The many faces of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln….

Some time ago I posted about a painting called Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap from this exhibition by Titian, which I’d “adapted” to become a portrait of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. This adaptation has popped up all over the place since then, and now I’ve happened upon it again…

Richard III meets Philippa and Harry at the Wallace Collection….

We’ve been deluged with reviews and information about The Lost King, and we’re flocking to see it wherever we can. But one thing has always been thin on the ground, and that’s publicity photographs. We’ve had the same few, so finding another (not actually from the film itself) with Philippa Langley and Harry Lloyd looking…

Having a swim in full armour….?

  Just how many people could swim in medieval times? I imagine that the scene in the above illustration is somewhat fanciful. A king in full armour could swim and keep the crown on his head? At least, I think he’s swimming. If he’s drowning he doesn’t look particularly distressed, in fact he’s smiling! (And…

The armour worn at Waterloo in 1815….

Well, having read this interesting article about the above rather battered piece of nineteenth-century armour from the Battle of Waterloo, I have to say that I doubt if any armour could withstand a direct bullseye from a cannon ball. Not even the best the medieval period could produce!

The complete, utterly biased dissing of the House of York….

  When I recorded the first episode of the Sky series Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors, I watched it on 23rd November, which is the anniversary of the day in 1450 when Richard 3rd Duke of York returned to London [and Parliament] with his sword unsheathed to claim his right. The docudrama series kicks…

You never know what could be lying around in your shed….!

Amazingly, a 12th-century Norman chainmail hauberk has been found in an Irish shed.  Apart from rust, it’s in perfect condition! Unbelievable. Not only do I find little more than useless pieces of clay pipe in my garden, but everything in my shed is guarded by an army of large, vicious warrior spiders in league with…

Fit or fat? Knights with waspy waists….

  We all know that ladies of the Victorian era often fainted because their corsets were too tightly laced. A tiny waist was highly desirable. Well, it still is, of course, but not to such a ridiculous extent. This tortuous lacing would have been difficult enough for young women to endure, but Heaven alone knows…

England’s American knight in armour….!

    Here is a link to a video of Toby Capwell, the American curator of arms and armour at The Wallace Collection in London. It concerns his thoughts on seven medieval weapons scenes in movies and TV. He was, of course, one of the two fully armed knights who escorted Richard on his final…

The art of donning armour….

“…Getting dressed up for battle was a fight all on its own – definitely a two man job!…” As will soo become clear when you watch this video. Getting into your armour in a hurry doesn’t seem to be much of an option, so it was hard luck if the enemy caught you by surprise!

The true meaning of being a knight….

This article is a well written summary of how one became a medieval knight, and what was expected of one’s conduct ever after. If you’d like to see the 14th-century process of being dressed in armour, here on You Tube is the site to go to. And if the composition and wearing of a knightly girdle…