5 Cool Celtic Things at the British Museum
I attended the opening of the British Museum’s, Celts: Art and Identity exhibit on Sept 24th. It showcases stunning art, jewellery, weaponry, daily and religious objects to tell the story of the Celtic people.
Between 50 and 75 medieval skeletons discovered at Westminster Abbey
Archaeologists have discovered the skeletal remains of between 50 to 75 individuals buried in the walls of Westminster Abbey. It is believed that they date from the 11th or early 12th century.
Imprisonment, Execution and Escape: Medieval History and the National Curriculum
The final talk in Sesson #1041, Engaging the Public with the Medieval World, looked at what English children are being taught in school. How much medieval history is in the new programme that was released in September 2014? Megan Gooch, Curator at the Historic Royal Palaces breaks down the English system for us in her paper, ‘Imprisonment, Execution, and Escape: Medieval History and the National Curriculum’.
Making the Castle a Home: Creating an Immersive Medieval World Using Live Costumed Interpreters
How does the use of unscripted, adaptive, historical interpretation boost the tourist experience? Right on the heels of our look at the Tower of London’s visitor engagement, we heard a paper from Lauren Johnson, Research Manager for Past Pleasures, the oldest historical interpretation company in the UK who educate and entertain the public at historical sites, museums, on stage and and on TV.
The Experience of Growing Up in Medieval Society
This session (#508) was one of several at Leeds devoted to exploring childhood in the Middle Ages. Our presenters talked about the stereotypes of adolescence, and what the coroner’s rolls revealed about the deaths (and lives) of medieval children.
Exhibit: Magna Carta Through the Ages at the Society of Antiquaries of London
If you’re passing through London and want something to do that is very quick, free, and historical, check out this great little Magna Carta exhibit at Burlington House hosted by the Society of Antiquaries of London.
John Rykener, Richard II and the Governance of London
Its narrative of cross-dressing, male prostitution, gay sex, clerical promiscuity and the like seems to offer a rare window onto late medieval sexuality and sexual mores.
Medieval London as Seen through the Eyes of Czech and German Travellers
The aim of this article is to analyze the first depictions of London in Czech literature, namely in travel journals of the Czech writer and traveller Wenzel Schaseck of Birkov and the German burgher Gabriel Tetzel of Gräfenberg
Project to compare health of Londoners from medieval and industrial eras
The Museum of London will be starting a ground-breaking research project to explore the effects of industrialisation on Londoners.
Halt! Who Comes There?: Locking Up Tower of London – The Ceremony of the Keys
A review of the Tower of London’s medieval Ceremony of the Keys!
A Fifteenth-Century Merchant in London and Kent: Thomas Walsingham (d.1457)
In 1424 the London citizen and vintner Thomas Walsingham acquired the manor of Scadbury, then in the parish of Chislehurst in north-west Kent.
The City of London and the Magna Carta
A brief, but enlightening, discussion of the intermingled histories of the City of London and Magna Carta.
Magna Carta Through the Ages exhibition to take place in London
The Society of Antiquaries of London will launch a historic exhibition to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. It will bring together and display, for the first time, the Society’s three copies of the charter.
London at War: The City of London’s Involvement in Warfare from 1330-1400
This dissertation will discuss this military organisation, firstly in respect to the troops London was required to raise, how many, and where these men were sent.
Medieval Books for Christmas
It’s that time of year again – the mad scramble for the perfect Christmas gift for the historian, nerd, avid reader on your list. Here are a few suggestions for you – new releases for December and January!
London in the Not-So-Dark Ages
An overview of the results of over 40 years of archaeological research into the origins, development and decline of the Middle Saxon trading settlement of Lundenwic, London.
The Archaeology of St Paul’s Cathedral
Recent work has brought together what we know of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval cathedrals beneath and around Wren’s St Paul’s, the City of London’s most important historic building and monument.
A Medieval Dream and its Interpretation
Medieval people were also interested in dreams, and they attempted to figure out what they meant. Often a dream would be interpret as a sign of future events, or a divine warning that someone needed to change their ways.
CONFERENCES: Arnold Fitz Thedmar: an Early London chronicler
Another fascinating paper given at the Institute for Historical Research in central London. For those of you interested in chronicles, urban history and London, this paper was definitely for you. Ian Stone discussed his dissertation about thirteenth century London through the eyes of wealthy Alderman, Arnold Fitz Thedmar.
CONFERENCE: The Historical Novel Society – London 2014
My review of the recent Historical Novel Society conference that took place in London, England.
Were medieval monks obese?
The modern image of the medieval monk, as often depicted in Robin Hood’s Friar Tuck, is of the overweight man who indulges in food. How accurate is this stereotype?
Public Toilets in the Middle Ages
Where should you go to find a public toilet in the medieval city?
Two Lost Libraries in London
Medieval libraries in England were assembled in many places and for different purposes.
Air Pollution and Fuel Crises in Preindustrial London, 1250-1650
I intend to show in this paper that the occurrence of air pollution in London before the Industrial Revolution was symptomatic of one of these basic environmental problems
