history
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The lute is an instrument that I always associate with the medieval period, and so its playing will often feature in novels, films and so on. And rightly so, because its gentle sound is both beautiful and soothing. Wanting to set a scene where ladies were listening to a lute, I looked online for examples…
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Six (or seven?) marriages but only one husband (or two?)….!
1st Duke of Milan, 4th Earl of Kent, Austin Friars London, Bourne Abbey in Lincolnshire, Constance of York, dowries, Edmund Holand 4th Earl of Kent, Gian Galeazzo, Henry IV, Henry VII, John Beaufort 1st Earl Somerset, John Holand 1st Earl of Huntingdon 1st Duke of Exeter, Lucia Visconti Countess of Kent, Mary de Bohun, Minories, Richard II, Southwark Cathedral, St Mary Overy, The Lancashire Holandsv, the siege of BréhatYou have no doubt heard of the Minories. “….The Order of the Sorores Minores, to which the abbey of the Minores in London belonged, was founded by St Clara of Assisi in Italy, and claimed Palm Sunday, March 18th 1212, as the date of its origin….” More popularly referred to as the Minories, in the…
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It is surprising how many phrases that we probably attribute to the Bible or Shakespeare, actually date to the medieval period. While looking for a list of medieval “Italian” phrases, I stumbled upon this link https://www.medievalists.net/2024/12/medieval-phrases-today/. Only ten phrases, but goodness, I’d never have thought of their actual origins. No Man’s Land? Tom, Dick and…
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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,…
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I have written before about the various medieval monarchs who visited Exeter, and about some of the sites and other goodies that can be seen there. (https://murreyandblue.org/2024/10/17/richard-iii-edward-iv-george-of-clarence-warwick-the-kingmaker-and-henrys-vi-and-vii-all-went-to-exeter-but-not-at-the-same-time/ and I mentioned the wax votive offerings and effigies discovered when wartime bombing at the cathedral affected the tomb of Bishop Edmund Lacy (circa 1370-1455). The unique wax…
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Oh, lord, I didn’t know we and the Irish Republic are locking horns over two rare bronze Henry VIII cannon taken from a wreck that was apparently lying off Waterford on the Irish coast. Under Irish law, the cannon belong to them and so were taken illegally. The cannon have been on display at the…
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Many—maybe even most—of you will know the majority of medieval words at a glance, but I still need to stop and think about far too many….and then I have search in a suitable dictionary. So here are some of the sources I turn to. I know there are a lot more:- And here is an…
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The Scone Palace of today is described as follows: “….Set in spreading parkland on the River Tay about two miles north of the centre of Perth, the present building is almost entirely the creation of the architect William Atkinson working for the Earl of Mansfield between 1803 and 1812….According to the Chronicle of the Kings of…
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As you may have gathered by now, I have done a lot of poking around (ahem, research 🙄) concerning Westenhanger Castle in Kent.(1) My concern has been what went on there in the late 14th century.(2) Well, there are times when the Internet is a double-edged sword for an amateur in search of accurate history.…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 