Another interesting article from Academia

This one, by Lorraine C. Attreed, is entitled An Indenture between Richard Duke of Gloucester and the Scrope Family of Masham and Upsall, one of the two noble branches of the Scropes, the other being those of Bolton. The indenture, a copy of which serves as an appendix, dates from mid-January 1476 shortly after the…

A TV visit to Middleham Castle….

The TV series Go Visit Castles has now dealt with Richard III’s castle at Middleham, see here. The resultant video is interesting and shows the castle in detail, including an intriguing reconstruction of the castle kitchens (see above). The tone isn’t for the highly knowledgeable, more to introduce “beginners” to the workings of a castle,…

Which duke? And which hill was marched up and then down again….?

  We all know the Grand Old Duke of York marched his 10,000 men up a hill and then down again. But which Duke of York was it? If you go here you’ll find there are a number of candidates, including the 3rd Duke, father of Edward IV and Richard III. In general, however, my…

A winter walk that ends at Middleham….

“….In tonight’s episode, Kate Bottley, a part-time Church of England priest from Sheffield, will take a historic hike through the ruins and snow-covered landscape of Wensleydale and Coverdale. As she sets off on her winter walk, the sun rises over the ruins of Jervaulx Abbey and with just a 360-degree camera in her hand, Kate walks along the banks…

More wall paintings discovered in Yorkshire….

“….Repair and restoration work being carried out at Calverley Old Hall in Yorkshire has led to the stunning discovery of an entire room covered in Tudor paintings from floor to ceiling….” Thank goodness past generations opted for covering original walls instead of obliterating them altogether. Because of this, we now have the above new discovery…

A Skipton ghost walk followed by a good meal at Richard’s Black Horse….

  “….THERE will be thrills and spills of a distinctly ghostly type in Skipton this month as stroke survivor Malcolm Hanson conducts his once-famous ghost walks around the town’s supernatural hot spots on Friday evenings….” The above extract is from the Craven Herald and I hope most sincerely that Malcolm’s ghost walks are a spooky…

The humble beginning of Sheriff Hutton….

Below is an interesting little snippet from the Calendar of Patent Rolls for 1382: You’ll find the original record here. And so Sheriff Hutton was born! Who would have thought that from such beginnings would rise one of the most important castles in Yorkshire? A plot on which to enclose a wall of stone and…

A meat-rich diet was to carry Satan’s price-tag for monks….

  I’ve written before about the food eaten by medieval monks, and have now come upon another article, this time in The Guardian. It tells of the dire consequences that followed when monks eventually had a meat-rich diet. The Guardian article was prompted by English Heritage research into “the day-to-day lives and digestive troubles of…

MARKENFIELD HALL AND THE MARKENFIELD BROTHERS, THOMAS AND ROBERT.

Reblogged from A Medieval Potpourri sparkypus.com Markenfield Hall viewed through the Gatehouse.  A 14th century moated manor house and one time home to the Markenfields. Photo National Garden Scheme. Markenfield Hall, near Ripon, Yorkshire is surely the epitome of a survivor of medieval manor houses.  The building of the Hall begun in 1230 and was…

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…