Archaeologists are DNA testing some bones they've found to see if they might be the remains of Richard III. Are there any other members of the Royal Family....

[seeker]

where DNA testing might produce interesting results?

Thanks tunip, I'll put it on my list of 'books to buy for the poor unsuspecting children of my friends who must be sick of it'.

It'd be difficult to prove whether children did worse because of the breastmilk, or because the wetnurse was an employee and didn't care so much as the mother. Or because she was feeding two children. I know some wetnurses had babies who died, or were weaned, but if they were feeding two, you'd have to compare to mothers of twins and twins do not have great life expectancy in pre-modern times.

happy - there was a wet nurse (C17th?) who kept working into her 70s and could produce pints of the stuff. I must remember who she was.

Fabulous thread, love how knowledgable so many mners are.

Good Lord LRD, she must have been able to warm her feet with 'em!
Titles noted with thanks.

LRD
I know that "everyone" wasn't actually a catholic - I have an ancestor who was a lollard and condemned to be branded - but everyone who mattered in society in England would practise catholicism. Eastern Orthodoxy was scarcely known then in this neck of the woods.

Sorry, kerry, I did say it was an annoying bit of pedantry! It's just kneejerk because lots of people are funny about DH's religion.

I am soooo jealous about your ancestor (I don't know mine back more than a couple of generations). How did you find out about him/her? Or do you have a family that keeps records well?

Oh, god, leonie, I just saw that.

That is awful.

I just wanted to delurk briefly to thank you all for such fascinating posts, it's truly lovely to be able to read such intelligent and interesting posts and to not feel quite so alone in my love of tudor/plantagenent history. I don't know anyone irl who shares this passion and it's lovely to not feel quite so...odd!

Actually I didn't find out. A clever 12th cousin did - we have a very unusual surname - and contacted me with all the information. My tracing of family got back to mid-18th century but his continued back to mid 15th. I was very impressed! His branch of the family was of a higher status than mine, but we managed to join them up. Ancestor Alice was shopped by her maid who reported that she had said she could pray as well in her room as at Mass, and that folk "went on pilgrimages to show their garments and take pleasure in the green way" Shocking eh?
You're a medievalist, I see. Me too!

Oh, lucky you kerry ... I have boring names on both sides of my family, so no hope there!

I love that quotation ... you have some sympathy with the people Alice was criticizing, don't you, why not enjoy a nice jolly if you can!

I am indeed a medievalist (or a very beginning would-be one). Nice to meet another one.

snape - don't relurk! Especially if we're about to get our own section for history chat!

Well, I AM going with friends to Walsingham next year and fully intend to enjoy the green way. Though I do wonder if Alice is somewhere disapproving of me...

Here's a great 18thC birthing chair. I love the curved arms which are plainly designed for gripping!

Where does one rest on that chair? Does it hold the Mother to be on her outer thigh? Does she use it only when pushing? Is the midwife on her knees?

Yes, I think the idea was that in the final stages you sit on it like a normal chair and the midwife crouches down. Can you still get anything like this? (have not given birth, so no idea! But I'd like something like this, it looks the business, you could very usefully arch and squirm against the straight back)

This thread is fantastic!

Top thread!

What I don't understand is that if Richard did kill his nephews, why would he not show the bodies?

I mean it would be the sensible thing to do, and he was a very sensible man.

You would have a public showing, "Oh Lawks, they have died of some childhood disease"

Then everyone would have gone about their business, jobo doneo, whether they believed the lie or not.

The last thing he needed was a mystery.