The Tudor Fair Blog
5 Things about St. Crispin You Probably Didn’t Know
Yesterday, October 25, was a Pretty Big Day. it’s the day after my dad turned 74 it’s my former college boyfriend’s birthday (which I’ll never forget because it’s the day after my dad’s) it was the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt it is St. Crispin’s Day! Wow! That’s a…
History Reading Room: Witches and Richard II
In Halloween history news, the ghost of Jennette Device has been apparently seen roaming around a church in Pendle recently. She was the 9 year old girl who testified against her own mother and sister in the famous Pendle Witch Trials which saw ten people convicted and killed for witchcraft (8…
Witchcraft in Tudor England
I’m working this week on two podcast episodes with the History, Bitches podcast (which is great) that we’re putting out jointly, on Halloween themes, including witches and ghosts. Today we recorded ghosts, so different places where Tudor ghosts are meant to be haunting, and tomorrow is witches. As such, I’ve…
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey
When I was 24 I moved to London because I was in love with the English choral tradition, and wanted to immerse myself in music and history. I also happened to have a crazy crush on an Unavailable Man who lived there, but even though the man and I didn’t…
Sunday Relaxation: Henry VIII Coloring Pages
About a year or so ago I bought The Secret Garden coloring book for adults because I loved all the intricate designs. Coloring has become the new Thing For Stressed Out People To Do To Relax, and I now have 2 Johanna Basford coloring books, a lovely assortment of fine…
The History Reading Room: Gladiators, Nordic Scotland, and Champing
A roundup of my favorite history-related stories I’ve clipped recently! Gladiators: Live Fast Die Young From BBC History Magazine’s HistoryExtra blog: http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/gladiators-facts-ancient-rome Everybody has ideas about Roman gladiators. They’re a mainstay in movies, and we all have an impression of what it would be like to have to go into a…
Stile Antico rescued my Music Drought
About 7 years ago I went through a Music Drought. Have you ever been in one of those? Months, or even years go by, and you realize that you haven’t listened to anything new, or even anything that you love and makes your spine tingle in ages? Yeah, well, that…
The Atheist’s Favorite Service: The Wonder of Choral Evensong
Here’s a niche audience waiting for a need to be met: If you’re in the UK, AND you want to hear choral evensong services near you, there’s a new site called choralevensong.org. It’s a searchable directory of evensong services throughout England. If you’re into choral music, there’s no better place to…
History Reading Room Weekly Roundup – Uhtred of Bebbanburg is arriving!
Here’s a roundup of the history stories that I’ve been reading this week! Stash of Medieval Knickers Discovered From BBC History Magazine’s HistoryExtra blog: http://www.historyextra.com/lingerie Have you ever wondered what kinds of underwear people wore before there was comfy Fruit of the Loom’s made with nice soft cotton? I have.…
The Alhambra: a Trip that Wasn’t (aka Traveling with a Toddler)
It’s not every day that you get to push your babygirl in a stroller around a 9th century Arab complex on a hill in Granada. La Alhambra, which was a massive fortified city with splendid palaces and gardens from the 13th century, and the last fortress to fall to…
Cambridge, and the draining of the Fens
It’s October, which means that I’m in my head planning for another year spending November in a NaNoWriMo haze in addition to the tryptophan-induced sleep coma of Thanksgiving. In case you don’t know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, wherein participants pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.…
Gesualdo: when Really Bad Men write Really Good Music
I’ve been communing with a crazed murderer lately, and it’s actually been an uplifting experience. It’s not often I write something like that. We often put composers and artistic performers up on pedestals. They are somehow closer to the angels. More in touch with Source. A channel for divinity. And this…