A HAWKING RING OF THE TALBOT FAMILY

Recently the rains washed off some soil in a muddy Shropshire field, and yet another metal detectorist had a lucky find–a hawking ring from the Elizabethan period. The most intriguing thing to me was the very bold lettering spelling the name JOHN TALBOT AT GRAFTON across the band of the tiny ring. As it was…

Find the Roman roads of Britain….

Finding the Roman roads of England and Wales can be tricky, but now there’s a “London Underground” map that identifies them all. Well, not quite, but mostly. On discovering this site I went immediately to find Stone Street in Kent…but it’s marked as unnamed. Stone Street is definitely a Roman road. It’s still there and…

St. Philip Howard and the greyhound in the Tower

Philip Howard, lived from 1557-1595. He was the only son of Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Lady Mary Fitzalan who was, of course, the Arundel heiress. Philip’s father was executed for treason against Queen Elizabeth I in 1572, which explains why Philip was not allowed to succeed as Duke of…

A convict’s skull found by the Thames after 200 years….

This article may not be our period exactly, but it’s another example of the things that continually turn up on the Thames foreshore. Mind you, I fail to see how it can be stated with any conviction (sorry!) that the skull is that of a convict “thrown off [a] prison ship” 200 years ago in…

Gairdner said it …

” … one might almost look upon it (the Duke of Gloucester’s selection as rightful heir) … as a constitutional election.” (History of The Life and Reign of Richard the Third (p.121) as cited in The Maligned King (p.117)).

Found in Devon …

We often feature very old coins unearthed. This one was found by metal detecting in a field somewhere in Devon and dates from Henry III‘s reign. It was part of a special consignment of pennies, minted by William of Gloucester with African gold. It features the Great Pavement of Westminster Abbey, which he updated, and…

You can’t tell a castle book by its cover….

I love to see historic properties come up for sale. They are almost always wonderful on the outside and inside, but Earshall Castle in Scotland (55 miles from Edinburgh) has proved the exception. It’s the ancestral home of relatives of Robert the Bruce, but you wouldn’t know it. Yes, it’s beautiful and dramatic on the…

A new film about Charles II….

Well, if the above painting (left) really is “Charles Spencer….the younger brother to late Princess Diana” I’m impressed by his complete dedication to his subject, Charles II! Talk about entering into the spirit of things! 😁 I look forward to the ultimate film but am rather more enthusiastic about Steve Coogan’s earlier film about the…

THE DENIALISTS AND COLDRIDGE:

‘THEY DON’T LIKE IT UP ‘EM!’ The news {pingback to 9/4} about a potential important new discovery regarding the fate of Edward V, elder of the ‘princes in the Tower’ at Coldridge church in Devon took recent U.K. newspapers by storm, gaining a considerable amount of press coverage in a short span of time, much…

A site spoiled by anti-Richard sentiments….

  I guess the Lost London site doesn’t like Richard. If there’s something fictitiously bad to be said about him, here’s where you’ll find it stated as fact. This article is reasonably informative about the history of the Supreme Court, but also contains a load of anti-Richard tosh! So don’t bother if you’re in a good mood. If…