Book Review: Hidden Britain by Alvin Nicholas
Tourism with a twist? Tired of the same old tours and droning guides? Alvin Nicholas’s book on manors, mansions, castles, nooks and crannies, reveals there’s more to Britain than meets the eye.
The King’s Welshmen: Welsh Involvement in the Expeditionary Army of 1415
This paper examines the evidence behind the claims that it was Welsh archers that won the battle of Agincourt for Henry V. As might be expected, it is a little less clear-cut than that.
Who Were The Celts? The British Museum Offers Answers with New Exhibition
The British Museum just opened its latest exhibit, Celts: Art and Identity this past Thursday, covering 2,500 years of Celtic history. The exhibit explores Celtic identity and how it eveolved from the time of the Ancient Greeks to the present through art, culture, daily life, religion and politics.
Motte and Bailey Castle for Sale in Wales
Own your own piece of Welsh history with your own Motte and Bailey Castle site in your garden with views over Lake Bala which comes with a superb farmhouse.
Ten Castles that Made Medieval Britain: Pembroke Castle
While Caernarvon was the ultimate manifestation of Anglo-Norman occupied Wales wrought into stone and mortar, Pembroke was its beating heart. Today ensconced upon a spur of rock, the Cleddau estuary flowing gently by, Pembroke Castle stands still, its long shadow silent and serene.
Ten Castles that Made Medieval Britain: Caernarfon Castle
Perhaps more than any other castle found within the British Isles, Caernarfon embodies that most terrifying of a castles aspects; a tool for the aggressive and utter domination of territory.
Wales marks 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt
The Welsh Government is highlighting the important role the country played in this historic event in honour of its 600th anniversary.
Holt Castle in Wales reopens
Holt Castle, near Wrexham in northern Wales, was re-opened last week after the completion of a four year restoration project.
White Castle and the Dating of the Towers
Paul Remfrey makes a detailed case for dating the towers to 1229-31, and 1234-39, built by Hubert de Burgh.
Owain’s Revolt? Glyn Dŵr’s role in the outbreak of the rebellion
This article asserts that Owain Glyn Dŵr was neither the instigator nor, initially, the sole leader of the revolt for which he has become well known. It also challenges the idea that there was just one rebellion and casts doubt on the notion that he proclaimed himself Prince of Wales on 16 September 1400.
Researchers reveal medieval drawings erased centuries ago
One of the Wales’s most important medieval manuscripts is throwing up ghosts from the past after new research and imaging work revealed eerie faces and lines of verse which had previously been erased from history.
Forgotten Ruins? The castles of the Welsh Princes
This article offers a fresh look at some of the castles built by the Welsh princes during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Were they built for defensive purposes, or were they merely a status symbol for the princes who commissioned them?
Medieval Maps of Britain
How did people depict England, Scotland and Wales in the Middle Ages? Here are 15 images of maps created between the 11th and 16th centuries, which shows how maps developed over history.
New bridge installed at Harlech Castle
A new bridge was installed at Harlech Castle last month, which will allow visitors to enter the site through the original historic entrance for the first time in more than 600 years.
Owain Glyndwr and the siege of Coity Castle, 1404-1405
The siege of Coity was indeed significant for its length and its importance, and it was indeed historic, because it is the most famous event associated with the castle in the entire 900 years of its existence. Yet we know very little about the siege and the circumstances surrounding it, even though it lasted for a good part of two years
Archaeological discoveries uncovered at Caernarfon Castle in Wales
It seems if you dig anywhere around Caernarfon Castle in Wales you will be able to turn up a wide variety of historical artifacts. The construction of a new ticketing entrance has led to new finds of ancient, medieval and early modern origins.
Over 21 000 medieval items found in England and Wales in 2013
Over 21,000 medieval objects were discovered in England and Wales in 2013, according to the latest release of the The Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report. Since its inception in 1997, over one million historical objects have been recorded by the scheme.
Amending the Ascetic: Community and Character in the Old English Life of St. Mary of Egypt
Among the most eligible saints for such treatment, Mary of Egypt deserves particular consideration: her popularity is evidenced by over a hundred extant Greek manuscripts of her Life and her uniquely prominent position in the Lenten liturgical cycle in the Eastern Church.
Medieval nunnery discovered in Wales
Archaeologists working in western Wales have discovered the remains of a medieval nunnery that was turned into a Tudor mansion.
Top 10 Medieval Castles in Wales
Wales is home to some of the most fascinating castles on the British Isles – these medieval fortresses have fought over for hundreds of years and display some unique architectural heritage
Time, space and power in later medieval Bristol
With a population of almost 10,000, Bristol was later medieval England’s second or third biggest urban place, and the realm’s second port after London. While not particularly large or wealthy in comparison with the great cities of northern Italy, Flanders or the Rhineland, it was a metropolis in the context of the British Isles.
Did the Battle of Hyddgen even take place?
The Battle of Hyddgen is said to be the first victory of the Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr and many historians believe it played a central role to his revolt in the early fifteenth-century. A historian is now questioning where the battle took place, and even if the encounter took place at all.
New Project to look at Medieval Miracles in the British Isles
A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge have started creating an online database to categorize the miracles found in saints’ lives that were written in Britain and Ireland between 500 and 1300.
When was Offa’s Dyke built?
Historians have long believed that Offa’s Dyke was built in the late eighth-century, but new evidence suggests it might be 200 years older.