The Celtic Cross
The crudely functional plank onto which Jesus and countless others were nailed in final and agonising humiliation has been transformed through the activities of...
Popular perceptions of the Magna Carta
It is seen as the symbol of rights for citizens and the beginning of democracy, so the Magna Carta is considered to be one...
The Merry Month of May: Ancient Mayday Traditions
Ancient religion was based on the cycle of nature, and in the cold northern realms, the coming of spring and its explosion of new...
Love and Passion in the Christian World: Peter Abélard
When Abélard met Héloise, more or less in 1117, he was at the summit of his career as both a philosopher and a teacher....
Chaucer and the Scientific Method
The Middle Ages are traditionally considered to be a time of intellectual stagnation, especially in regard to developments in science. Many thinkers in the...
The Latter Days of Henry II Plantagenet
Henry at this time was also unable to seek solace in the company of his wife and family, as they were as usual at...
What are Medieval Manuscripts? And Where are they Found?
Strictly speaking, any hand-written document is a manuscript–the Latin manuscriptus literally means “written” (scriptus) “by hand” (manu). So charters and scrolls, fragments and books...
Richard III – Murderer or Martyr?
The most infamous story that came from the period of English history known as the Wars of the Roses was that of the Princes...
Controversy Over National Trust Reenactment Policy
I was somewhat surprised when visiting the National Trust Derbyshire property, Calke Abbey, in August 2011 to be greeted in the entrance hall by...
The Almanac and the Cosmos: the First Self-Help Guide?
The meaning of the word ‘almanac’ or ‘almanach’ is uncertain. It has most commonly been attributed to Spanish Arabic because of the prefix ‘al-‘...