buildings
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In rural Berkshire stands the little stone church of Aldworth. What makes this church remarkable is the numerous medieval effigies contained within, memorials to an important family with the surname ‘de la Beche’. Over the years, these effigies got called the ‘Aldworth giants’ and became something of a local attraction. Was there any truth to…
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If you go to this link https://tinyurl.com/5t4nyjfb, from which the above photograph is taken, you’ll learn of the following: “….The 2025 Season of monthly history talks and guided tours of St Matthew’s Church at Coldridge [Devon] re-start on Thursday, February 27…. “….Two tours will be held on the day, bookable in advance, starting at 11am…
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Click here for article The above link takes you to the whole story. It concerns King Harold II aka Harold Godwinson, my other favourite king, who had a lot in common with his descendant, Richard (see my previous post regarding this). They appear to have located the home of the king, often suspected of being…
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The above publication (link to home page https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015069006610&view=1up&seq=9&skin=2021) is full of interesting information about the London of the past, although I advise caution when it comes to the “facts” printed therein. While researching the royal residence in the city, known as Tower Royal or the Queen’s Wardrobe, I happened upon this on page 62:- The…
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Thomas Earl of Lancaster, died 22 March 1322, and Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence, died 22 March 1321 … The former, the grandson of Henry III, was executed at Pontefract, having fought at Boroughbridge in opposition to Edward II and the Despensers. The latter, the second son of Henry IV and great-great-great-nephew of his…
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A lodge is now generally understood as a small house at an entrance to a stately home, formerly occupied by a man or woman whose job it was to open the park gates for legitimate users and exclude the – er – riff-raff. Some houses have (or had) several lodges as the house had several…
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We all know how much time Richard III spent in the north, and that he was certainly happy there. He ruled it well when he was still Duke of Gloucester, and was much loved for his fairness and justice. When he was king and went on his first progress in 1484, he went north again,…
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So here is one of John Ashdown-Hill‘s lesser-known articles, delineating the build-up to and consequences of the death of the last Mowbray Duke of Norfolk in January 1475/6. It shows the descent of the senior Mowbrays from Edward I and tells how his daughter‘s title was hijacked by Edward IV for his own son and…
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While reading Francis Pryor’s book Britain in the Middle Ages: An Archaeological History, I came upon an example of medieval graffiti that is to be found in the Church of St Mary, Ashwell, Herts. Inside the wall of the west tower is a Latin verse which captures the horror, fear and guilt felt by survivors…
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Gloucester’s Winter Warmer Digital Festival….
“Princes”, Chris Packham, Dan Snow, David Olusoga, Dom Joly, Gloucester History Trust, Gloucester UK, Greg Jenner, Mark Gatiss, Michael Wood, Natalie Haynes, Philippa Langley, Queen Elizabeth II, Richard III, sathnam sanghera, Susie Dent, Tom Kerridge, William Dalrymple, Winter Warmer Digital Festival“….The Gloucester History Trust is launching a new digital festival starring Britain’s leading historians, broadcasters and authors to keep fans entertained through the coldest months of the year….The Winter Warmer Digital Festival features 50 online events from the popular Blackfriars Talks with guests including A House Through Time presenter David Olusoga, top historian Michael Wood,…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 