Richard of Conisbrough was born in Conisbrough Castle only a few hundred yards from the author's family home in Castle Avenue, and of all the great noblemen who owned Conisbrough Castle, he was the one who spent most time there. Rather than tell his story in novel form, as the author has done with other castle characters, he has chosen to tell it in the form of a play in the style of William Shakespeare. Richard's story is well-suited to a play in this style of William Shakespeare as it is a prequel to the story of Richard III. Part of the subject matter, the Southampton Plot, was treated by the bard in his play Henry V, and the main character is typical of many 'bastard' malcontents of Elizabethan drama, such as Don John in Measure for Measure. It is, of course, nowhere near up the the standard of the Bard, but there are some felicitous passages (mainly stolen from him), and those who know and love Conisbrough will appreciate this retelling of Richard's story.