News and Events

Richard III Society

Leicestershire Branch

All meetings are held at the Richard III Visitor Centre, 4A St. Martins, Leicester. LE1 5DB commencing at 7pm unless otherwise stated. Meetings are free to branch members, but visitors are requested to donate £3 towards the expenses of the meeting.

The Leicestershire Branch of the Richard III Society presents

Further details can be obtained from the Branch Secretary (see Contact Page).

Study Day

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20th 2025

A Meal at Taste Restaurant – A three course meal and coffee is booked for 7pm at 'Taste', Leicester College, Freemen’s Park Campus, Aylestone Road, Leicester. LE2 7LW. Menu and prices to follow.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 9th 2025

Christmas through the Ages – Eddie Smallwood will tell us all about Christmas customs from late medieval times. Where do our Christmas customs originate and how much of what we do today would someone from the late Middle Ages even recognise?

NO MEETINGS ARE HELD IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

THURSDAY MARCH 19TH 2026

Medieval Bee Keeping – Beekeeping flourished during the Middle Ages with increased demand for honey and beeswax. Honey was used in food, drink and medicine, and the superior beeswax candles found favour with the nobility and the church. Caroline Wright will look at the industries that developed around bees and the practicality of keeping hives.

THURSDAY APRIL 16TH 2026

Journeying to Jerusalem in the 15th Century – Richard Smith’s talk is based on William Wey’s own itineraries of his journeys to Jerusalem in 1458 & 1462. His itineraries are fascinating and often humorous. You have been warned!

THURSDAY MAY 21ST 2026

Branch Annual General Meeting

Programme of speakers 2025/26

Saturday May 16th 2026

The programme will feature talks on

‘A Questionable Marriage?’ by Dr Lynda Pidgeon

Jacquetta, duchess of Bedford and ‘Sir Richard Wyoodville, a young man, very handsome and well made, but, in regard to birth, inferior … to herself.’ Following the death of her husband, John, duke of Bedford, Jacquetta secretly married a ‘mere knight.’ This talk will consider contemporary reaction to this disparaged marriage, whether it could be considered a success and why Jacquetta was later charged with witchcraft.

‘The Oil of Ulay Lady’ by Frances Sparrow

The lives and love of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt are examined in this talk by Frances Sparrow. A 14th century love story between a King’s son and a foreign governess. Richard III’s grandmother was their daughter Joan. The rest of their descendants, known as the Beauforts, played a considerable role in the ‘Wars of the Roses.’

‘The Black Prince and Joan of Kent’ by Dr. Michael Jones

In the summer of 1361, the thirty-one-year-old Black Prince, the most eligible bachelor in Europe, chose to marry Joan of Kent. In the words of one chronicler 'this match greatly surprised many people' and it was rumoured that the Archbishop of Canterbury strongly disapproved of it and only conducted the ceremony under duress. Dr Michael Jones, biographer of the Black Prince, takes a fresh look at the scandal that surrounded the couple and shows how they were able to win people over through their personal charisma and the magnificence of their court.

‘Edward III and Alice Perrers’ by Gemma Hollman FRHistS

The romance between Edward III and his wife Philippa of Hainault was legendary. Married for over 40 years with a dozen children, their relationship was steady and one for the history books. But in the final years of Philippa's life, she was no longer the sole object of Edward's affection: another, younger woman, had caught his eye. Alice Perrers was a lowly daughter of a goldsmith, but she won the heart of the king, and with it found great power at the centre of the English court. Learn more about their scandalous relationship, and how it threw the whole kingdom off balance, in this talk.

Morning and afternoon refreshments are included in the price. Own arrangements for lunch. Please apply for tickets and further details by May 2nd 2026 to Sally Henshaw, 28 Lyncroft Leys, Scraptoft, Leicester. LE7 9UW. Telephone: 0116 2433785 Email: sallyoftarahill@gmail.com Regrettably, we are unable to offer refunds for this event.

Scandalous Liaisons