Pale Rose of England

Pale Rose of England
recounts the adventures of the Scottish princess, Lady Catherine Gordon, and her husband, Richard, Duke of York (aka Perkin Warbeck) pretender to the throne of the first Tudor, Henry VII. Photos related to the book follow below.



Richard, Duke of York, also known by the Tudor nickname "Perkin Warbeck"

No description of Lady Catherine Gordon survives but Richard's love-letter in which he calls her "the most beautiful ornament of Scotland" is preserved in the archives of Spain..


Where Richard and Catherine met

Stirling Castle

"Clad in a white silk doublet, a furred cape around his shoulders, and a beaver hat on his sunny hair, Richard, Duke of York, cantered in on a pale white horse, a hand resting on his hip, a smile on his lips." Pale Rose of England, p. 17

"While guests and guards were downing malmsey and bellowing drunken songs of love in the great hall, Richard and Catherine escaped to the seclusion of the royal garden." Pale Rose of England, p. 18


St. Michael's Mount, England, where they landed

Climb to St. Michael's Mount

“Ponderously, by torchlight, they ascended the hundreds of steps hewn into the rock that led to the fortress on the Mount, Richard on foot, leading Catherine’s mule.” Pale Rose of England, p. 8

St. Michael's Mount, the torches

“Outside, night was enfolding the world and the wind howled. Giant torches burned in the stone sconces set atop the walkways and their flames danced in the gusty wind.” Pale Rose of England,p. 10

Church, St. Michael’s Mount, where Richard and Catherine prayed for God's blessing

Church, St. Michael's Mount

“They filed into the chapel, their footsteps whispering reverently against the stone floor, and knelt before the gray marble of the reliquary of the Virgin’s milk. Pale Rose of England, p. 10

View from the top

The curved wall in Pale Rose of England where Catherine begged Richard to abandon his bid for the English throne

“After dinner that evening she stood with Richard in the high courtyard by the church, where the prior had met them, hidden from view in the curve of a turret screened by a stone wall.” Pale Rose of England, p. 37

The sheltered harbor on a sunny day, St. Michael's Mount, view from above

"Foulcart didn't respond for a long moment but stood at the window, assessing the raging sea below, where the Cuckoo tossed violently at anchor even in the sheltered harbor." Pale Rose of England, p. 62

The causeway where they crossed to Marazion

“Richard wished to bid her farewell at the Mount, but she insisted on walking with him to Marazion on the mainland." Pale Rose of England, p. 40

From Richard's last letter to Catherine in Pale Rose of England, p. 274
"One day I will see you again, my Celtic princess, and we shall be reunited. Until that day comes, think me not gone, for I will always be with you and Dickon. Remember your promise to me at St. Michael's Mount."

Catherine's manor house, bequeathed her by Henry VII on his deathbed

Fyfield Manor, near Oxford, England, has survived the centuries and is in private hands. The owners very kindly allowed me to visit with Ricardian scholar Wendy Moorhen. The photos below are referenced by descriptions from Pale Rose of England.



Fyfield Manor given to Lady Catherine by Henry VII

"This manor was her home; it had given her a new life and a future that offered hope. All that had happened at court no longer existed, except in memories that had to be fought back in weak moments." Pale Rose of England, p.331

Lady Catherine's view of her estate

"As the sun began to set, Catherine made her way to a chair placed on the lawn near the house. It was a peaceful hour. She still couldn't believe her good fortune to be here, in her own home, on her own land. Sixteen hundred acres. She loved to sit and listen to the thrushesz and watch the light dim over the earth." Pale Rose of England, p.331

Conical bake house mentioned in Pale Rose of England

"Catherine excused herself to escape to the yew-tree walk that edged the summer garden where she had cut an arched opening into the greenery and set out a table and chair for her pleasure. The secluded spot afforded her solitude along with a view of flowers, and she often sat there in quiet contemplation and prayer, for it adjoined the church grounds." Pale Rose of England, p. 367

Where they're buried
Richard: Unknown.
Lady Catherine: St Nicholas Church, Fyfield, England

Lady Catherine's tomb, St. Nicholas Church, Fyfield