The deer fancied a writ or two….!

When it comes to deer and the medieval period, we always think of the poor things being hunted for their venison and everything else. But it seems that they were sometimes kept in the house! Not just a casual break-in as in the image above, but actually being there all the time. Hard to imagine…

The legend of Fowlescombe Manor….

It is a fact that in this modern age most of us frown upon the ancient practice of hunting with hounds, whether on horseback or not, but in times gone by, such things were commonplace and accepted. I’m not here to promote a debate on the rights and wrongs of hunting, but to mention a…

A Naughty Anchorite

Isolde de Heton, a widow, retired to a hermitage attached to Whalley Abbey with the intention of living as an anchorite. Henry VI appointed her to the position during 1437-38. Isolde, besides having a roof over her head, was to receive a weekly food allowance that included twenty-four loaves of bread and eight gallons of…

History isn’t “horrible”, it’s essential….!

“…Imagine knowing the entire list of British monarchs by heart at age 10. Imagine knowing about cavemen courting rituals or what soldiers ate during World War I. Imagine becoming so invested in the life of the infamous King Richard III of England that you joined the Richard III Society, a group dedicated to finding his…

So wrong he could be right?

This article, by the former MP Norman Baker, appeared in the Mail on Sunday. Actually, the original version was much longer and referred to Elizabeth II as a descendant of Henry VIII. This is an egregious howler, surely, because all of his actual descendants died by 1603 (or the last day of 1602/3 in the…

HENRY VIII LOSES HIS HEAD

Only 500 years or so too late,  Karma finally takes its toll of England’s Nero…   Strangely,  I found this amusing image on the very day I found out my oldest known relative was (according to Wikitree) related to old Henry ‘in the 29th degree’ via Henry’s sister Margaret “Tudor”. I admit I was inconsolable…

Plus ca change …

Here is an Evening Standard article about Clauvino da Silva (left), a Brazillian gang leader who tried to escape from prison disguised as his own daughter, but his “feminine walk” was unconvincing and he didn’t leave the prison. He seems to have hanged himself the following day. Things turned out differently for William Maxwell, the…

Found in a car park! A medieval garden gnome….?

Well, yet another “find” in a car park. This time a lost garden gnome who has—-for obvious reasons—been named Richard. No one knows where he came from, but judging by his clothes, he just has to be medieval. Yes? And perhaps he is a King of Gnomes, who got lost on his way to Bosworth…

Rising from the ruins: castles as they are now, and as they once were….

The above image shows Kendal Castle as it is now, but if you go to the link below, you will see an animation that takes you back to its medieval heyday. I love these reconstructions! To see more, and not simply about castles, go to The Time Travel Artist.

Digging up Britain’s Past

This Channel Five documentary has just completed a second series, with Alex Langlands and Raksha Dave, late of Time Team, in place of Helen Skelton. One particular episode was about Auckland Castle, where the “Prince Bishops” of Durham have lived for centuries and where archaeology is being carried out around the building. One of these…