religion
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Oh dear, just as we start imagining the romantic, colourful side of life in medieval London, we’re obliged to consider the other side of that particular coin. My trawlings through the Close Rolls and Richard II brought me to the following entry for 12 March 1393: “….To the bailiffs of Westminster of the abbot of…
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This Union: The Ghost Kingdoms of England
Aethelbald of Mercia, Aethelflaed, Alfred, Alfred Jewel, Alfred the Great, Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxons, Athelney, Athelstan, Cerne Abbas Giant, coins, Colchester, conversion, Ealdfrith, East Anglia, Edward the Elder, Gareth Williams, Guthrum, Ian Hislop, Ipswich, Janina Ramirez, Jarrow, Lindisfarne, Marc Morris, Mercia, monasteries, Northumbria, Offa, Offa’s Dyke, Oswald, Penda, Philip Wise, Picts, Radio 4, Raedwald, Roman Empire, Rule Britannia, Scotland, St. Athelwald, St. Dunstan, St. Eadwald, stained glass, stone, Sutton Hoo, Thomas Arne, Venerable Bede, Viking raids, Wales, Wearmouth, Wessex, Winchester, WuffingsThis is an excellent series on BBC4 about the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that eventually evolved to fill the vacuum left by departure of the Roman legions. In the first episode, Ian Hislop visits East Anglia, particularly Colchester, Ipswich and Sutton Hoo, viewing some coins with Philip Wise and hearing about the Wuffingas, apparently descended from a…
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Legends about tunnels leading to and fro churches and abbeys are rife throughout the British Isles. However, there are very few such tunnels actually proven to exist. Most of them are, in fact, remains of cellars and store rooms. However, a recent discovery at Tintern Abbey in Wales had indeed discovered what definitely is a…
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Volunteers working on clearing weeds in the River Kennet in the attractive Wiltshire town of Marlborough recently got a big surprise. A large lump of masonry was shifted from its position on the river-bed and they found themselves gazing into the weed-draped, grinning countenance of a stylised medieval lion! The lion is believed to have…
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To us the curious intricacies of medieval marriage seem endlessly complicated…and often cost a lot to those who disagreed with a certain situation. Contexts of Marriage in Medieval England: Evidence from the King’s Court circa 1300 by Robert C Palmer contains a fascinating instance with a twist. After all, we usually hear of women…
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Sir Thomas Pilkington
Alexander de Pilkington, arms, attainder, Bishops of Durham, Bosworth, Bury, Bury castle, Edward IV, Henry VII, Lancashire towns, Lord Mayors of London, Oldham, pardons, Pilkington glass, pub signs, Richard III, Scotland, siege of Berwick, Sir Thomas Pilkington, Stand Old Hall, Stanleys, Stoke Field, The man and Scythe, Thomas StanleySir Thomas Pilkington, of Pilkington, Bury and various other places, led his tenants and retainers to Bosworth to fight for Richard III. Whether they got there in time is not 100% clear but Sir Thomas was attainted and lost his Lancashire lands. You’ll never guess which family received them. Yes, those caring, sharing Stanleys, in…
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I have come upon this site which tells of forthcoming new attractions at Leicester’s museums. From it I have taken the following extract: “….The city’s King Richard III Visitor Centre is also in line for investment, with a new immersive experience forming part of the story told at the award-winning attraction…. “….Later this year, visitors will…
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While watching the first episode (entitled “A Dragon’s Inferno”) of a documentary series called Mythical Beasts, viewers’ attention was drawn to the abbey library of St Gallen in Switzerland. What an absolutely breathtaking place, containing many rare, centuries-old books, manuscripts and other items. To read more about it, go to this site.
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I’ve written before about the food eaten by medieval monks, and have now come upon another article, this time in The Guardian. It tells of the dire consequences that followed when monks eventually had a meat-rich diet. The Guardian article was prompted by English Heritage research into “the day-to-day lives and digestive troubles of…
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Wars of the Roses Delights in Suffolk
Battle of Bosworth, blue boar, Bury St. Edmunds, castles, Catherine Stafford, Cecily Neville, Clare, Clare Castle, Clare Priory, de la Pole family, de Vere star, Dunwich, Earls of Oxford, Edward I, Elizabeth of Suffolk, executions, Greyfriars, Hammes, Henry VII, Joan of Acre, John Ashdown-Hill, John Duke of Suffolk, John Earl of Lincoln, Knights Templar, Lavenham, Leicester cathedral, Lionel of Antwerp, Michael Earl of Suffolk, pubs, rosary, Sir john Wingfield, St. Andrew’s Wingfield, Stoke Field, Suffolk, tomb effigies, Violante Visconti, Wingfield, YorkistsAfter over a year, I have finally been able to go on another holiday in which to indulge in my passion of church and castle crawling. I haven’t spent much time in Suffolk before–it’s just a little too far–but there were some places I really wanted to visit, so off we went, braving a crazed…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 