A 17th-century ring found beside Loch Lomond…

Yes, 17th century, in spite of this headline elsewhere, it is this to which I am drawing your attention. The headline says the ring is 15th-century, which I suppose it might be, if it was 200 years old when it was lost, but examination seems to confirm that it is 250 years old, and therefore of…

The Bones in the Urn again!…a 17th Century Hoax?

UPDATED POST @ sparkypus.com A Medieval Potpourri https://sparkypus.com/2020/05/14/the-bones-in-the-urn-again-a-17th-century-hoax/ 19th century painting of the Henry VII Chapel by an unknown artist.  The entrance to the area where the urn stands is to the left of the tomb of Henry VII Helen Maurer, in her wonderful article, Whodunnit: The Suspects in the Case  mentioned in the notes  ‘As for why…

The ten worst Britons in history?

This is a very entertaining and well-illustrated 2006 article, choosing one arch-villain for each century from the eleventh to the twentieth. The all-male list includes just one King but two Archbishops of Canterbury. So what do you think?

A surprising parallel?

Late last year, the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi (Free Saudi Liberals) was sentenced on appeal to ten years imprisonment and a thousand lashes for two offences: apostacy (apparently changing his religion, which is generally a capital offence in KSA) and “undermining the regime and officials” (essentially sedition). He had previously been sentenced to seven years…

Quite an unfortunate family

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, cannot be called unlucky. The story of his revolt against Richard III, ending in Salisbury at the start of November 1483 is so well known that even Shakespeare has the right end of this particular stick. However, his family suffered fates that they didn’t always deserve so obviously: 1)…