Tag: Wales

A Royal guide to … Wales

This excellent documentary was featured on Channel Four during March. It told of Wales’ existence as a Kingdom before the Normans arrived and sought to reinforce their borders and the last Principality was suppressed about a year before the future Edward II was born at his father’s greatest military outpost at Caernarfon. It discussed the… Continue reading A Royal guide to … Wales

Sharing the household goods for the medieval parting of the ways….

Never having been divorced I have no idea of exactly how fussy the law is when it comes to sharing property. Well, I know they still have to list things, but I certainly didn’t know what was expected in medieval times when a couple finally parted. I had reason to check upon what amounted to… Continue reading Sharing the household goods for the medieval parting of the ways….

Roman Wales

The first thing to note about Roman rule in Wales is that it started in 48 AD, a few years later than in England, which is a consequence of the Claudian invasion having started in Kent. It is likely to have finished a little earlier too, in about 383, as the general Maximus Magnus sought… Continue reading Roman Wales

What ancient Celtic wonders did the Romans encounter beyond the estuary of the Severn….?

Before I go any further, let me say that the above image is more or less the first view I had back in the 1970s of the Romano-British temple of Nodens, at Lydney Park near the town of Lydney in Gloucestershire. The temple is on a hillfort site on a bluff where the River Severn… Continue reading What ancient Celtic wonders did the Romans encounter beyond the estuary of the Severn….?

Digging for Britain (series 11)

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)

Hugh Despenser the Younger

So here we have one of Kathryn Warner‘s earlier books. It describes the life and career of Edward II’s third and final favourite – his marriage to Eleanor de Clare, his lawless activitities but also the degree to which they were exaggerated, leading to his “trial” and execution. We can recommend it highly as part… Continue reading Hugh Despenser the Younger

The Mists Of Middleham

A review of The Mists of Middleham by Pauline Calkin. Reposted from the Richard III Society page.   The Mists of Middleham – An Alianore Audley Novel by Brian Wainwright. Readers may remember Alianore Audley as the wise-cracking, no nonsense Yorkist Intelligence operative who gave us her first-hand account of the reigns of Edward IV… Continue reading The Mists Of Middleham

Tyrants – Part 2

Henry Bolingbroke, of course, was not a tyrant. Not at all. It’s just that before he became king, he executed an earl and four knights, no doubt by mistake. He was neither king, high constable nor marshal, and anyway was a banished man. So he had no lawful authority whatever. But he was merely carrying… Continue reading Tyrants – Part 2

Two weeks of archaeological delights….

Over a weekend in mid-July 2023 there was an archaeological event at Powis Castle during which visitors could participate in The Festival of Archaeology, “….a national, annual programme of events which runs over two weeks. Events in the series include activities, talks, guided walks, exhibitions, excavations, activities and more. The theme for this year is… Continue reading Two weeks of archaeological delights….

The Lordship of Powys. (Part 1)

Powys is an interesting Marcher Lordship in that it was never conquered by the English but descended by inheritance. Of course, the Welsh princes of Powys tended to be quite pro-English. (Perhaps one should really say pro-Anglo-Norman.) This is quite understandable, however shocking it may seem to modern nationalist sentiment. For one thing, Powys was… Continue reading The Lordship of Powys. (Part 1)