Interview with Jo Romero, author of Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses

I am so pleased to welcome back Jo Romero, a friend and follow history blogger. You can view her previous posts on a riot, dog and the George Hotel in Reading here, and Reading During the wars of the Roses here. Her debut book, Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses is due to be published at the end of this month. This is a project of Jo’s that I have had the privilege of knowing for a while and was lucky enough to help her on Elizabeth Scales, first wife of Anthony Woodville

Jo has been obsessed with history for as long as she can remember and gained her History degree at the University of Hull. She has been published in The Historians magazine and runs the blog Love British History where she shares articles, travel stories and historic sketches.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a history lover and artist, and I write over on the blog Love British History. I love finding ‘lost’ or ‘forgotten stories, like finding a name on a brass while visiting a church and then trying to find out about that person’s life.

Ellen Gethin, wife of Thomas Vaughan, who shot the man who murdered her brother with an arrow.

2. How did you get into writing?

I used to be a food blogger! I wrote for different websites and did recipe development and photography for about ten years. But history has always been my first love. Around 2019 I started up the blog as I was visiting these amazing places and finding out historic events and I wanted to share them. I’ve also written for the C Word Mag and The Historians Magazine. In 2020 I lost my sense of taste and smell after Covid, and it hasn’t come back 100%, so I took it as a sign from the universe to concentrate on my history.

3. I know you’re an artist as well, what came first, writing or art? Do you find they inspire each other for you?

Both probably came about at the same time. I remember being about five years old in my Primary School library and just being fascinated about a book on dinosaurs. The idea that there was a time before this one just had me really captivated, and I just soaked up all I could on past queens, kings and castles. I’ve always loved drawing, too. I definitely find that one inspires the other. When I draw my building portraits – old churches, pubs and houses for example – I love to try and convey a sense of character, including all the little touches that tell the tale about what that building has been used for. And in my history writing, I’ve created portraits of some of the people I’ve researched, often based on descriptions during their lifetimes or on effigies.

4. Do you have a favourite time period?

I love anything really from the Saxon period all the way to around 1750. I think the Medieval and Tudor periods are my favourite – there was so much going on, reading the history of that period is like a real-life Game of Thrones!

5. Tell us more about your upcoming book.

Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses is all about the women that we don’t hear much about, women that worked and lived through the fifteenth century conflict. I found some fascinating stories that challenge the idea that women quietly did embroidery or read books while their husbands went to war. There was so much involvement of women at all levels of society, from innkeepers to secret agents and queens. The idea came about from an article I wrote in April 2021 for The Historians Magazine on a few forgotten women of the period, but there was so much room to explore further and delve deeper into the historical sources. I travelled around the country visiting some of the women’s homes, their workplaces and churches, and that was quite emotional! I’ve always loved women’s history – my dissertation at university was on the different roles of women living in Medieval Yorkshire, and it was great to be able to revisit the subject on a wider and deeper level.

6. Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you spill the beans a little?

Yes! I’ve almost finished writing my second book for Pen and Sword Books, on the Tudor period. I can’t reveal too much, but it will be a new look at some of the characters we know from the period. I also have a number of events coming up, some art exhibitions in Reading and Caversham this summer and my sketching. It’s a really exciting time, but I’m busier than ever. It’s all good.