Thomas Becket
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I was quite enjoying this article until I came to: “….‘Kings whose claims were disputed were accordingly anxious to be consecrated as quickly as possible,’ writes Zaller. ‘Both Edward IV and Richard III rushed to be crowned, and the Yorkist kings claimed to have been anointed with chrism conveyed directly to Thomas á Becket by…
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Over the past 20 years or so, advances in archaeology have enabled us to test isotopes in human and animal teeth, showing possible places of origin and effects of diet; we can extract DNA and unlock the genome, not only finding living relatives but having a good guess at hair and eyes colour and other…
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CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL AND THE ROYAL WINDOW
Canterbury Cathedral, Catherine of York, Cicely Plantagenet, Edward IV, Edward the Black Prince, Edward V, Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Wydeville, John Ashdown-Hill, John Morton, Luton Guild Book, Mary of York, Puritans, Richard Culmer, Richard of Shrewsbury, royal mistresses, Royal Windows, stained glass, Thomas Becket, William NeveEdward IV and Elizabeth Wydeville. Original 15th century stained glass panels. Royal Window North West Transept Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral, of all the cathedrals I have managed to visit, remains firmly on my ‘favourites’ list. I lived there for a while many years ago, having been entranced by the city and cathedral on…
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OLD LONDON BRIDGE – A MEDIEVAL WONDER!
Anne Sutton, bigamy, Canterbury Cathedral, Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr, coronation procession, David Earl of Crawford, Dover, Drawbridge Gate, Elizabeth Wydeville, fire, funeral procession, Great Stonegate, Henry II, Henry V, Jack Cade, John Stow, jousting, Kentishmen, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Livia Visser-Fuchs, Lord Wells, Old London Bridge, Peasants’ Revolt, Peter de Colechurch, pre-contract, rebellions, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Southwark, Thomas Becket, traitors, Vikings, Wat Tyler, Westminster AbbeyREBLOGGED FROM sparkypus.com A Medieval Potpourri London from Southwark, c.1630. Old London Bridge is in the right foreground and Old St Paul’s Cathedral on the skyline to the left. Old London Bridge Antiquated, in a run down state, and at 600 years old, the old bridge had reached its self by date and was demolished in…
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Edwardtide—a Celebration of Edward the Confessor, Saint and King….
Bayeux Tapestry, Bishop Gundulf, Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor, Edith of Scotland, Epiphany, Henry I, Henry II, Henry III, High Altar, House of Wessex, jewellery, Life of St. Edward the Confessor, martyrs, Octave of St. Edward, pilgrim’s ring, Richard II, royal saints, St. Edward the Confessor, Thomas Becket, Westminster Abbey, Wilton Diptych“….Remembering St Edward, 13th-18th October 2020….During Edwardtide, we celebrate the life of St Edward the Confessor, King of England 1042–1066 and the re-founder of Westminster Abbey. St Edward was canonised in 1161, and to this day, pilgrims come to pray at his shrine…” The above extract is from the website of Westminster Abbey (specifically from this…
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Epiphany – medieval and now….
Anne of Bohemia, birthdays, Canterbury Cathedral, Chapel of Our Lady of the Pew, Christmas, Christmas decorations, Epiphany, Epiphany Rising, feast days, Gregorian Calendar, Henry IV, Julian Calendar, Magi, Peasants’ Revolt, Pontefract Castle, rebellion, Richard II, Shakespeare, Sir William Walworth, Smithfield, St. Edmund, St. Edward the Confessor, St. George, St. John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Twelfth Night, wassailing, Wat Tyler, Westminster Abbey, Wilton Diptych, yule logsAccording to the Oxford Dictionary, the following two definitions refer to the use of the word epiphany:- The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12). Definition (1) A moment of sudden and great revelation/realisation. Definition (2) Epiphany has been a recognised feast of the Western Church since the 5th…
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“This isn’t quite Richard III under a car park but a 12th century holy well attached to St Thomas Becket is still a rare survival.” Indeed it is, and I do hope the excavations in Derby lead to the well’s permanent restoration. It’s dreadful how we’ve allowed our precious past to be destroyed, but better…
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Britain’s Most Historic Towns (2)
“Tudors”, Alice Roberts, ATS, Ben Robinson, Black Death, Bristol, Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral, Cardiff, Channel Four, Charles I, chocolate, city walls, coal, defences, Demonology, Dover, dressing up, Dunkirk, Edwardian era, England, English Civil War, Flodden, France, Geoffrey Chaucer, George Villiers Duke of Buckingham, Georgian era, gin, Henry VIII, James III, James IV, James V, James VI/I, Magna Carta, Marquess of Bute, Mary Stuart, New Model Army, Oxford, Peasants’ Revolt, Plantagenet era, real tennis, Rough Wooing, Sauchieburn, Scottish Reformation, Second World War, Siege of Oxford, slavery, Solway Moss, St. Augustine, Stewarts, Stirling, Stirling Castle, Thomas Becket, witchcraftThis excellent Channel Four programme, presented by Professor Alice Roberts, with Dr. Ben Robinson in the helicopter, has returned for a new series. The early venues were Dover (World War Two, visiting the underground base, concentrating on the retreat from Dunkirk and subsequent Channel defence, meeting some survivors, wearing ATS uniform and riding in a…
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In 2020 there are planned commemorations of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. King Henry II blew his top, shouted words to the effects of ‘Who will rid me of this turbulent priest? and four knights clunked off towards Canterbury, thinking the King would reward them well if they disposed of Thomas. The…