tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009759603145921812024-03-13T13:33:41.344+00:00Scribbling in the marginsMusings on the Historical Novel and life as it happens...Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-9869183454730095452018-03-28T11:19:00.001+01:002018-03-29T13:37:50.193+01:00A Visit to Wolf Hall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wolf Hall lies on the edge of The Savernake Forest and was the familial home of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife. This location does not actually enter into my novel <i>The Woman in the Shadows</i>. My novel is about Elizabeth, Thomas Cromwell's wife and it, in fact, ends in 1528 before Cromwell becomes a courtier. None the less, <i>The Woman in the Shadows </i>explores Cromwell's early career and his marriage, closing just on the cusp of Thomas Cromwell's entry into Henry's world and the King's marital troubles. My novel was inspired by Hilary Mantel's <i>Wolf Hall</i>. I was curious about Cromwell's family life so my book aims to fill in the 'what could have been' concerning Thomas Cromwell's domestic life and to tell a story. It is Historical Fiction, albeit thoroughly researched. In time, there will be another novel set in this period in which Wolf Hall does make an appearance.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Tudor back view of Wolf Hall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always thought the actual manor house of Wolf Hall had completely vanished, a bit like Henry's palace of Nonesuch. I knew the original manor house was closely situated to the later property of Wolf Hall, the manor house I visited yesterday. I received a surprise as I discovered there was the serious possibility that the later property known as Wolf Hall was pretty likely to always have been part of the original Tudor Wolf Hall.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval beams are elm</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wolf Hall belongs to four descendants of the Seymours. It seems it is indeed part of the original site of the country manor that grew into the mansion that was Wolf Hall during the sixteenth century. The original site is often considered to be around The Laundry House across the fields. That building is within spitting distance of the Hall but at a lower level. To the back of the Wolf Hall Manor, I visited yesterday, there is clearly a Tudor build and evidence of the medieval manor house. Although not as grand as the Wolf Hall King Henry visited, it is undoubtedly Tudor.</span> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Excavated paving</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An enterprising group that includes conservationists, local historians and a band of archaeologists have begun to investigate Wolf Hall further with the blessing of the four owners, Dominic, Orlando, Theo and Genevieve who are all young and enthusiastic. These delightful young people inherited their family home after their mother's death a few years ago. They would like, if all comes well, the current hall restored (especially the Tudor part) and the footprint of the vanished part of Wolf Hall clearly unveiled. They aim to provide events and have the public visit restored gardens. This result would be some way off as the garden currently contains trenches. Even so, they have come far in a year, impressively far. There is still much work to be done. It is a major restoration project. The location of Wolf Hall is beautiful, stunningly so and because it is such an important manor house with a fabulous history, Wolf Hall is well worth preserving.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excavation to the left side of the Tudor House</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efzg84FGKUw/WrtiBa6yQ5I/AAAAAAAAB5A/UF1yJ5A4OxUkCrIAm8mRexGe1SgbHTR2gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efzg84FGKUw/WrtiBa6yQ5I/AAAAAAAAB5A/UF1yJ5A4OxUkCrIAm8mRexGe1SgbHTR2gCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_4459.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A trench to the left of the Tudor part of Wolf Hall.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now for excavation in the garden</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can easily imagine living there as it was in the day. You can visualize the colour and pageantry associated with the infamous visits made to Wolf Hall by King Henry who hunted in the forest. The family possesses records of the visits. The banquets must have been fabulous. The Seymours hailed from a prominent gentry family, descendants of an Anglo-Norman family. Sir John Seymour married Margery Wentworth who was descended from Edward III through Henry Hotspur. Amongst other offices, Sir John was Sheriff of Wiltshire on many occasions. He held the wardenship of Savernake Forest. By 1532 he was Groom of the Bedchamber! Sir John who died in December 1536 was present at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The Seymour family was indeed up and coming, and apparently wealthy enough by 1530s to extend their country house into a residence fit to entertain the King. The girls of his and Margery's issue who survived were Jane, Margery, who died in 1528, Elizabeth who like Thomas, Edward and Jane was a courtier and Dorothy who married well. Two boys died young but Edward and Thomas Seymour survived during King Henry's reign and were close to the King. Another male survivor kept a low profile.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2XEWfTmJ2o/Wrzci-dqXuI/AAAAAAAAB6c/cDaQRXlE0682g7wOUmRDc1rZPeAGs_MAQCLcBGAs/s1600/the%2BEdward%2BSeymour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="234" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2XEWfTmJ2o/Wrzci-dqXuI/AAAAAAAAB6c/cDaQRXlE0682g7wOUmRDc1rZPeAGs_MAQCLcBGAs/s400/the%2BEdward%2BSeymour.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thomas Seymour</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane Seymour</span></td></tr>
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<b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Of particular archaeological interest are the trenches in the garden. They are as fascinating and fruitful as any I have seen Time Team dig up. Possibly more so. I saw evidence of Tudor flooring and brickwork and wondered if the trenches I examined indicate the rest of the Tudor kitchen which would have been larger than what is there today. Lots of oyster shells! Today's kitchen is Tudor. The support beams prove this. It is a beginning to a superb project, a very sound beginning. I hope the archaeology extends out further to the side of the current building and behind to find evidence of courtyards, stables. I imagine that could also indicate the great country house residence Wolf Hall was supposed to have become by the 1530s.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">medieval brickwork</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tudor/medieval beam in the current kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The roof is being worked on as I write thus the scaffolding around the Hall. Preserving the roof, in itself, has been a major project.</span><br />
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It will<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> be wonderful when archaeology can reveal further foundations of walls and kitchens. There is fabulous written information associated with Wolf Hall. The inventories and menus associated with the Tudor period show fine dining. The conservation group, The Friends of Real Wolf Hall, are currently holding Open Days and it is possible to visit and participate if interested. We had a discussion about possible literary activities. I hope some of these get underway soon.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To find out more go to </span><a href="https://realwolfhall.com/" target="_blank">https://realwolfhall.com/</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is a truly wonderful site.</span><br />
<u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do try to support the project by joining Friends of Wolf Hall and by attending any events offered. My day was steeped in the Tudor history I love, and in the company of a delightful group of energetic and enthusiastic conservationists. Dominic from Wolf Hall looks just like his ancestor, Edward Seymour!</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-7432412549931088182017-08-06T17:55:00.000+01:002017-08-09T08:48:25.127+01:00Out of the Shadows: Story of the Book Launch in Pictures.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the 4th August <i>The Woman in the Shadows</i> was published. The launch party was held in Oxford Waterstones on publication day and was attended by over seventy guests. It was a pleasant evening with sunshine pouring in through the long windows of the second floor restaurant. You can see my publisher, Hazel Cushion, in the first picture. She is the lady wearing the green scarf.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Red and white wine flowed, pretty sandwiches were demolished and for me it was not only thrilling to see the publication of my novel about Elizabeth and Thomas Cromwell and their world of Tudor London but to celebrate its outing with family, friends and representatives of the book world including my publisher and publicist, Karen Bultiauw, from Accent Press. It was an opportunity for me to explain why I wrote this novel and a little about its protagonists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What follows are words extracted from my introduction to the novel. I resisted reading because, frankly, just read it for yourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Historical Fiction is I believe about telling a great story and recreating the details of life lived in a past era. It can also be new angles taken on well-travelled stories. I particularly enjoy exploring a woman's position in History, those women who haunt History's shadows. My novels are about bringing historical women, real and imagined out of the shadows. A part of Elizabeth Cromwell's story is rooted in fact but a part is also about putting flesh on the skeleton and how I imagined this woman who was married to Henry VIII's famous statesman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was I brave to write in the shadows of Hilary Mantel? I do not assume my writing to be as praiseworthy or as prizeworthy but I have indeed come at this story from a different angle. I was curious about Thomas Cromwell's domestic life and the possible dramas that lay within it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Woman in the Shadows</i> is not a book about Thomas Cromwell and King Henry's court, nor is it about The King's Great Matter, his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The King, Thomas Wolsey Anne Boleyn do not speak in this novel. They dwell in its shadows. It is about a young widow from the merchant class who saw noblemen and noblewomen as potential customers for her finer fabrics. Once she marries Thomas Cromwell her life begins to change. This novel is concerned with him before he became a player in politics. Seen through her eyes he is ambitious, a little secretive, radical in his religious views, and devoted to his family or is he? She is a modest, religious and spirited woman married to a man with a phenomenal memory and a secret or two. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are not many facts about Elizabeth. I worked with the few I did discover. She was a wealthy widow. Her family were cloth merchants. Like the Cromwells, she lived in Fulham. They married circa 1514, had three children and were upwardly mobile. By 1517 Thomas was working as a steward at York Place for Cardinal Wolsey, a position he got through family connections and his ability. He undertook legal work and as the family became wealthy they moved from a home in Fenchurch Street to a choice neighbourhood by Austin Friary. Their close friends were intellectuals and often Italian merchants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Around these facts I constructed a possible life for Elizabeth. She loved her garden, her children, fabrics but she could make mistakes. She, like many other merchant wives supported Catherine, the Queen, but Elizabeth, too, guards a secret that sets in motion a series of events which are not fully resolved until the story draws to a close.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To read the book, look for it on amazon via this link</span>.<a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9mytm2a" target="_blank">The Woman in the Shadows</a><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Woman in the Shadows</span></i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is also available on amazon.com and from all good bookshops</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, my thanks to all who came and made this a fabulous evening and to the Oxford Waterstones Staff who were headed by Holly. They were a delight and they helped make this launch a great celebratory party.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-27564676983289456142017-07-01T17:04:00.003+01:002017-07-01T17:12:08.170+01:00Summer Books by guest author Brenda Brittan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I welcome Brenda Brittan, Writer from The Greek Mani Writer's Group to share her favoured summer reads.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px;">As I Walked Out One Midsummer
Morning – Laurie Lee</span></b></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This
delightful sequel to Cider With Rosie, is an ideal summer read when one wants
to escape the restrictions of everyday life and visit somewhere different.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a captivating tale of a curious young
man who does this when he decides to leave the security of his village and see
more of the world.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leaving
rural Gloucestershire Laurie Lee begins his ‘walk’ taking the road to Southampton
supporting himself by playing his violin.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Encouraged by this ability he heads for London managing to pay rent for
a room by working as a wheelbarrow pusher’ on a building site and by playing
his violin. When he has to leave his room due to his landlord letting it out to
a prostitute and realising the building he is working on is nearing completion he
knows he needs to move on and on the basis of knowing the Spanish for ‘Will you
please give me a glass of water’ he decides to go to Spain landing in Galicia
on the north west coast in July 1935.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His
wanderings with only his violin to pay his way and the optimism and freshness
of an idealistic young man take him from Vigo in the north down to the southern
coast crossing a county where signs of an impending civil war were in
evidence.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He befriended locals who more
often than not gave him shelter and food. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His
travels were stopped at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War however in 1937
he returned to Spain to enlist for the International Brigade to fight against
Franco.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite suffering epileptic fits
his officer described his conduct as ‘excellent’.</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The </span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Glassblower</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
of Murano – Marina Fiorato</span></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Murano is a series of islands in the Venetian
Lagoon linked by bridges and is famous for its glass making. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was once
an independent </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">commune</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, but is
now a </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">frazione</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of the </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">comune</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of Venice.’</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story begins in 1681 with thirty-year-old
Corradinio Manin looking on the lights of San Marco, Venice for the last time. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is being hunted but there is one last thing
he has to do before his hunters catch up with him. He hears footsteps behind
him, at last he reaches the Calle della Morte – appropriately named the street
of death – he stops, as do the footsteps.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His last words are ‘Will Leonora be safe?’</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last words he hears are ‘Yes, you have
the word of The Ten’.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Venice in 1681, glassblowing is the lifeblood of
the Republic and Venetian mirrors are more treasured than gold.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Council of Ten will go to any lengths to protect
the glassblowers of Murano and their methods, virtually imprisoning them on the
island. Corradinio Manin has sold his methods to a person. In their eyes he has
betrayed them.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the present day, Nora Manin, a teacher in ceramics
and sculpture wakes at 4am.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her marriage
to a doctor is over, shattered. Today is the day she is going to leave England
and begin a new life in Venice as a glassblower</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And thus the scene is set for a combination of
mystery, historical intrigue and love, written by an English/Venetian author,
telling a story of passion, genius and betrayal linking the present and the
past.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lion
– A Long Way Back - Saroo Brierley</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘</span></span><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a five-year old in India, I
got lost on a train. Twenty-five years later, I crossed the world to find my
way back home.’ </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the early 1980’s an Indian man walked out on his
family leaving his wife and children in a state of poverty. The wife found work
in construction whilst five-year-old Saroo and his older brothers begged at
railway stations. One evening Saroo went with his older brother Guddu on a
train from Kwanda to Burhanpur.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Saroo
collapsed with tiredness and fell asleep on a train.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When he woke Guddu was not there.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Panic set in, he tried to remember which
train he should take to get home but without success and eventually he ended up
on the streets of Calcutta (Kolkata).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story follows his life on the streets, an inner sixth sense helping him
to survive including escaping from a railway worker who befriended him and then
showed him to a friend. Saroo felt something was not right and he ran from the
house where he had been ‘invited’ to stay. Eventually a teenager took him to a
police station and he was taken in by the Indian Society </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for Sponsorship and
Adoption. The Society tried unsucessfully to locate his family.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Saroo did not know was that he had been
unable to give them enough information for them to trace his hometown and he was
officially declared as a lost child.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was an adoption scheme between the Indian and Australian governments
and Saroo was adopted by a family in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, the Brierley
family.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His new life began in
Hobart.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the relatively short passage of time from the late 1980’s to the
present day, the world wide web became part of everyday lives and following a
lead, Saroo realises he may be able to trace his family in India by using the
Social Media sites.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Messenger of Athens – Anne
Zaroudi</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A light-hearted summer murder mystery read set in Greece. It is set on the
fictional island of Thinimos and is the first book in a series based on the
Seven Deadly Sins. This being based on ‘Lust’ and features a rather strange
detective, Hermes Diaktoros of whom little is known, other than he appears when
what is seemingly a straightforward death has occurred.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mystery surrounds him. Could he be an ‘avenging angel’ only reporting to a
‘higher authority’ and there to ensure justice is carried out? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His methods of investigation are unorthodox, his trademark a pair of
immaculately kept white plimsolls, possibly a modern version of the winged
sandals worn by his namesake Hermes, messenger of the Gods. The reader is never
told how he gets his information thus adding to his mystique.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this first book based on ‘Lust’, a young girl’s body has been discovered
lying at the bottom of a mountainside.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her death is shrugged off by the local police as an accident or suicide
until Hermes appears on the scene. He is determined that the truth of her death
will be told and his investigations depict a darker side of Greek life in a
protective community where myths, lies, corruption and tragedy along with a
touching love story are revealed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the fantasy element it is a good mystery story and a must for anyone
who loves to read about Greek culture other than the sun, sea and sand holiday
aspect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you, Brenda, for sharing your summer reads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May I also say that my new novel The Woman in the Shadows about Thomas and Elizabeth Cromwell will be published by Accent Press on 4th August 2017.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Pre Order on Amazon.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-59081698652806604572017-05-28T13:16:00.001+01:002017-05-28T13:16:31.987+01:00The Tudor Way of Death<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My new novel </span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Woman in the Shadows</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> opens with the death of Elizabeth Williams' husband's death. She has kept his secret for years but now she is free. She is a widow, ready to take on the management of her cloth trade. Then, she meets Thomas Cromwell who helps her to overcome her father's opposition and that of jealous traders. She marries him. As Thomas Cromwell rises to be a merchant and lawyer during the fifteen twenties we see his ambition through her eyes. We also see what their family life might have been. Look at my website for more about this novel. It is on amazon pre order and is released on August 4th.</span> <br />
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<b>If you pre order the paperback let me know via my website email and I shall send you a signed bookplate for your new book.</b> <br />
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<a href="http://www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk/">www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this post, I write briefly on the dark subject of the Tudor way of death. When a person was dying, the Parish bell tolled. It tolled again at the point of burial. This alerted the community to a death and it showed respect for the deceased. The bell also summoned attendants to the graveside. It is at Tom Williams' graveside in St Albans' churchyard that we first encounter Thomas Cromwell, in Chapter 1 of <i>The Woman in the Shadows</i>. Attendants would bring comfort, not only to the living, but to the dead. Mourners were prompted to prayers which helped the soul on its precarious journey to heaven. The bells sanctified the soul in its passing and, for the superstitious, even ward off evil spirits which could molest the soul. After the Reformation in the 1530s and particularly during the Elizabethan Age this tradition was limited.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tCPmfztDdV0/WSq38I0tNYI/AAAAAAAABvQ/1fHjCUKgEoQgzCXwL5fSrjdmauN5HelDQCLcB/s1600/20120508-heaven%2Bheronimus_Bosch_4_last_things_%2528Paradise%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="610" height="315" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tCPmfztDdV0/WSq38I0tNYI/AAAAAAAABvQ/1fHjCUKgEoQgzCXwL5fSrjdmauN5HelDQCLcB/s320/20120508-heaven%2Bheronimus_Bosch_4_last_things_%2528Paradise%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heaven after Purgatory</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V316MqPJBbo/WSq4DBDhvVI/AAAAAAAABvU/Luk2kFgtyEAmrsJp3AASnDoOplfd9YM1wCLcB/s1600/29645625-medieval-stone-church-in-London-Stock-Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1300" height="211" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V316MqPJBbo/WSq4DBDhvVI/AAAAAAAABvU/Luk2kFgtyEAmrsJp3AASnDoOplfd9YM1wCLcB/s320/29645625-medieval-stone-church-in-London-Stock-Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Medieval Stone Church not unlike St Albans Church</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winding and watching was a practical necessity. If necessary, a surgeon would be engaged to open the body first and investigate the organs to establish the cause of death. Infectious bodies were always buried as soon as possible. Watching involved sitting through the night with the dead body. The body might be laid out on a floor or table and covered with a sheet. Candles would be lit above it. This secured another mark of respect to the deceased and his/her family. It also prevented tampering with the corpse. Sometimes watchers saw visions which could be frightening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most bodies rested on biers from the time they departed for the church until they were placed in a grave. A bier was a frame with handles designed to transport and support the corpse. Often these were supplied by the Parish and kept at the back of the Church. The Parish might also loan out a mortuary cloth, a pall to cover the bier and companies likewise provided such trappings for company members. The fishmongers had a gorgeous covering done in Opus Anglicanum work, cloth which was used at burials of prestigious members of the Fishmongers Company. A hearse was originally a frame to hold candles that were placed over a body during the funeral service. The meaning changed to include the whole ensemble whether just bier or coffin that transported the corpse to its grave.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DNsaEE1jfxk/WSq4ef-qcyI/AAAAAAAABvc/96bRxjyYoMEdoRXWnm_uHHu94UE3rOsrACLcB/s1600/medieval-autopsy-e1375639870675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="465" height="260" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DNsaEE1jfxk/WSq4ef-qcyI/AAAAAAAABvc/96bRxjyYoMEdoRXWnm_uHHu94UE3rOsrACLcB/s320/medieval-autopsy-e1375639870675.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Surgeon Visits</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The funeral procession was a very solemn journey. The poor, who expected the distribution of a funeral dole, were sometimes employed to accompany the corpse. Funeral processions in London were traditionally led by members of the poor clad in mourning livery. The journey was usually short, just as far as the nearest Parish Church. Black was the Tudor colour of mourning. The wealthy, who could afford acres of black cloth, which was expensive, provided draperies, covers and mourning gifts. These might be gloves or rings The gifts were for the funeral guests. Mourners who accompanied the body to the church were often be fortified with wine or spirits. Later the guests would enjoy refreshment at a table laden with meat and drink. Funeral meals were semi public occasions and a large company could be expected. Thus vast amounts of food and wine would be consumed at a Tudor funeral.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U11XkJdFMeo/WSq4q6gM3xI/AAAAAAAABvg/UI0U82VFPOMK8UkwyRbszIthz-doAiCHgCLcB/s1600/TheMurthlyHours_170-detail2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="353" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U11XkJdFMeo/WSq4q6gM3xI/AAAAAAAABvg/UI0U82VFPOMK8UkwyRbszIthz-doAiCHgCLcB/s320/TheMurthlyHours_170-detail2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Funeral Procession</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rosemary was the herb of remembrance. Mourners would scatter nosegays of rosemary and laurel on the corpse as earth falls on the shrouded body. The sharp smell cut through the putrescent smell emanating from the deceased in his/her shroud.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bzstbm8LO9o/WSq44tM3PYI/AAAAAAAABvk/gO1FKjUR86AtzwUb2PcwU0H1vggXpJ4XACLcB/s1600/watching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bzstbm8LO9o/WSq44tM3PYI/AAAAAAAABvk/gO1FKjUR86AtzwUb2PcwU0H1vggXpJ4XACLcB/s1600/watching.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watching the Corpse</span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Woman in the Shadows</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is located in London and throughout the story festivals such as Christmas and Easter are described as Elizabeth and Thomas Cromwell live out their daily lives, and the events are revealed that mark his passage from successful Cloth Merchant to canny lawyering for Thomas Wolsey and finally Cromwell's imminent involvement with the Tudor Court. It follows Elizabeth's family life as well as the couple's house moves within the City. There are, described vividly, the dangerous challenges they face in a London where time is marked by trading, processions, birth, marriage, death and a city which is frequently visited by plagues, particularly the disease known as 'The Sweating Sickness'.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SFmvd3l9A9M/WSq5NwLEHGI/AAAAAAAABvo/Ne3fs2NGrxAa8lKOVRVuB0Z766OeY_nZwCLcB/s1600/Medieval%2BLondon%2BMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="543" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SFmvd3l9A9M/WSq5NwLEHGI/AAAAAAAABvo/Ne3fs2NGrxAa8lKOVRVuB0Z766OeY_nZwCLcB/s320/Medieval%2BLondon%2BMap.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early Tudor London-Wood Street was between St Paul's and St Bartholomew</span> </td></tr>
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-37064825038573735852017-02-18T13:04:00.001+00:002017-02-19T10:31:33.405+00:00Medieval Female Embroiderers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Embroidery was equated with luxury in medieval society and culture. It covered religious garments and enhanced secular garments indicating wealth and status. Whilst England was a great producer of wool, the highest status fabrics were silks and by the fourteenth century velvets. Opus Anglicanum means English work, and is used to describe embroidered textiles. The method was a technique of underside couching, attaching threads which might be gold or silver or silk to the support fabric from underneath, providing a texture which would catch the light, and give a sense of flow and texture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Who were the embroiderers of these valued, exquisite works both religious and secular? They were both male and female. However, the medieval church had a misogamist attitude towards women.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following words were written in The Decretum, the systematisation of church law set down in the twelfth century- 'Women's authority is nil; let her in all things be subject to the rule of men. And neither can she teach, nor be witness, nor give guarantee, nor sit in judgement.'</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-emBxGM8prs8/WKhAeSQskLI/AAAAAAAABrY/SG0T50JY6MI7RkzD-pZf8GGZfm1xO2avgCLcB/s1600/Abbey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-emBxGM8prs8/WKhAeSQskLI/AAAAAAAABrY/SG0T50JY6MI7RkzD-pZf8GGZfm1xO2avgCLcB/s320/Abbey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Men often owned the workshops but not exclusively, nor were they always the embroiderers of religious embroidery, nor did men necessarily design these embroideries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Women were viewed in a dual manner by the church. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the cult of the virgin meant that women were revered as mothers. Often on a cope there would be an embroidery depicting The Coronation of the Virgin, placed high on the cope, lying on the upper part of the priest's back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Key images placed below The Coronation of the Virgin would incorporate scenes from the Bible and the saints from </span><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Golden Legend</span></i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Women were also regarded as temptresses and as lesser beings than men. This originates in the notion that Eve was created out of Adam's rib and she was tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden and tempted Adam so that they were expelled from the garden.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Garden of Love- Women as Temptresses</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet, women did run embroidery workshops as well as men and they were responsible for much of the Opus Anglicanum work during the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries when its popularity was at a height and English embroidery both religious and secular was valued throughout Europe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Female embroiderers who owned workshops or were apprenticed in workshops run by men cut across the notion that the majority of thirteenth and fourteenth religious embroidery work such as copes was worked in convents or monasteries, in Beguine societies or by noble ladies. Embroidery was produced in both secular workshops and in religious houses.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uQQYogdCz7U/WKhBNDnEOoI/AAAAAAAABrk/VxPqtk1Bo28uB2MxkbMhDS8riSUizuwcQCLcB/s1600/angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uQQYogdCz7U/WKhBNDnEOoI/AAAAAAAABrk/VxPqtk1Bo28uB2MxkbMhDS8riSUizuwcQCLcB/s1600/angel.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval crafts were, in fact, open to women. There were women chandlers, iron makers, net makers, shoe makers smiths and goldsmiths. There were female embroiderers too. The existence of 'femmes soles' who worked independently is recorded.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mX7oACCNTbY/WKhA9hB-QnI/AAAAAAAABrs/JRlwULcfDF8zgN7V7cRfRr7t6PdwYolXwCEw/s1600/guild%2Bhall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mX7oACCNTbY/WKhA9hB-QnI/AAAAAAAABrs/JRlwULcfDF8zgN7V7cRfRr7t6PdwYolXwCEw/s320/guild%2Bhall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guilds made provision for widows so that women could carry on the family business. The widow would have had to have taken part in the work for at least seven years before succeeding to her husband's business. Children were apprenticed, both sexes, and business women took on apprentices too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The medieval records for the Embroiderer's Guild were unfortunately destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Interestingly , however, by the fifteenth century, male embroiderers received seven pennies and a farthing to ten and a farthing for a day's work. Women were only paid four pence and a farthing to six pence a day. The wages varied according to the embroiderer's qualifications.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many embroidery workshops of the thirteenth century were situated around Old St Paul's. The centre of domestic and public life was the workshop. The sale of goods was transacted in the house. The household dwelling place incorporated the workshop. Workers included the whole family and were included within the family eg apprentices.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">London in the thirteenth century</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am writing a new trilogy set in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and have been researching female embroiderers as one of my characters will be an embroiderer working for Ailenor of Provence, Henry III's queen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst researching, I discovered that a widow, named in relation to embroidery during King Henry III's reign was 'Joan, late the wife of John de Winburn who was paid for a cope of 'samite embroidered with the Jesse Tree which the king offered in St Peter's Church at Westminster at St Hillary's.' (the time of year/ saint's festival).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Jesse Tree was a popular image, tracing the lineage of Christ as royal from The House of David.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another thirteenth century embroiderer, Mabel of Bury, appears twenty four times in the Liberate Rolls of Henry III between 1239 and 1245. She was apparently a 'femme sole' and not employed by the king's merchant suppliers. She was paid £10 in 1239 for embroidering a chasuble and offertory veil. In 1241 pearls were purchased for her to use on the commissioned chasuble. She also had forty shillings to buy gold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The king called in appraisers to assess her fees; London embroiderers to advise him as 'he did not want to offend in this matter or incur to some extent condemnation of himself.' Mabel embroidered a stole, a fanon, an amice, collar and cuffs. Her last work for Henry III was an embroidered standard for the altar at Westminster Abbey which was his life's building work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The standard was to show the Virgin and St John. Mabel controlled the design. She then disappears from the historical record until 1256 when King Henry made a pilgrimage to Bury St Edmund and gave Mabel a gift because she had served the king and queen for so long creating ecclesiastical garments. She was given six measures of cloth of her choice and the fur of a rabbit for a robe. A furred robe was a traditional mark of great respect in this period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So with Opus work, there is a contradiction between the misogynist attitude of the medieval church and that of the actuality of women's independence in the thirteenth century. Men and women were employed in medieval workshops making art for the church as well as secular items and often, like Mabel, they were able to design the work too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is why if you look carefully at a cope from the era you can often see little every day life additions such as midwives attending the birth of Jesus, obviously attesting too to the virgin birth, or, for instance, a dog barking at the angel Gabriel who appears to the shepherds during the Nativity, or even animals peering from the leaves in the Tree of Jesse. The art of this period displayed a concern with nature and the every day life of craft workers.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buy from amazon or good bookshops</span></td></tr>
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-82401317403946903992017-02-01T17:31:00.000+00:002017-02-04T08:55:16.763+00:00 Venice in Autumn- City of Dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If New York is the city that is so good that they named it twice then what does that make Venice?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The view from the Campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">La Serenissima, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Queen of the Adriatic, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">City of Water, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">La Dominante,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> City of Masks, City of Bridges,The Floating City, City of Canals and Venezia. The multinominal champion of cities. Venice, the dream city, the city that if left unvisited will leave a lacuna in any traveller's cultural history. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St Mark's Square reflected on the San Giorgio Vaporetti Stop</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs:<br />A palace and a prison on each hand</i>..Byron</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Centro Storico </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is home to less than 60,000 residents who host an annual influx of 20 million visitors. Venetians seem inured to the wonder around them. They seem content in the knowledge that their home is the </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">citta per eccellenza </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and they consider the rest of the world as merely </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'campo',</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> an outland. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Local Graffiti of an Outlander</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGmQQxlXoys/WJHxx7MmwPI/AAAAAAAABoo/1N0US-C7ZrkEhL3yiGbkWZVbZRwTFmYagCEw/s1600/DSC00264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGmQQxlXoys/WJHxx7MmwPI/AAAAAAAABoo/1N0US-C7ZrkEhL3yiGbkWZVbZRwTFmYagCEw/s400/DSC00264.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Outside Cafe Florian</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Streets flooded. Please advise" Telegram to his Editor from Robert Benchley.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seeing and being seen at La Fenice.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You will rarely meet a Venetian in Harry's Bar or Cafe Florian, except perhaps, during the deep night when the exhausted incomers have wearily decamped to their hotel beds. You will perhaps spot the Venetians if you venture to Teatro La Fenice for an opera or to Teatro Goldoni to see a play. In these cultural oases, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in their Italian finery and jewellery, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">they gather to be seen as much as to see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During our last visit the goddess Fortuna smiled on us and allowed us the pleasure of attending a performance of the Globe Theatre's production of The </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Merchant of Venice at the Goldoni. Tickets were a steal at around 22 Euros and with a long run under their belts the cast gave a flawless performance. Jonathan Pryce ( '</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as seen in' </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brazil, Tomorrow Never Dies, Evita, Glengarry Glen Ross and currently in BBC's Taboo, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as the DVD blurbs burble,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ) was particularly Shylockian playing opposite his real life daughter Phoebe as Jessica,the daughter of Shylock. Father and daughter and the Merchant IN Venice, a double whammy.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many a time and oft in The Rialto you have rated me..</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Teatro Goldoni in the rain</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a richly deserved bow</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apart from the Temples, Churches, Galleries, Museums and Architecture, Venice has myriad other pleasures. Getting lost in the labyrinthine alleys away from the signposted arteries to the Rialto and St Mark's, stumbling upon obscure piazzas, visiting the outer islands such as Torcello and San Michele the burial place of Ezra Pound, Stravinsky and Diaghilev, supping inexpensive Aperol Spritz while savouring a variety of gorgeous chichetti in a canalside bar, these just a few of the pleasures of Venice.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spritz for two</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The piazza of Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shop window display, St Mark's Square</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Everyone has noticed the Venetian taste in shop displays, which extends down to the poorest<br />bargeman who cuts his watermelons in half and shows them, pale pink,with green rims against<br /> the green side-canal, in which a pink palace with oleanders is reflected- Mary McCarthy<br /><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> As John Ruskin wrote, 'And now come with me, for I have kept you too long from your gondola: come with me, on an autumnal morning to a low wharf or quay at the extremity of a canal, with long steps on each side down to the water, which latter we fancy for an instant has become black with stagnation; another glance undeceives us, -- it is covered with the black boats of Venice'.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Che bello, che magnifici, che luce, che colore!<br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-35409989148879808962016-11-27T13:43:00.002+00:002016-12-03T10:10:14.444+00:00 Footwear in Paintings by 'Old Masters'.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recently, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to visit art galleries in Venice, Haarlem and in The Hague. I focussed on the costumes, hats and shoes worn by the figures in the paintings. As I wandered through the galleries' Medieval and Renaissance sections peering at shoes, I was amazed at how modern they were. Twenty-first century designers could copy many of the shoes, boots and sandals shown in the following photographs. Just look closely at the pictures because they are footwear we might wear today. Don't they speak about a universal desire for fashion? Apparently, through the ages we have loved well-crafted and beautifully coloured footwear as well as simply serviceable shoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We begin with naked feet ( above), perhaps in need of a new pair of sandals.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Too fancy?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These look more comfortable</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now for the shoes I noticed. These pairs appeal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following examples of footwear were painted during the fifteenth century. They look comfortable, a far cry from long pointed toes that were a fashionable addition to a courtier's wardrobe during the Fourteenth century.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fabulous boots shown below also appeal to my twenty-first century taste, especially the green and red boots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> These are amongst my favourites. Note that they are mid-sixteenth century</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> If you lived during the Medieval period you might go on a pilgrimage. In this case, you will have staff and hat as well as wearing comfortable shoes. You would most likely collect a few pilgrim badges to pin on your hat as souvenirs, and possibly as proof of your piety.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My latest novel, <i>The Woman in the Shadows, </i>is set in London, during the early 16th century. It will reach bookshops August 2017. Whilst writing this novel, I researched textiles in art, looking for beautiful fabrics and clothing in paintings from the Medieval and Renaissance Era discovering, as I examined a painting, that there is much to learn about late medieval and Renaissance fashion from the 'old masters'.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-61824199273420681192016-09-26T12:32:00.000+01:002016-09-27T05:34:18.531+01:00Women at the Time of Conquest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Battle of Hastings 1066</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year is a special 1066 anniversary. Recently I was the co-ordinator for The Historical Novel Society Conference in Oxford. I also spoke on two panels, one of which was about medieval women. My angle was how life changed for women after the Norman Conquest as well as what happened to the noble Godwin women and other female survivors.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A possible image for medieval woman</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A major difference post Conquest was that women's legal rights changed. We discover the earliest written law codes of the Germanic kingdoms (post Roman Empire) in the Anglo- Saxon law codes, found in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, and made by Athelbert of Kent in the seventh century. They were written in the vernacular. In these we find that women may be abducted but cash payments settled the outcome. Sexual encounters were not condemned. They were priced.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An early medieval woman's will</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many marriages of Anglo-Saxon women were political arrangements designed to establish connections. Interestingly, Anglo-Saxon women held land in their own right and wrote wills. My first medieval heroine, Edith Swan-Neck, King Harold's <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">h</span>andfasted wife was an heiress who owned land in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex and Kent. After Conquest, these lands reverted to the crown and most found their way into the possession of the Breton knight Alan of Richmond who abducted Gunnhild, Edith's and Harold's daughter, from Wilton Abbey- or did Gunnhild elope willingly with him? The abduction happened some years post Conquest. And, Count Alan was, after all an important personage, William the Conqueror's second cousin. These lands made him very wealthy.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From a Church capital</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Women were a commodity before and after Conquest. In truth, pressure was always put on them to marry as their fathers and brothers wished but, at least, before Conquest they could own title to their own land. After 1066 women could be heiresses, but during the later twelfth century it became common to divide estates among heiresses from a family in equal shares. A price was fixed for an heiress and they became wards. Ward-ships were bought from the crown by rich and powerful barons. The girls married whom the guardian chose and he chose according to the best price and alliance offered. Women were passed on as property rather than owning it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Primogeniture and a new attitude to illegitimacy are part of changes in inheritance that swept through Europe during the eleventh century. Children had not been barred from inheritance if they were illegitimate in Anglo- Saxon England. Illegitimacy was not even a bar to Kingship. After Conquest this changed. Being a woman was a bar to ruling in her own right. Henry I tested this. He chose his daughter Matilda to follow him as Queen but according to the deep seated notion of primogeniture and attitudes towards a queen <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i</span>n sole command, this was unacceptable and civil war followed. Matilda was never accepted as Queen. For a time her cousin, Stephen ruled, followed by her son, Henry II. Primogeniture dictated that the nearest eldest male son inherited, usually the eldest son, and he got all. He was responsible for his sisters' dowries and his mother's third portion. That left many second and third sons without inheritance. They became fighting knights or churchmen. Girls were given a dowry and a portion and forthwith married off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Church, which was the whole circumference of one's whole world, personal and universal, during the Middle Ages, had a terrible attitude towards women. Either they were Eves dragging men into sin or they were Madonnas to be respected as nuns or mothers of children (born into wedlock of course). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pUR6_UdJQ4w/V-kD5RwbQCI/AAAAAAAABkI/3lOoiv-BTcYx8UBdYd1eWDHBwm4dX9BSwCLcB/s1600/knights%2Band%2Bcathars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pUR6_UdJQ4w/V-kD5RwbQCI/AAAAAAAABkI/3lOoiv-BTcYx8UBdYd1eWDHBwm4dX9BSwCLcB/s320/knights%2Band%2Bcathars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Younger sons often became mercenary knights</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was still a possible future for women, however, in the new Europe and in England during the medieval period. They did as widows inherit a third portion but they were soon married off again and lost that. If they were married to a tradesman in the increasingly growing towns during medieval times, they could follow his trade. Most wives of tradesmen were involved in their husbands' businesses in any case. Some guilds accepted them but it was still hard to survive as a trader in a man's world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was not until the sixteenth century that a queen ruled England and the second Tudor queen ( not counting Lady Jane) was one of the greatest monarchs who has ever ruled England.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The last novel in the Trilogy </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-16856244916173135112016-05-12T11:45:00.003+01:002016-05-13T14:34:11.041+01:00 Ill-fated Marriages in Literature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I often think that my favourite novels do not depict marriages in a happy light. This, of course, allows the writer to explore tensions and create jeopardy in the story. It permits the writer to be forgiving. I have selected a few of those ill-fated marriages where I think the author does this well- all rate highly amongst my favourite books.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Handfasting</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The marriage between Thea and Vladimir of Kiev in <em>The Betrothed Sister</em> was not easy but this couple come through difficulties and threats together to discover happiness in their lives. The marriage between Gunnhild and Alan of Richmond in <em>The Swan-Daughter</em> does not work out as she might have foreseen as she falls in love with another and he already loved another. That between Edith Swan-Neck and King Harold in <em>The Handfasted Wife,</em> whilst a love match was handfasted and he set her aside for another when he was crowned King of England. However somehow before his death on Senlac Hill they do find peace together and after his death she remembers him as her only true love.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="291" data-file-width="241" height="205" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/George_Eliot.jpg/170px-George_Eliot.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/George_Eliot.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/George_Eliot.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="170" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">George Eliot</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are several ill-fated marriages in a few of the novels that I have enjoyed reading -</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Dorothea Brooke and Edward Casaubon from Middlemarch by George Eliot</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="19089" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924110l/19089.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well worth reading!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dorothea Brooke, idealistic, young and beautiful, passionate, orphaned and intent on making something purposeful of her life accepts the offer of marriage from a fossilized, idealistic clergyman, Edward Casaubon. She plans to dedicate herself to this great man who spends his years writing a key to all mythologies. The couple are clearly unsuited as is illustrated early in the novel on their ill-fated honeymoon. Dorothea had expected to be overcome by a food of feeling at what she saw in Italy but her husband reflects that his 'stream of affection' has turned out to be 'exceedingly shallow'. He has sensed that his new wife is not a protection against his sense of inadequacy but a perpetual threat and reproach. I like this novel's enduring subtlety and humanity. The other pairings in Eliot's novel are filled with traps as sticky as spider webs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Lara and Yuri from Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="2037" data-file-width="2998" height="270" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Doctor_Zhivago_%28film%29-The_Cossacks_attack_a_peaceful_demonstration.jpg/220px-Doctor_Zhivago_%28film%29-The_Cossacks_attack_a_peaceful_demonstration.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Doctor_Zhivago_%28film%29-The_Cossacks_attack_a_peaceful_demonstration.jpg/330px-Doctor_Zhivago_%28film%29-The_Cossacks_attack_a_peaceful_demonstration.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Doctor_Zhivago_%28film%29-The_Cossacks_attack_a_peaceful_demonstration.jpg/440px-Doctor_Zhivago_%28film%29-The_Cossacks_attack_a_peaceful_demonstration.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cossacks attack demonstrators in Doctor Zhivago</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although this pair never actually married, they were an ill-fated couple. The story takes place at the time of the Russian Revolution. They are both married to others but come together briefly and subsequently are parted as political events overtake their lives. They have hidden from the world in Yuri's country retreat in the Urals. It is a poignant time as it is so short and because Tonya, Yuri's wife loves him and he has conflicted loyalties. In Doctor Zhivago the personal story is set against a sweeping political background. It is a passionate story with depth and understanding. This is one of my five favourite novels, beautifully and sympathetically written.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Tristram and Iseult told by Matthew Arnold</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="mw-mmv-final-image mw-mmv-dialog-is-open" crossorigin="anonymous" height="278" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Leighton-Tristan_and_Isolde-1902.jpg/1024px-Leighton-Tristan_and_Isolde-1902.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is an emphasis in the tale of Tristram that love can be so extreme it ends up leading to death of the partners. Arnold's retelling of the story displays simple family concerns where Iseult of Brittany is an abandoned wife with two small children. Arnold suggests a retreat into the imagination and immoral love as an escape from reality. It is a classic historical romance with many twists, turns and stories within stories but it is one with an unfortunate ending. It is a most influential medieval love story and is on the surface a love triangle story between the hero, his uncle's wife and the uncle. A love potion was mistakenly given to Iseult on her wedding night and the tale's events follow consequences from this chance mistake. Tristram eventually marries another Iseult in this version but he cannot consummate the marriage because of his love for his original Iseult. He searches for her but dies of grief before she, too, searching for the love of her life reaches him. Soon after this, Iseult dies of a broken heart. The story has many different tellings, but whichever telling, it remains <em>the</em> classic story of an ill-fated relationship and, moreover, it illustrates very well how obstacles can inhabit a good story to thwart the successful conclusion of love between hero and heroine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Caroline and Faraday in The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="311" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1b/The_Little_Stranger_Sarah_Waters.jpg/220px-The_Little_Stranger_Sarah_Waters.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/The_Little_Stranger_Sarah_Waters.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/The_Little_Stranger_Sarah_Waters.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="198" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of my favourite novels</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this tale, Faraday is a country doctor called to Hundred's Hall, a faded 18thC estate. He strikes up a friendship with Caroline Ayres, the unmarried daughter of the family. After a young girl is mauled by Caroline's previously gentle Labrador it seems that the house contains a malevolent energy. The relationship between Faraday and Caroline wavers between romance and friendship. They, none the less, plan to marry. On the night of their wedding disaster strikes. The haunting narrative in this novel and its constant tension plays out through the story. This story addresses insanity, poltergeists, and family secrets. The romance is haunted by a sense of developing dread and this I love! Gothic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Claire and Henry in The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Portrait of woman with red hair." class="mw-mmv-final-image mw-mmv-dialog-is-open" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/AudreyNiffenegger.jpg/800px-AudreyNiffenegger.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="235" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The author dyed her hair red to say goodbye to Claire and Henry</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A man and woman meet in a Chicago library and in due course they marry. However, Henry is a time traveller and is whisked away just before the ceremony. An older Henry falls back through the years to take his place. The writer uses Henry's time travel to illustrate a sense of slippage in a long term relationship, in that each partner views the relationship differently. I felt a sense that their lives were mapped out to the extent that the time of their deaths are told. It is a poignant novel exquisitely told and one can not help but feel sad for both Henry and Clare. </span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-51712650278532667802016-03-29T19:53:00.000+01:002016-05-10T01:06:58.223+01:00The Street in late medieval London- Trades and Noise <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When did the medieval period in London begin and end? We assume that the medieval period began in England when the Romans departed circa 410 AD. However for the previous one hundred years the Romans had been withdrawing from England and they were using Saxon mercenaries to supplement the Roman army's reduced presence. The country continued to trade with the Empire. There was not a particular moment of change but the beginning of a reversion gradually to life as it had been prior to Roman occupation. This was the beginning of medieval England.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0ahUKEwigmtPqxObLAhVKnBoKHePdAnIQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwigmtPqxObLAhVKnBoKHePdAnIQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FLondinium&psig=AFQjCNGGLBedPH4Nxin7t95_VmHqw5sQGQ&ust=1459362963812491" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Map_Londinium_400_AD-en.svg/400px-Map_Londinium_400_AD-en.svg.png" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roman London</span></td></tr>
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S<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ociety did not suddenly change in 1485 when the first Tudor king, Henry VII succeeded to the throne after The Battle of Bosworth. Nothing much actually changed until the mid 1530s when the monasteries were dissolved and the English Church was reformed. These were events that did cause great social upheavals. This was the end of medieval England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval London was contained within a semi circular wall that was interrupted by in order west to east, Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Moorgate, Bishopgate and Aldgate just north of The Tower of London. The River Thames ran from east to west completing the semi circle. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0ahUKEwiav7SkxebLAhWCWBoKHb9RBbQQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiav7SkxebLAhWCWBoKHb9RBbQQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FHistory_of_London&bvm=bv.117868183,d.ZWU&psig=AFQjCNGcqWpOYDxZEYEJFYJJSkhyjc7mhw&ust=1459363036243588" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/8/80/20150126002312!Towrlndn.JPG" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="347" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fourteenth Century Tower of London</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My latest novel The Woman in the Shadows is set in London between 1514 and 1525. London is still a medieval city throughout the scope of this novel. London, itself, was a city of churches. It contained a greater number than any other city in Europe. There were more than a hundred churches within the walls of the old city. Sixteen of them were devoted to St Mary. The Church remained the single most disciplined and authoritative director of London's affairs until the Reformation. Church administrators were the biggest landlords and employers within and without the city walls. The city's saint was a seventh century monk who had ruled as bishop of London, Erkenwald. Even in the early sixteenth century the shrine of St Erkenwald was an object of pilgrimage to the successful lawyers of London. When they were nominated as serjeants of law they would walk in procession to St Paul's to venerate the saint.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval London Bridge with shops, businesses and churches</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Daily life was marked by the ringing of bells that rang from the churches and monasteries marking the religious offices. The most important bells were the Angelus Bells. The Angelus was associated with the worship of the Virgin Mary. The bell was struck to remind busy citizens to pause their work at midday to repeat the angelus, a triple hail Mary beginning with the words 'Angelus Domini Nunavit Mariae', 'The Angel of the Lord said to Mary.' In fact, the Angelus became the best way to tell the time because it rang at Prime, six o'clock, midday which was Sext and six in the evening for Compline. It was different to other bells because it tolled nine strokes at three times keeping the space of The Lord's Prayer, the Pater, and an Ave between each tolling. So if you lived on a late medieval London Street you would constantly hear bells ringing. The bells of the church tolled the end of each trading day. There was a bell that rang at dawn so the city gates would be opened and one that rang around six in the evening in winter and ten in the summer for the curfew to begin. After curfew Londoners had to carry a lighted torch or they could be arrested and incarcerated until dawn.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Religion in Medieval London</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All over the city. my characters would hear a constant din from the different crafts that were practised. The noisiest were metalworkers; the blacksmiths, farriers, pewterers, silver and goldsmiths, cutlers and bell founder all used hammers and contributed to the general clamour. I can only compare the activity to that of busy streets in an Indian city or in cities of the Far East.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late Medieval London</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In London there were two hundred fraternities in which craft regulation and religious observation were mingled. Guilds had acquired enormous economic power within the city by the end of the medieval period. The growth of craft guilds in medieval London cannot be distinguished from the parish guilds of the same neighbourhood. thus tanners who worked along the banks of The River Fleet for instance would meet at their fraternity in the Carmelite house in Fleet Street. According to Peter Ackroyd in his book London, three fraternities were recorded at in the church of St Stephen, Coleman Street during the late thirteenth century. By the early fourteenth century only citizens could belong to a trade guild. Aliens were not only foreigners but those who were not London's citizens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many tradesmen met for business in the church. Religious and social constraints <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">emphasized</span> the importance of honesty and good behaviour. The guilds had their rules. Good names must be protected and the guilds condemned those who broke public peace. It was as if the act of <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">quarreling</span> or being involved in disputes might be construed as sinful.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Baker's Apprentice</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Young people entered apprenticeships in late medieval London able to read and write. They were expected to be honest and to have learned manners. They were to be straight-limbed and free-born. And by the mid fifteenth century the children had to be born in England. Well-born recruits were preferred and parents of apprentices had to have properties bringing in 20s a year. The Lord's daughter, the baker's son, the children of London mercers, vintners or fishmongers were not raised at home for long. All of them were either apprenticed or they became attendants or servants in someone else's household. The best upbringing for a child was to send him out of the family to learn the ways of the world and to be educated elsewhere. Young women were usually apprenticed to silkwomen, dressmakers or embroiderers. There are instances too of girls being apprenticed to butchers, bakers, cordwainers, drapers, grocers, apothecaries and surgeons. They could either remain single and practise as femme soles under London law after they married and actually having a skill was an advantage in the marriage market. The apprentice term would end if marriage were offered and often the apprenticeship was only for four years, not seven, in practise although it was not legal. What a woman's apprenticeship was not, was as a stepping stone to an independent life as a citizen of London.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval Silk women</span></td></tr>
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-50261369660663908712015-12-04T14:41:00.001+00:002015-12-04T14:51:33.021+00:00Women's Rights in Early Medieval Rus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Ruirikid Dynasty ruled Rus lands during the eleventh century. This marks the early part of a Golden Age for the ruling cities Kyiv/ Kiev and Novgorod. These princes replaced many diverse local customs and created a Rus State that stretched from the Black Sea north of Moscow and St Petersburg, which, if they existed at all then, were tiny hamlets. The ruling Ruirikid princes over the period of two centuries established a series of law codes known collectively as The Russkaia Pravda. These laws united various clans under the cultural and religious umbrella of the Byzantine influenced Russian Orthodox Church and established a common written language, Old Church Slavonic.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp7QuXVyKmc/VmGf4qz0bLI/AAAAAAAABfU/212ntEuwUQc/s1600/goldengateofkiev.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp7QuXVyKmc/VmGf4qz0bLI/AAAAAAAABfU/212ntEuwUQc/s320/goldengateofkiev.gif" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Golden Gates of Kiev</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Princes controlled the judicial system to their own financial advantage. For instance, although vengeance was recognized as a legal response to crimes such as rape and murder, if the victim was a member of a prince's household the prescribed punishment was a fine<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, </span>levied on the offender and paid to the prince. A portion of the fine went to the Church as well. Of course, for a woman's life the fine was half of that for the murder of a man.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nVMJV-p_oVc/VmGgaVvmQZI/AAAAAAAABfc/nNujSDuk_sQ/s1600/ceremony.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nVMJV-p_oVc/VmGgaVvmQZI/AAAAAAAABfc/nNujSDuk_sQ/s320/ceremony.gif" width="120" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later Medieval Rus Princess </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Women's property rights differed also. Women, like Anglo-Saxon women, could own property which they had received as gifts or as a dowry. If a woman's husband died and her sons inherited the estate, her sons had to arrange their sisters' marriages and provide their dowries. Noble daughters could inherit their fathers' estates and property if there were no surviving sons.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later Medieval Rus Woman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All women found protection in the law. At the end of the tenth century, relations and questions relating to family<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, </span>and importantly women, came under church jurisdiction. Church literature divided women into 'good' women and 'bad' women. There were more of the latter, needless to say. Descriptions of the immorality of women were used as an excuse for setting forth an entire set of instructions on how men should avoid 'lustful' women. Women were admonished to be silent, to submit to God and to their husbands.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0ahUKEwiNzJeZs8LJAhUKsxQKHQ8BC2oQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiNzJeZs8LJAhUKsxQKHQ8BC2oQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FKievan_Rus%27&psig=AFQjCNGSoq1pbgh_HU0KM2B-i9j7QYm0fg&ust=1449325121918393" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Principalities_of_Kievan_Rus'_(1054-1132).jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Map showing Kievan Rus Lands</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet, feudal law gave women from the underprivileged social strata a modest role in society. If they were slaves and married a free man, they were set free; not so for the male slave who married a free woman. The honour of female slaves was protected. If they were raped, they were compensated, and if a slave was raped by a foreigner, she was freed. If a woman accused a man of rape, she would be protected by the law.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>'If anyone kills a woman, he will be tried and if guilty pay a half-wergild, twenty grivney.' </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i>But only half- is that fair? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The rights of women from all classes of society were severely limited. Women were less likely to serve as witnesses in legal disputes or in the drawing up of documents. Only ten per cent of land documents testify to women's rights. Even so, all women could defend their honour and property they owned independent of their husbands. Moreover, Medieval Rus possessed the institute of female guardianship at this time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0ahUKEwili_PYs8LJAhUGsxQKHcr_D94QjRwIBw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwili_PYs8LJAhUGsxQKHcr_D94QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.123rf.com%2Fstock-photo%2Fsaint_mary.html&psig=AFQjCNGSoq1pbgh_HU0KM2B-i9j7QYm0fg&ust=1449325121918393" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://us.123rf.com/450wm/afonskaya/afonskaya1509/afonskaya150900324/44998404-town-nizhniy-novgorod-in-russia-middle-ages-fortress-kremlin-and-stroganovskaya-church-of-saint-mary.jpg?ver=6" height="244" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 75px;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nizhniy</span> Novgorod- Did this Kremlin have a Terem?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Terem culture, that of the seclusion of noble women in their own part of a palace, is often dated from the sixteenth century. In fact, it most likely had its roots in much earlier traditions. Terem culture is being reassessed by historians. Separate living quarters for noble men and women were not unusual during the Rus medieval period, <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that dated</span> from the tenth century. Elite women in Frankish culture also lived in separate quarters from their men. It is certainly now considered that the practice predated the Mongol invasions<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. T</span>he Mongols never segregated women. It is possible the concept and word Terem (not to be confused at all with harem) came from Byzantium to Rus lands long before the Mongol invasions. It is likely<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> however </span>that later Muscovite royal families strengthened this control condiderably over female members, maybe for marriage purposes which explains the highly developed Terem culture of the seventeenth century and the Muscovite era in Russian history. </span><br />
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I <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">have integrated some aspects of this research into the narrative of The Betrothed Sister. However, if you read it, do remember that my novel is fiction albeit researched as far it is possible with limited sources. Women's lives were hidden and largely went unrecorded during the Medieval period. All I could do was make a few, hopefully informed, guesses as to what Gita Godwinsdatter, the Anglo-Saxon princess encountered in the lands of the Kievan Rus. If anyone who reads this knows more about Terem culture in medieval Russia I would love you to comment here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am the co-ordinator for HNS Conference 2016 2nd-4th September in Oxford. Do look at</span>:<br />
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<a href="https://hnsoxford2016.org/">https://hnsoxford2016.org</a><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-46049236650760213002015-11-17T12:49:00.001+00:002015-11-17T13:17:45.611+00:00Medieval Russia, Fairytales and History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of The Betrothed Sister is set in medieval Russia where King Harold II's daughter Gita (Thea in the novel) is married off by her father's cousin, King Sweyn of Denmark, to a prince of the Rus ruling family, The Riurikid Dynasty, founded in the tenth century. What sort of land did Thea discover, circa 1070?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCNb6pq_Dl8kCFUJuGgodb74J9Q" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCNb6pq_Dl8kCFUJuGgodb74J9Q&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTrinity_Lavra_of_St._Sergius&bvm=bv.107467506,d.d2s&psig=AFQjCNHdSzUTIxhn-wLBStPVb1z8lFIwgg&ust=1447852006701060" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="221" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Lissner_TroiceSergievaLavr.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval Russian Countryside</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always think of medieval Russia as a land of fairy tales, snow, castles, and sleighs. In fact over the years I have been so entranced by Russian fairy tales, that I constructed Thea, the heroine of The Betrothed Sister, as a teller of stories. Appropriately at the maiden's party just before her wedding to Vladimir Monomarkh, I introduce a competition for the telling of fairy tales since, with this story, I aimed for a 'fairy-tale' atmosphere. These events happened so long ago that finding out what happened to Thea was difficult. However, with imagination and a thorough investigation of the times, I constructed a possible history for her.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCI6y_YG8l8kCFYg2GgodwdkJXA" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCI6y_YG8l8kCFYg2GgodwdkJXA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.russianlife.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-well-do-you-know-russian-fairy-tale-characters%2F&psig=AFQjCNG5tSB_xN6DiHZp40fGcRVr9mXEaA&ust=1447849744540792" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://www.russianlife.com/default/assets/File/ZmeyGorynych.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rus Fairy Tales</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Medieval Rus was very different to Anglo-Saxon England, another extremely cultured society. This said, many exiles from the Anglo-Saxon world wound up in Kiev and Novgorod<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>after the Norman Conquest. If Moscow existed at all, it was a simple village, totally insignificant. Kiev, the centre of the Rus Kingdom, was cosmopolitan and wealthy from trade along the River Dnieper from Byzantium. Novgorod, too, was equally wealthy and the discovery of birch wood tablets with shopping lists and love letters in Novgorod dating from this period, suggests a high level of literacy that is often found in established rich societies.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0gsiW31hYf4/VksfR74Lb0I/AAAAAAAABe4/MZjjTOsxPSA/s1600/church%2Bof%2Bholy%2Bwisdomkiev.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0gsiW31hYf4/VksfR74Lb0I/AAAAAAAABe4/MZjjTOsxPSA/s320/church%2Bof%2Bholy%2Bwisdomkiev.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Church of the Holy Wisdom, Kiev.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thea sailed to a land where the Church had already become a second institution. As the ruling Riurikid Dynasty gave shape to the emerging Rus State, rulers looked towards Byzantium for a range of cultural influences associated with Christianity. A perfect example is, therefore, the development of the Russian Orthodox creed and a literature very influenced by Byzantine styles.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCInH8928l8kCFUbTGgodY7UEYg" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCInH8928l8kCFUbTGgodY7UEYg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBirch&bvm=bv.107467506,d.d2s&psig=AFQjCNGd27XiuQgt24-HA7UaOYyScxAt0w&ust=1447850257957815" id="irc_mil" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="213" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Birch_bark_document_210.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A simple note from 11thC Novgorod</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writing and literacy existed within Rus lands during the tenth century. East Slavonic was used for practical, administrative and personal written application-type correspondence. With a Greek Orthodox influence, Church Slavonic drew on Slavic words and grammar and used them in Byzantine style, becoming the liturgical and formal literary language of the Kievan Rus. From the middle of eleventh century literacy and texts became more widespread. Clerics used Greek forms as models for their own compositions. Chronicles, recording the first written history of the Rus, were written in Church Slavonic. This gave the tribes that made up the Rus state a common cultural background. It also gave the Riurikid Dynasty an ideological foundation for exclusive rule over the Kievan Rus. Much of this literature is admired t<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">oday. </span><i>The Lay of Igor's Campaign </i>is an epic poem, written in old Slavonic, describing Prince Igor's campaign against the Kumans in the twelfth century. It is unanimously acclaimed as the highest achievement in Russian literature of this Kievan era. Consequently, not to be kept in ignorance in her new land, Thea learned to read and write the literary language of her adopted country.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCNr2jvG8l8kCFcO0GgodnbcFfA" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCNr2jvG8l8kCFcO0GgodnbcFfA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FNovgorod_Republic&bvm=bv.107467506,d.d2s&psig=AFQjCNGd27XiuQgt24-HA7UaOYyScxAt0w&ust=1447850257957815" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="287" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Novgorod_torg.JPG" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Imagined Medieval Novgorod</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, in part written down in Kiev during the years encompassed by my story, years of fratricide dominated the eleventh century, often linked with Rus battles fought against the Kumans, the collective name for Steppe tribes dwelling on Rus borders. Warring princely Rus brothers would seek support from these organised, sophisticated and militaristic border tribes. Thea's first decade in Rus lands was haunted by such rivalry between members of her husband's family. It was all about succession to the important throne in Kiev. The family member who was crowned Grand Prince of Kiev ruled the kingdom of the Rus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The principal of succession to the Kiev throne was that the senior member of the Riurikid princes of their generation would inherit the throne. Thus, it could pass to an uncle rather than to the eldest son of the eldest son. Brothers and nephews soon disputed this order of seniority established by Prince Vladimir's great grandfather, another Vladimir. For instance, was seniority defined as chronological age or by the status of a wife? The Rus princes were monogamous, but despite warfare, it seemed that many of the Rus princes became widowers early in life and remarried, sometimes to Kuman princesses, never mind dynastic marriages into great European families. Thea married into such a situation. In 1068 the senior prince, Iziaslav, her betrothed Vladimir's uncle was challenged by his cousin, Vseslav. This had a warlike outcome that lasted for a number of years. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCK2bopK9l8kCFQkEGgodBt0EJg" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCK2bopK9l8kCFQkEGgodBt0EJg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novgorodwomen.com%2Fhistory.htm&bvm=bv.107467506,d.d2s&psig=AFQjCNGd27XiuQgt24-HA7UaOYyScxAt0w&ust=1447850257957815" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://www.novgorodwomen.com/img/letters1.jpg" height="266" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 97px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Women wrote love letters and even shopping lists</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the early part of Thea's marriage to Prince Vladimir, the son of a younger brother, there was a period of intense dispute over succession to the Kievan throne. Eventually, in 1078, Vladimir's father gained the throne but became embroiled in battles with his nephews who felt they should inherit the throne from their father, Vladimir's second uncle.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCLj0_r69l8kCFQtJGgodwxoDng" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCLj0_r69l8kCFQtJGgodwxoDng&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wikiwand.com%2Fno%2FVladimir_Monomakh&bvm=bv.107467506,d.d2s&psig=AFQjCNG6Alu7Iz54zVSvHB_eytUjRNGoew&ust=1447850471107826" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="320" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Vladimir_monomakh.jpg/640px-Vladimir_monomakh.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prince Vladimir Monomarkh</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thea sadly died before her husband inherited the Kiev throne from his father in 1113. Thea's husband had become a pivotal figure in dynastic politics, greatly admired as a leader because he led a series of successful campaigns against the Steppe tribes, securing Rus southern borders. Thea's sons followed their father as Grand Prince, one by one, and became in their turn rulers of the Rus. Thea is, in fact, the great grandmother many times removed of the Romanovs, the Russian royal family that ruled Russia in the first years of the twentieth century. It could be said too that, although, the Godwin dynasty did not hold on to England in 1066, King Harold's elder daughter, Gytha/Gita/ Thea, gave them a long regal legacy.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6tH6cfCZ5o/VksgwJJqfZI/AAAAAAAABfE/jmEnanOKmqc/s1600/The%2BBetrothed%2BSister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6tH6cfCZ5o/VksgwJJqfZI/AAAAAAAABfE/jmEnanOKmqc/s320/The%2BBetrothed%2BSister.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <i>The Betrothed Sister</i> is published by Accent Press for all e devices, and as a paperback. It is available from all good bookshops.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-15650656382019305262015-09-10T15:50:00.004+01:002015-09-10T15:57:59.823+01:00Medieval Women and the Merchant Class<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have a new novel that has just this past month been published in paperback. <i>The Betrothed Sister</i> is about the marriage between Gita, King Harold of England's daughter and a Prince of Kiev during the latter half of the eleventh century. I am writing a new book. My work in progress will be concerned with a woman from the early Tudor merchant class. The heroine is a widow. She has a wonderful story.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOfGk8TV7McCFUQo2wodAtMFWg" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOfGk8TV7McCFUQo2wodAtMFWg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wikitree.com%2Fwiki%2FWessex-87&psig=AFQjCNHBAIm6YCopL0XKR_v7NdPEifbxoA&ust=1441981411215095" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/7/78/Wessex-87.jpg" height="150" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 122px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gita, Daughter of King Harold</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a question over when the medieval period ends. Some historians, myself amongst these, believe that the medieval period really ends in England with the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s. I actually believe it ends even later, around the mid sixteenth century, certainly not with <i>The Battle of Bosworth</i> in 1485.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A story set circa 1512 is, to my mind, a late medieval story. England was still Catholic. The monasteries basked contentedly for the most part amongst England's rivers and in towns and the countryside. Cathedrals with beautiful carvings, stained glass and great spires reached heaven-wards. The landscape of London looked much as it did in the previous century with a busy River Thames, medieval buildings, wood with tiled roofs and overhangs and many monasteries and churches. It is a delightful world to set a novel in, though, of course it has its underbelly. Life could be short, life could be hard and women struggled to find a voice, never mind any degree of independence.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for English medieval town landscapes free pictures" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQUBk0A6JmVs39vgRZZt53d9LuFXm_FHPSxlS9tPWBXEs5gwGjecQ" data-sz="f" height="283" name="SWRqwrKyqV85SM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQUBk0A6JmVs39vgRZZt53d9LuFXm_FHPSxlS9tPWBXEs5gwGjecQ" style="height: 176px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; width: 248px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medieval towns where the Church dominated the landscape</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were strong women in trade throughout the medieval and Tudor period. There were some women who achieved independence by amassing fortunes. These female merchants were, for the most part, widows. The Wife of Bath was one such lady.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the late medieval era the term merchant sometimes meant a man or woman of mixed enterprise. Although he or she might have a dominant particular trade, the merchant often combined this with a number of other interests. Mercers, for example, traded in fine textiles. Grocers traded in spices. My lady trades in cloth, gorgeous cloths. Whilst a merchant might trade in wool and cloth they were often ready to deal in any other merchandise that came their way. Mercers often derived a considerable profit from a retail business in luxury fabrics. My protagonist, for example, is anxious to get her hands on a variety of what was known in 1512 as New Draperies, fabrics that consisted of long combed out woollen threads mixed with silk or linen so that they were light textured. Cyprus gold thread might be sold alongside lace from Venice even though the merchant's stock also included good English products such as Cornish blanket cloth, London silk, Bury napery, stained or painted cloths and fine linen towels.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCKv4zfvX7McCFSaB2wodiSoDgw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCKv4zfvX7McCFSaB2wodiSoDgw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcookit.e2bn.org%2Fhistorycookbook%2F27-314-Life-in-normans-medieval.html&psig=AFQjCNH1N-qHLmXQkmvpv3SCNfNQygPbLw&ust=1441982038876481" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://cookit.e2bn.org/library/1244921334/100_8341_copy_2.original.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When cloth was king</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Merchant companies did have a few associated female members. They also divided their membership into those who were entitled to wear official clothing or livery in company colours and those who were not. The group excluded from livery were mixed. Some never succeeded in launching themselves into wholesale trade. This group depended on retail shopkeeping for their living. In all merchant companies there would be a group of young men, called yeomen, with capital and influence who were prepared to enter the livery. First they must serve under an older merchant to gain experience. Hopefully, later they could set up in business independently. Around the age of thirty they might be accepted into the livery.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOzXhf7Z7McCFfAK2wod6MoPUQ" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOzXhf7Z7McCFfAK2wod6MoPUQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshissem.com%2FHissem_Heyshams_of_Yorkshire.html&psig=AFQjCNH1N-qHLmXQkmvpv3SCNfNQygPbLw&ust=1441982038876481" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://shissem.com/tailor.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="435" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A busy merchant's workshop</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Livery men discussed company affairs in quarterly meetings. The yeomanry or rather these young trainees did not attend. Young merchants in service were similar to poorer shopkeepers. The companies were well established by 1512. By the fifteenth century they had acquired pleasant halls that served as club premises as well as administrative headquarters. Members dined apart from the yeomen at quarterly dinners. They threw lavish entertainments for friends and patrons such as lawyers and noblemen and government officials.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As well as companies there were also the fraternities. Fraternities were Parish based. They looked after the church and the poor. They collected alms to help members in trouble and elected wardens to run the show. They had annual banquets and processions. For example the skinners liverymen organised a solemn procession on the feast of Corpus Christi to which their fraternity was dedicated. The fraternities could have members from outside the company. I think they were more diverse and colourful and more inclusive. Often the trades belonged to both, their company and a fraternity. The fraternity might include shear men, pewterers, bakers and so on. To give an example, the Fraternity of St Katherine at St Mary Colechurch in Cheap was supported by ironmongers, drapers and armourers amongst others.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCPuU-p3Y7McCFbMU2wodw00AkQ" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCPuU-p3Y7McCFbMU2wodw00AkQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twcenter.net%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3F608246-How-Important-Are-Merchants&psig=AFQjCNH1N-qHLmXQkmvpv3SCNfNQygPbLw&ust=1441982038876481" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://bayeux.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/medieval-fairs.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="538" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The busy medieval street</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Gild was a third kind of organisation. Gild regulations expressly excluded women from participation in a trade but they made exceptions for wives and daughters. Wives assisted their husbands in his trade, and, as pointed out already, a large number of widows carried on their dead husband's trade. Sometimes gild regulations allowed them to do so. There is strong evidence for this because men often stated in their will that their apprentices should serve out their term with the widow. They often left widows implements belonging to their trade. Trades carried out by women ranged from that of merchants on a large scale trafficking in ships and dealing with the crown to that of small craftsmen/women. Even as far back as The Hundred Rolls of 1274 there is mention of the great wool merchants of London widows who make a great trade in wool and other things. At least one woman is referred to in lists as a Merchant of the Staple, an exporter of wool to Calais.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCIOfqcfY7McCFYoF2wodBVMPyQ" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCIOfqcfY7McCFYoF2wodBVMPyQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.norwich-market.org.uk%2FMedieval%2Fwares.shtm&psig=AFQjCNH1N-qHLmXQkmvpv3SCNfNQygPbLw&ust=1441982038876481" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://www.norwich-market.org.uk/Medieval/popups/wool_merchant.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="663" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Norwich was a town involved with the Staple</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is an interesting fact to finish on before I go back to working on my new novel. Girls were often apprenticed to trades the same way as boys. A father in an urban occupation will leave a daughter money in his will to wed her or he will leave the money to put her in trade!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOmc_fDY7McCFbEK2wodoIwAjQ" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOmc_fDY7McCFbEK2wodoIwAjQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fnicolinb%2Fproject-early-15th-century-tailors-shop%2F&psig=AFQjCNH1N-qHLmXQkmvpv3SCNfNQygPbLw&ust=1441982038876481" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img height="219" id="irc_mi" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/cc/28/2b/cc282bab5b2260e979674d33405d1881.jpg" style="margin-top: 87px;" width="236" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Women in the cloth trade</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Women may have been the footnotes of history. It was often the aristocratic women who might just get a line or two. However, just like Gita from The Betrothed Sister and my merchant widow in my WIP, women had more power than we often realise back in the Medieval period. </span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-8941747661593228132015-07-02T12:37:00.002+01:002015-07-02T12:37:35.374+01:00The River Thames in Medieval Times<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The River Thames features in <i>The Handfasted Wife </i>and briefly in <i>The Swan-Daughter.</i> What do we know about the Thames from the eleventh century? It rose then as it rises today in Trewsbury Meade beside a Roman Camp and a mound known as Trewsbury Castle. The name of the neighboring village derives from the old Anglo-Saxon word for spring or source. It is called Ewen. The path of the early river is marked by a line of straggling ancient thorns. The Lydwell along the birth course is known as Lyd Well, meaning loud spring.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fearth%2Fwildlife%2F8059970%2FThe-clean-up-of-the-River-Thames.html&ei=TR6VVZXCJIOmU7axl9gK&bvm=bv.96952980,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNG_R0rKR3VgXuIR7xF9buhrxEobeg&ust=1435922271731133" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="200" id="irc_mi" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01514/Kingfishers_1514359c.jpg" style="margin-top: 53px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the Source or Close to it!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The river has many many tributaries. Close to where I live in Oxfordshire there are two interesting tributaries, the Cherwell and the Windrush. By the time the river reaches London there are buried tributaries such as the Fleet, a river that would have been navigable in the Anglo-Saxon era.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnoproblem.org.uk%2Fblog%2Fpage%2F106%2F&ei=lx6VVfTxOsm0UaqXgeAM&bvm=bv.96952980,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNG_R0rKR3VgXuIR7xF9buhrxEobeg&ust=1435922271731133" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="213" id="irc_mi" src="http://noproblem.org.uk/blog/wp-content/gallery/june-2013/061.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Abingdon , a location on the river in The Handfasted Wife</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Fleet is the greatest of all forgotten tributaries. It flows into the Thames under Blackfrairs Bridge. Its name may have derived from the Anglo-Saxon term for a tidal estuary or from the fleetness of water that gathered from it into the wells north of the city. Tributaries came together near Clerkenwell and Turnmill Street widening at Holborn where a bridge once crossed the Fleet. According to John Snow's Elizabethan survey of London the waters of The Fleet were so wide that ten ships with merchandise could use it at one time. It had also by the sixteenth century become in parts an open sewer that frequently needed cleansing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thames21.org.uk%2F2012%2F05%2Fjoin-in-our-litter-free-jubilee%2F&ei=HB-VVafIJ4roUtqigMAP&bvm=bv.96952980,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNG_R0rKR3VgXuIR7xF9buhrxEobeg&ust=1435922271731133" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img class="irc_mut" height="240" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5MeQXXTDjytEdRrcpLGSNtveBZpU41INFtVs-kjqJfKXjYlYH8g" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Along the Thames in London</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The river Thames acted as a boundary in Anglo-Saxon times between Wessex and Mercia. At Cookham on the border between the two kingdoms there was a monastery that kept changing hands between the two. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Wessex is written as The Kingdom South of the River, a poetic concept but one reinforcing the notion of the river as a boundary. In the seventh century London was known as Lundenwic. London quickly became an important port with trade links to continental Europe. When it was an Anglo-Saxon settlement, the early Saxons preserved commercial links with the Rhine. Imports of timber and resin came to Lundonwic by river and corn and wool were exported. Tolls were charged at Billingsgate and vessels were also charged fourpence to rest in the wharf.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.123rf.com%2Fphoto_11943129_lambeth-bridge-crossing-river-thames-at-london.html&ei=eh-VVbmpMIPuUsWQjYgN&bvm=bv.96952980,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNG_R0rKR3VgXuIR7xF9buhrxEobeg&ust=1435922271731133" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="212" id="irc_mi" src="http://us.123rf.com/450wm/anibaltrejo/anibaltrejo1111/anibaltrejo111100160/11943129-lambeth-bridge-crossing-river-thames-at-london.jpg" style="margin-top: 47px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lambeth Bridge over the Thames</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the early medieval period Hiths and Quays were constructed along the riverbank within the protection of a wall built to shield London from invaders. In fact, the invasion of the Thames <i>did </i>happen in 893 AD. A Danish army landed in the Thames Estuary because if they had control of the river this would result in control of the country nearby and then they could attack both Mercia and Wessex from this river sanctuary. They were counter-attacked in 895. The attacks continued throughout this period until Canute gained control of the Thames and took the throne of England from 1016-1035.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpixabay.com%2Fen%2Fviking-ship-viking-longboat-longship-34717%2F&ei=wh-VVePxMcyvUdPUjNAI&bvm=bv.96952980,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNF2plyJ2CtcPZ9JThbRa11FL27aig&ust=1435922741886147" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img class="irc_mut" height="312" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ6K926Y5WEo-uDTm7TWP4QvqcTSoHRdN0fFT_jom9kWQzTrfW" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Danes are Coming</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peter Ackroyd writes that, according to the monastic chronicler Gildas, the Thames was always the river of boundaries, the guardian river. The Thames enters ancient charters from the seventh century on. From it we discover the existence of dene holes by the river which were vast underground tunnels that were likened to vase-shaped structures with narrow necks. Ackroyd describes these as having a vertical shaft with a bell like chamber below that led to other chambers. Some historians suggest that these were grain pits or refuges from invaders. They may have been constructed by the Anglo-Saxons for chalk mining although no one knows. I wonder if there could be treasure hidden in undiscovered dene holes on the banks of the Thames</span>. <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is an interesting thought. Perhaps I need to go looking.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tech.org%2F~cleary%2Fchast.html&ei=KyCVVeKyL8PfU7OUu7AK&bvm=bv.96952980,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNFwg8owW3JDpOndv69-Cz7dUtM5zQ&ust=1435922836502792" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img height="174" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.tech.org/~cleary/bridewel.jpg" style="margin-top: 60px;" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cheapside and the Fleet</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can find out more about the significance of the river in Peter Ackroyd's <i>Thames: Sacred River. </i>The river Thames and its tributaries features strongly in <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> and during a visit to London in <i>The Swan-Daughter</i> when a group of characters have difficulty crossing the crowded London Bridge on their way south to Canterbury.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-28093710691204568202015-06-14T11:00:00.001+01:002015-06-14T11:14:00.979+01:00Cathedrals and Abbeys in The Handfasted Wife and The Swan-Daughter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCKmlwbjwjsYCFca4FAod71UAvQ" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCKmlwbjwjsYCFca4FAod71UAvQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.berkshirehistory.com%2Fvillages%2Fabingdon.html&ei=Tkp9VanGDsbxUu-rgegL&bvm=bv.95515949,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNG-8LfcSQlT2bnI7FSgz1Bp-jT7xg&ust=1434360774002068" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img class="irc_mut" height="240" 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" style="cursor: move; margin-top: 47px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ruins of Abingdon Abbey</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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" 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Winchester Cathedral rebuilt between 11thC and 15thC</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As well as castles, Cathedrals and Abbeys feature as locations in The Swan-Daughter, The Handfasted Wife and the shortly to be published The Betrothed Sister.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCO6bwuTujsYCFYhtFAode5sA7w" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCO6bwuTujsYCFYhtFAode5sA7w&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhome2.btconnect.com%2FCrusader-Product%2FWestminster-Abbey.html&ei=kUh9Va6PKIjbUfu2gvgO&bvm=bv.95515949,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNHx1ffgQ2VDoZbGVHoj8L2EVME-DQ&ust=1434360198938049" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img class="irc_mut" height="146" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ49v1wZfp5Smm2Z5Evt2TgMvsGw9KX9leFp20DRUebj3Ow0TMl" style="margin-top: 62px;" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Westminster Cathedral on The Tapestry to the left. You can see a weather vane being placed on the top.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Westminster Abbey </b>features in <i>The Handfasted Wife</i>. King Edward the Confessor, called so because he was so pious, was responsible for the rebuilding of <b>St Peter's Church</b> on the site of today's Westminster Abbey. This is not the Abbey Church or Cathedral we see now because it was rebuilt again by <b>Henry III</b> in the thirteenth century in a Gothic style popular in the High Middle Ages. King Edward's new abbey was built in <b>Norman Perpendicular style</b> and was consecrated on Holy Innocents' Day, 28th December 1065. Edward was described as tall, dignified with rosy cheeks and a long white beard. He was regarded as a saint long before he was canonized by Pope Alexander III in 1161. He was no martyr but he demonstrated sanctity in the face of worldly temptations. Interestingly, he had no children with Earl Harold Godwin's sister Edith leading to speculation that he was 'pure' and monk-like. After his death miracles were attributed to him. He died a few days after the new abbey was consecrated leaving a critical succession crisis. Edward, the Abbey Church and the succession crisis that led to The Norman Invasion feature in <i>The Handfasted Wife</i>. King Edward's Westminster Abbey is shown on <b>The Bayeux Tapestry.</b> He was buried in his new Cathedral.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCK3X-4_ujsYCFYvpFAodwzYA2g" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCK3X-4_ujsYCFYvpFAodwzYA2g&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuperhotmobile.com%2Fbayeux%2Fbayeux-tapestry-wikipedia-the-free-encyclopedia.html&ei=4Ed9Va3nFIvTU8PtgNAN&bvm=bv.95515949,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNGbbIgFoZHxy1t9r7pfshCpcwi6gg&ust=1434360484663367" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="210" id="irc_mi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Tapestry_by_unknown_weaver_-_The_Bayeux_Tapestry_(detail)_-_WGA24166.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">King Edward's Death is a central scene on The Tapestry. You can see the dying king, Queen Edith holding his feet and her brother Earl Harold in the top vignette</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Winchester Cathedral</b> has a long history stretching back to King Alfred. Even today the Cathedral contains the bones of England's early medieval kings. This Cathedral is a major location in <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> after the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. It was to the royal palace of Winchester that King Edward's widow Edith Godwin retreated when her husband died and her brother, Harold, was crowned king in January 1066. She was pragmatic and handed over the keys to the city and the Royal Treasury to the Norman invaders once they arrived at Winchester, without complaint. This is recorded in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. Much of the central section of <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> takes place in Winchester. The building we see today, however, was founded in 1079 shortly after the Conquest. The new Cathedral was not built all at once. It demonstrates the main phases of English church architectural styles from the 11th century to the early 16th century. As a consequence, styles ranging from Anglo-Norman to late Gothic are beautifully preserved within this Cathedral. The crypt is 11thC Romanesque with low massive pillars, heavy round arches, vaulting without ribs or bosses and narrow windows with rounded heads. The Old Anglo-Saxon Minster had stood for 450 years! Today, if you visit Winchester, you can still see the remains of its great monastery, St Swithun's Priory and the 14th C Pilgrim's Hall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By the tenth century the Old Minster was the priory church of a community of Benedictine monks. In this century, the bones of St Swithun were dug up and housed in a new shrine inside the minster. St Swithun soon became the object of pilgrimage which continued throughout the Middle Ages. All around his tomb at the time of The Handfasted Wife, the walls were hung with the crutches of people he had healed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCLqR3PfvjsYCFYU3FAodjGIAfA" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCLqR3PfvjsYCFYU3FAodjGIAfA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.winchester-cathedral.org.uk%2Fgallery%2Fantony-gormley-sound-ii%2F&ei=xkl9VbqWFoXvUIzFgeAH&bvm=bv.95515949,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNH3gbblMsM83MdC2PoC1a8TUS2h8g&ust=1434360634509430" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/gormley1.jpg" height="213" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Anglo-Norman Crypt, Winchester Cathedral</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wilton Abbey features in both novels, <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> and <i>The Swan-Daughter.</i> Its first foundation was built in wood as a college for secular priests in 773. Around 802 it was changed into a convent for twelve nuns. King Alfred founded a spacious new convent on the site of the royal palace at Wilton and added it to the older foundation. The concubine/wife of Edgar of the English, King 959-75, was abbess of Wilton in the early 960s. She brought substantial property to the abbey and used her wealth to increase Wilton's relic collection. She also brought her daughter Edith to the abbey. Edith died at the age of 23 but since miracles were attributed to her, her mother later promoted her cult as a saint. I believe she may be associated with <b>The Bayeux Tapestry</b>, connected to the vignette 'where a priest and Algeva...' This, however, is a story for a future post.The abbey had suffered during early 11th C Danish attacks. Queen Edith, wife of Edward the Confessor, who was educated there as a girl, rebuilt the abbey in stone. At the time of <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> it housed a school for aristocratic young ladies and embroidery workshops. It is likely that some panels of The Bayeux Tapestry were embroidered at Wilton. According to various primary sources Gunnhild, King Harold's younger daughter who was in Wilton Abbey in the early 1070s with her Aunt Edith, eloped with Alan of Richmond, a cousin of William the Conqueror. The story of their elopement forms the basis for my narrative in <i>The Swan-Daughter.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRxqFQoTCJWe8pvwjsYCFYZaFAodFjkAWg" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCJWe8pvwjsYCFYZaFAodFjkAWg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt_Mary%27s_Church%2C_Wilton&ei=Ekp9VZXNDYa1UZbygNAF&bvm=bv.95515949,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNEmGVsYQuZP4Ed2apQ0zGB5Z5V3zg&ust=1434360712668172" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/St_Mary,_Wilton.jpg/250px-St_Mary,_Wilton.jpg" height="300" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 103px;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wilton Abbey, rebuilt in stone by Queen Edith in 11thC</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other religious places referred to in my first two novels in The Daughters of Hastings series include Abingdon Abbey, Bangor Abbey in Ireland, Exeter's Minster and St Benets in Suffolk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I enjoyed visiting and researching all of the locations used in both historical novels. They are amongst my background locations. Both novels are filled with page turning historical adventure and many references to women's daily life before and after Conquest.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-49345793613607226612015-06-06T10:37:00.005+01:002015-06-06T10:43:09.153+01:00Castles in The Swan-Daughter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the aftermath of 1066 King William built castles to help secure his hold on England. Initially these were Motte and Bailey castles. On his arrival in England he put up a motte and bailey wooden castle at Hastings. The motte held the keep or tower. The bailey was the yard at the bottom of the man-made hill. This early castle can be seen on <i>The Bayeux Tapestry.</i> The castle erected at Hastings was simply a wooden tower constructed atop a man-made hill. Built within weeks of Duke William's arrival on England's south coast, it was as if Duke William had packaged it all up and carried it over the channel with him, like a building kit. There are other early castles shown on <i>The Bayeux Tapestry.</i> These were also constructed from wood. I used the castle at Bayeux in the early chapters of <i>The Swan-Daughter.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAMQjRw" href="http://jeremyqackermanns.blogspot.com/2011/09/bayeux-tapestry.html" id="irc_ilrp_mutl" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-height="393" data-width="832" height="283" id="irc_ilrp_mut" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToLnBer47hCvtJzZm3XOO3VNYkLnl2atcT6E9tF-rQ_HSF58GuRb5mUTvW" style="margin-top: 55px;" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Building the Castle at Hastings</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was fascinated by its flying bridge this castle possessed, over which horsemen could gallop into the Keep, the central tower. The bailey below the keep was filled with castle buildings such as stables, a hall, kitchens and herb gardens, pens for animals and so on. I use this concept in later chapters of <i>The Swan-Daughter </i>for the castle I imagined in Brittany by the sea in Ponthieu. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Ftheguardian%2F2011%2Faug%2F05%2Fthe-weekend-quiz&ei=CrpyVa3BIYmrU_m6g8gB&bvm=bv.95039771,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNHfsJEnUbjDRelkjVC_i96VwfrrbQ&ust=1433668421428537" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="276" id="irc_mi" src="https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/7/18/1311008463211/bayeux-tapestry-007.jpg" style="margin-top: 59px;" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Horsemen mount a bridge to the castle keep from the Bailey</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However there are several other real castles to be discovered in <i>The Swan-Daughter</i>. The first of these is <i>Castle Dol</i> where Count Alan, with whom Gunnhild, King Harold's daughter, elopes and where she overnights on her ride south into Brittany. Here, Alan and Gunnhild face danger from a Breton/English nobleman who challenged William of Normandy's authority and who left England for exile after his rebellion. The rebellion is known to history as The Rebellion of the Earls. It took place in 1075 and was the last real rebellion against King William's authority in England. No spoilers. You will have to read the novel so below I am placing a few free apple download codes to celebrate this book's publishing anniversary.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FNormans&ei=CrpyVa3BIYmrU_m6g8gB&bvm=bv.95039771,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNHfsJEnUbjDRelkjVC_i96VwfrrbQ&ust=1433668421428537" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Bayeux_Tapestry_scene19_detail_Castle_Dinan.jpg" height="213" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Castle Dol. See a flying bridge.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Castle Dol, shown above, was also a wooden castle and it, too, is shown on The Bayeux Tapestry. King Harold, then an Earl, saw it in an earlier time when he was in Normandy as William's guest and when he was involved in what was known as The Breton Campaign, illustrated on The Tapestry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wooden Castles were quick to build but they could burn to the ground. Already a stone keep existed in Falaise in Normandy and soon the Normans were building with stone in England also. These castles were more sophisticated. When the old Saxon palace in Exeter was pulled down, the castle erected there was known as Castle Rouge-mount. It was built with stone right against the old Roman walls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAcQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.english-heritage.org.uk%2Fvisit%2Fplaces%2Frichmond-castle%2F&ei=wbpyVfnkMcL5UrWTgbgK&bvm=bv.95039771,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNFTkn3f_euHbUme_S7cLK48dClv1w&ust=1433668690029371" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img class="irc_mut" height="261" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSc9spcKpbtQPQJG5-xIekvqnd3RchXuZ0aPWNE8T23MWpv-d2ysQ" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Castle Richmond ( British Heritage)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gunnhild and Count Alan eventually take up residence in England in Yorkshire. Much of the novel's action actually takes place in this castle. I try to imagine its keep as it might have been then. It was called Castle Richmond and if you visit NorthYorkshire it is possible to see the original keep. The castle is currently owned by British Heritage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As centuries passed castles became much more sophisticated. The greatest era of castle-building was during the 13th century in the reign of Edward 1. Castle Richmond was improved, added onto, made stronger. It became much more fascinating and beautiful than it was in Gunnhild's time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to read <i>The Swan-Daughter </i>for free on your ipad or phone here are codes. It is on a first come first served basis. The easiest way to download the book is to google ipad or apple gift downloads and follow the instructions. You will need to input your apple account number but no charge follows. the instructions are also on my face book page The Daughters of Hastings. Just 'like' the page. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do download asap because once they are released these codes expire quickly though, of course, you can take time to read the book. Equally, The Swan-Daughter is available on amazon and as a paperback.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading!</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-83895241184898905932015-03-28T15:52:00.001+00:002015-03-28T16:15:15.010+00:00A Literary Festival on Alderney<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For those who might not know, Alderney is a small island in The English Channel. Last week, I boarded a tiny plane that flew from Southampton to this outpost of The Channel Islands to participate in a unique literary festival. Getting there was an unusual experience- for me at least. I am a novice who has never been to the Channel Islands before, not even the bigger islands such as Jersey or Guernsey. Each of the ten or so passengers has a window seat. I voyaged out on a fog bound Thursday evening. None the less, despite a few shudders, shakes and rumbles this little plane nosed down smoothly into Alderney's delightfully munchkin, efficient and friendly airport without a hitch.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moody, gorgeous, atmospheric Alderney</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was immediately greeted by Kate and Widget, two of the festival organizers, with whom I had communicated since last autumn but had never met. Kate Russell is a Bayeux Tapestry expert and the inspiration behind Alderney's fascinating millenium project which continued the Tapestry panels giving it an ending with the crowning of King William. This somehow disappeared during the mists of time from The Tapestry stitched in the decade following The Norman Conquest. More than hundred people including royals, Camilla and Charles, have contributed beautiful stitches to its completion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Widget Finn is a journalist of high repute who writes for amongst other papers and journals, <i>The Times, Telegraph</i>, and who recently placed a delightful article (mentioning Marc Morris, Kate, myself) which concerned The Alderney Tapestry in <i>The Lady</i>. The festival committee were warm people, formidably intelligent, organized and great fun. They collectively and individually made the experience so perfect that we authors are considering keeping <i>The Alderney Literary Festival </i>a very special secret! Of course we would never really do that. Thank you, festival organizers for your fabulous welcome. You all know who you are.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Alderney Literary Festival Team</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So we did not vanish into the Alderney Thursday night mist but, rather, were whisked to our destination, respectively Farm Court and The Rectory, only ten minutes from the landing stripe. Within half an hour, a further whisking and I found myself in the midst of a literary buzzing company at an evening reception with drinks and canapes- in a fortress! This was a huge kitchen/dining area in Rachel Abbott's fort apartment overlooking a beach. Our host for that evening, a writer of thrillers, Rachel Abbott, is a phenomenal success. Later I discovered that Alderney has many forts dating from The Napoleonic era and fortified buildings that were used by the German invaders during WWII.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6zeoYie50M/VRa5xpkmXgI/AAAAAAAABYE/2WKGICoxBWs/s1600/Danuta%2Band%2BCarol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6zeoYie50M/VRa5xpkmXgI/AAAAAAAABYE/2WKGICoxBWs/s1600/Danuta%2Band%2BCarol.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Danuta Reah and myself at the reception on Thursday eve</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdFURiMkEJY/VRa5-54yUSI/AAAAAAAABYM/5QLh8-g6CLY/s1600/Rachel%2BAbbott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdFURiMkEJY/VRa5-54yUSI/AAAAAAAABYM/5QLh8-g6CLY/s1600/Rachel%2BAbbott.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our hostess, Rachel Abbott</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The next day the Festival kicked off in The Georgian House in town, a short walk from our accommodation, along small streets flanked with Victorian and Georgian houses. I was a little nervous because I was appearing on the first panel, co-speaking with Simon Scarrow on an interesting topic for both writers and readers of Historical Fiction, 'Is Accuracy or Story more important in works of Historical Fiction'.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rHW7rsPD_ZQ/VRa6Vmo5ZiI/AAAAAAAABYU/bCt1KmiJZc0/s1600/Simon%2Band%2Bmyself.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rHW7rsPD_ZQ/VRa6Vmo5ZiI/AAAAAAAABYU/bCt1KmiJZc0/s1600/Simon%2Band%2Bmyself.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First Talk on Accuracy and Story Manda Scott, Carol McGrath, Simon Scarrow</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMOaWmJP7I8/VRa6mAIXgTI/AAAAAAAABYc/Ml3MnV8jD4o/s1600/Manda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMOaWmJP7I8/VRa6mAIXgTI/AAAAAAAABYc/Ml3MnV8jD4o/s1600/Manda.JPG" height="175" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Manda Scott, introducing us. Her new novel is The Girl who walked into Fire, Jeanne D'Arc. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I immediately felt at ease by merit of author Manda Scott's relaxed introduction. After a thoroughly good discussion, I think Simon and I agreed that whilst both mattered, that as writers of historical fiction, it really was all about telling a great story with wonderful characters. I endeavor to dig up everything I can about the medieval world I depict before placing characters in it. Then they take over. For me this is crucial. The historical details scattered throughout an historical fiction matter because they allow the reader a convincing sense of a particular historical world. I held my breath for a split second thinking that Manda was going to ask me details of how medievals made soap. And, I was also asked about teeth cleaning in The Middle Ages- definitely twigs and herbal concoctions!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What WAS I saying?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since my protagonists are real historical personalities, I absolutely do need to know what is written about them in Primary Sources. Yet it is also worth remembering that, as Simon says rightly, even these sources carry agendas and often the sources are the 'stuff' of story. It was a topic that gave rise to a lively discussion, chaired intelligently by Manda Scott, author of <i>The Girl who Walked into Fire</i>, a superb, I am told by Elizabeth Chadwick, utterly wonderful novel about Jeanne d'Arc to be published in May. If you like good, quality historical fiction, buy it!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2SDELva5ME/VRa7VXfsyGI/AAAAAAAABYs/obB_AgPQO9Y/s1600/Danuta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2SDELva5ME/VRa7VXfsyGI/AAAAAAAABYs/obB_AgPQO9Y/s1600/Danuta.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Danuta Reah, Finding Fiction in the Past</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As an author who loves reading and finding new books, I enjoyed listening to Friday's and Saturday's speakers, in particular Danuta Reah and Clare Mulley. Danuta spoke about a thriller set in Poland, <i>The Last Room</i>. Her brief was 'Looking Back: Finding Fiction in the Past'. Her slides showing Poland in wartime were exceptionally moving. Later, Clare Mulley spoke about her new biography '<i>The Spy who Loved': The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville</i>, Britain's first female special agent of WWII. If only she was alive now. I felt I wanted to meet her outside the pages of Clare's novel, so read Clare's book to find a unique non-fiction story. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z475b63mFXk/VRa7ifKpjDI/AAAAAAAABY0/sFfUWnrMq8U/s1600/Clare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z475b63mFXk/VRa7ifKpjDI/AAAAAAAABY0/sFfUWnrMq8U/s1600/Clare.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clare Mulley, The Spy who Loved</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>The Bayeux Tapestry</i> was an important feature of the festival and I was privileged to speak with Dr Marc Morris , Dr Sue Johns and Kate Russell on a panel titled 'The Bayeux Tapestry-Embroidering the Facts of History.' I have written on several occasions about The Bayeux Tapestry on my blog and it is part of my inspiration for <i>The Handfasted Wife.</i> Its mysteries also enter the early pages of <i>The Swan-Daughter.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marc Morris, Carol McGrath, Sue Johns, Kate Russell and Widget </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We still cannot say conclusively where the Tapestry was first displayed. Was it embroidered for a secular hall or was it intended from the beginning for a Cathedral? If so was it commissioned by Bishop Odo for Bayeux or was it shown in several Cathedrals such as Canterbury or Lincoln? Lincoln mirrors Bayeux and was built at the same time, in the 1070s. Could the fables embroidered in the Tapestry's margins be read as both pro-Norman and pro-English. We know that it was hauled out of storage yearly for The Feast of Relics during the High Middle Ages to be displayed in Bayeux Cathedral. If this is still a mystery, our panel did agree that Harold's promise to recognize William as King, an oath made over caskets of relics, was central to the story the Tapestry depicts.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fictionalizing Medieval Women, Carol McGrath introduced by Widget Finn</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Sunday I gave a very well received talk on Medieval Women, The Handfasted Wife and The Swan-Daughter. I did need my bottle of water!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Historian, Marc Morris, presented a talk on King John. Morris's biography
of King John is excellent. Tom Holland spoke in a fascinating
way about Islam. Adrian Murdoch spoke about Herculaneum-lots of dead
bodies and a few mysteries. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Adrian Murdoch on Herculaneum , Umm, who is that interloper?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dr Marc Morris and King John</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dr Irving Finkel, curator at The British
Museum, told his audience, in a very dramatic presentation, all about
boats built in Mesopotamia and how his experimental boat building could
be similar to that of Noah's famous ark. He had ancient tablets which he translated to suggest it. This was a riveting talk and I
could listen to it all over again! If you ever have the opportunity to
hear him speak, do! He is fabulous. Historian Professor Thornton told us about the
History of the Channel Islands. Simon Scarrow spoke on Waterloo.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TPNVHKkIYkU/VRa_4eBsMcI/AAAAAAAABZ8/309C7hTpG4o/s1600/Waterloo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TPNVHKkIYkU/VRa_4eBsMcI/AAAAAAAABZ8/309C7hTpG4o/s1600/Waterloo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Simon Scarrow and Waterloo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were, needless to say, many extracurricular events, good company, delicious cuisine and lashings of delicious buttercup yellow Chanel Islands' butter. We participated in a Roman themed dinner though I was generously permitted my medieval attire.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNG8Uh_D2KA/VRbBQ3H_9iI/AAAAAAAABac/rwsXvMymBR4/s1600/Alex%2BBowler%2Bfrom%2BJonathan%2BCape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNG8Uh_D2KA/VRbBQ3H_9iI/AAAAAAAABac/rwsXvMymBR4/s1600/Alex%2BBowler%2Bfrom%2BJonathan%2BCape.JPG" height="320" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Speaker Alex Bowler from Jonathan Cape at The Roman Festival Dinner</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An excuse to dress up Clare , Simon and myself</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the really exciting events, however, was an unforgettable and spooky encounter with the ghosts of Fort Tourgis on Friday evening, a very cold evening. We shivered our way around presentations brought to us by The Alderney Theatre Group. Yes, torches and warm coats were essential for this wonderful series of vignettes. The next day I purchased a new extremely heavy sweater.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aP-NrW7j8O4/VRbAQIn6b9I/AAAAAAAABaE/ERXVISAIIBU/s1600/Noah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aP-NrW7j8O4/VRbAQIn6b9I/AAAAAAAABaE/ERXVISAIIBU/s1600/Noah.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">he Amazing Dr Irving Finkel. Is that Alderney and Noah's Ark?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Erudite Tom Holland 'In the Shadow of the Sword'.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There simply is not enough room here to tell you <i>everything</i> about this Literary Festival. Pictures say more than a hundred words ever can. May I end this short report by saying that the hospitality, the organization, the cuisine, the talks were all marvelous and the audience the most erudite of audiences. The questions they posed were undoubtedly an important contribution to this festival's amazing success. Thank you, unforgettable Alderney, for inviting me over. But, shush, because if the world of festivals finds out how wonderfully we impoverished writers were treated we may not get a place on a flight next year!</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-75095346777577426902015-02-01T18:19:00.001+00:002015-02-04T13:37:49.606+00:00Discovering Padua, Venice and Verona in Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Venice on a chill January day with blue skies and sunshine is a pleasanter experience than Venice in mid-summer when it is crowded, hot and smelly. January is when Venice is reclaimed by Venetians for Venetians and a tourist presence is minimal. Yet, undeniably we <i>were </i>tourists, albeit returning from Christmas and New Year in Greece by driving through Europe. One of our favoured routes home is a car ferry from Patras in the Peloponnese to Venice, and after Italy, a long drive up Eastern France. Once we disembarked in Italy we paused for a week to discover and explore Venice, Padua and Verona during their quiet season.<br />
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The best way to describe our stay in Venice is to create a picture gallery. It is a city to wander around since to just look about with wonder is to experience a constant painting. Traveling up the Grand Canal by water bus is a superb daily commute for Italians who work in the city and a feast for the tourist's eye. I could spend days in Venice walking, getting lost in narrow echoing streets, popping into Churches, eating Venetian food. Our five days passed enjoyably, meandering Venetian streets and waterways, punctuated by highlights such as an opera, music in St Mark's Cathedral, a violin and cello recital. Other things we love to do in Venice is to drink a spritz, a mix of proseco and martini and nibble canapes at around five o'clock in the afternoon. Many Venetians enjoy this treat on their way home from work. Taking photographs on the Rialto at sunset provided us on this visit with yet another visual experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The setting for La Traviata in Palazza Musico</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene 2 La Traviata</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset</td></tr>
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From Venice we drove to Padua. Padua is one of the great intellectual centres and medieval University Cities of Italy. It is a gorgeous and very friendly city. We stayed in the centre of town in a delightful hotel called Belludi 37. <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/#q=belludi+hotel+padua.">https://www.google.co.uk/#q=belludi+hotel+padua.</a><br />
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I highly recommend visiting Padua and the hospitality in this hotel cannot be bettered. There is an emphasis on customer service and attention to detail that is impressive. Our host invited us to a reception to celebrate the launch of a magazine about Padua aimed at visitors to the city . This is packed with interesting articles and events. The magazine launch was held in Padua's famous cafe Pedrocchi. The story of the bullet hole shown below is told in the Wikipedia entry for Cafe Pedrocchi and is worth looking up. The Cafe is a place that is a great equaliser in that its clientele is middle class, ordinary citizens who read in the Green Room undisturbed and students. The launch event merged with another a wedding 'fayre' , most upmarket, that was also accompanied by music, canapes and drinks. And, dare I mention it, complimentary cigars and brandy and chocolates.<br />
Again, pictures tell the story better than words.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wedding 'Fayre'</td></tr>
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The next day we visited The Scrovengi Chapel to see the exquisitely preserved Giotto frescos. It is necessary to book in advance and worth while reading up about the frescos before visiting them as time to view these is limited. It is not permitted to photograph in the chapel. Giotto is very special because he developed an independent style of art that went beyond the solemn static images of Byzantine tradition. The frescos possess an expressiveness attached to their narrative suggesting realism. The Scrovegni Chapel frescos can be linked with Dante's Divine Comedy since, like this literary masterpiece, <i>their </i>narrative was conceived as a unified whole rather than a series of single episodes strung together. Thus, just as Dante's individual cantos and characters acquire meaning and life within the poem's structure, the fresco scenes are parts of a coherent , sequential narrative based on the late medieval theme of man's journey to salvation.The Scrovegni Palazzo also contains a superb art gallery with precious artistic treasures, many medieval but others from later centuries.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Scrovegni Chapel</td></tr>
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The next stage of our Italian journey took us to Verona where we explored the Colosseum which surpasses that in Rome, and where opera is performed throughout the summer. Verona also has many interesting medieval buildings and churches. The Capulet house possesses THE Romeo and Juliet balcony but it is also a medieval nobleman's home with a selection of late medieval interiors including the bedroom where Zeffereli's Romeo and Juliet was filmed and indeed when entered it does feel as if one has walked onto a film set. It remains as was during the filming.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Colosseum at Night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romantic Verona</td></tr>
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These three Italian cities are no great distance apart and of the three, whilst Venice and Verona are undoubtedly extremely beautiful and clearly on the tourist agenda, Padua, perhaps less explored, is a treasure. Its arcades and churches gave me a strong sense of a medieval city as it was during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and, flying a flag for Padua, I suggest without doubt, that it is a fascinating city not to be missed when visiting the region.<br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-55935142434210318422014-12-31T15:06:00.004+00:002014-12-31T15:06:57.474+00:00Great Reads from 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Without doubt my greatest love, second maybe to writing novels, is reading books. During 2014 I read many great novels, a variety of genres and styles, some of which were published before 2014. Here I collect together a selection of my favourite reads of this year.<br />
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T<b>he Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland </b><br />
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I admire Karen Maitland's approach to the historical novel and particularly enjoyed <i>The Vanishing Witch.</i> She mingles fact and fiction in a convincing manner throughout her work. This particular novel is set during the aftermath of The Black Death and The Peasant's Revolt of the fourteenth century. It is situated in the north and is a story that embraces suspicion, ordinary lives and contains within it a suspenseful story. The narrative is straightforward. A merchant widower makes an ill-fated marriage. His son is suspicious and becomes caught up in events that spiral beyond his control. There is an uncanny sense of fate haunting this novel. This book is beautifully written and has a threatening atmosphere that haunts its pages. The historical background and the way in which its characters perceive their world is exceptionally engaging and seamlessly woven into the story. <br />
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<b>Longbourn by Jo Baker</b><br />
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<i>Longbourn </i>is a reimagining of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> from the servants' point of view. Baker really builds up a believable and informative sense of the domestic life below stairs over which Mrs Hill the housekeeper has control. That is until a new footman arrives. He is a man with secrets and of course the maidservant who longs for love gets more than she had wished for. The story beautifully interacts with moments made famous in the original novel. In fact, Baker does not interfere with the characters of the novel, which I liked, but instead she adds a whole new dimension, creating a story that enhances the original work and is a superb, beautifully written novel in its own right. <br />
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<b>The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/B00HW7IPEW/ref=sib_dp_kd#reader-link"></a> <img alt="18498569" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392415313l/18498569.jpg" /><br />
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I thought that, although exquisitely written, <i>The Miniaturist </i>was slow to take off but once it did I was captivated. Set in the late seventeenth century in Amsterdam, Nella Oortman, the novel's protagonist is about to begin her new life in Amsterdam with her wealthy merchant trader husband. She is a wife who is not a wife. The household has secrets. Johannes Brandt, her husband, has dangerous secrets. He presents her with an unusual wedding gift which is a cabinet-sized replica of their home. As miniatures mysteriously begin to appear secrets do too. As she uncovers these she wonders if the mysterious miniaturist will save all their lives or destroy them. It is a beautifully written suspenseful historical novel and evokes Amsterdam's Golden Age with perfect pitch.<br />
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The Goldfinch by Dona Tartt<br />
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<i>The Goldfinch </i>was published in 2013. Persuaded by daughter, Tara, I accompanied her to hear Dona Tartt speak in London in November 2013 but I did not actually read the novel until this December. It is a wonderful novel and is deserving of every accolade granted to it. What a treasure I had unwittingly stored away. Theo Decker survives a catastrophe that comes near to destroying his life. Because of his action during the tragic event that takes his mother's life his own future is haunted. This is a brilliantly constructed novel with wonderful characters. Every word, every sentence matters. I cannot praise it enough. Without doubt it is the jewel in the crown of this selection.<br />
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My other best reads this year include:<br />
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<b>Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon</b><br />
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<b>Little Egypt by Lesley Glaister</b><br />
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<b>Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth</b><br />
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<b>After Me Comes the Flood by Sarah Perry</b><br />
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<b>On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan</b><br />
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<b>Brothers' Fury by Giles Kristian</b><br />
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And these are but to name a few. I would love to know a few favourite titles enjoyed by my readers. So what did you read in 2014?</div>
Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-153105805612514032014-11-15T14:38:00.000+00:002014-11-16T14:19:33.954+00:00Was Waterloo entirely a British Victory?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waterloo is a much written about battle. My great, great grandfather's regiment, The Scot's Greys, fought at Waterloo. Author Tom Williams has written a guest blog about how he is researching the battle for his new novel in his historical adventure series His Majesty's Confidential Agent.</i><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Uniforms of the period</span></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tom's novels are set against the meticulously researched background of the Napoleonic Wars. Burke, his hero, will become involved with a Belgian (Flanders) regiment during the Battle of Waterloo.</i><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Was Waterloo Entirely a British Victory?</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></i></h2>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Tom Williams</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">After his
adventures in Argentina (<i>Burke in the Land of Silver</i>) and Egypt (<i>Burke
and the Bedouin</i>), the next book in the Burke series will see Burke at
Waterloo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">It's inevitable,
really. There's more or less a legal requirement for anyone writing a
Napoleonic series to get to Waterloo sooner or later. I decided to bite the
bullet and do it now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Waterloo is a tricky thing to write about.
It is, for most British military history enthusiasts, <i>the</i> battle of the
19<sup>th</sup> century. Hundreds of books are written about it. (Bernard
Cornwell's effort, <i>Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and
Three Battles</i> was published in September.) The Internet is full of
websites, including some very erudite ones, discussing various aspects of it.
War-Gamers refight Waterloo all the time. Anything you say is likely to be read
by quite a lot of people who know enough about what happened to pick up any
mistakes.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PsxYCxvUkpo/VGdZzXtHRCI/AAAAAAAABQI/jAx_qptqG9s/s1600/2004_1016Arg2004-riding-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PsxYCxvUkpo/VGdZzXtHRCI/AAAAAAAABQI/jAx_qptqG9s/s1600/2004_1016Arg2004-riding-001.JPG" height="200" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tom Williams on one of his </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">adventures in South America,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the land of silver</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">This should make research easy. Unfortunately,
although much has been written about the battle, it was not particularly well
documented as it happened. Wellington’s dispatch to the Secretary of State
for War, formally describing the battle, runs to just over 2,300 words. This
created considerable controversy at the time for its failure to mention many of
the acts of valour performed on the field. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wellington started
writing it on the evening of the battle and he had, by any standards, had
rather a hard day. Even if he had delayed and written a longer account after he
had had time to consult with his generals, it would still have had errors and
omissions.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Although Waterloo was fought on a very small field (barely three
square miles) it was a large and complex battle. Napoleon had around 72,000
troops and Wellington commanded just under 68,000. (Even these figures are much
disputed: I’ve used Elizabeth Longford’s.) <a href="http://tinyurl.com/nesqwlaWellington%E2%80%99s">http://tinyurl.com/nesqwla</a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nesqwla"></a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nesqwla"></a></span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nesqwla"></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nesqwla"><span style="color: black;"> </span></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wellington’s force included troops
of the Netherlands Army (Dutch and Belgian) and 5,000 men of the Brunswick
contingent. Although all accepted him as the supreme commander on the field,
they had different command structures, different languages and different
uniforms. On at least one occasion, confusion as to the uniforms led to British
troops opening fire on their allies with significant loss of life. Confusion
was not only possible, but practically guaranteed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ufzymE9WH00/VGdaQcOIJOI/AAAAAAAABQQ/nr4koghIzuk/s1600/Waterloo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ufzymE9WH00/VGdaQcOIJOI/AAAAAAAABQQ/nr4koghIzuk/s1600/Waterloo.png" height="182" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waterloo (from Wikipedia)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We talk nowadays about "the fog of
War" but it is difficult to imagine the chaos of a 19th-century
battlefield. There was no radio or other means of long-range communication.
Wellington's orders were carried to his commanders by riders who would cross
the field of battle to take them to the people who would carry them out. It was
dangerous work and many of his staff officers did not survive – and thus the
orders did not necessarily get through. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wellington positioned himself on the
ridge overlooking the battlefield because he had to rely for information about
where his troops were on what he could personally observe. Unfortunately, once
the firing started the smoke from the muskets and cannon fire obscured much of
the battlefield, so generals often had no idea where their forces were. The
reason that military flags (the colours that are trooped at Trooping the
Colour) are so significant is because that gave everybody at least a chance of
seeing them through the smoke.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--h2Nj0wV2wc/VGdahCwU93I/AAAAAAAABQY/cAAtnWsxRQI/s1600/Waterloo%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--h2Nj0wV2wc/VGdahCwU93I/AAAAAAAABQY/cAAtnWsxRQI/s1600/Waterloo%2B2.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waterloo, The Chaos of Battle (from Wikipedia)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the chaos and confusion that threatened
the field, it is hardly surprising that both Wellington and Napoleon made
really serious mistakes. Both were brilliant generals, but both seem to have
been performing badly that day. The battle was not a series of brilliant
tactical manoeuvres, rather it ended up simply being a slogging match, in which
the Allied forces stood their ground, taking horrific punishment from the
French all day, until finally the French – having taken heavy losses themselves
and now threatened by the arrival of the Prussians – broke and fled the field.
At the end of the day almost fifty thousand men had died.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TndXlcOHYk8/VGdawdaPbpI/AAAAAAAABQg/zzKLtN-tWE8/s1600/Waterloo%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TndXlcOHYk8/VGdawdaPbpI/AAAAAAAABQg/zzKLtN-tWE8/s1600/Waterloo%2B3.jpg" height="202" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waterloo, Charge of The Scot's Greys ( from Wikipedia</span>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The loss of life is even more appalling when
you consider what this battle achieved. It is often described as having shaped
the history of Europe. This is nonsense. The whole continent was united against
Napoleon and the armies of Austria and Russia were ready to move on Paris.
Napoleon faced opposition even within France – many of his troops had to be
left behind to protect against monarchist opponents at home. Victory at
Waterloo might have bought Napoleon time, which he could have used to
consolidate his domestic position and negotiate improved surrender terms with
the Allies. It might well have changed the history of France: it can hardly be
claimed that it would have changed the history of Europe.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Waterloo did do was define the
character of Britain for the next hundred years. Wellington's famous calmness
and "stiff upper lip" (typified by his insisting that the Duchess of
Richmond go ahead with her ball, even as the French crossed the Belgian border)
may have been nothing more than a propaganda ploy to reassure nervous civilians,
yet it came to define how an English gentleman should behave. The steadfastness
of the British troops, who held their positions all day under heavy fire, also
came to typify the martial virtues of the British Army. It is significant that
the British attribute heroism to stoicism under fire, such as that shown by
British troops in the trenches during the First World War or Dunkirk in the
Second, rather than enthusing about the kind of strategic genius that can lead
to victory</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> without heroic losses.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ytkGC65RCqA/VGdbWipRrCI/AAAAAAAABQo/0hXnE4ryGZs/s1600/Sir_Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ytkGC65RCqA/VGdbWipRrCI/AAAAAAAABQo/0hXnE4ryGZs/s1600/Sir_Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington.png" height="200" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wellington (from Wikipedia)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waterloo was also seen as confirming
Britain's pre-eminent military position in Europe. Although the battle had been
an Allied effort – less than half of Wellington’s troops were British and he
admitted that it could not have been won without the Prussians – it was
presented as a British victory. Wellington (although Irish – a fact that he did
not care to advertise) was the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces. Britain
was the only country to have fought against Napoleon consistently throughout
his rule and now a British commander had put an end to Boney once and for all.
Waterloo has therefore attained a mythic status in British history and
inconvenient details that do not fit with this narrative are forgotten or
ignored.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Unfortunately, in my plot the British spy,
James Burke, is fighting in a Belgian cavalry regiment (the 8<sup>th</sup>
Hussars). As everyone knows since it was a British victory, the role of
regiments like the 8<sup>th</sup> Hussars has been quietly forgotten. In fact,
many historians claim that the Dutch and Belgian troops were cowards and made
little, if any, contribution to Wellington's success. Far from this being the
case, many units of the Netherlands Army behaved with conspicuous bravery. This
was particularly true of the First Netherlands Light Cavalry Brigade of which
the 8<sup>th</sup> Hussars were a part. They covered the retreat of the Scots
Greys, saving the remnant of that regiment after their famous charge. The
brigade was described as fighting with "insane gallantry".</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huUuu-NwDfU/VGdb6Ija3hI/AAAAAAAABQw/GLhmCMz9MGA/s1600/imagesM3JHBUFK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huUuu-NwDfU/VGdb6Ija3hI/AAAAAAAABQw/GLhmCMz9MGA/s1600/imagesM3JHBUFK.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scot's Greys (from Wikipedia)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, I am sure that much of what I
write about Waterloo could be debatable. None the less, I shall pursue
research, trying to get it right, knowing, too, that so many others have got it
wrong before me – not least all those who reduce the Belgian contribution to
what, in this country, we insist on believing a British victory. Two hundred
years after Waterloo, perhaps Burke can help to put the record straight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><i>Tom William's novels are truly fabulous, really fast paced historical adventures. They can be found on Amazon or ordered from bookshops.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UK paperback</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:</span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/pndrykd" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://tinyurl.com/pndrykd</a><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UK kindle: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/o6ssspf">http://tinyurl.com/o6ssspf</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">US paperback/kindle: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/p3vf3gt">http://tinyurl.com/p3vf3gt</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To find out more about events relating to these </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">historical adventures look for Tom Williams: </span><br />
<a href="http://thewhiterajah.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://thewhiterajah.blogspot.co.uk/</span></a></div>
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-1672174313737315532014-10-26T17:38:00.001+00:002014-11-16T14:22:35.906+00:00Revisiting Battle Abbey 1066/ 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Early this month I revisited Battle Abbey for the first re enactment of the Battle of Hastings in several years. It was a superb event and it made me wonder why I am so fascinated by battles and why I am writing a trilogy about the noble women of the Norman Conquest and how they survived 1066. I studied both Medieval history and The English Civil War as a student and those eras are of particular interest to me. Another reason for my passion resides deep inside my personal past. A direct ancestor who fought as a captain with the Scots Greys at The Battle of Blenheim was awarded a family crest by King George 1 and a parcel of land in Ireland as a reward for valour. In fact, I, absurdly used to use the family crest on notepaper when I applied for jobs (I was a student) thinking it made my applications look more impressive. I think I got the student jobs because I was suitable not because of my illustrious ancestor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Women of Hastings, The Saxon Camp, Re enactment 2014.</td></tr>
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My father's family came from the Scottish Highlands. It was not until later in the eighteenth century that they took up residence in Ireland. They were military men until my great grandfather rebelled. He refused to join the army and decided to marry an unsuitable bride. William Baxter was banished from the family home. However, the land eventually came his way. He ended up as a gentleman farmer who was also a carpenter. My mother's family were 'planted' in Ireland as a result of another war. Her ancestor fought as a mercenary in the Williamite wars of the late seventeenth century. He got his reward after the Battle of the Boyne which was the largest battle ever fought in the United Kingdom and ended up carving a successful future for himself in Northern Ireland. The shameful part of the story is that, just as after The Battle of Hastings, the victors literally seize territory from those who lived there before them. They destroy the lives of others. They bring about regime change and help to establish it. With this comes both positive and negative results but sadly human cost, the loss of life in battle and dispossessed. It is not a history to be proud of but it does explain my fascination with the past and, in particular, the effect of battles such as The Battle of Hastings on women.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blessing the Battle</td></tr>
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The event which took place on Senlac Hill almost a thousand years ago brought great change to England. The poor may not have noticed it greatly in that they exchanged one group of warlords for another. A feudal system was already in place in England by 1066. But for the noble wives of those who fought at Hastings the change was significant. They were survivors. Many wealthy women fled forced marriages with the enemy and took refuge in convents. Others looked after their families and estates until these were taken from them. Either they remarried or they took refuge where ever they could, and became exiles as did the heroine of the novel that I am writing currently. This is about Gytha, Harold's elder daughter who went into exile in Denmark and then married a prince of Kiev. Often the exiles lived in extreme poverty.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-26dyZhqNA/VE0tB0LYXjI/AAAAAAAABPA/C_uO4vkiGdM/s1600/Saxon%2Bwarrior.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-26dyZhqNA/VE0tB0LYXjI/AAAAAAAABPA/C_uO4vkiGdM/s1600/Saxon%2Bwarrior.png" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Saxon Camp</td></tr>
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Attending a re enactment whether it is an eleventh century experience or a seventeenth century Civil War experience helps us appreciate what these battles were like, what people wore, what they ate and how people lived then. For a writer it is a perfect way to immerse oneself in the period you write about. For the reader, the student or the history lover it is a superb day out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pDYNs1F8Cew/VE0tYR3FRpI/AAAAAAAABPI/P0KvvxXueIY/s1600/Chain%2BMail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pDYNs1F8Cew/VE0tYR3FRpI/AAAAAAAABPI/P0KvvxXueIY/s1600/Chain%2BMail.png" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Normans believed God was on their side</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Kite Shaped Shields</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TeYImPFRQio/VE0uLCttd5I/AAAAAAAABPc/-neR3uG2vGE/s1600/back%2Bof%2BSaxon%2BShield.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TeYImPFRQio/VE0uLCttd5I/AAAAAAAABPc/-neR3uG2vGE/s1600/back%2Bof%2BSaxon%2BShield.png" height="320" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxon Round Shields</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i3sK9FfsYfs/VE0uhgcu1KI/AAAAAAAABPk/qjFUD11SaJU/s1600/harpist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i3sK9FfsYfs/VE0uhgcu1KI/AAAAAAAABPk/qjFUD11SaJU/s1600/harpist.png" height="207" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musical Instruments</td></tr>
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I wonder if anyone who reads this blog has any interesting family history. I have a signed copy of The Swan-Daughter, a novel about King Harold's younger daughter, which will be on general release on 11th December, as a prize for the most interesting comment. I would love to hear, too, if anyone is descended from Harold and Edith Swan-Neck.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Raven</td></tr>
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I shall choose the winner from the hat and announce the result here on this blog on 1st December ten days before the paperback release of The Swan-Daughter.<br />
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The winner can then send me his/her address for the signed book through my website email. <a href="http://www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk./">www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk.</a><br />
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This competition is open internationally. I look forward to reading small snippets of your family history either via my web site email or here in the comments section.</div>
Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-11507412026496531142014-10-04T13:48:00.001+01:002014-10-04T14:40:17.033+01:00St Nicholas, a Greek Byzantine Church at Chora<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Many of the Byzantine churches in the Greek Mani were built during the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries. Over the past two years I have visited so many of these in villages in the Taygetos Mountains that I cannot even remember all their names. However, the icons and frescoes they contain are fascinating and tell familiar stories. It interests me to think that people who lived during these centuries gazed on these with awe and through them learned the stories of the Old and New Testaments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bruce Chatwin, the writer who fell in love with the Mani and also who converted to the Greek Orthodox religion before he died of aids in 1989, must have felt likewise. I write about Bruce Chatwin here <a href="http://scribbling-inthemargins.blogspot.gr/2013/06/the-greek-mani-writers-hideaway.html" target="_blank">http://scribbling-inthemargins.blogspot.gr/2013/06/the-greek-mani-writers-hideaway.html</a></span><br />
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If the video does not show here is the link: <a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://youtu.be/RmuQg_VhbFM" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">http://youtu.be/RmuQg_VhbFM</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recently, my husband made a short video about the church in the Greek Mani where Bruce Chatwin requested his ashes to be placed after his death. The Church of St Nicholas at Chora has a special sense of place, a perfect location for a Greek Othodox Church. It was built in the tenth century. Unfortunately, as it was locked on the day we made the video, we could not see the frescoes. Yet, walking around it on a sunny evening, just before sunset, is enough to convince me that a sense of timelessness exists here amongst olive trees and above the Viros Gorge. I cannot think of a better place for one's last journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The photographs above were taken last week at St Nicholas at Chora. Whilst it was impossible to view frescoes inside St Nicholas, another local church which is easily found as you walk from Chora to the main road, is usually open. The frescoes in this Orthodox Church date from a later century.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The best frescoes I have seen in village chuches in the Taygetis Mountains are to be discovered in the medieval churches of the village of Kastania. This beautiful hill village can be found by carrying on past Chora around the mountain route via Sidonia.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fresco from one of the many medieval churches in Kastania</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carol McGrath is the author of <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> and the recently published historical novel <i>The Swan-Daughter</i> , published by Accent Press in July 2014, initially on amazon kindle but on general distribution on December 11th 2014. This is a novel about the aftermath of 1066 from the point of view of Gunnhild Godwinsdatter, King Harold's younger daughter. It is based on a documented historical story. </span></div>
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-5260221018434135832014-09-15T14:33:00.003+01:002014-09-15T14:39:09.320+01:00The Swan's Song in Medieval Literature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Swans feature as an image in both <i>The Handfasted Wife </i>and in <i>The Swan-Daughter,</i> novels set at the time of The Norman Conquest of the eleventh century. Edith Swan-Neck, the protagonist of <i>The Handfasted Wife </i>allegedly possessed an elegant swan-like neck and white skin. This was considered a sign of great beauty during this period. Her daughter Gunnhild, the heroine of <i>The Swan-Daughter</i> which is connected to <i>The Handfasted Wife</i> (though a stand alone novel) resembles her mother. She is often referred to as Swan-Neck's daughter. Gunnhild was the youngest daughter of Harold II, who was defeated at Senlac Hill by Norman Duke William.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Her fictionalized story is an Anglo-Norman elopement, a love triangle: one that is documented in letters between Gunnhild and Archbishop Anselm, circa 1090, and in <i>The Ecclesiastical History of Oderic Vitalis,</i> 12thC.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Swan from a Medieval Bestiary</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the medieval period, swans had special significance. Illustrations of swans grace the pages of bestiaries: collections of medieval creatures with primary text explanations of their significance. The swan's Latin name is Olor. The swan has a harmonious voice and sweet song. These bestiaries tell us that swans sing most sweetly before they die. The swan is attracted by the zither or the harp and will sing along when one is played. A swan's long neck makes the song more pleasant because its voice is struggling to get out through the long winding way. This causes it to emit various notes. Isidore of Seville also tells us that the swan is a good omen especially for sailors as she only touches the sea, then rises to seek air and land. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are many romantic associations with swans:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bartholomaeus Anglicus, 13th C, writes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'When a swan is in love he seeketh the female and pleaseth her with beclipping of the neck, and drawing her to himward; and he joineth the neck to the female's neck, as if it were binding their necks together.'</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two Swans </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the beautiful pieces of music from the Middle Ages is the Swan-Sequence. This is an anonymous Carolingian-Aquitanian Latin sequence, first recorded around 850. Its melody was popular for centuries. Sometimes it is called The Swan's Lament which I find poignant and which explains how it was used in the Church year. It was, for instance, used for Sunday services in Limoges and Winchester during the 10th C. During the 11th C it was a common melody for liturgical texts for the Feast of the Holy Innocents. By the 12thC it was a common setting for Whitsun sequences in Southern France. The Swan-Sequence shares characteristics with the lai. In this it differs from the Gregorian Chant.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Swan image from a poem by Guillaume Cretin 16thC</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Swan-Sequence may have been viewed as an allegory for 'The Fall of Man'. Avian imagery was used for the wandering searching mind or soul and is evident in the Old English poems The Wanderer and The Seafarer. Its last manuscript appearance is in a Norman manuscript dating from circa 1100.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In The Swan-Sequence the swan has left the lush land and is trapped on the ocean amongst terrible waves, unable to fly away. She longs for fish but cannot catch them. She looks up towards Orion and prays for light to replace darkness. When dawn finally comes, she rises to the stars and flies to land. All the birds rejoice and sing a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Lady and the Swans, medieval image.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The swan image is therefore truly appropriate for my new historical novel, The Swan-Daughter. In war and conquest we see man's fall at it most vicious. After the Norman Conquest there was eventually, an amalgamation of English language, laws and culture with Norman culture and laws. The noble women in my novels, the shadows in the corner, remind me of the swan's prayer for light to replace darkness. They had longings and aspirations and most of all they desired a place of safety, a secure land.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Swan-Daughter, published by Accent Press, 2014. </span><br />
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/k8gnx9e" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/k8gnx9e</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Handfasted Wife, published by Accent Press, 2013, in paperback and for all e readers</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-6524645473197741842014-08-06T08:25:00.003+01:002014-08-06T14:13:45.242+01:00 Legends and History- Tristram and Iseult and Robin Hood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Swan-Daughter, the second novel in The Daughters of Hastings series was published in July as an e book by Accent Press and it will be published on 11th December as a paperback. The Swan-Daughter is the story of King Harold's youngest daughter, Gunnhild. I write about her <a href="http://scribbling-inthemargins.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00Z&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00Z&max-results=20" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Her story is very romantic and like her mother, Edith Swan-Neck's story, parts of it have been the subject of legend. There was even the possibility that she was a model for some of the Breton versions of the Guinevere story. Guinevere did not enter the Arthurian legends until much later on.She was not in the version of the story as given by the early 12th century historian, Geoffrey of Monmouth. Monmouth's stories of King Arthur, the knights and the quest for the Holy Gail were designed to mask the more ghastly events of the first crusade. He was an early 'spin' historian!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arthur and Guinevere</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I researched where I could in Chronicles resourced on the shelves of the Bodleian Library Oxford in order to find concrete information about Gunnhild. I discovered that she really did elope from Wilton Abbey with Count Alan of Richmond (Alain of Brittany) and that she was later involved with his brother, Alan the Black whom I call Niall in the novel. This history is documented by Oderic Vitalis in the early 12th century. Other evidence for the elopement and her relationship with Alan's brother is a correspondence between Gunnhild and Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury. This is an archived correspondence in which the Archbishop tells Gunnhild not to live with Count Alan's brother but instead to return to the abbey of Wilton. These sources are the bones, the skeleton of my story The Swan-Daughter. Into this I integrate politics that followed the Conquest of 1066, for instance- The Earls' Rebellion of 1075, Domesday Book 1085 and King William's troubles with his son, Robert which occurred in the late 1070s and again during the 1080s.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="abspos" height="320" id="kximg2" 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" 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oderic Vitalis wrote about the 11th C, especially The Conquest</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I decided to parallel the story of Gunnhild, Niall and Alan in <i>The Swan-Daughter </i>with that of <i>Tristram and Iseult.</i> In the story of Tristram and Iseult, Tristram who later becomes one of King Arthur's knights, kills a dragon and seeks a wife for his uncle Mark of Cornwall. Iseult's maid, either by accident or design depending on the version you read, gives the couple a potion intended for Iseult and King Mark. It would cause them to fall in love at first sight. This leads to a famous literary love triangle and an impossible situation. It leads to many circuitous adventures in true romance tradition.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://qcpages.qc.edu/Biology/LahtiSites/greatlit/french/bedier/tristan.htm" id="irc_mil" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://qcpages.qc.edu/Biology/LahtiSites/greatlit/french/bedier/tristaniseult.gif" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tristram and Iseult</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medieval romance was emergent in stories and in song by the end of the eleventh century. These early medieval romance stories were written down in the vernacular Norman French. Romances were long narratives of adventure that combined the real and the improbable. They appeared in Britain a few years after they originated in France, written down in Norman French for the descendents of those barons who had landed with William the Conqueror. Other romance tales were recorded in Occitane, a language of the French south. Troubadours carried this vernacular romance literature from Spain to the court at Aquitaine where they became popular during the first half of the twelfth century.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89J8qoj39FA/U-HWagUeZDI/AAAAAAAABMM/bFPfZQtq0oQ/s1600/preraph+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89J8qoj39FA/U-HWagUeZDI/AAAAAAAABMM/bFPfZQtq0oQ/s1600/preraph+knight.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medieval romance quickly becomes associated with the notion of chivalry, the rules of knighthood and the idea of setting up 'the lady' as an image of virtue and of love, actually dichotomy since woman was also seen as the temptress, the daughter of Eve. A knightly quality was to fall in love, usually with another's wife and certainly not his own wife. This was unsurprising really in a society where marriages amongst the nobility were arranged and their objective involved the transfer of land. As for 'the lady' who was the subject of such love, she could behave as unobtainable and disdainful as she wished. This love was not sexual but ideal and pure, at least for the most part. The veneration of the lady was tied up with the popular cult of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, the ideal woman who had a virgin birth. Chapels were dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Flowers were named after her. Pilgrimages were made to shrines dedicated to her. She is always depicted as wearing blue the colour of purity. Gunnhild is no Virgin Mary. Throughout <i>The Swan-Daughter</i> she is haunted by guilt for her love of Count Alan's brother. She becomes Iseult to his Tristram.</span><br />
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hqNv11qs4W6cmU9dNB76/ran3BMQFj6U8Sq6vw3MpYDUiNRyO9VvHcH7kq7ANPrI9KsmH42uTWPOgOMOCugzDcczHtrT5Z10UpYWUwRv1OknTeuxiIMkmPTX9etSFQ8ysEj2kE8+fv5VyqZdJ26Vw/ftY/DONDP65UzsQYMCf186QWiy6BjHSm+DaY/R+9a4ZfSa8ntkLiMQrXUtI166snxP4bhHwjb3I96tXZ7iqR3SveYDTNBM+6LpXnh7T3GxV3EW4Q3LjMIUHwz4d+cQT1JJppZ7Z4uzdBYq+eDqDtJBgSK3zwro4+SSdvQe0PELFrDOt0Fe+EW8xglk8Q0YgmZIPMhjvtXmnZu6rPNw5Rq0KBp5SdvSs7Qdo2xVxTfXNbRj4BprG4g7+Wo9aQC8wZikAFiQBpAJmKeGPWqLySZeUepL2syDK2yiBO8axPnyqfs3xI4i47nbKQPOdz9K8qW65M3Jj50/4diWKwJCncDSfXrWnx4ydJ+a2vSex91cPijqhRwVzZgAskH7iK9GZZ9PpXiGCarXwXirpoHI+x/1DnV7c99r3jcMHtuvVT/iqVhcOzILcCHv25POGtOTJG4209etW7DcZtvblmVWiCs6ztoNyKqlniwQ21CTluqzGYmLZSNvOfaoz/g8VsugKIA0AgD02HnpQuJAKmGgHmPyqfEXJE6wfTn6UpuOFkSYmdNevvUZckhPPe0WFyM6/wAlxgP9LQ6+0EVXroq49pVDOxAPiQGTvKHxfQr8qqN1a048txWX7BvQ9wUVcWh7uxq0griE6LqdgBqfpUNvDOQTGo1jy3kVZexv/wAousLQUOAxcxBYgCPTf50x7S8GbDhcULlpszRCLCAMIygbZSDp0896yvJq6bTi3j5PO3FdYVPFR3FkXMGWAGUNAjQnf60FakERWvuMbNJcnkKyuy56D5D+1ZWfZp2AOgmpraQfQ0Mpoqy0kT1qrFWjRgmYkg1MyAZcpE+p/wBv96m4e4EzpM84H+Kl/ZdWy5SAC3MGAJI2isPK71QJVQVB2PMDY9PejcKdv1Pz2qPC4Fktm42kkQOeU8yOVZbc7wN+W9Ev6PRthbjMSFUnrp9/KucFxI2bvc3fhOqE8ieRn9bGpcJjGxL93YcBbQCFtYJUQ2Xrr7V1xfgz/BddWJ1t3ADIca5T5ESOfPnEz8k9VXxdbgi7cdZESpO067fSuL9/L8Q9Of6NR4JLtxBnX4AQ2oJzeAgEcyoBOnI1JbwwkEyQNeW+2sb/AOK585JU6onD3Ou36NNMLcIWegmBuaTXCVYROWPKJ6CisHiCTtGv9uVPCCvB+HalfOKe47DNda2FjmCZIUARqSdhrV77X9h8PlbF2SbbqQzoBmtuWYAkA/AdZ008qpHae1FpT0aOnxA/2rqucuc0MZ+FKb4QZgrBgMoLDZmA8RE8p584nnXFoa0Ir8qItPWtiJRyXophhr/nSgPU1u/Uq8liw+MjnTLC8R86qVu/U6YuDV4pyejDiqtB5EfIx+vlQlu8Q41kFvlVTwmP8J1219udMOH4/wAQ5jpP1os6Ke3rV694VEjQAGfIUjxTjxefn6zU2JxOYx+ooRgJ8v7f71y+1SFPErgm3tGbLEGfEInXzC1WsRagkdCRVi48krC76keoiPqKT3znhv5gD+Vb8fStdFV1KFuJTK7boW8sAk1snRThJDEMfD8UfzEbfSa64hxAPpbBVIEgFokfxak6n8q3hMG+Kdu7AVLa52ZiAQJhBBI1O4HOR1rXGxbTLbttmjVyAuQsdAFjeBIJmJOmgBMamzmVk0XvclQCNRpMjbkIj118/KubSwdeVYm50mBJ3Ply9RUqONYGsS0+RkAfKmlpk/qrKKtspAO2m1arPYRhalRaxRTzs32aTGF8/fMy5QqWwkDMYzsbhAIB5AyOhrTLKSbqscbbqB7DkCND6gfrnTPhWfNmHXUQII6UvvcGbCu1pmUw7ZSDugMKxE6Trp/Sa9H7EcHtX7bAkhgNP5eU+tRMZkd/H2rl/HSMreHz39v10oHiL5bLskM4EESVgR8Q03HKrRx/gRQ/Dp1I8Pz2iqvjX5JIA5gHXzmNvT51jnMePqNMJ5B+zK4c2Xa6J7vNGVyjTlJyiCNTyIgg1YcVeQr33eXRbCk5GZiFyqV0AaQ8gxGsk+Uef4dnwl/MozqwOh036xzFMeLYvvLYtoAFJDsdNyNABGgE+5mlcLldy9KvJJhr7OOE8cnDXBhAxuhg3cvBIzMBdynMC6lSxJkEMomZmrHgnd7a5lKvlBZNDB5jQ/Wqt2H7Ol3N5tBbPg/qePsAfqPOrliYYaEzykflNZ8ut6jKW2Kn2t4zeW6mGswGKhiSAWkkgATpy3jnTTgy4q2yjEocrah/DvGmqH70m7YYMDE2bzE5SotmGyuILEMNNBr9KsWAxQuJvdJU5VzuxBXMxVoJ+LLprrrV49YzUVMZZbTviFsX8O9sEqTl1jmGVuvlUOA7KWHMX/3qFT4HC5dRE9QRMgggiBXVp4RhGv8AYzROAxklYOhO3tWWd8c8Twm8a857YfhZdsNnwZN62x0tf/2XQtA5XBAPQ7CDvVBuW2RirqyMNCrAqwPmDqK+oXY+A/1j6gr+deAfiRjhe4limmcr935Du1VIHup+dd+OW3OryXK7R6EDVIrxTsLYxbldG7QYuV1mpGKXEEGmPDL+ZgJjUa9JIE/Wko1nyE/UD86O4BJvWwBPjTT/AI1p29CTt7Db0kkwACSegGutVy521UNpaY2wYDTBPsRH1qwYlC6smbRgV06ER+dV9Ut/s9y25dSoe2FZhBMypiIJHKPKuTHKe63xwt9D72JW6quhlTqPtr0pZh18JX+ViI8uX0j50T2XwcYW2f5pb5nT6RWuHRcd3tjMM+VlkRAhS4KkmYWQI125zW9sxkVjjaEvWqRdoiUtaaEso+v+Ks+GxFu8JtsD5bN8qqXb26FFu2DrOYjyAgT8z8q1jPL0AwBQ2bzXLj94WtqlsHwsNNX02RYjbYelB3bkknymicTh2Fmw52/fKNpMMWLbzzAEjkKDbnv8PL86IyD4u4Z3np6DausFispJ0O2h2Pr5UJeMx+vKuLRpjZxbxggSP1yrKXispah7WJUptwTGmxcDgqI5sYXWNTtPWOcUIVArpmKZdBn365Z+EdJjn5+VTl3NKxurtYsctvF37erjw6ghQ1yCWliDKrqSBtr6VeOA3e5knQRACjl9hXnXAuHG4S5YhgSQdyW6yeVX3hBbKCdDG3tXPdzqLyu+yrtj2iN092jCF+IjUTOiz1Ea/wBxVdw+a5yJJ2ABJ/vQPBbfemT/ABEtGw1MyfKKdorFwij92SVEZSWbbXXcEg5CRGhMEzU5Tyuqcz8Y6t8EFwHOy5eeWWP/ADKCoI0586MHY9SQwcRoD4SOgMEwPP3qzdn8ChIUyWAKz8IjcmCPed9TVlxFi1bXXYaz66HStccNTpjlncr2rq2ES2FtgZVHw66efXznnVU7ScTa14UALke0bTrv/ijeO8SNu4FSW0k5ByOsqBuMsHznyBqnYpWe/cusfiK5dREBF2kgjfaOZneonHNqmRMzu7MX8TE7tvpynkPLarn2ZdQqqf4p3k+IAaGfKAKrETcM8qtHZfDh7ijpr9jWtnQ2tNyzCPlkkKx9wCfypZgscAyeRq3WcHCsg3YEE9ARBA/P5V45Z4pEciDr6zqK5v8AIwvVjThy9x7PjL4S3mbZWQn0DrP0r5jxeJNwvcbe47XD6sxJr6D7X3v/ANVfugxNgMCOpylfrFfOl1th5V14xhXM12pqNTUk1aY7ymsFaDV0WpK1G509xT/sJaz4pfIMfkpj6xVezA6TTbsvi2sYi2wAIZghBkaMQvLnrPtSy9aVj729J4zxxMKFkFmMkKCBp5mlvDsXaxFw3iFVnUqF3OnxTPkR7Us7fnLicpEQgj3n/NVlLpGqkjQjTpsax+LeLWcvjlt6Fh+1Ni062DbyooCh1IKKPMHWPc1WeMX2w2LxNhGOQEkSAdXVbkbaDxEadKUM86nUxqTqTXovGsDbxHBrWLyKb1tbad5HjhbndOCdyNzBrWY9aR8lteWG+RqDB6gwfmKBxDFjJJJ6kya9WwX4aWb1i1dF+6Bctq5WEJBZQWExsDPL51Wu2XZFMEiMru5d8viywAFJ5DetGdlV9r827aZmITPoQAFLtJAO7SBJJ61FfMR6GuUFZf1iggbjSo0WpTXapTJoCsrvLW6Wj2uN02wVYEjMJymfBrETz9a4vgd4YMjTX71yYO9RIYMb1GlWrj2WgIfX+1WvF4lbVq5c08Ftn/5VJArzvhGNy6HrGnrTrjePDWLw1jun/wC01M1sWqn2exE2nZjAJFsctwS3pIBExzq4cMxB8LIviJFx8p8BhmEEzAEg6efPlQeFvNl1/ldWjbSCPuRT3A8Ra2FUbE/DOuad5j0ouOvRb29Ps8VFvVumknxefPlrp5VHiOP5wAnxaif4gNNQPc/L2qlYvGFlAU6jWOUmJgnpP0NJLuOYZs7HxCOsgagzO3seVTPQMePcWN57i3M8EDKCCHYINdSJKkicp0mDvurS8XE6g5j4ZGgY5gNfMt7EUBiOI5wREDWeZmf161Fhb3hgc2ET5D/NXroDphzy6+WlegdjcGLbktPexOX/AOsGAJ/rIO3Ib6nSkWMWiFrk57nhAnYGJzecQPeKZdmOKlLoYz4jBJP83P5xrTN63ZvACvnjtOzWcXiLX8t14/0sxZP+kivblxNeR/ivg8mLW6PhvIJP9dvwt/05KeWMpS6Wri3Gu87P2zOrNbsn/gu6j3VPrXjdw60/t8YnArhi2q4xbij+k2nX/u/7qrztqfWiTRV0OVdk1CXrYuVRJlNSTQwuV0LtKxUaY60bgZzW4Jk3FA/5hEedBKZNOeAANdw4jxHE2CP9IZs//j8qKI9D/E/h4m3iMygx3ZUzLally6cpMzXn37SF2Aq3fiPxHvLqWtCEGY9Zbl8gPnVNt2ZYCiQbWngfD0uWcSWHiOHLr/SyXEYjXmQB7T1q08AxAbgeKtndO909hdH1NC9lcEIEkQFYEdQylT9DReCw+TC4u3BAZHIPIzbIP2FPWi3tYuw1/Nw+xPIMv/LcYfYVVfxbX93Y/wBbf9v+aadgsRGDUdHf6mfzpN+KN2Vsf6n+y0odrzkJWBdfY/apSutbya+1VUwpCxRAIqS5ZoHESNjTB/grKlAfX7mtUuwV0hB7/c1uoM+Z9ZFA3sRoQNDJk+VFB+RoJ7etAH4W7APoPqdabYnEZ8O/UrHzgGq0DB6U3zgW4HQfcUtKK8G2RtvCRB9Dz9t6MWUPluD18xQmWuxjMogjMOnT06VdiE17HMDJMj6Umx3ELhYxtt5H1ij7mV9mInqPzFcDAAa5p8gP71OgBwzux00nWdvUmmPEsM9rKCIJQNHPUka9CY+tWzhPZ1LcO0MdCOg5g+f60pd2zt/A+8EqffUfn86ZkGEuMRr6+XrTTAsQQM3MUstyfKiUuRRobenYXHB0DAzI+vOlvazh4xWHZN3Xx2/9QB09CJHv5Uu4Jih3IM7kk+Rnajf24daQrx/MMwEFYI35EHWaic6k/KnnbPCi3iiyiBcAf/imG+on3pBcOppk1Wwa5rZpk6FbBrgGu4oNJa5097JqpxGHM+IXAQPIK5J+cVXg1NOA3st5XnVFcjzORgPvPtSPZ7xi73l+4/Vj8hoPoBXFnDNlNwDwqQCfM0FbvliANzpVswwVbQt7iTm85EH70yB4Li7KOlWzheO7zDnUa5h85/vXneMXu3K8tweo5U27O8SysUOzbeTD+4+1FB52Q4jFlh0efmq0o7e40k2ekv8A+Fa7Ptla6vnp7FgfyqDtaobu/LN/4UjpIryK2BUCmiFaqS4daDu4adaOauSKACViNKyu2s+dZS0Zw7g0OW1oWzdM+VSilDogCi5hAPSgO8reKx4Cj1/vQNprrgUDcuzOWl2Lxhfyri3dIqkj8IpnendvakGFuEU5sXgN6NBfrF1e7SD4cgjroB9aU8fw+a28eR+RBP0qHA4yLMTqp09/95ru7xBSd5H6J9qk1cS0ahvnU1Pi74/hPOg2vT5mq6I34I/7tvIz8x/iilu6mknD8QVnnMfQ9aY95zMVJlvbMStt42JWY5HUfUVUrm59TV34wc9i4v8ATPuuo+1Uh96cDmtitV1TJgFbBrqK0aRsNT4IwwP62o7hdm29tlYAsGmdjBAjUct6iuWQhIWT6/4oBlw9oOY8tvWmAxhnek9kQsTWxiYoBpj4ZQeY+3OhMHd1IJiYg9GHwn9da4/bNP160Cx899aAf4LFxeadyOXUwdPrW+N4jMUneD+VI0xMXA2uo366RW8biJK6nY/fWKAJJFRZzNQI/OumuimQoNWFxQDX63bu60tgZFbqHNWUwsPDOy73UFwsEDRlESSCzKrGSAASjQASzZSQpGpS8Ssm05RiCYUhlMqysoZHQ81ZSCPXWCCKeWuPWXw62cTbLBMsDIXVimdbbeC9aYNlcoVJKsFUypma5xnGi64KgqiIlq2pILBLahVzEQCx1YxpLaaRUTezqycY7IXLTqgvKxOKTCsTbu24e4WAZc4i6gymSpkadaG4h2JuhrVtLtt+8u3LcutyzlNlM91yHHitBZOdZ2jeicb29zXLjrZu/vMRavst3E94id1d7wJZUWl7uTpmObTSK4bt2QQUs3GBvtedb+IN4FXt3LT2rcW17pCl1tdTovSKX5DpWuJ4CygVrOKS/JIKi3ctusahocaqesz1AoSylG4+/hiFGHs3UMks1y8twkRoihbaAAbyZJ8qEF6rhDLCijEI8qUrd1qTv6ewc28WACoO4/vQ1/GaGDvSw3KwtpUgR3xNd5qED1svQDK2+WNQPnNSPitKXXL2lQ95QDTFYwi22WCY9vP6VWWpxbuUuv2t/wDURHluKYD1ldRWEUwZ3ezuIGHt4kW2e06s2ZFdhbCXGtnvDlyoSVJGu1dca7N4jCkd5bbIQmW6qv3TG4iuFVyoBaGgjqDTzhvaezbw1lT35u2cPibIt5U/Z7hxJu+JznnKFuSVyalRqIpge3FlHN1Fv3GdsFNq4EW2i4Q22ORg7F2Zk08KwHbeo3T6VO3w+9h2/fWrtolZUXEZCROpGYCRU68NvwjGxey3CBbburmW4TqBbMQ5I2Ampcffwrl8tzGuCt1l7wWhF12BUEZ28G+dgQSY0FPLnaqwcScT/wC7DXVKXLY7sJZDYZ7Bew2fxOpaUlVgZhzmnuhWsbbe0xS4j22G6urIw5iQwBFbwfDL1y6toIys1y3bJdWCobxAt59PCDM+YGk0XxniWGvKlsftBFjDCzaci2Hd+9d5ujM2W2A5UKpJGUa0+HbPChmuhcR3l27grlxStvIn7JlzKjZ5fNBgkLuB50boVb/0693qWghl7pso0EI7hxbIViIMMR6SKzEcJvLnPdu6I5TvkS41liHNsFXywQWEDadOdWfE9qbF262NGe1fs2Ht2rOht94x7uy9kScmVXa4y7ZlkE5qWcM7U9yOHgK7DCO73EJhLha93gy6/EBzI0IFLdADCdm8VcuNbNq4lxLTXu7uW7iu6qQItrllmJOnI61u9wy7DE22Vke3aNpluC7nu5iihSsycuxgmRANPsN2nw9tBZVsWbfdYpO+ZbffBsU1o6ILsFVFuSc4LF2MCa0O2dkXLcJeKWrvDyrME7x0wQu5y/igO3eCBJAA1NG6OijB9n8S7m33NxHFp7wW5buKzqgki2Cssx2EaTQI4ZiGutaWxeN1RLWxauG4o01ZAMwGo3HMU+w3bFFshCLxuC3jlzyN8V3fdmc06FTPrpNSN2ns3bZtXP2hFaxg0N22Ea53mEzTALqCjZtDmkFFMGIo3Qq1vh15kd1s3WS3IdhbcqhG+cgQpHnRmE4JiDh7mJKMtm2FOd1dQ4e4LY7s5crkFhOu1Wq726svdW+1u8j2rmKdLSZDbujEDTvmLAqw/iIVsw6Uu4p2msXMPeVRiBdvWMLZ7sqncWv2Y25yEPOVghIGUQWO8zRujpXe+rVASayrIfeO9DnesrKkMWsrKygNGuBWVlAdrW6ysoDsc6xqysoDQrta3WUw05rlaysoCW3UOJ/P8hWVlADVqsrKYZWGsrKAlt7VlbrKA4NYtZWUgwV0KysoDZrlqysoDS1IKysph0dq0tZWUBlZWVlAf//Z" 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favourite versions from TV </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An interesting subject of legend who has recently had a resurgence in historical novel form is Robin Hood. My first introduction to Robin Hood was Richard Green blowing his horn through Sherwood Forest's greenwood and calling his band of merrie men to stirring adventures in the 1960s television series <i>Robin Hood</i>. There are six major sources for the legends of Robin Hood, A Geste of Robyn Hood, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar, Robin and the Monk, Robin Hood and the Potter and The Death of Robin Hood. All of these works were written after the period that is usually ascribed to Robin of Sherwood. His time period appears to run from the last years of the reign of King Henry II around 1185 through the reigns of King Richard I, King John and ends during the reign of Henry III after 1235. In popular legend his death is circa 1247. Some sources do suggest a wider time frame. Local legends spring up about Robin Hood and the majority of these date from 200 years after the core legends were recorded. Unlike Gunnhild's story where there are snippets of her story recorded in chronicles it is difficult to establish the historicity of Robin Hood. It is likely that he was a real man who existed in history and not just in folklore. He is however essentially a legendary character. The following three fabulous writers have taken Robin Hood and turned him into their own successful stories.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mJnGy6kJL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-v3-big,TopRight,0,-55_SX278_SY278_PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" id="main-image" rel="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Yv-y4FvNL._SL1500_.jpg" style="display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven McKay's version</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Steven A. McKay</b> <i>The Wolf and the Raven </i>is the second in a series about the outlaw.<i> </i> These Robin Hood stories are, interestingly, set during the fourteenth century when the legends were first recorded. The books are great fun. I absolutely love them. If, like me, you are a 'Robin' fan read them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Angus Donald</b> <i>The Rise of Robin Hood</i> This is the first of a series of which Angus has written four. They are superbly written. I recommend these novels highly for the adventure and the quality of Donald's writing style.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41X5HUjZ5vL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click-small,TopRight,12,-30_SX342_SY445_CR,0,0,342,445_SH20_OU02_.jpg" id="main-image" rel="" style="display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gritty and Beautiful</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong>Adam Thorpe</strong><i> Hodd </i> Who was Robin Hood? In the form of a medieval document Thorpe gives us the story of a free spirit and a not very pleasant outlaw. It is literary, superb and well worth reading.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0099503662/ref=rdr_ext_tmb" id="sitbReaderBookThumbnailHolder" style="margin: 0px auto 6px;"><img alt="Go to "Hodd" page" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QpgN9st%2BL._SX35_.jpg" height="320" id="sitbReaderBookThumbnail" title="Go to "Hodd" page" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful and clever novel.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong>Jenny Kane</strong> <i>Romancing Robin Hood </i>This one has a heroine who like myself is fascinated by Robin Hood ever since she saw the stories on TV as a girl. She is a successful academic who is supposed to be writing a text book about medieval criminals. She keeps getting drawn into the world she is writing. There is a present day story with a linked love story to engage the reader also. I cannot wait to read this as it promises great fun. It will be released on 5th September but is available on amazon pre order. I love the cover too. Find Jenny Kane here:</span> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/mdnskd" target="_blank"><b>http://tinyurl.com/mdnskdj</b></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Romancing Robin Hood" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-689" src="http://jennykane.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/romancing-robin-hood200.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my reading list<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, I wonder which legends and myths interest you as readers and perhaps writers most of all. Do comment. I have a complementary i tunes download available if you comment here or via my website :</span><br />
<a href="http://www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk.</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Do not forget to leave a contact email.</span><br />
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Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900975960314592181.post-85190118547029696272014-05-30T13:42:00.002+01:002014-05-30T14:19:12.670+01:00Medieval Women, flowers, sex, motherhood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medieval woman was constantly reminded of God's will and his divine justice. In fact everyone was, men, women and children. The notion of heaven and hell was very real, so real that, throughout the Middle Ages, churches contained wall paintings reminding the people, rich and poor, of Heaven's blessings and Hell's terrors. Women during this period were classified according to their sexual status. They were virgins, wives or widows and they were, of course, also mothers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sexual intercourse was part of God's original plan. If Adam and Eve had not eaten the apple- a sin of pride- they would have had intercourse. Otherwise how would they have obeyed God's order to increase and multiply (Genesis 1: 27-8) ? By this rationale, if women chose to be virgins in paradise they would have been thwarting God's intentions. It was, therefore, after the 'fall' that the concept of lust crept in and, thereafter,became the problem for the medieval Church; not sex. If lust was not controlled it could lead to eternal damnation. The only legitimate outlet for sex was marriage. 'Marriage was ordained by God. Monasticism,' writes historian Henrietta Leyser, 'was instituted by man.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This gave rise to the idea of mutual conjugal debt. St Paul wrote, 'Let the husband render to his wife what is her due, and likewise the wife to her husband.' It does not take much imagination for us as we glance backwards from the perspective of a more liberated 21st century to see the problems this presented for women.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=qz01SEWvxw8d1M&tbnid=T7jleTD5KU-ydM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwherefivevalleysmeet.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F08%2Fthe-arnolfini-portrait.html&ei=GnmIU83ILI6a0QXLxoDoDg&bvm=bv.67720277,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNFUm5odyI0MqxI7raqLAnBwH2Ms1w&ust=1401539176668730" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none currentcolor; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iJTA4HpRlYo/T8CM4Ns7CTI/AAAAAAAADqM/mebPDCgApI4/s320/Arnolfini_Portrait_2.jpg" height="182" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 15px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two main medical theories about sexual differences existed during the medieval period. Galen said that female anatomy corresponded to that of a man. This theory also suggested that women must ejaculate her seed for there to be conception but could not conceive without enjoying intercourse. It seems on a first reading, egalitarian. Yet, what does this theory suggest for the medieval woman who conceives a child after a rape? However, just as unfair, Aristotle saw women as defective males with the male anatomy turned inside out. Women were perceived as the 'weaker vessel.'</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Weaker Vessel</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Male seed was precious. It could not be wasted. Female seed was dangerous so women must purge themselves of bodily excesses. Menstruation was a part of this. Intercourse was also part of the purging process. Obviously not when a woman had her menses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was thought that women's seed and menstrual blood were dangerous to everyone and everything. It could turn wine sour, destroy crops. It could kill off bees and dogs tasting it could get rabbies. Even gazing at a menstruating woman might have dire consequences. Another theory comes into play here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Health during the medieval period was all about balancing humors. This theory had been taught by Hippocrates and was inherited from Ancient Greece. The medieval believed that there were in existence four humors that must be in a state of balance. These were four elements: fire, air, earth and water. Three categories corresponded to these: heat, cold, dryness and moisture. Then the bodily humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm; third the temperaments: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. Men and women were different. Men were hotter than women. They had physiological and moral superiority. Women had a lack of heat which made for physical weakness and untrustworthy nature. Women were more sexually greedy than men because their cold uteruses were in need of having hot semen to warm the uterus.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Humorism.svg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="File:Humorism.svg" data-file-height="441" data-file-width="440" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Humorism.svg/440px-Humorism.svg.png" height="200" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wikipedia, The Four Humors</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the Trotula, a Medieval Compendium of Women's Medicine written in Salerno in the 12th C we find that this defect was considered a sign of a less perfect life form. 'Women were unable to concoct ( cook) their ingredients as thoroughly as men.' ( Introduction). Men were able to exude residues through sweat and the growth of facial hair. Women, however, would accumulate excess materials from their bodies and this could lead to disease, an humoral imbalance. This imbalance was menstruation.</span><br />
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</b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Menses became called a woman's flowers because trees without their flowers will not bear fruit. Women without their flowers will be deprived of offspring. Menstrual blood works like a tree. Before bearing fruit a tree must bear its first flowers. Nature had in effect established a purgation to temper woman's poverty of heat. Thus the 'flowers'. It was a vernacular term for menstruation used by rich and poor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Childbirth was risky. It was believed that saints dispensed their favours equally between men and women. Mothers in the course of difficult labours would offer prayers to the Virgin and to Saints. St Margaret, a saint who was swallowed and spat out by a dragon, had unrivalled powers of empathy with the process of labour. During their ordeal women, surrounded by midwives, might seek comfort by listening to readings from her life.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Childbirth came to rich and poor, the village and the castle alike.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Girdles, known as birth girdles, were popular aids to birthing. As early as the 11th C Bald's Leechbook suggests that in a case of difficult labour a woman would put prayers upon her girdle to help ease the birth. At Westminster Abbey the monks guarded the Virgin's own girdle which had been given to them by Edward the Confessor. It was loaned out for aristocratic and royal births.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of St Margaret</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, Heaven, Hell, Saints, God's Will, were all notions that permeated the medieval mind. These were ideas that also existed in a misogynist society. As regards sex and motherhood, women were the 'weaker vessel.'</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To read more I suggest:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Medieval Women,</i> Henrietta Leyser, 1995, Phoenix Press.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>The Trotula,</i> edited and translated by Monica H.Green, 2002, University of Pennsylvania Press.</span><br />
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</b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is much on this subject in my new novel <i>The Swan-Daughter </i>to be published by Accent Press on 18th September 2014 as an e book and in December 2014 as a paperback. </span></div>
Carol McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072696398820339640noreply@blogger.com9