archaeology
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It seems to me that for a royal palace and hunting lodge much frequented by royalty, and within easy reach of London, there is a paucity of illustrations of Havering. Edward III was particularly fond of retreating there, and so was Henry VIII, who even held court there and considered the hunting to be…
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“….New evidence, published in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association, has confirmed that the Bayeux Tapestry was designed specifically to fit a particular area of Bayeux’s cathedral….” The above quote is from an interesting article that tells us how they arrived at deciding on the actual spot in Bayeux Cathedral for which the great tapestry was…
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The burial places of kings continue to be located in the British Isles, and this latest one is in East Belfast. “….four centuries after the death of a Gaelic lord, the site in east Belfast where historic records say he is buried is up for sale to developers. “….Look around the place names in east…
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This excellent EADT article suggests that a horde found near Tamworth about ten years ago included some crown jewels worn by Anna* or Onna, the (Wuffing) King of East Anglia and nephew of Raedwald. He is likely to have died in a 653/4 battle near Blythburgh, along with his Bishop, Thomas, fighting against Penda’s pagan…
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Was it really only five years ago? Sometimes it seems like forever. And for me, the most affecting thing is still seeing Richard’s Book of Hours, which is thought to have been with him in his tent at Bosworth. I confess I had tears in my eyes. It just seemed so very personal to him.…
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When we buy a non-fiction book (in our case usually something to do with Richard III and the medieval period) we anticipate its arrival with some relish. This is how I felt when, after reading many praises for Peter Ackroyd’s History of England, I decided to buy Volume I online. It arrived this morning, and…
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The discovery in Leicester of the remains of Richard III was surely one of the greatest such event, and since then there have been increased attempts to locate other great figures from our past. Leicester has at least one other such person just waiting to be found, but as yet he’s proving elusive. The location…
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Well, yet another “find” in a car park. This time a lost garden gnome who has—-for obvious reasons—been named Richard. No one knows where he came from, but judging by his clothes, he just has to be medieval. Yes? And perhaps he is a King of Gnomes, who got lost on his way to Bosworth…
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Digging up Britain’s Past
Alex Langlands, Armada, Auckland Castle, Battle of Falkirk, Boudicca, Catterick, Channel Five, Colchester Castle, Durham, Edward I, Elizabeth I, garrisons, Helen Skelton, HMS Invincible, horses, Iceni, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Napoleonic wars, Nero, prince bishops, Raksha Dave, Roman Britain, Roman roads, Scotland, Silchester, Sir Andrew Moray, Sir William wallace, stables, Stirling Bridge, Sudeley Castle, Time team, war horses, warshipsThis Channel Five documentary has just completed a second series, with Alex Langlands and Raksha Dave, late of Time Team, in place of Helen Skelton. One particular episode was about Auckland Castle, where the “Prince Bishops” of Durham have lived for centuries and where archaeology is being carried out around the building. One of these…
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They are: Edward IV, Charles II (buried today in 1685) and William IV, all of whom had a large number of illegitimate children, but none left a legitimate heir. Edward IV (1442-83) had twelve to fifteen children by various mistresses, including Elizabeth Wydville, but none by Lady Eleanor Talbot, his only legal wife, whose probable…