from
John Capgrave's
Commentary on Exodus () showing Capgrave presenting his book to Gloucester. One of three remaining volumes of Duke Humfrey's Library in Oxford, part of the
Bodleian Library|thumb|upright=1.2 After inheriting the manor of
Greenwich, Gloucester enclosed
Greenwich Park and from 1428 had a palace built there on the banks of the Thames, known as
Bella Court and later as the
Palace of Placentia or La Pleasaunce. The
Duke Humphrey Tower surmounting Greenwich Park was demolished in the 1660s and the site was chosen for building the
Royal Observatory. His name lives on in
Duke Humfrey's Library, part of the
Bodleian Library in
Oxford University, and in Duke Humphrey Road on
Blackheath, south of Greenwich. Duke Humphrey was a patron and protector of Oxford, donating more than 280 manuscripts to the university. The possession of such a library did much to stimulate new learning. Duke Humphrey was also a patron of literature, notably of the poet
John Lydgate and of John Capgrave. He corresponded with many leading Italian humanists and commissioned translations of Greek classics into Latin. His friendship with Zano Castiglione, Bishop of Bayeux, led to many further connections on the Continent, including
Leonardo Bruni,
Pietro Candido Decembrio and
Tito Livio Frulovisi. Duke Humphrey also patronised the
Abbey of St Albans. Together with his second wife, Eleanor, he commissioned a
hanap, a drinking goblet, possibly as their wedding cup. This hanap, known as the Wreathen Cup, was used when they hosted dinners at La Pleasance and their London residence,
Baynard's Castle. It found its way into the possession of his kinswoman,
Lady Margaret Beaufort, who bequeathed it to her confessor, Dr Edmund Wilford, of
Oriel College, Oxford. He exchanged it for another piece of silver left by Lady Margaret to her foundation at
Christ's College, Cambridge, where it remains. How it reached Lady Margaret is unclear, but a fellow of the college has conjectured that it came through her husband,
Thomas Stanley, who had custody of Eleanor during her imprisonment and was involved in liquidating Humphrey's estate. The phrase "to dine with Duke Humphrey" was used of poor people who had no money for a meal, in reference to this.
Saki updates the phrase by referring to a "Duke Humphrey picnic", one without food, in his short story "The Feast of Nemesis". In fact, Humphrey's tomb is in the Abbey of St Albans (the cathedral): it was restored by Hertfordshire
Freemasons in 2000 to celebrate the millennium.
In literature of the plays of
William Shakespeare, illustrating
Henry VI, Part 2, with a
subtitle emphasising Humphrey's death In
Shakespeare's History plays, the portrayal of Humphrey is notable for being one of the most unambiguously sympathetic: in the War of the Roses
Tetralogy, he is one of only a handful of historical personages to be portrayed in a uniformly positive light. He appears as a minor character in
Henry IV, Part 2 and
Henry V, but as a major character in two others: his conflict with Cardinal Beaufort is portrayed in
Henry VI, Part 1, and his disgrace and death following his wife's alleged sorcery is depicted in
Henry VI, Part 2. Shakespeare portrays Humphrey's death as a murder, ordered by
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Queen
Margaret of Anjou. The 1723 play
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester by
Ambrose Philips revolves around the life of Gloucester. In the original
Drury Lane production he was played by
Barton Booth.
Margaret Frazer's 2003 historical mystery, ''
The Bastard's Tale'', revolves around the events surrounding Gloucester's arrest and death. ==Titles, honours and arms==