*Archivist Note: There seems to be an increase in the blacksmith trade. I know there are at least three operating in my area. Please contact me if you have a few thousand dollars lying around and would like to donate a suit of armor to the Medieval Archives! Bill Fedun was 18 and bored working…
Monthly Archives: June 2010
The worldview of the Gothic cathedral
Imagine it is the year 1400, and you are visiting the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres for the first time. You have never before seen the remarkable structure that dominates the busy, dirty, commercial city and the peaceful French countryside for miles around. Strolling up the Rue du Bourg you enter a cavernous space…
Medieval frescoes discovered behind wallpaper
Behind the yellowed wallpaper in one of Rome’s no longer used municipal offices, a discovery was made. What has come to light is probably a Triumphant Christ with his faithful followers Peter and Paul portrayed in a medieval triptych recently discovered in a tower of the Senatorial Palace on the Capitol. The characters in the…
Holy Grail Discovered?
For 2,000 years the Holy Grail has been the most sought-after relic of the Christian world. Now one man believes he has traced the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper to the heart of England. GRAHAM BALL speaks to the author EC Coleman about its journey through the hands of saints, kings and…
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
This is not your grandpappy’s Castlevania, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing. To me, the Castlevania of old was all about exploration and the gritty adventure-horror tropes of the classic Dracula and werewolf films. Like Metroid, I don’t think that Castlevania needs to be a side-scrolling platforming game to be true to its…
Medieval jug to be shown off at The Herbert
Medieval artefacts dating back to when Coventry was one of the country’s most important cities have been handed over to The Herbert. The collection was discovered by archaeologists during excavation work at Coombe Abbey Hotel, a former monastery. Among the finds was a 13th century jug made in Nuneaton, a large collection of bowls and,…
Perkinson’s Medieval Portraiture Book Gets Top Prize
Associate Professor of Art History Stephen Perkinson’s book The Likeness of the King: A Prehistory of Portraiture in Late Medieval France (University of Chicago Press, 2009) has just won the Morris D. Forkosch Prize For The Best First Book in Intellectual History from the Journal of History of Ideas. The book upends several well-established theories…
Oldest remains of English royalty unearthed
The bones of Alfred the Great’s granddaughter Eadgyth have been discovered in Germany. Forensic anaylsis of the contents of a recently-discovered tomb has concluded that it contained the oldest surviving remains of any member of the English Royal family The tomb was hailed as ”one of the most exciting historical discoveries in recent years” when…
Medieval Pottery discovered
One of the “significant” pieces of pottery uncovered by archaeologists It is no secret that the former Market Street Haddington home of the East Lothian Courier is steeped in history… And now the site’s prominence has been strengthened further by the significant discovery of medieval pottery buried beneath the old printworks for nearly 1,000 years….
Parishes save 600-year-old document
A medieval document that opens a window to 15th century society will be on display for the first time in 600 years after being saved from disappearing into a private collection. The parchment, from 1438, is the oldest complete land deed in the Cambridgeshire area and details the transfer of land in Whaddon during the…
700th anniversary of Richard de Pottesgrave
Many people turned out for a medieval weekend held to mark the 700th anniversary of Richard de Pottesgrave at St Andrew’s Church in Heckington. Richard de Pottesgrave, originally of Byfleet, was appointed as last rector of Heckington in 1309 by King Edward II. It was in this time that Richard rebuilt the chancel, adding to…
Call in the cavalry for Abbey Medieval Festival
Preparations for the Abbey Medieval Festival are in full swing, ready for the 21st incarnation of the event in 2010. About 15,000 people are expected to flock to Australia’s largest medieval event to sample the music, chivalry and fierce combat of times past on July 10 and 11. More than 500 knights will gather for…
Castle visitors to get chance of look back into medieval era
Visitors to a North Yorkshire castles will get a taste of what life was like during the medieval period when the era is brought to life this weekend. Knaresborough Castle is hosting an array of medieval-themed events ranging from music and dance to cookery demonstrations as well as story-telling and birds of prey displays. The…
Winter is Coming
A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin is the first book in an epic fantasy series that currently spans four novels with a total of seven planed. If you haven’t read the books they are well worth the time. HBO has picked up the first book A Game of Thrones for a series to…
Government joins battle for William Wallace “passport”
William Wallace’s passport could return north of the border, after the Scottish Government began research into relic. They have asked a team of medieval history experts to report on the significance of The Safe Conduct, a letter written by the French King to grant Wallace safe access to the Pope. It was seized following his…