As another year dawns, it must be time for another series of Britain’s archeological highlights, divided into five regions. This time, it started in the north with Carlisle Cricket Club hosting a dig associated with the bathhouse of the emperor Septimius Severus, a particularly steep part of the Grampians and Lowther Castle, a site that… Continue reading Digging for Britain (series 11)
Tag: Domesday Book
There are front doors….and there are FRONT DOORS….!!!!!
This astonishing door is said to be 1000 years old, belongs to Homestall Manor in West Sussex and came originally from a French monastery. Regarding the house itself: “….Originally a simple farmhouse, the oldest part of the property dates from 1350, when it was probably used as a hunting box by John of Gaunt,… Continue reading There are front doors….and there are FRONT DOORS….!!!!!
An Elizabethan house that looks Victorian….?
Is it just me? Or does this house in Pirton, Worcestershire, which dates back to the Domesday Book and is described as Elizabethan, actually look merely Victorian/Edwardian? Ignore the black-and-white exterior, because even with the original more natural colours the house just does not look 16th/17th century, even though it is. To me it appears… Continue reading An Elizabethan house that looks Victorian….?
Stokesay Castle, its history….and its spook….
We all know Stokesay Castle. It’s simply outstanding, both dramatically and aesthetically. The half-timbered upper storey perched on top of the north tower is particularly beautiful. I remember once, many moons ago, my husband and I drove past on a road that looked down at the castle. It was alluring….but not open at that… Continue reading Stokesay Castle, its history….and its spook….
Ancient Secrets of Althorp
This fascinating Channel Four documentary, featuring Earl Spencer at his family seat since 1508, included a team of archaelogists led by Gone Mediaeval‘s Cat Jarman. They set out to rediscover a lost mediaeval village that was mentioned in the Domesday Book, for which there was some evidence in the cellars of Althorp House. Investigations in… Continue reading Ancient Secrets of Althorp
Pucklechurch and the death of a king….
According to The Folklore of Gloucestershire by Roy Palmer, there was a traditional dish in the south of the county known as whitepot, and it was served at Whit Sunday “revels”. The ingredients of whitepot were: “….four quarts of milk, a pound of flour, a pound of golden syrup, eight eggs, two ounces of butter,… Continue reading Pucklechurch and the death of a king….
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 Champernownes of Devon
The Champernownes (above), a Norman line whose alternative spellings include Chapman and Chamberlain, are surely Devon’s second family after the Courtenays of Powderham Castle, who hold the Earldom. From 1162, their (Domesday Book-cited) home was at Chambercombe Manor near Ilfracombe (middle right) but, by the early sixteenth century, this had passed to Henry Grey, Duke of… Continue reading The Champernownes of Devon
A Bayeux Tapestry replica comes to Woodbridge
This EADT article explains how, with help from the writers Michael Linton and Charlie Haylock, together with the Mayor and themselves, have ensured that a metal replica of the tapestry will be on show in Woodbridge for two months:
Invasions
I have watched Dr. Sam Willis on several occasions and regularly enjoy his programmes, particularly his artillery series. With the prematurely grey beard, he is usually much more informative than Dan Jones, who is of a similar age. However, part two of his Invasions fell below this standard. It featured a lot of black and… Continue reading Invasions
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