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Princess in the Police Station: A Tale of Little Anne Mowbray
1964, Workmen digging on a bombsite in London uncover a hidden vault containing a lead coffin. The coffin is almost reburied in a mass grave in a local churchyard, but an old retired policeman, examining the sarcophagus in the police station where the find has been taken, notices a plaque attached to the leaden lid. What he reads, stuns him--this is not a an unknown medieval nun or noblewoman.
The coffin's occupant is a child--a Princess, Anne Mowbray, wife of Richard of Shrewsbury, one of the infamous Princes in the Tower, who disappeared in 1483...
1470's. Elizabeth is the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. King Edward IV has expressed a wish that the widow's only child, Anne, might marry his younger son, Richard. Unwillingly, she agrees, even though the marriage contract will cause her to lose her dower lands, and if Anne should die young, all the Norfolk lands would go to her young husband instead of blood relatives. But she dares not deny the King, for Elizabeth is the sister of Eleanor Talbot...the King's secret wife from years before. If the King suspects she knows the truth of his relationship with Eleanor, all she loves is in danger, for her knowledge could threaten his throne...
So at just five years old, Anne is married to an even younger Prince Richard in a grand ceremony, but Elizabeth fears for her child's future in Edward's decadent court.
And soon the thing she fears most comes to pass...
Dual timeline story set in the 1960's and the years 1472-1502, following the finding of Anne Mowbray's coffin, through the story of her brief life, burial and first reburial as witnessed by her mother, Elizabeth Talbot, to her final reinterment in Westminster Abbey.
The coffin's occupant is a child--a Princess, Anne Mowbray, wife of Richard of Shrewsbury, one of the infamous Princes in the Tower, who disappeared in 1483...
1470's. Elizabeth is the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. King Edward IV has expressed a wish that the widow's only child, Anne, might marry his younger son, Richard. Unwillingly, she agrees, even though the marriage contract will cause her to lose her dower lands, and if Anne should die young, all the Norfolk lands would go to her young husband instead of blood relatives. But she dares not deny the King, for Elizabeth is the sister of Eleanor Talbot...the King's secret wife from years before. If the King suspects she knows the truth of his relationship with Eleanor, all she loves is in danger, for her knowledge could threaten his throne...
So at just five years old, Anne is married to an even younger Prince Richard in a grand ceremony, but Elizabeth fears for her child's future in Edward's decadent court.
And soon the thing she fears most comes to pass...
Dual timeline story set in the 1960's and the years 1472-1502, following the finding of Anne Mowbray's coffin, through the story of her brief life, burial and first reburial as witnessed by her mother, Elizabeth Talbot, to her final reinterment in Westminster Abbey.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2024
About the author
J.P. Reedman
88 books143 followersBorn in Canada, J.P. Reedman has been a UK resident for the past 20 years. She has been writing since the age of 5, and preferred genres are fantasy and historical (or a mixture of both.) Interests are British history and prehistory, especially the neolithic and bronze ages, archaeology, anthropology and features of the countryside. She is author of STONE LORD and MOON LORD, a novel that places the legends of King Arthur back into the bronze age, and a number of works about King Richard III, including the epic, I RICHARD PLANTAGENET, which, with both parts combined, is over 250,000 words long and written from Richard's first person perspective. She is also the author of the bestselling medieval novel, MY FAIR LADY, about the little known Queen, Eleanor of Provence, and at the end of Feb should be releasing a historical medieval romance about Fair Rosamund, lover of King Henry II.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 3, 2024
Amazing
This author just never fails to deliver a great read. The stories aren't long but just the right length to deliver without getting buried by unnecessary details. I knew a little about Princess Anne but virtually nothing about her mother Elizabeth who is really the primary character. A terrific little read!
This author just never fails to deliver a great read. The stories aren't long but just the right length to deliver without getting buried by unnecessary details. I knew a little about Princess Anne but virtually nothing about her mother Elizabeth who is really the primary character. A terrific little read!
July 31, 2024
I love this series by J.P. Reedman dedicated to lesser known medieval ladies. I love the idea behind it and how the author manages it. Here the protagonist(s) are little Anne Mowbray, Duchess and Norfolk and Duchess of York by marriage to the younger son of Edward IV, and her mother Elizabeth Talbot, sister to Edward IV's probable first wife Eleanor. When Edward "orders" Elizabeth to give her daughter in marriage to his son, Elizabeth is obliged to comply... is he doing it for some other reason other than acquiring the Norfolk inheritance for his son? In most books I've read Edward is presented as the handsome, corageous, charismatic king, but here a darker side of him shows, and it is really believable and effective. Undoubdtedly a charismatic figure, that of Edward, but one that I personally always found riddled with shadows. The tale of Anne and her mother is tragic and heartbreaking, and it is entwined with a modern section (actually happened) when Anne's little coffin is found in London by chance, during building works. A section that didn't miss the humor the author is so good in dispalying in her books.
This is a tale that captivated me till the end and will stay with me for a long time.
This is a tale that captivated me till the end and will stay with me for a long time.
July 30, 2024
Princess in the Police Station
J P Reedman
July 30, 2024
This is the story of young Anne Mowbray, heiress of the late John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. The story opens with the discovery of her tomb in the mid 20th century. Then we go back in time to Ann's story told from her mother's point of view, including her marriage to Young Richard of shrewsbury, one of the princes in the tower, followed shortly by her death. The last part of the story tells of the identification of her grave.
Young Anne is one of the lesser -known characters from the Wars of the Roses, being more of a child pawn than anything else. Her aunt was Lady Eleanor Butler, the woman with whom Edward IV is alleged to have had a pre-contract and what set the stage for the succession crisis of 1483.
J P Reedman
July 30, 2024
This is the story of young Anne Mowbray, heiress of the late John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. The story opens with the discovery of her tomb in the mid 20th century. Then we go back in time to Ann's story told from her mother's point of view, including her marriage to Young Richard of shrewsbury, one of the princes in the tower, followed shortly by her death. The last part of the story tells of the identification of her grave.
Young Anne is one of the lesser -known characters from the Wars of the Roses, being more of a child pawn than anything else. Her aunt was Lady Eleanor Butler, the woman with whom Edward IV is alleged to have had a pre-contract and what set the stage for the succession crisis of 1483.
July 26, 2024
Kindle edition.
A short book but well worth reading - for me anyway. It’s nice again to be delving into the fate of the princes in the Tower. Anne Mowbray was married to one of them but died at the age of 8 before any of the trouble started. Her mother Elizabeth Talbot, was Eleanor Butler’s sister so knew the truth about Edward 1V’s secret marriage which made his public union with Elizabeth Woodville bigamous.
The nuns of the Minories are new knowledge for me, first gleaned in Alison Weir’s Elizabeth of York. I was fascinated by their story and only wish they had told their secrets more loudly and clearly. Realistically they would have known the truth about the princes. Too late now..
A short book but well worth reading - for me anyway. It’s nice again to be delving into the fate of the princes in the Tower. Anne Mowbray was married to one of them but died at the age of 8 before any of the trouble started. Her mother Elizabeth Talbot, was Eleanor Butler’s sister so knew the truth about Edward 1V’s secret marriage which made his public union with Elizabeth Woodville bigamous.
The nuns of the Minories are new knowledge for me, first gleaned in Alison Weir’s Elizabeth of York. I was fascinated by their story and only wish they had told their secrets more loudly and clearly. Realistically they would have known the truth about the princes. Too late now..
June 5, 2024
While this is one of the author’s medieval babes series, it differs from the other stories in that is not told in the first person and one part takes place in the more recent past. It is the story of Anne Mowbray who was married at age 6 to Edward IV’s younger son, Richard of Shrewsbery when he was even younger. Edward and his Woodville in-laws wanted to get their hands on the Mowbray estates (Duke of Norfolk was her father), by disregarding normal inheritance laws. The “modern”section tells the story of the discovery Anne’s remains in 1965. I didn’t know much about the discovery other than that they were discovered, so I found the details very interesting—such as that the Museum of London scientific examination of the remains was cut short because the then present day Duke of Norfolk and some other lords threw a hissy fit. The medieval story is told from the POV of Anne’s mother, Elizabeth, who was the the sister of Eleanor Talbot who was the woman whom Edward had allegedly married before Elizabeth Woodville. By actions rather than words, Edward had threatened Elizabeth to keep her quiet about this prior marriage. Thus, Elizabeth felt she had no choice but agree to the marriage. When her daughter died at age 9, Elizabeth was suspicious, but the interesting part of the story shows us how Anne’s remains ended up being buried in a convent crypt. Dear Old Henry Tudor chucked her out of Westminster Abbey to make room for an elaborate Tudor tomb chapel. Also, an interesting fact that the author says she hadn’t known is that Elizabeth Woodville intended to be buried in WA but HT sent her off to Windsor.
August 8, 2024
worth reading!
This is a great book. I’m so glad to see this princess memorialized in such a great way. I already knew the story but it was great to read this rendition. If you enjoy reading about the Edward VI era from different perspectives this is a great choice. It shows how much our world leaders affect the innocent.
This is a great book. I’m so glad to see this princess memorialized in such a great way. I already knew the story but it was great to read this rendition. If you enjoy reading about the Edward VI era from different perspectives this is a great choice. It shows how much our world leaders affect the innocent.
May 28, 2024
The story of Anne Mowbray Duchess of Norfolk child bride & Princess A slightly different read compared to her other books but utterly fascinating #KindleUnlimited
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews