culture
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Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum) is a fascinating herb. It is a shrubby, perennial herb that can grow quite tall, up to 3-4 feet. It prefers well-drained soil and full sun. It’s fairly low-maintenance but may need pruning to ensure it stays bushy and healthy. In mediaeval times: Qualities: Modern Use: Mediaeval Folklore: Culinary uses: Precautions:
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A story by Rod Minchin of the Independent says: Rare medieval music, discovered within a 15th-century book, will resonate through Buckland Abbey in Devon this August, bringing the sound of monks back for the first time in 500 years. The “plaintive” melodies will be performed to mark the book’s return to the abbey, a place…
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Richard III and the Peasants’ Revolt….?
The Rage, a movie drama by Paul Greengrass, about the Peasants’ Revolt in 14th-century England, has received the maximum £2m grant from the regional Bavaria fund FFF Bayern “….and will begin filming in Germany this autumn as a Germany-UK co-production between Munich-based Supernix and London outfit Electric Shadow Company….” Filming will be in Bavaria, but…
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Here is the second part of our interview with Dominic Smee, continuing from yesterday’s post. JL: How did your experience change your outlook on your scoliosis? After the documentary, has your life changed and in what ways? DS: These days, I have learnt to embrace my scoliosis as part of who I am instead of…
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With thanks to Kim Harding It is very easy to take the first steps on a ‘Beginner’s Guide to Heraldry’, when you are hugely aided by the heraldry guide provided online by the Mortimer History Society. Easily-accessed guides and quizzes at every stage help the newbie learn all about shields and arms and how to…
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Oh, lawks, now the Bard’s Richard III is a pirate! Whatever next? I suppose no one has yet had him arrive on stage in a UFO. Have they? Must check….because maybe I can sell the idea to some ambitious avant-garde director. 😄 Unfortunately, according to the Tanks website, (Cairns, Queensland, Australia) this seafaring event has…
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Winter savory (Satureja montana) was used more in medieval times than today. It grows to between 10 and 40 cm (4 and 16 in) tall. The leathery, dark green leaves are opposite, oval-lanceolate or needle-like, 1–2 cm long and 5 mm broad. The flowers appear in summer, between July and October, and range from pale lavender or pink to…
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Archaeology Today reports that the remains of St Leonard’s, a medieval hospital, have been discovered while repairing a sink hole in York. It dates from the 12th or 13th centuries and wasn’t destroyed until H8 got his hands on it during the Reformation, so Richard III would certainly have known of it. Read more about…
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On 2 April this year I posted about a stage version of Tey’s wonderful The Daughter of Time, see https://murreyandblue.co.uk/2025/04/02/the-daughter-of-time-see-the-play-of-the-book/. It was showing at the Knutsford Little Theatre from the end of April to the beginning of May. Now a play-of-the-book has reached a London venue, the Charing Cross Theatre, and will be showing from…
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Salisbury Museum’s annual Festival of Archaeology will be held on July 26 and 27. But as an opener to the proceedings, on Thursday, July 24 at 7.30pm at the Salisbury Methodist Church on St Edmund’s Church Street, Dr Turi King will give a talk titled ‘DNA Detective: Using DNA to Uncover the Secrets of our…
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