American Branch chair and member have article published in journal.

Susan Troxell, chair of the American Branch, and Laura Blanchard, long-time member, collaborated on writing a report about the Branch’s support of the Digital Mappa treatment of Free Library Philadelphia MS Lewis E201. The report was submitted to, and accepted for publication by, The Ricardian — one of the most respected academic journals on 15th century English history.

Susan and Laura wrote about the long history of the Richard III Society (UK) and the American Branch in supporting special projects such as this one, described earlier on this website here and here, as well as the unique opportunity the Society provides for collaborations across the professional-amateur spectrum.  In this instance, Susan and Laura worked alongside university professors, PhD students, librarians, and independent scholars, to digitally map and to annotate the “Edward IV Roll”, a 16-foot long genealogical roll that celebrates the accession of the House of York to England’s throne in 1461. It is expected that the fully transcribed, translated, and annotated digitization of this roll will be available to the public later this year.

“It was a special privilege to be involved in this project” observes Susan, “I learned so much from everyone who collaborated on this project, especially the professors and PhD students. It showed me how much knowledge, skill, and effort goes into making a transcription and translation of a medieval manuscript, as well as how important these genealogical rolls were to the Wars of the Roses and the struggle for England’s throne.”

The Ricardian is the annual journal of the Richard III Society in the UK and has been edited by luminaries of late 15th century English history, such as P.W. Hammond, Anne Sutton, and currently J.L. Laynesmith. Susan’s and Laura’s article appeared in volume XXXIV (2024), which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Richard III Society, formerly called Fellowship of the White Boar.

Interested in working on research or special projects involving late medieval English history or the Wars of the Roses? Join today and get involved!