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Poster (courtesy of the Mortimer History Society) announcing a forthcoming talk by Dr Sean Cunningham.
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“These girls who were boarded out were not acquiring an academic, or even a domestic education, but learning to attend upon a mistress, to embroider, play the lute or virginals, sing and dance. A few might receive their education at a nunnery: Jane Shore, for instance, was a product, if not an advertisement, for the…
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“I’ve spent four years writing a biography of Richard III, which will be out in April 2017, so I’m looking to give the audience a taster of some of the research that I’ve conducted into Richard’s life, focusing in particular on why he decided to seize the throne in June 1483.” Seize the throne? SEIZE…
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Originally posted on Giaconda's Blog: I’m always intrigued to see how a Shakespeare play will be approached, particularly when the constraints of the stage are removed and a director is given free rein to adapt and interpret through the medium of film. I had read a few reviews of the 2015 version of Macbeth, starring…
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Isn’t it strange the little stories one comes upon while researching? I was trawling through Stow’s Survey of London when I found this, concerning an incident in the Tower:- “William Foxley slept in the tower 14 days & more without waking. “In the yeare 1546. the 27 of April, being Tuesday in Easter weeke, William Foxley,…
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One Year On, New Book News … and we shall soon open an electrical supply store with all these plugs.
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Here is a writer’s dilemma, concerning an incident from the reign of Richard II. So, not our Richard, but the one before him. At Christmas 1389, which the court celebrated at Woodstock, there was a tournament. Or at least, jousting. One of those taking part was 17-year-old John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. He was…
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I came across a conversation recently where people were regretting the early death of the Black Prince, because apparently everything would have been much better had he lived. Unfortunately, even people interested in English history tend not to appreciate that at the end of Edward III’s reign England was 1. losing the war with France…
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Sometimes one comes across fascinating nuggets of information, and I have just happened upon the following:- “This barbour shall haue every satyrday at night if it please the Kinge to cleanse his head, legges or feet, and fort his shaving, two loves, one picher wine. And the ussher of chambre ought to testyfye if this…
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We all like a good TV series, especially if it has a mediaeval setting, but does anyone remember the French series from the early 70s, concerning Maurice Druon’s books, The Accursed Kings/Les Rois Maudits? The books deal with the French monarchy in the 14th century, and are (they say) another inspiration for Game of Thrones. This Wikipedia…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 