Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Saturday 27 March 2010

Lady Mary Clive R.I.P


Yesterday's Daily Telegraph carried the obituary of Lady Mary Clive, who has died at the age of 102. I never met Lady Mary but wish I had. Over forty years ago, when she was researching her biography of Edward IV, she contacted my mother, then Secretary of the Local History Society in Pontefract with some enquiries about the battle of Towton. Over a period of time we endeavoured to answer these and As a schoolboy I recall drawing a map of the battlefield and its relationship to Pontefract and other neighbouring sites and sending that off to Lady Mary. We felt somewhat flattered when mother's work was acknowledged in the text of This Son of York when an autographed copy arrived by post some time later. It was only later that we discovered that Lady Mary was a member of the redoubtable Packenham family, and sister to the late Earl of Longford. From her obituary she appears to have been a redoubtable and resourceful lady, and her letters were always kind and appreciative. May she rest in peace.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi there!

Happy Palm Sunday! My colleagues and I are sitting eating scones in the office and rolling our eyes at the idea that anybody would read 'Fr Hunwicke's Liturgical Notes' - no offence, Fr Hunwicke - it was actually much more interesting than the title makes it sound.

It's an all-Catholic shift again, except for Tatiana, who is Orthodox, but none of us are at church... perhaps we 're all going later. Or we went to Vespers. Or something.

In fact, one of the Polish girls I worked with hadn't realised it was even Palm Sunday. 'Perhaps,' I said helpfully, 'they call it something different in Poland?'

'No, it's "palma",' she said. 'It's the same. I just forgot.'

Today, I worked with four Poles, three Filipinas, and an Englishman who's catholic now because he married a Catholic. So if you're wondering where the congregation is - we're here. On Sundays we're all working.