Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Robert Herrick and Richard III

One of my favourite posts on this blog is one I wrote in June 2012. It ended:
And, somewhere under the paving stones, the body of Richard III may well be close by.
It did, and on 4 September 2012 they found it. Yet when I wrote those words I did not know that a dig was even planned.

As that post explains, the site of the monastery where Richard was buried was later occupied by a house and garden belonging to one of Leicester's leading citizens, Robert Herrick.

I have wondered ever since whether that Robert Herrick was related to the poet Robert Herrick.

After hearing a guide take a party round Leicester Cathedral on Saturday and chatting to her afterwards, I now know that Robert Herrick of Leicester was the uncle of the poet.

Take it away, nephew:
Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've got it wrong matey
I'm still alive and eighty

Jonathan Calder said...

You've not lost it!

Phil Beesley said...

Architect Arthur Wakerley was responsible for many of Leicester's humane designs. The council houses on Herrick Road (and neighbouring poet streets) were about right.

See http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/leicester/wakerleyhouses.html