Middleham Bridge to be repaired….

An important bridge not far from Middleham Castle is to be repaired to prevent “structural instability and failure”. It was once described in a sketch by celebrated artist JMW Turner as “The Entrance To Wensleydale”, and is key for those travelling between Wensleydale and Harrogate, Ripon and Masham. If there is such a sketch, I… Continue reading Middleham Bridge to be repaired….

The Great British Dig – History in Your Garden

This excellent series began with a pilot last April, with Hugh Dennis and three archaeologists looking for a Roman settlement on the site of a former inn in Maidstone’s Florence Road. It resumed in February with the small team moving to Benwell, Newcastle, to locate a Hadrian’s Wall fort, followed by a Viking burial ground… Continue reading The Great British Dig – History in Your Garden

The Scrope and Welles marriages of Edward IV’s daughter….

Ralph, 9th Baron Scrope of Masham, was—through his Greystoke mother—the great-grandson of Joan Beaufort and therefore great-great-grandson of John of Gaunt and Katherine de Roët. This made him the great-great-great-grandson of Edward III. (For the path, follow the purple line in the following chart.) What this blood did not do was give him expectations. *… Continue reading The Scrope and Welles marriages of Edward IV’s daughter….