Lambeth Palace Library

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Professor Alison Shell (UCL): 'Getting it Wrong in the Counter-Reformation: Religious Orders in Shakespeare’s Measure...

Institute of Historical Research Seminar The tragicomedy Measure for Measure, which dramatizes the consequences of a clampdown on social immorality in Vienna, has long been recognised as indirectly commenting on the puritanism of Shakespeare’s era. This paper argues that the play also speaks to Catholicism’s internal reforms, especially through Shakespeare’s representation of friars and nuns; the Capuchin order, founded in the early 16th century as a return to original Franciscan ideals of austerity, is an important reference point. Where the play shows rigid moral and religious standards breaking under the pressure of real-life stress tests, this has cross-confessional resonance. All are welcome, but those wishing to attend should book a free ticket via Eventbrite or email no later than Monday 22 June. Please note that tickets must be booked individually for security purposes. Please note that the Reading Room at Lambeth Palace Library is closed all day 23 June.

Tue 23 Jun18:00Lambeth Palace Library

via Lambeth Palace Library

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Hidden in Plain Sight: Looking at changes to the Richard III's Book of Hours

On 22 August 1485, King Richard III was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor, who ascended the throne as Henry VII. Among the spoils seized by Tudor forces was Richard’s personal Book of Hours, Lambeth Palace Library MS 474, which likely came into the possession of Lady Margaret Beaufort, the new King’s mother. In the following decades, the manuscript underwent a series of modifications attesting to its continued devotional use. Notably, Richard III’s name was erased from a prayer in which he had originally been identified twice as Ricardum regem (‘King Richard’). This erasure has prompted a historiographical debate. Some scholars attribute it to Lady Beaufort, interpreting it as an early Tudor attempt to reframe Richard’s reputation. Others, however, suggest that it may have been carried out by a later owner who adapted the prayer book to new devotional needs. To date, the question has remained unresolved, largely because it depends on establishing the relative chronology of the erased text – an issue that has proven difficult to resolve using traditional methods of manuscript study. To address this limitation, advanced scientific analyses were conducted as part of the AHRC-funded Hidden in Plain Sight project. This has distinguished between different campaigns of erasure within the manuscript. It thus becomes possible to establish their relative chronology, possibly resolving the long-standing debate.

Fri 10 Jul15:00Lambeth Palace Library

via Lambeth Palace Library

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