medieval life
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With permission of Kim Harding A last-minute change of speaker meant the frosty weather chimed perfectly with Kim Harding’s talk on ‘Medieval Winter’ on Monday 18th November 2025. Our centrally-heated homes and internet-driven prep for Xmas can’t compare to the hardships endured by medieval folk: a poor harvest, limited food storage and bitter cold meant…
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Do you feel tired and often need a snooze? Perhaps your sleeping habits are out of sync with nature. Previously, people slept differently from the way we do now. The idea of eight hours sleep in one go was unheard of. In the Middle Ages, the night was divided into two parts: the first sleep…
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Lovage (Levisticum officinale), a tall, leafy perennial with a strong scent, was popular in mediaeval times, used for medicinal purposes, in cooking and famously, in love potions because of its name, from Middle English ‘love-ache’, where ‘ache’ meant parsley. Its use dates back to the 12th century. Medicinal Uses- Medieval people used all the parts…
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Lady Godiva (or Godgifu, meaning gift of God), was not just a legend – she was real! And, what’s more, she was Richard III’s ancestor. Here’s how: From Sibyl de Neufmarché, follow the pink dots back (right to left) through Richard’s family tree. Lady Godiva, was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who was the wife of…
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Sky news reports: A medieval church tower has been suspended 45ft (14 metres) above the ground as part of a building project in the City of London. The tower of the 700-year-old All Hallows Staining Church was balanced on stilts in what developers called a “never seen before feat of engineering”. It was raised above…
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Summary of a talk by Laura Cardy Shortly after joining the Richard III Society, I was invited to contribute to The Missing Princes Project, initiated by Philippa Langley. My task focused on an intriguing question: might St John’s Abbey in Colchester have played a role in the fate of Richard of York, the younger of…
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They present a summary of some of the current articles in the Ricardian Bulletin. Here is what is in the current episode: Episode 4: ‘Maximilian I, Richard III and the Princes in the Tower’ In the latest edition of The Ricardian Podcast we are joined by historian, presenter and author Matthew Lewis and Wendy Moorhen,…
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York is a city full of history, wherever you look and Lendal Cellars is one such place. If you have ever visited the Cellars, you’re entering right into York’s medieval undercroft. It has wonderful vaulted brick ceilings and chunky stone blocks that are all that remains of the Austin Friary that was once on the…
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by Ian Wilson Why do the Wars of the Roses feel like endless vendettas? At first glance, because the language of honour hadn’t changed: nobles still cried, “My blood has been offended,” or “My lineage must be avenged.” That patina of chivalry, though, concealed something very different. The talk set out to understand why so…
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My local group, the Mid-Anglia, recently held our AGM at the White Hart (Toby Carvery) in Colchester, and combined it with a lunch meeting and a couple of relevant presentations. It was very convivial and informative. The presentations were on St John’s Abbey, Colchester and Henry VII’s suspicious interest in it and the differences in…
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