Books of Hours formed an important part of religious life in medieval England, they contained a series of prayers recited at specific hours of the day. The most elaborate were created for the wealthy. One of the most famous belonged to Richard III. His Book of Hours is a beautifully decorated piece of art and is thought to have been created in London in about 1420. It has been said it accompanied Richard to Bosworth and was in his tent on the eve of the Battle in August of 1485.
During Richard's reign, a handwritten prayer was added, either by Richard himself or by a scribe. One prayer reads,
"Lord Jesus Christ, deign to free me, your servant King Richard, from every tribulation, sorrow, and trouble in which I am placed..."
Tradition has it that Richard either heard his last Mass in the parish church at Sutton Cheney or before he went into battle. Either way, I have often wondered, would Richard have taken such a precious item with him onto a battlefield? There would not have been a problem if he considered he would be the victor that day, but we know he was unsure of the outcome. In the event of him being unsuccessful, would he really want it to fall into the 'wrong hands!' You could argue that actually, it did - new king's mother!
You can imagine Margaret Beaufort turning the pages, admiring the imagery, and reading the texts. It has been suggested that she crossed out any reference to Richard and wrote her own name on the back of the book. It is true she did write her name, after all, it was a trophy, wasn't it? Not a trophy of war, but a representation of the fulfilment of her ambition. As for vengefully scratching out the king's name, that is just an image created over the years to blacken her name, the stuff of films and television series. Before finding its way into the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard’s Book of Hours passed through the hands of many. One owner, during the Reformation, wiped out every mention of the Pope.
Today we too can stare in wonderment at this fifteenth-century work of art, I was lucky enough to see this book on show in the Usher Gallery in Lincoln a few years ago, and it was easy to visualise this brave king holding it in his hands on the eve of his last day on earth. What is more likely though is that this book remained in a safe place and Richard brought with him his own private prayer book, one that he kept with him, one that he used every day.
You can imagine Margaret Beaufort turning the pages, admiring the imagery, and reading the texts. It has been suggested that she crossed out any reference to Richard and wrote her own name on the back of the book. It is true she did write her name, after all, it was a trophy, wasn't it? Not a trophy of war, but a representation of the fulfilment of her ambition. As for vengefully scratching out the king's name, that is just an image created over the years to blacken her name, the stuff of films and television series. Before finding its way into the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard’s Book of Hours passed through the hands of many. One owner, during the Reformation, wiped out every mention of the Pope.
Today we too can stare in wonderment at this fifteenth-century work of art, I was lucky enough to see this book on show in the Usher Gallery in Lincoln a few years ago, and it was easy to visualise this brave king holding it in his hands on the eve of his last day on earth. What is more likely though is that this book remained in a safe place and Richard brought with him his own private prayer book, one that he kept with him, one that he used every day.
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