Leaks, thistles and crosses of all kinds….

No, I haven’t made a boo-boo, the subject line of this article from Inside Wales Sport does indeed say “leaks”. A friend has wondered if this means Wales is a land in dire need of plumbers! This was a clear invitation to examine the rest of the article for further bloopers. I’ll start with England’s… Continue reading Leaks, thistles and crosses of all kinds….

A visit to Beccles (2016)

Originally posted on Mid Anglia Group, Richard III Society:
To visit this town, by the southern extremity of the Broads, the Group assembled at the King’s Head, a short walk from Beccles station on the East Suffolk Line. After this, we met Murray’s late grandfather James Woodrow, local historian, to show us around the town.…

Even more “Britain’s Most Historic Towns”

Alice Roberts has been back on our screens with a third series of the above. This time, she visited (Mediaeval) Lincoln, (Restoration) London, (Naval) Portsmouth, (Elizabethan) Plymouth, (Steam Age) Glasgow, (Georgian) Edinburgh and (Industrial Revolution) Manchester, albeit not in chronological order like the two previous series. There was a focus on Nicola de la Haye… Continue reading Even more “Britain’s Most Historic Towns”

MODERN RICHARD!

I came upon an interesting Instagram post  by Royalty-now where someone had taken the Society of Antiquaries portrait of Richard III, removed his hat and long hair and blended his face with that of a 21st century man. Although I miss the hair personally, I think he scrubbed up rather well! A few folk commenting… Continue reading MODERN RICHARD!

So wrong he could be right?

This article, by the former MP Norman Baker, appeared in the Mail on Sunday. Actually, the original version was much longer and referred to Elizabeth II as a descendant of Henry VIII. This is an egregious howler, surely, because all of his actual descendants died by 1603 (or the last day of 1602/3 in the… Continue reading So wrong he could be right?

The truth about the Christian New Year’s Eve….

New Year’s Eve now and New Year’s Eve in the mediaeval period actually refer to two different calendar days. Old New Year’s Eve was 24th March. For an easy-to-understand explanation, please go to here, but whichever the day, it was still New Year’s Eve. We now celebrate it with much fun, laughter and hope, but… Continue reading The truth about the Christian New Year’s Eve….

A very busy presenter

Rob Bell seems to be on television a lot at the moment. Although he is an engineer and not quite a historian, many of his programmes go back in time as structures were built. Walking Britain’s Lost Railways, for instance, goes back under two centuries because of the subject matter, but Great British Ships (both Channel… Continue reading A very busy presenter

So where exactly is “Orwell”?

Harwich Town station is the end of the line, a twenty-five minute ride from Manningtree and the north-eastern extremity of Essex. As you cross the main road from the station car park, turning left takes you past a series of old buildings with Harwich Society plaques amid a modern setting. Some of these commemorate people such… Continue reading So where exactly is “Orwell”?

Did Richard III choose his nephew Lincoln as his heir presumptive….?

The identity of Richard’s chosen heir has always been a sort-of mystery. Not to me. I have always believed he chose his sister’s eldest son, John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. But then I’m stubborn, and once I have made up my mind, it takes a lot to shift me. Lincoln seemed the obvious… Continue reading Did Richard III choose his nephew Lincoln as his heir presumptive….?