Wales
-
Powys is an interesting Marcher Lordship in that it was never conquered by the English but descended by inheritance. Of course, the Welsh princes of Powys tended to be quite pro-English. (Perhaps one should really say pro-Anglo-Norman.) This is quite understandable, however shocking it may seem to modern nationalist sentiment. For one thing, Powys was…
-
We were always taught that Columbus discovered America in 1492. Then the Vikings (see here) and Irish (see here) were said to have beaten him to it, and maybe the Templars too (see here). But now it seems the Welsh have thrown their hat into the ring as well. In this article it is declared…
-
Well, this only such-and-such actors can play such-and-such roles has reared its silly head again. I thought the whole point of being an actor was to play (and immerse yourself in) numerous different roles, but now we have Michael Sheen pronouncing that only Welsh actors should play Welsh roles, see here. Eh? Why, pray? Aren’t…
-
Here we have another old manor house with a ghostie (a white lady). The house “….is said to have once been owned by Tudor knight Sir Rhys ap Thomas. It is thought that Sir Rhys and Derwydd Mansion provided accommodation for Henry Tudor, as well as 5,000 Welsh soldiers added to Henry’s growing army, as…
-
When it comes to yew trees (European variety – taxus baccata, picture from the Woodland Trust) the British Isles are very well endowed, not only with thousands of fine specimens, but hundreds of fine ancient specimens. Who hasn’t noticed the yew trees that grow by our parish churches? It’s said they’re a remnant of pagan…
-
This excellent article by Douglas Biggs suggests that many of the Welsh gentlemen who rose with Glyndwr, or at around the same time, did so, not because of perceived national sentiment but because of patronage, or the lack of it. The usurpation of Henry IV has the side effect of disturbing ‘normal’ patterns of patronage.…
-
London created champagne before the French….!
abbeys, Anglo-Saxons, Bermondsey, Bishops of Ely, champagne, Christopher Hatton, Christopher Merrett, churches, Duchy of Cornwall, Elizabeth I, Farringdon Road, France, Gloucestershire, Hatton Garden, Henry VI, Holborn Viaduct, Kennington, Kent, London, methode champenoise, Piccadilly, Rocque’s Map, Romans, Saffron Hill, Samuel Pepys, secondary fermentation, Smithfield, Southwark, St. Andrew Holborn, St. Augustine’s Abbey, The Oval, Vindolanda, Vineyard Walk, vineyards, Wales, WestminsterYes indeed, it seems that Londoners invented champagne. It’s a claim that won’t go down well across La Manche, and I found it at this site, which is also where I found the illustration from Rocque’s Map below. “…If you could time travel back to medieval London you would [find it] awash with vineyards at…
-
The great fortresses built by Edward I to subdue the rebellious Welsh are all spectacular and have survived the centuries. Now they are considered beautiful examples of medieval workmanship and have become great tourist attractions, which isn’t really what old Longshanks ever intended! One of the finest of these fortresses is Caernarfon which is always…
-
When I saw a headline about a family who bought a king’s bed, my first thought was of the marriage bed of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, which was found at auction in 2010 in Chester. But no, this is a different bed, and only dates back to Charles II. Nor is it a…
-
It seems that while watching the new two-part hit Netflix series Wednesday (I’ve never heard of it, but apparently it stars Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams. 🙄) an expert on folk music noticed that it included an ancient Welsh tune. See here. The article goes on to state “….The tune is also recorded…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 