Ian’s Blog 29th December 2024

My Boars Head song was included on the Strummers & Dreamers Christmas Special on Monday evening on Cambridge Radio 7-9pm UK time via the website:- https://cambridge105.co.uk/ You can hear my song at about 33 minutes into the show. Bring out the boars head Pour me some wine Eat, drink, be merry At this Christmas time A brew of ale and spices To drink to your good health As your good and noble lord This day I’ll share my wealth Drinking, singing, dancing In my castle hall You are all welcome I welcome you all Bring out the boars head And the Christmas pie Eat, drink, be merry And raise your tankards high The feast of St Nicholas To the twelfth night Christmas in my great hall To fill you with delight Eating, drinking, dancing In my castle hall You are all welcome I welcome you all The show included lots of new Christmas songs and a few classics as well. Here is a link to the show:- https://www.mixcloud.com/StrummersandDreamers/ This is the tracklist:- 01 Sweet chiming bells - Marina Florance 02 What will Christmas be? - Kyson Point 03 This Christmas morning - Ellie Walker & The Folly 04 My Christmas wish - Sakara 05 Christmas by your side - Rachel Hill 06 Gold, frankincense and murder - Old Man Boom 07 I saw three ships - Simon Mayor 08 Yule - Carol Fieldhouse & Armchair Gods 09 The Boar’s Head - The Legendary Ten Seconds 10 Song of winter dreaming - Eimear Quinn 11 Fairytale of New York - Martin Praetorius feat. Fiachna O’Braonáin 12 The wren - Lewis Barfoot 13 Midnight oil - The Magpies 14 On St. Stephen’s Day - Cherrington & Ward 15 Girl in a high castle - Holly Lerski 16 The cherry tree carol - Windborne 17 Will peace come in time for Christmas? - Melanie 18 The holy in everything - Thee Holy Brothers 19 Christmas revolution - Norman Lamont & The Heaven Sent 20 AT Christmas - Sofia Talvik 21 Home for Christmas - The Gjermund Larsen Trio 22 Once in royal David’s city - Caitlin Grey 23 Tiny heroes - The Coaltown Daisies 24 One more before you go - Seth Lakeman 25 Cmon cmon Rudolph - Tom Ciurczak 26 Christmas, single - Paul Goodwin (ft. Polly Paulusma) 27 Winter song - Lindisfarne 28 Christmas in Paradise - Steve Earle 29 River - Joni Mitchell Also at about 1 hour and 18 minutes into the show my song called All He Wants for Christmas is a Mellotron, was played on the Horizon Broadening Hour Christmas special on 23rd December 2024. It can be listened as an archive, anytime, here:- https://radiowaterloo.ca/new-music-added-to-libretime-the-horizon-broadening-hour-christmas-special/ This is the tracklist:- Alex Deuzeman – Christmas Bella Brown & the Jealous Lovers – Always Christmas Eve Dan Politano – It’s Christmas Zachary Friederich – Christmastime is Here Violett Jean – Christmas To Me Cassidy Taylor – Evergreen CIK – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas N3S – Maligayang Pasko Blackmore’s Night – Here We Come A-Caroling Raging Flowers – Kiwi Christmas Johnny 99 – It Can’t Be Christmas Glenn Erb – Santa’s in Jail Son of Dave – The Kids are Coming Home for Christmas Thanks Light – Dirtbag Christmas KC Armstrong – I HATE THAT SWEATER Ryan Dsouza – The Letter Two Piano Tornado & The Spectacles – You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Old Hoss – Small Town Christmas Eve Nick Guiton – Christmas Day Brenda Best – Sounds of My Season Carla Muller – I Can Hear the Bells Sam Kruger – Worst X-Mas Ever The Legendary Ten Seconds – All He Wants for Christmas is a Mellotron Wonders of the Yukon – Christmas Not Ending Robert Thomas & the Session Men – Little Things Robbie Harte – Hallelujah Charles Szczepanek – In the Bleak Midwinter David Bach – Greensleeves Ryan Michael Richards – That Trip to Bethlehem Rick Sparks – Winter Dream Christina Tourin & Peter Sprague – Imaginings Gergana Velinova – This Is the Time Alana Bridgewater – You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To Anita Eccleston – Little Town

Ian’s Blog 22nd December 2024

At about 1 hour and 5 minutes into this radio show you can hear my Mellotron themed Christmas song which was mixed and mastered by Lord Zarquon https://www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/alternative-roots-with-mike-davies-15122024/

Ian’s Blog 15th December 2024

Two tracks from my album Wonder Songs were played on the radio show Filby's Folk on Royston Radio on Sunday 17th November at 6pm. This was show number 74 of Filby’s Folk. Links to the radio station and podcasts (a week or two after the show) can be found on the Unicorn Folk website homepage. The first song of mine that was played is called Dissolution which you can hear at about 31 minutes. The second song was Gates of Exeter which you can hear at about 49 minutes towards the end of the show. Here is a link to the show number 74:- https://unicornfolk.uk/2435-2/

Ian’s Blog 8th December 2024

 There has been a great deal of fuss and bother around the recent TV programme which has stated that there is some new evidence that has been discovered which goes towards proving that the sons of Edward IV were murdered during the reign of Richard III. I have not watched the documentary because I have been told that it does not include any of the evidence provided by Philippa Langley via her missing Princes project. I have read Philippa’s book about her missing Princes research twice since it was published and I’ve been reading, discussing and writing about Richard III for the last 10 years. I am convinced that the sons of Edward IV were not killed during the reign of Richard III. I am also convinced that Edward V was at the battle of Stoke in 1487 and his younger brother Richard was called Perkin Warbeck by the Tudor monarchy. Not surprisingly many Ricardians are rather annoyed with Tracy Borman and Tim Thornton who seem to be clutching at straws to try to prove that Richard III murdered the Princes in the Tower. I firmly believe that many historians who have written books stating that Richard III is guilty are not happy that their books will be obsolete because of the ongoing investigations instigated by Philippa Langley. 

When I started my Richard III music project I noticed that quite a few Ricardians would get upset with anti Richard III comments. I thought it was a bit silly but now I understand how they feel because I now get terribly annoyed with anyone who states that Richard III murdered the Princes based upon the account written by Thomas Moore etc.

I am currently listening to an interesting Nathen Amin podcast interview about this which highlights the anger which results from both sides of the argument. He makes some good points but his theory about the Princes being thrown into the Thames is a bit far fetched and I worry that the less well informed will believe him:-

https://histfest.substack.com/p/princes-in-the-tower-case-solved?utm_source=podcast-email%2Csubstack&publication_id=2187623&post_id=152573490&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_medium=email&r=4k8iy6&triedRedirect=true

For more information I would recommend that you read this really excellent blog written by Matt Lewis:-

https://medievalmatt.substack.com/p/a-damning-discovery?r=17nngx&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

Ian’s Blog 1st December 2024

 https://ianchurchward.substack.com/p/ians-blog-1st-december-2024

Graham Moores has sent me the pencil sketch for a new album cover which I think looks great. I am really looking forward to seeing the finished version.

Ian’s Blog 24th November 2024

My version of the traditional folk song called the Unquiet Grave was included on the Strummers and Dreamers radio show number 579. You can hear me singing it with Jules Jones at about 1 hour 21 minutes into the show:-

https://www.mixcloud.com/StrummersandDreamers/show-579-the-brothers-el-camino-remembrance-141124/

Here is some additional information about the radio show:-

The radio show has a new Instagram account - @Strummersanddreamers

The show includes:

- a live session by The Brothers El Camino (David Myers)

- some songs to mark Remembrance Day

- details of upcoming gigs in the Cambridge area by Bob Fox (at Ely Folk Club), Le Vent du Nord (at The Junction), Christine Collister and Hunter Muskett (at Cambridge Folk Club)

- lots of new music by independent folk artists.

Ian’s Blog 17th November 2024

 On Monday it was the anniversary of the end of WW1. Here is a link to my song about what happened on the 11th November 1918 in Torquay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbYU_q37HPU

Come celebrate the war is over

An armistice has been signed

It's the eleventh of November

By sea the news has arrived

From HMS Onyx

Great news was received

In Torquay's harbourside

Of the victory that was achieved

Come celebrate the war is over

An armistice has been signed

It's the eleventh of November

By sea the news has arrived

Marching from St Marychurch

The New Zealand troops in Torquay

They were singing at Castle Circus

A great joy to hear and to see

The Mayor led the crowd in cheers

For Sir Douglas Haig

The Prime Minister, King and Queen

And the national anthem was played

Crowds of joyful people

On the pavements and in the road

Applause erupted for the Mayor

Later fireworks would explode

Come celebrate the war is over

An armistice has been signed

It's the eleventh of November

By sea the news has arrived

I visited Exeter library on Tuesday and saw that there was a copy of the Devon book by WG Hoskins that I had looked at in Torquay library. I had another look at it and then realised that I had got some of the pages muddled up with the book by Cherry and Pevsner. The reference to the wanton boys smashing the medieval glass is in the Hoskins book, not the Cherry and Pevsner book. 

Ian’s Blog 10th November 2024

 Ian’s Blog 10th November 2024

On Monday I took my car over to Edginswell on the outskirts of Shiphay, Torquay for the annual service. I can remember when there were fields there rather than the site of the Eden Vauxhall. 

On the way home I decided to visit the reference section of Torquay library to see if there were any books that mentioned the church in Coldridge. I was rather surprised to find quite a few pages in some of the books about Devon churches. Most of it is already known to the Coldridge section of Philippa Langley’s missing princes team. I made a note of the following:-

1) Church restoration dates of 1877 and 1897. The 1877 date is in the Mike Salter book and both dates are quoted on p 274 of a book by WG Hoskins.

2) Some 15th century glass smashed recently by Wanton boys mentioned in a book by Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner on page 372. I don't think I have come across this before? I wonder if the boys were prosecuted and if there is a record of the date somewhere? Could Bridget Cherry be the mother of Martin Cherry who was one of the authors of an article in the Journal of stained glass about Edward V and Sir John Evans.

3) Map of the Devon hundreds.

4) I found a list of the Bishops of Crediton and Exeter.This might be useful for the Bishops of Exeter file on Coldridge in the Devon heritage centre.

5) Parclose Screen similar in style to those found in Brittany mentioned on page 48 of a book called Churches and Their Furnishings. This is mentioned in the Martin Cherry stained glass article which I mentioned in a previous paragraph in this week’s blog.

I found a couple of books which were the diaries of old Devon antiquarians but I couldn't find any reference to Coldridge. There might be other books which do provide some additional useful information. I will be visiting Exeter later this month and will endeavour to visit Exeter library to look through their books. It might also be worth contacting some local museums. I believe that Torquay museum has some old books on Devon. Also my friend Rosalind has told me that she might be able to help with the old handwriting in the Bishops of Exeter file on Coldridge in the Devon heritage centre.

Here is a link to the song that I composed with John Dike about the mystery of Sir John Evans and Edward V which features some video footage of Coldridge:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVsqR26RqO4&t=123s

Ian’s Blog 3rd November 2024

 Ian’s Blog 3rd November 2024

A few days ago I had an email from Graham Moores who has agreed to help me with the artwork for another album cover. Unfortunately there has been a delay with him helping me with this as he has recently been ill with Covid. The proposed title of the new album is ‘The Further Adventure Of’ and Graham says that he will see if he can make the album cover look like a postage stamp as one of the songs is about my stamp collecting hobby.

Here is a link to the song which features photos of some of my stamps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uohuJ1PyApY

The Philatelist

I've been to Paris I've been to Rome

With postage stamps in my home

I've flown to Oslo and Stockholm

In my stamp album that I own

I've travelled to Brussels and Cologne

With my stamp album in my home

I've seen the Archduke Ferdinand

On the stamp of a foreign land

In the days before I went abroad

But these old old stamps I could afford

Some of the stamps that I love the best

Are the older ones I must confess

Biplanes drawn in the sky

And back in time I could fly

With history in front on me

And learning lots of geography

I've seen the Archduke Ferdinand

He was assassinated so I understand

This led to the first world war

Catastrophe and so much more

Postal history philately

Fond memories of my hobby

I've been to Paris I've been to Rome

With postage stamps in my home

I've flown to Oslo and Stockholm

In my stamp album that I own

I've travelled to Brussels and Cologne

With my stamp album in my home

Ian’s Blog 27th October 2024

 Ian’s Blog 27th October 2024

On the 13th October one of my traditional song recordings was played on the Brum Radio Alternative Roots show with Mike Davies. You can hear it at about 47 minutes into the show. Here is a link to the show and in chronological order the list of songs and tracks which were played:-

www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/alternative-roots-with-mike-davies-13102024/

Ellie Gowers - Love In A Park (On A Sunday Afternoon)

Mary Lee Kortes – Born A Happy Girl

Bryony Williams - You Are Here

Peter Sarstedt - Beirut

Catch The Rain  - Catch The Rain

Mary Lee Kortes – Fingernail Moon

Jake Aaron - Watery Moon

Daria Kulesh - Sea To Skye

Luas  -  White Hare

Lowri Evans - Saddle  Up

Janet Devlin – Red Flag

Dotts  O’Connor - What Good Are My Tears To You

Joshua Burnside – Marching Round The Ladies

Mary Lee Kortes - Well By The Water

The Legendary Ten Seconds – My Grandfather’s Clock

Stick In the Wheel - The Cramp

Little Lore – This Building Is Condemned

Red Sky July – Stones & Brambles

Hailey Benedict -  Things My Mama Says

Grayson Capps – Early Morning Rain

Ray Cooper – Falling Like Thunder

Mary Lee Kortes -  A Greater Good

Fairport Convention – The Happy Man

Matt Owens  and Mississippi MacDonald - One Trick Pony

A Tale Of Two – Devil Did The Deed

Jesse Terry - Native Child

Raven Reid – A Johnny Cash Night

Ruby Kelly – St Elmo

Jenny Burtis - Future Homemakers Of America

Angeline Morrison – Quiver in The Heart

Mary Lee Kortes - Green Sand

Kiely Connell  - Damn Hands

Scott McLatchy - Don’t Tell Mum

Brad Strang – Horses And Dogs

Mary Lee Kortes - Will Anybody Know That I Was Here?

Broken David - When You Haven’t Done Well

Ian’s Blog 16th October 2024

This would normally be posted on a Sunday but I am away on holiday in Madeira for 10 days from tomorrow so I have decided to put this onto my blog today.

My version of a traditional hymn was included on this radio show:-

https://www.mixcloud.com/ianfreedman18/the-readifolk-radio-show-18th-of-october-2024/

You can hear it at about 54 minutes into the show.

Ian’s Blog 15th October 2024

 CKMS 102.7 radio Waterloo played one of my recordings on a show earlier this month and following that was a song called How Our Garden’s Grown by Phil Swann and Jules Jones. Here is a link to the radio show and you can hear our songs at about 52 minutes into the show:-

https://radiowaterloo.ca/new-music-added-to-libretime-horizon-broadening-hour-47/.

Ian’s Blog 13th October 2024

 I have recorded some more traditional songs. I did send the music projects to Lord Zarquon but I think it went into his when bored folder. He has been helping with the recordings  of the Legendary Ten Seconds for more than 10 years now and he has obviously got the patience of a saint to be able to cope with so many of my songs! Also he is very busy with recording another Prophets of Zarquon album. I know that these traditional songs would sound better with his help but despite this the songs have had a favourable review:- 

https://folking.com/the-legendary-ten-seconds-folk-mellotronica-own-label/

Ian’s Blog 6th October 2024

 On Wednesday afternoon. I gave a talk about Richard III and sang some of my Ricardian songs for the Shiphay ladies club. This was at St Andrew’s methodist church in Shiphay. This brought back memories of when I used to go to a chess club in the early 1970s which was at that church. The chess club was in the room which has the big round window just above the main entrance. Also the church is opposite my first school which I attended in the 1960s.

Ian’s Blog 29th September 2024

 We visited North Devon last weekend so that we could see and hear Philippa Langley being interviewed about Richard III and the sons of Edward IV. I was able to see her after the interview and she signed my copy of her book about the missing Princes project.

When I say ‘we' that means myself and Elaine and on Wednesday afternoon we performed a set of our Richard III themed songs at the Little Theatre. This included my song about Philippa Langley and later on there was a questions section and John Miles asked me if Philippa had heard my song about her. I told the audience that she had and I showed everyone my copy of her book and that she had signed it ‘ To Ian, keep on singing.’ That made everyone laugh. On the 14th September a similar question had been asked at the Richard III Society meeting in Plymouth after I had finished singing the song about Philippa.

Since I am on the subject of Richard III I might as well mention a couple of reasons why I think the sons of Edward IV weren’t murdered during Richard’s reign. I think I’ve gone on about this in a previous blog.

At the battle of Stoke the army of Edward V was commanded by the Earl of Lincoln who would not have supported an imposter as the Earl of Lincoln had a very strong claim to the throne. Only the princes had a stronger claim than him. All three of them had a better claim to the throne than Henry Tudor.

Surely the royal houses of York and Europe would not have permitted public denigration of their royal blood to support imposters named as Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck by the Tudor dynasty. Could Margaret and Maximillian in Burgundy have been fooled by two imposters pretending to be the Princes? That really seems unlikely. Also there was another Prince in the tower who was the son of George Duke of Clarence. Richard III did not imprison this Prince but Henry VII did and eventually had him executed. Later on Henry VIII would execute the daughter of the Duke of Clarence. By this time the Tower of London was more like a prison rather than the Royal Palace that it had once been during the reign of Richard III.

Philippa Langley has provided a very long list of evidence to show that the Princes were probably alive during the reign of Richard III and if any King needs to take the blame for their deaths then a much more likely suspect is Henry VII.

Here is a link to Philippa Langley’s brilliant books

https://www.philippalangley.co.uk/bookshelf.html#book-princes

Ian’s Blog 22nd September 2024

My friends Phil Swann and Jules Jones have recently released a new album called Existence. It has a very pleasant acoustic guitar sound with very nice singing. Here is the link to the album on Spotify:-

https://open.spotify.com/album/7w6H4QT5bo8pqmikQTrb9d

Ian’s Blog 15th September 2024

Here is my set list of songs that I performed with Elaine yesterday in Plymouth for the Devon and Cornwall branch of the Richard III Society.

The Dublin King

House of York

King in the Car Park

Act III, Scene IV

How do You Rebury a King

Who Lays There

Charm and Grace

Year of Three Kings

Ricardian Churchward

Philippa's Song

Robin Hood

Also here are the lyrics for one of the songs:-

I’m Ricardian Churchward

You can see that in my name

I’ve written lots of songs

For a King and you know his name

I’ve been to Middleham castle

Where Warwick was a bit of a rascal

And I’ve read about Redmore Plain

Although it’s changed its name

I’m Ricardian Churchward

For my songs I must take the blame

About a certain King

I’m sure you know his name

I’ve been to Exeter cathedral

I went there because it’s medieval

And I’ve read about Edward the Fifth

Most of it a Tudor myth

I’ve been to the visitor centre

That was made for my favourite King

I’m sorry if your sick to death

Of all the songs about him that I sing

Ian’s Blog 8th September 2024

 My song called Fast Forward was included on the Strummers & Dreamers show number 570 which was on Cambridge 105 Radio on the 26th August 7-9pm UK time.

The show was repeated on the following Sunday at 2pm and the podcast is available via the Cambridge 105 Radio website (search in “On demand”).

It is also available on Mixcloud:- 

https://www.mixcloud.com/StrummersandDreamers/

You can hear my song at about one hour and thirty minutes into the show. Jules Jones is singing with me on the chorus, Jay Brown contributed guitar and tambourine. Also George Bolt plays a great keyboard part in one of the instrumental sections.

This is the tracklist for the show:-

01	Chapel Porth Beach - Martyn Joseph
02	Folkzone - Alan Prosser
03	My lucky charm - Andrew J Newall
04	Aragon Mill - Peggy Seeger
05	Go to work on Monday - John McCutcheon
06	Were you there - George Mann
07	Baptized by the blaze - India Ramey
08	Monday morning - One Adam One
09	Next train outta here - Tomorrow Bird
10	The Lakes of Pontchartrain - Paul Brady
11	The Galway shawl - Dervish feat. Steve Earle
12	The Rose of Roscrae - Maura O’Connell
13	Spencer the Rover - John Martyn
14	Second sight - Fraser Fifield
15	Cover me - 19th Street Band
16	Beautiful deletion - Stevie Jones & The Wildfires
17	Fast forward - Legendary 10 Seconds
18	Dressing up the truth - John Jenkins
19	You - Matt Hall
20	Felton Lonnin - Camus
21	The trapeze swinger - Iron & Wine