More Money Raised!

During 2021, Tony continued to donate the profits from his books and speaker fees to the brilliant St Leonard’s Hospice in York. In December 2021, he made a four figure donation to St Leonard’s Hospice in York.

Tony would like to thank everyone who bought his books and the lovely people who organised and attended his history talks for local groups. Your support really does make a difference.

The St Leonard’s Hospice funding team thanked Tony and all those who supported him, writing: “We really appreciate your support. It is especially important to us at this time. As you may already be aware, we have had to postpone many of our income generation activities because of Coronavirus. At the same time, we have experienced an increase in demand for the services we provide. The dedication of our staff has been exceptional and your donation will allow the teams to continue their amazing work.”

I’m sure we’d all like to thank the staff at St Leonard’s and every other health and social care facility for their amazing support they give to our families and friends. Let’s continue to support them in any way we can in 2022.

Coming Soon!

Tony’s first non-fiction book will be available in February 2022.

Find out more at Pen and Sword Books – https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Power-Treason-and-Plot-in-Tudor-England-Hardback/p/20521

The Final Days of Margaret Clitherow

On 25 March 1586, Margaret Clitherow was executed on Ouse Bridge. It’s surely one of the saddest dates in York’s history. However, there were at least three reasons why Margaret’s life could have been saved. This fourth and final article explores the events which took …

The Trial of Margaret Clitherow – Final Day in Court

On 15 March 1586, Margaret Clitherow was taken to the York Lent assizes court, for the second and final day of her trial for harbouring Catholic priests. This article (the third in a series of four) describes her final day in court. Margaret hands were …

The Trial of Margaret Clitherow – Day One in Court

On 14 March 1586, Margaret Clitherow was brought before the York Lent assizes court, accused of the capital crime of harbouring Catholic priests. This article (the second of four) describes her first day in court. Margaret was taken from York Castle to the Common Hall …

The Arrest of Margaret Clitherow

On 10 March 1586, Margaret Clitherow was arrested at her home in the Shambles in York. She was charged by the Protestant authorities with the recently introduced capital crime of aiding or harbouring Catholic priests. This is the story of her arrest. Margaret’s husband John …

To Plead or Not to Plead

I’m currently writing a non-fiction history book about Margaret Clitherow’s life and death in Tudor York. One of the most fascinating aspects of Margaret’s story is her refusal to make a plea in court. Having refused to plead guilty or otherwise, Margaret Clitherow was executed …

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

5th November is an important date in the calendar of the United Kingdom. Most years, the evening fills with smoke and fireworks light the skies. We call it Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night but what is it all about? On 5th November 1605 a …

The Tip Off which led to Guy Fawkes’ Arrest?

Remember, Remember Monteagle’s Letter We’ve all heard of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, the Catholic conspiracy to kill King James I by blowing up Parliament, but why did it fail? Perhaps it was because the authorities received a tip-off a terrorist attack was about …

Women of the Gunpowder Plot

We only usually hear about the men, so this blog tells the story of the women connected to the Gunpowder Plot. On November 5th in 1605, Guy Fawkes was apprehended in Westminster. His arrest foiled a deadly plan to blow up Parliament and kill the …