archaeology
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While looking for examples of medieval curses, e.g. the terrible doom-laden threats screamed from someone burning at the stake, I came upon this site. Considering how close to the surface the well is, I find it astonishing that all those years of ploughing haven’t wrought more damage, but then I’m told that in the…
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… was discovered this painting of people including William Cecil, Baron Burghley, senior adviser to Elizabeth I and father of Robert. The pub in question is the Star, a Wetherspoon in Hoddesdon formerly known as the Salisbury Arms (left, after Robert’s earldom), which was undergoing some internal restoration work.
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“….This undated photo issued on Thursday Nov. 25, 2021 by the University of Leicester Archaeological Services shows a Roman mosaic unique to Britain and depicting one of the most famous battles of the Trojan War. Nearly a decade on from uncovering the remains of King Richard III under a car park near Leicester Cathedral,…
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When the remains of Richard III were sought and then discovered, A magazine entitled Current Archaeology covered it prominently on a number of occasions: “….Current Archaeology reported on the unfolding story in detail, with no fewer than three ‘cover’ features, in CA 272, CA 277, and CA 294 (November 2012, April 2013, and September…
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Sibling marriages again
Affinity, Alexandra Sinclair, Anne Beauchamp, Anne Neville, Beauchamp Pageant, canon law, Cecily Neville the Younger, Constance of Castile, denialists, Edmund of Langley, Eleanor of Provence, George Duke of Clarence, Henry Duke of Warwick, Henry III, Hicks, incest, Isabel of Castile, Isobel Neville, John of Gaunt, Leicester Greyfriars, marriage ceremony, Richard Earl of Cornwall, Richard III, Richard III’s remains, Richard of Warwick, Sanchia of Provence, sibling double marriagesIn the teeth of the evidence, some authors maintain that Richard Duke of Gloucester and Anne Neville required a third dispensation because his brother had already wed her sister, an argument that Barnfield has conclusively fisked. We don’t have to go very far to find a similar case of sibling marriages – the Neville sisters’…
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Amazingly, a 12th-century Norman chainmail hauberk has been found in an Irish shed. Apart from rust, it’s in perfect condition! Unbelievable. Not only do I find little more than useless pieces of clay pipe in my garden, but everything in my shed is guarded by an army of large, vicious warrior spiders in league with…
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This Union: The Ghost Kingdoms of England
Aethelbald of Mercia, Aethelflaed, Alfred, Alfred Jewel, Alfred the Great, Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxons, Athelney, Athelstan, Cerne Abbas Giant, coins, Colchester, conversion, Ealdfrith, East Anglia, Edward the Elder, Gareth Williams, Guthrum, Ian Hislop, Ipswich, Janina Ramirez, Jarrow, Lindisfarne, Marc Morris, Mercia, monasteries, Northumbria, Offa, Offa’s Dyke, Oswald, Penda, Philip Wise, Picts, Radio 4, Raedwald, Roman Empire, Rule Britannia, Scotland, St. Athelwald, St. Dunstan, St. Eadwald, stained glass, stone, Sutton Hoo, Thomas Arne, Venerable Bede, Viking raids, Wales, Wearmouth, Wessex, Winchester, WuffingsThis is an excellent series on BBC4 about the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that eventually evolved to fill the vacuum left by departure of the Roman legions. In the first episode, Ian Hislop visits East Anglia, particularly Colchester, Ipswich and Sutton Hoo, viewing some coins with Philip Wise and hearing about the Wuffingas, apparently descended from a…
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Volunteers working on clearing weeds in the River Kennet in the attractive Wiltshire town of Marlborough recently got a big surprise. A large lump of masonry was shifted from its position on the river-bed and they found themselves gazing into the weed-draped, grinning countenance of a stylised medieval lion! The lion is believed to have…
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I have come upon this site which tells of forthcoming new attractions at Leicester’s museums. From it I have taken the following extract: “….The city’s King Richard III Visitor Centre is also in line for investment, with a new immersive experience forming part of the story told at the award-winning attraction…. “….Later this year, visitors will…
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There have been “animations” of Richard before, and mock-ups of what he actually looked like, but I have to admit that this one is the best so far. We’re so accustomed to the “reconstruction” made from the exact dimensions of his skull, but there is no life in it, if you know what I mean.…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 