Category Archives: medieval

Very “Real” Estate: Vicars’ Close, Wells, Somerset, England

Posted on August 8, 2018 by

The oldest purely residential street in England is known as Vicars’ Close, which is located in Wells, Somerset, England, and dates from the mid 14th Century.  Planned by Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury, at one time it was 42 separate houses, … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, England, Great Britain, history, medieval, research | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Very “Real” Estate ~ Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire ~ Church for Robin Hood and Maid Marian’s Wedding???

Posted on July 27, 2018 by

 In 633 A. D., King Edwin of Northumbria (King of Deira and Bernicia), a Saxon, whose kingdom at the time stretched from the River Trent, which marks the boundary between the Midlands and the north of England, to Edinburgh (Edwin’s borough), … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Saxons, British history, buildings and structures, kings and queens, legends and myths, medieval | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The Village of Ewelme and Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk

Posted on July 13, 2018 by

In the wooded village of Ewelme in Oxfordshire, we discover an elaborate church monument incorporating a cadaver tomb at St Mary’s Church. An alabaster tomb, remaining essentially undamaged by time, is the resting place of Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of Geoffrey … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, British history, buildings and structures, Chaucer, kings and queens, legacy, medieval, military, real life tales, war | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

“Murder of a Bastard Child,” an Historical Crime Against Children

Posted on May 7, 2018 by

In the 18th Century in England, what was the fate of a child born to a young woman pregnant out of wedlock? Alan Taylor in the British History Georgian Lives Facebook Group tells us, “The most common capital offence for … Continue reading →

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The Theatre-Loving Fore-Runners of Shakespeare ~ Part I

Posted on November 3, 2017 by

 With the rediscovery of the works of Seneca, Plautus, and Terence, the renaissance of 16th Century England began. First edited in 1308 by an Nicholas Treveth, the tragedian Seneca remained unnoticed for some time by those in England, for Treveth … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, British history, drama, England, kings and queens, medieval, playwrights, theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Mappa Mundi, the World’s Largest Medieval Map

Posted on August 9, 2017 by

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 →

Posted in Africa, Age of Chaucer, British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, medieval, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Oxfordshire St. George Play

Posted on July 20, 2017 by

Closely related to the Morris and Sword Dancers, the Oxfordshire St. George Play is considered a kind of Mummers Play. As well as possessing close elements of kinship, the characters in all these plays are largely interchangeable. That being said, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, drama, literature, medieval | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments