Is the Great Pyramid an enormous water pump, or a wondrous light bulb….?

Lordy, the theories about the Great Pyramid continue to multiply. I suppose it just won’t do to think maybe its position “in the centre of the earth” is purely accidental? Oh, hush, Sandra! Wash your mouth out. I recently saw a long TV documentary that theorised the pyramid was actually an immense water pump. Anyway,…

A modern parallel

The Three Estates offered Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the crown when his brother’s bigamy was exposed, thereby bastardising his sons. Something very similar happened as recently as 1997, although there was DNA involved and not a bishop. Anthony, 3rd Baron Moynihan, died in Manila during 1991, after an eventful life that had included five marriages,…

The amazing bells of England….

  “….Then came the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1509 [???!] as a result of the feud between King Henry [VIII] and The Pope. In his rage he [Henry] vandalised all the external fabric and internal property but he stopped short of the bells as he was aware of their potency with the people. Instead…

MPs who want to quit can apply to be Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead….

“….MPs wishing to quit can apply to be ‘Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds’ or ‘Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead’. Neither job has existed for centuries but the ‘jobs’ still exist as a workaround to the law of 1624….” Well, I’d heard of the Chiltern Hundreds, but have to…

Rosary of Mary, Queen of Scots, stolen from Arundel Castle….

The theft of items of great historical importance aren’t common, thank goodness, but they do come along…and this time—on Friday, 21st May, when a burglar alarm went off at 22:30 BST—it was Arundel Castle that was raided. To read all about it, go to this site.  The stolen treasures were worth more than £1 million,…

Pucklechurch and the death of a king….

According to The Folklore of Gloucestershire by Roy Palmer, there was a traditional dish in the south of the county known as whitepot, and it was served at Whit Sunday “revels”. The ingredients of whitepot were: “….four quarts of milk, a pound of flour, a pound of golden syrup, eight eggs, two ounces of butter,…

Sir Bevis Bulmer – son of Smithfield

Bevis Bulmer certainly didn’t have a good start in life. He was about one when his parents were executed for high treason on the same day in May 1537, having been caught up in the Pilgrimage of Grace. Sir John, from a prominent Yorkshire family, was hanged and beheaded whilst Margaret, his mother who may…

A hidden glory in a tiny alley in Gloucester….

Since the middle of the last century the city of Gloucester has been spoiled by dubious, half-witted planning decisions, but there are still some wonderful gems to be found. Everyone knows the cathedral, of course (thankfully it escaped planning notice, or it too might have been “improved” in finest 1960s fashion. Heaven forfend indeed. But…

THE TUDOR CROWN UNEARTHED

A metal detector enthusiast has come up with an impressive find that may be worth a cool £2 million. Tucked away in a hole in a field field near Market Harborough was a tiny figure made of pure gold. This figure is believed to be from the ‘Tudor Crown’ designed by Henry VII for state…

The medieval fairs and markets of England and Wales to Edward VI….

In the course of trying to find out about the medieval fairs of St Albans, I came upon this site, which covers the fairs and markets of the whole of England and Wales to the reign of Edward VI. It’s interesting and very informative, turning up all sorts of obscure long-forgotten fairs and markets. And…