.uk/archenvi/research/Towton

York’s Micklegate Bar  - www.micklegatebar.com

York Minster  - www.yorkminster.org

Pontefract Castle - www.wakefieldmuseums.org/our_sites_pontefract_cas.htm

National Organisations

The Battlefields Trust is the UK charity dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Britain's battlefields. Information on joining together with extensive material on Blore Heath, Northampton, Mortimer's Cross and Towton, as well as the later battles of the Wars of the Roses, is available on the Trust's website:  www.battlefieldstrust.com

The Wars of the Roses Federation is an umbrella group of approximately thirty-five medieval member groups.  For further information: www.et-tu.com/wotrf1/cgi-bin/index.cgi.   For a good example of an individual group, see www.beaufort-companye.org.uk

England and Wales

In and around London

The Tower of London.  Nowadays the UK’s most-visited historic attraction, the Tower was repeatedly the scene of important events during the Wars of the Roses, including the murder of Henry VI (the only English king to be killed there).  See www.hrp.org.uk/TowerofLondon/stories.aspx .  The Tower also houses the London collection of the Royal Armouries www.royalarmouries.org/visit-us/tower-of-london

Westminster Abbey -  www.westminster-abbey.org

Westminster Hall -  www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/westminster-hall-tours/westminster-hall/

Houses of Parliament  -  www.parliament.uk/educationSearch ‘Houses of History’ for timeline

Windsor Castle -  www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/WindsorCastle/WindsorCastle.aspx

Eton College -  www.etoncollege.com/visitstoeton.aspx

King’s College, Cambridge - www.kings.cam.ac.uk/visit

Canterbury Cathedral - www.canterbury-cathedral.org/

St Albans (1^st and 2^nd Battles of St Albans)  -  www.stalbans.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-and-travel/guided-walks/ and www.stalbanscathedral.org

Winchester Cathedral - www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk

The North

Raby Castle - www.rabycastle.com

Sandal Castle - www.wakefieldmuseums.org/our_sites_sandal.htm  (and for Battle of Wakefield)

Castles at Middleham, Richmond, Barnard Castle and Warkworth - www.english-heritage.org.uk/

Castles at Bamburgh  - www.bamburghcastle.com ; Alnwick www.alnwickcastle.com;

Dunstanburgh www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-dunstanburghcastle

Mount Grace Priory (Carthusian)

– www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/mount-grace-priory

The Midlands

Beauchamp Memorial Chapel - St Mary, Warwick  www.saintmaryschurch.co.uk

Identification of the mourning figures on the facing side of the tomb of the 13^th Earl – see first section of illustrations: Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury; Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset; Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham; John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury; Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.  Their respective fates are described in the main text and final ‘Dramatis Personae’.   See also ‘Family Trees’.

Warwick Castle - www.warwick-castle.co.uk/plan-your-day/history.aspx?css=1

Kenilworth - www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/kenilworth-castle/history

Tattershall Castle - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-tattershallcastle

Crowland Abbey  -  http://crowlandabbey.org.uk/index.html

Wales and the West

Ludlow  -  www.ludlowcastle.com

Cardiff  - www.castlewales.com/cardiff.html

Croft Castle -  www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-croftcastle

Pembroke - www.pembroke-castle.co.uk

Castles at Harlech, Monmouth and Raglan  -  www.cadw.wales.gov.uk

Exeter Cathedral - www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk

Some continental connections

France - the great cathedrals of Paris - www.notredamedeparis.fr ;  Reims - www.cathedrale-reims.com/notre-dame-saint-jacques-reims;   Rouen - www.cathedrale-rouen.net

Italy – Milan, Sforza Castle - www.milanocastello.it/ita/home.html  ; Pienza (birthplace of Pius II that was re-named after him) -  www.pienza.com

Welcome to my new blog!

Welcome to my new blog, where you can find out all about upcoming 'Fatal Colours' events, places and articles of interest.

For full details, extracts and to buy your copy of 'Fatal Colours', visit my website: www.georgegoodwin.com.