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History Forum / General / British History / May 2006Richard III (again) and bad history
Today's copy of the BBC History magazine contains an article by Michael Hicks in a 'puff' for his new book "Anne Neville, Queen to Richard III". In it he accuses Richard of incest because he married the sister of his brother's wife - ie George and Richard (brothers) marry Isabel and Anne (sisters). Two comments: One - that I've never heard of this being ever considered to be incestuous. Are there other examples that anyone knows of? Two - Michael Hicks comes over as a thoroughly incompetent historian being incapable of being objective in his narrative - but in view of my lack of sympathy to his 'facts' I'd appreciate a comment from anyone else who happens to have read the article. For those without a copy of the magazine I find the author to be more pig-headedly biassed against RIII than I am for him - but I have the excuse that it's 'only Usenet' and would certainly be far more circumspect in a printed publication. Three - (sorry about that promise) Who the hell is Michael Hicks ('Professor' of History at an ex teacher training college - they certainly didn't call them professors in my day)?  SignatureJohn Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822 Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing > Today's copy of the BBC History magazine contains an article by Michael Hicks > in a 'puff' for his new book "Anne Neville, Queen to Richard III". In it he [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > One - that I've never heard of this being ever considered to be incestuous. > Are there other examples that anyone knows of? The case antedates official "Tables of Kindred and Affinity" defining whom one might or might not marry. Even then, however, the rules changed in time: notoriously marrying the sister of a deceased brother was illegal until the late Victorian period (when debated at length in Parliament and approved. Was not Henry VIII's petition for an annulment of his (20-year) marriage to Catherine of Aragon based on the claim that she had been engaged to a dead brother? > Three - (sorry about that promise) Who the hell is Michael Hicks ('Professor' > of History at an ex teacher training college - they certainly didn't call them > professors in my day)? He seems to have published about a dozen books on the Plantagenet period (although the BBC has nothing about him today.) If he still teaches at what used to be a teacher training college, what is it today? SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) > If he still teaches at what used to be a teacher training college, what is > it today? College of Higher Education I think. SignatureJohn Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822 Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing > > Today's copy of the BBC History magazine contains an article by Michael > Hicks [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > him today.) If he still teaches at what used to be a teacher > training college, what is it today? A note that, coincidentally, I have shows him as a Professor, and Head of History, at the University of Winchester (Hampshire, UK). Surreyman > A note that, coincidentally, I have shows him as a Professor, and Head of > History, at the University of Winchester (Hampshire, UK). From Wikipaedia: "King Alfred's College received degree awarding powers in 2004, controversially changing its name to University College, Winchester. However just a year later it became the University of Winchester" My references just gave "King Alfred's College, Winchester". It's a pretend University. SignatureJohn Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822 Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing > From Wikipaedia: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > My references just gave "King Alfred's College, Winchester". It's a pretend > University. Most Britons call degree-granting institutions "universities." At http://www.winchester.ac.uk/?page=2984 this one looks like most new universities, with programmes ranging from nursing diplomas up to the PhD. We need extra information to see how it is a "pretend university." SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) >> From Wikipaedia: >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >diplomas up to the PhD. We need extra information to see >how it is a "pretend university." It's just snobbery from the old timers who went to, what they see as, a real university. ie Those that have been in existence for 50 years or more. > >> From Wikipaedia: > >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >universities, with programmes ranging from nursing diplomas up to the PhD. > > We need extra information to see how it is a "pretend university." > It's just snobbery from the old timers who went to, what they see as, a > real university. ie Those that have been in existence for 50 years or more. Mine has been in existence for a mere 36 years - but many of the degree-granting 'universities' of the past 20 years have been excellent Tech Colleges, Teacher Training Colleges, &c but poor universities. They were produced merely to manipulate statistics and not to serve education. SignatureJohn Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822 Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing >> >> From Wikipaedia: >> >> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Colleges, Teacher Training Colleges, &c but poor universities. They were > produced merely to manipulate statistics and not to serve education. But the original intentions and motivations of politicians may not have much to do with how these old polytechs perform. All that matters now is the quality of the degree being produced. Do they still funtion as a tool to manipulate higher education statistics or do they contribute something to the level of attainment in the population? SignatureThur > But the original intentions and motivations of politicians may not have > much to do with how these old polytechs perform. All that matters now is > the quality of the degree being produced. No. Universities must be more than degree factories or they are nothing. > Do they still funtion as a tool to manipulate higher education statistics > or do they contribute something to the level of attainment in the > population? Having been set on their way their status cannot really be reversed. In general they are poor Universities (broad definition) and worse Colleges of Higher Education (Teacher Training Colleges) or Polytechnics (Tech. Colleges). Far better to produce new Universities - but that would have cost money from the public purse rather than fill the accounts of chancers. SignatureJohn Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822 Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing > Three - (sorry about that promise) Who the hell is Michael Hicks ('Professor' > of History at an ex teacher training college - they certainly didn't call them > professors in my day)? Here he is: http://www.winchester.ac.uk/?page=3876 www.winchester.ac.uk/View.ashx?item=10704 Jack |
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