Up, the ceiling was painted a brilliant blue that the English sky only occasionally attained. Down, the floor was covered in carpet so thick and soft that walking on it took a bit more effort than usual. Around, there were the goldfinches—forty-seven of them, Gladys later counted—singing a greeti...
Catesby was the only major figure from Richard III’s reign to be put to death in the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth: two others, a now obscure yeoman of the crown named William Bracher and his son, were hanged immediately after the battle. Why these three men in particular suffered is unknow...