Does a certain mansion in Bishopsgate hold the secret of who really wrote Shakespeare’s works….?

This article commences with the following: “….A cluster of individuals claimed by some to be the true authors of Shakespeare‘s works lived in or near the same ostentatious mansion in the City of London at much the same time….” The mansion is in Bishopsgate and yes, it is known for its connections with the Bard.…

The story of witchcraft….

We all have different ideas about witches, from the evil crones of Shakespeare to the gorgeous Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. The reality, it seems to me, is that most “witches” were innocent women (and some men) who were victimised for a wide variety of reasons. But that’s just my opinion. But nevertheless we’re…

THE HAUNTING OF RICHARD III- A NEW MUSICAL

When I saw that a new musical called THE HAUNTING OF RICHARD III was on at the Merlin Theatre in Frome, a mere 40 minutes away, how could I resist? I realise musical theatre is a bit of a ‘marmite’ subject for many, but in my own misspent youth, yes, I confess I tread the…

The imposition of ransom….

    My latest target for research is the English garrison/bastion of Brest, on the coast of Brittany, specifically the final years of the 14th century before it was handed back to the Bretons. My interest had been aroused when reading Ducal Brittany 1364-1399, by Michael Jones. In it I learned of the practice of…

The “Gentle Villainy” of Richard III….?

  The following is an extract from this site.  :- “….The season wraps up with “The Gentle Villainy of Richard III, Troubler of the Poor World’s Peace,” an adapation of William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” running April 21-May 1 at the Outcalt Theatre….” Oh, dear (heavy sigh). Shoving the word “gentle” in front of “villainy” doesn’t…

Gawain and the Green Knight, Hollywood style….

Gawain and the Green Knight has been given “the Hollywood treatment”! See this article. You can also read about the film here and here  It’s directed by David Lowery and stars Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. Well, having now seen it, I fear that if the anonymous author had too, he’d be taking serious steps…

A Cheshire Wetherspoons link to Richard III (via Shakespeare)….

Here is an article about the histories of some Wetherspoons pubs in Cheshire. One of them, the Friar Penketh in Barbauld Street, Warrington, is said to stand on the site of a 13th-century Augustinian friary, and nearby Friars Gate and St Augustine’s Lane are reminders of the long-gone religious house. Why am I posting about…

Medlars – the medieval fruit we’ve nearly forgotten….

This extract is from https://gardenandhappy.com/medlar/ “….Great writers such as Shakespeare and Chaucer used medlars to convey the loss of womanly virtue. In The Honest Whore, Thomas Dekker wrote: “Women are like medlars, no sooner ripe but rotten”. Hmm, that bit about “no sooner ripe but rotten” is more likely to apply to the male of the species. As soon…

Was Keats an admirer of Margaret of Anjou….?

When I was at school (before the Flood in 1960!) and studying O level English Literature I had to endure Memoirs of a Fox-hunting Man (Siegfried Sassoon)😟, Henry IV Part I (the Bard, of course)😦 and Keats 🙃. Well, Keats was OK, I suppose, but what I remember about him most was all the sniggering…

No longer passing the Buc(k)?

Now for some very interesting news: Arthur Kincaid’s The History of King Richard the Third is set for a new edition, based on forty years of further research. Kincaid has managed to distinguish the forensic research of Sir George Buc (1560-1622), whose great-grandfather fought at Bosworth and whose grandfather was at Flodden, from that of…