Richard III Society American Branch

Meet Author Annie Garthwaite
2025-03-23 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Speaker: Annie Garthwaite, Author of “Cicely”
To Register, Email: membership@r3.org
This is a chance to meet longtime Ricardian and author Annie Garthwaite, whose books Cecily and The King’s Mother have received universal acclaim. Focusing on the life of Cecily Neville, Richard III’s mother, her novels weave together the stories of four ferocious women who were not afraid to play the political long-game in order to see their sons crowned as England’s king. Praised for tautly drawn plot, “jump off the page” characters, and historical detail, many reviewers are asking whether the new Hilary Mantel has arrived.
Annie Garthwaite grew up in a working-class community in the northeast of England where, inspired by an enthusiastic history teacher, she became a Ricardian and joined the Richard III Society in 1977. She went on to study English at university before embarking on a thirty-year international business career, having promised herself that, at age 55, she would ‘give up the day job’ and write the story of Richard III’s mother. That promise has been fulfilled with her two novels. Her debut Cecily was published by Penguin in 2021 and named a ‘top pick’ by The Times and Sunday Times on publication, a ‘Best Book of 2021’ by independent bookshops and Waterstones. It has recently been optioned for TV. Annie’s second novel, The King’s Mother, was published by Penguin in July 2024 and was immediately named ‘Book of the Month’ by The Times.

Richard III's Parliament
2025-01-26 12:00 - 13:30
Speaker: Matt Lewis, Author, Podcast host, and former Chair of the Richard III Society
To Register: membership@r3.org
Have you ever heard that Richard III invented the concept of universal bail? That he was a protector of the emerging field of moveable-type printing? That his laws regarding property conveyancing are still considered legal landmarks? Or have you heard that he tyrannically bullied lawmakers and cynically adopted a progressive program just to make himself more popular? How much of this is fact or fiction? Join us for an engaging discussion with Matt Lewis, former chair of the UK Richard III Society, who will talk about what happened at the king’s first and only parliament.
Matt Lewis is an author, historian and podcaster. He has written biographies of Richard III, Richard Duke of York, Henry III, and Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine, along with other non-fiction books including The Survival of the Princes in the Tower. Matt is co-host of History Hit’s Gone Medieval podcast, host of the Echoes of History podcast, and appears in documentaries focussing on the medieval period. His main area of interest is the Wars of the Roses, and particularly King Richard III.
