The Kings Work: the Defence of the North under the Yorkist Kings, 1471-85

Donington: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust in association with Shaun Tyas, 2021. Book. Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. A fine new copy. 540pp. This book is a study of the prime duty of an English king in the late fifteenth century, the defence of his realm and people. Studying an island realm with a long coastal border, and a dangerous northern border with Scotland, demands a detailed gazetteer to examine the families and localities that lived there. It was originally intended to concentrate on the reign of Richard III (1483-85), but his complex and successful negotiations with James III of Scotland, concluded in 1484, necessitated that the book start in 1471, when Edward IV had first chosen his younger brother to lead the defence and administration of this border. Richard's administrative centre was to be the north-west, the county of Cumberland, but his overall authority spread into the east and north. This tied in with his experience on the coast, where he had been admiral since 1462, and where he encountered an entirely different range of problems, jurisdictions and families. The narrative endeavours to be precise and tied to dates, the gazetteers of the English and Scots border area, the coasts of Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire down to the river Humber bordering Lincolnshire, endeavour to be equally precise. Anne Sutton is the author of a great many articles on Yorkist England, including work on the Icelandic trade, the defence of the coast and protection of its fishermen, Richard of Gloucester's activities as admiral, and the war with Brittany (October 1483 to April 1484, undertaken while he was king). For many years she has been editor of the journal of the Richard III Society, The Ricardian..