Category Archives: Age of Chaucer

The Cotton or Cottonian Library

A bust of Robert Cotton by Louis-François Roubiliac ~ Public Domain ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Robert_Cotton,_1st_Baronet,_of_Connington#/media/File:Robert_Bruce_Cotton_bust_BM_1924_0412_1.jpg Keeping with Wednesday’s post on Circulating Libraries, I thought I might mention a library some, especially in the U.S. have not considered. The Cotton Library was founded by … Continue reading

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The First Autobiography Ever Written in the English Language

Likely, many of you reading this piece will have never heard of Margery Kempe, but her autobiography was the first recorded in the English language. First, we must realize Mrs. Kempe was born in 1373 in Lynn (later Bishop’s Lynn … Continue reading

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Caister Castle, Only English Example of a “Wasserburg-Style Moated Castle”

A 90-foot tower is all that remains of Caister Castle, which was originally commissioned in 1432 by Sir John Fastolf, who served bravely during the 100 Year War. However, from the tower, visitors can view the castle ruins and the … Continue reading

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Origin of the Drama – Everyman and The Second Shepherd’s Play

Morality Plays, those in which the characters were allegorical persons would attempt to drive home a moral. They provided more scope to the imagination for new plots and incidents and afforded a  chance for delineation of characters. (For more information … Continue reading

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Pre-Elizabethan Drama: Morality Plays

Previously, I did a piece on Liturgical Drama. Today I would like to look at Moralities. As compared to the Miracle or Liturgical dramas, the morality play was one where the playwright had to come up with an original story … Continue reading

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English Drama and the Origins of Censorship

Of late, on social media we have been bombarded with what is termed “obscenities.” We writers are often accused by “reviewers” of writing obscenities or sexually explicit scenes when in our estimations, we are writing PG scenes. The problem is … Continue reading

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UK “Real” Estate: Coggeshall Abbey in Essex

In 1140, Coggeshall Abbey was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda as a Sauvignac Abbey.. It was designed to house the monks of the Savigniac order. The earliest English use of bricks as building materials can be found … Continue reading

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The Mappa Mundi, the World’s Largest Medieval Map

Housed in the Hereford Cathedreal, the Mappa Mundi is believed to the be the world’s largest medieval map. England specialized in world maps of the Middle Ages. They were drawn upon cloth or walls or animal skins.  Only those who … Continue reading

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John Heywood, England’s First Great Dramatist

We know little of John Heywood’s life, other than the year of his birth, which was 1497. Likely, he was once served as a choir boy in the Chapel Royale and then studied at Oxford as a King’s Scholar. He … Continue reading

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The Ceremony of Quit Rents

Have you ever heard of this tradition? The Ceremony of Quit Rents is the oldest legal ceremony in England (other than the coronation). It occurs between St Michael’s Day (October 11) and St Martin’s Day (November 11). On October 17, … Continue reading

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