All Categories - Meandering Through Time

The Loch Ness Monster

22/8/2019

It was in the year 565 that the first sighting of the legendary Loch Ness monster was recorded.

The story of the Loch Ness monster appears in the biography of St Columba written by Adamnan, an abbot of the monastery on Iona. The text refers to "aquatilis bestiae" or water beast. This account is one of the many tales of miracles performed by this 6th-century saint.

Adamnan's account has Columba looking for a way to cross the River Ness, he writes that Columba spotted a boat moored on the opposite bank and ordered his travelling companion to swim across the river to fetch it.

While waiting he notices a tribe of Picts burying a man they say had been attacked and killed by a huge 'water beast' whilst swimming river. Columba proceeds to raise the man from the dead by placing his cross on his chest. Shortly after performing this miracle Columba and the gathering crowd watch as the great water beast rises from the depths, attracted to the surface by the splashing of the aforementioned swimming monk. Columba, writes Adamnan, invokes the powers of the almighty and brandishing his trusty cross frightens monsters who quickly swims away. Astonished by what they have just witnessed the heathen Scottish tribe of Picts fall to their knees and are converted to Christianity on the spot and are baptised in the river before the last ripple, caused by the fleeing beast, has disappeared from the water.

I can imagine Nessie swimming from the River Ness into the Loch shouting the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator "I'll be back!" and true to his word he was back nearly one thousand years later. The so-called Loch Ness Monster appears for the second time as part of the story of one Fraser of Glenvackie who is said to have slaughtered the last Scottish dragon. This story, written in 1520, states that the dragon was slain but it also states that the creature of Loch Ness had been 'lately seen.'

Lionel of Antwerp and Elizabeth de Burgh

15/8/2019

Lionel of Antwerp, the third son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault had been betrothed as a child to Elizabeth de Burgh, the only daughter of William de Burgh Earl of Ulster and Maud of Lancaster.

The marriage took place on the 13th of August in 1352.

In 1333 on the murder of her father Elizabeth became the sole heir to all the family lands in Ireland. As a baby, she was taken to England leaving the control of the Burgh lands to be fought over by the heads of three different branches of the extended family.
Lionel and Elizabeth's marriage lasted eleven years and produced one child a daughter who they named Phillipa. The marriage ended with Elizabeth's death at the age of thirty-one in 1363. It would be the through Phillipa that the Yorkist would make its claim to the throne of England.

He married secondly Violante, the daughter of Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Pavia five years later. Lionel would not survive their wedding day!

There is a tiny bit more on this subject here

meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/history-bites/a-cold-case

Battle of Tettenhall

5/8/2019

In 910 a large Viking army raided England's shores, they were defeated by an allied army from Mercia and Wessex under the leadership of Aethelflaed and her brother Edward, the children of Alfred the Great.

On the 5th of August, the Battle of Tettenhall, in modern-day Wolverhampton, would be the last major Norse invasion of England.

Aethelflaed's husband was Athelred, King of Mercia, it was on his death in 911 that Aethelflaed took the title of "Lady of the Mercians." Her succession has been described as the 'only case of a female ruler of a kingdom in Anglo-Saxon history' and 'one of the most unique events in early medieval history.'

Some twenty years earlier Aethelflaed had founded an abbey in Gloucester not too far from the original 7th century St Peter's Abbey. In 909, following a Saxon and Mercian raid into Lindsey, a Danish territory, they seized the remains of Saint Oswald. This relic had rested at Bardney Abbey in Lincolnshire since 642, it was taken to St Peter's Abbey in Gloucester were Aethelflaed renamed it St Oswald’s Priory.

Following the Battle of Maserfield, also on the 5th August, St Oswald's remains arrived in Bardney in Lincolnshire, you can read how the abbey's monks refused them entry here.

meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/history-blog/battle-of-maserfield-and-the-death-of-oswald-of-northumbria

The Reverend William Spooner

22/7/2019

The 22nd of July 1844 is the date of birth of the Reverend William Archibald Spooner the son of William and Jane Lydia Spooner. Despite having a varied and successful academic career sadly he is only remembered for his 'Spoonerisms.'

William Spooner has been described as an "albino, small, with a pink face, poor eyesight and a head too large for his body with a reputation that was of a genial, kindly, and hospitable man" Quite naturally he disliked the fact that he was seen as an absent-minded professor. He was far from that, Spooner was ordained as a deacon and a priest and lectured in ancient history, divinity and philosophy at New College Oxford

The act of getting one's words mixed up is sometimes known as a Marrowsky, a term taken from the name of a Polish count who was prone to mixing up his words. However, it is more commonly known as a Spoonerism because the Reverend Spooner also confused his words.

In reality, Spooner is known to have actually uttered only two phrases incorrectly

"The weight of rages (rate of wages) will press hard upon the employer" and announcing the hymn Conquering Kings Their Titles Take as "Kinkering Kongs Their Titles Take"

Many of the other Spoonerisms were probably made up by his young students for a laugh but I wonder how funny he found it? Speaking as someone who suffers from mixing up the written word, who has trouble getting across exactly what they mean and is sometimes ridiculed for it, I really do feel for him.

Death of William Montague

3/6/2019

On the 3rd of June in 1397 occurred the death of William Montague, 2nd Earl of Salisbury.

Montague is remembered as a soldier, seeing action under Edward III during the hundred years war. He was a founder member of The Order of the Garter.

He is often remembered for his marriage to Joan of Kent which was annulled by Pope Clement VI when it came to light that Joan had married Thomas Holland secretly and without permission. Despite this Joan and William are said to have remained close and he became a loyal supporter of Richard, later Richard II, Joan's son by Edward, the Black Prince.

Montague's marriage to Elizabeth Mohun resulted in at least one child, his son, also named William. William would die in an accident in a tournament in 1382 leaving no heir and when William himself died fifteen years later the Earldom of Salisbury was inherited by his nephew, John Montague. In his later years, Montague was preoccupied with litigation spending much of his time fighting for his inheritance and land.

Bisham Priory (The burial of the Earl of Warwick)

He was buried in Montague Priory in the village of Bisham in Somerset.

Arthur of Brittany

29/3/2019

On the 29th March 1187 the birth of Arthur, Duke of Brittany in Nantes in France to Geoffrey, son of Henry II, and his wife Constance.

Arthur's paternal uncle King Richard I had no children and before setting off on his most favourite pastime - the Crusades he named the boy heir to his English throne. However, in 1199 when Arthur was twelve Richard had a change of heart and made his last remaining brother John heir. Quite a sensible thing to do as a country with a minor on the throne is nothing but trouble.
Richard was dead by the end of March 1199 and despite his estate being in order, there was trouble anyway.

The barons of England supported Arthur - of course, they did !

England's hero the great William Marshall and John's mother Eleanor of Aquitaine stood on John's side.

The story goes that King John ordered his nephew's death and claimed the throne for himself. By the beginning of 1200, the boy had gone missing never to be seen again.

It is interesting don't you think that the story of Arthur shows similarities to the disappearance of Princes in the Tower two-hundred years later?

Heir’s to the throne go missing, their wicked uncle does the dirty deed and then the bodies are lost forever.

A little Bird Named Enza

26/2/2019

I've just spent the last four days suffering from a dreadful cold which, I suppose, you could call Flu. While I was coughing and spluttering my way through numerous hankies and cups of Lemsip, I wondered how on earth the poor souls in medieval England managed without the support of chocolate and assorted historical dramas, no Wolf Hall then!

Flu has been around forever, it is known that a major epidemic of something similar to influenza followed Charlemagne and his army across Europe in the middle of the ninth century. Medical experts suggest it arrived in Italy and spread northwards, and this is well documented. Repeated influenza pandemics broke out in this pattern between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

This virus has been described as a

"cough that spreads like the plague"

Modern historians believe that a sickness that was present at the Siege of Troy was Influenza.

It had been described in the Iliad that a nine day epidemic had its beginnings in the Trojan War, its symptoms first affecting horses and dogs.

However in a paper "Animal Influenza in the Ancient Literature" it states that

"domestic animals associated with possible human influenza outbreaks in the ancient literature are ultimately inconclusive."

Flu was not a major worry in the fourteenth century but was the bane of the lives of those in the fifteenth century and inflicted terrible losses within the life time of our grandparents too.

This little nursery rhyme was sung on England's school playgrounds throughout the country.

I had a little bird
Its name was Enza
I opened the window
and in-flu-enza

The nursery rhyme was referring to the influenza virus that was spreading across the country at a great rate. As the Great War was ending, a threat was emerging that was even more lethal than the fighting that had brutally cut down so many young men. The pandemic of 1918-19 claimed the lives of between twenty and forty million people around the world, at least three times the number killed in war. More died in a single year than died in the four years of the Black Death from 1347 to 1351. At the height of the pandemic, in the Yorkshire city of Sheffield, over 3000 people were dying a week. Not only were hospitals unable to cope, but with a shortage of both labour and coffins, mortuaries and undertakers were overwhelmed.

Of the virus Charles Cheighton in his book, The History of Epidemics in Britain states that

"Influenza appears to correspond with something broadly the same in human life at all times and to have lasted unchanged through so many mutation from medieval to modern it is unique in history."

A resilient little blighter isn't it?

Its a good job that I am a cheerful soul, even if I do say so myself, or I might be panicking!

However, apart from a miserable few days the only trouble it caused in our house was that the dog went un-walked, no housework, no cakes baked and no time-travelling in the medieval world was done.

But as you can see from this new blog I am on the mend.

Atchoo !!!!!

Henry Percy is Betrayed

19/2/2019

18th February 1408 Knaresborough, Yorkshire.

In the first months of 1408 a 'great frost and ice' gripped England and a thick covering of snow had fallen, Henry IV was suffering from another attack of a skin disease that had been troubling him for a number of years, and a rebel force, headed by Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland and the East Anglian baron Thomas Bardolf, was on the move

The winter was not a time when battles were fought in England, however, in the third week of February Henry Percy's army faced a royalist force at the Battle of Bramham on a moor just west of Tadcaster.

Henry Percy had long been a supporter of Henry Bolingbroke and his usurpation of the throne in 1399, and it was he who had arrested Richard II at Conway Castle, however, he changed his allegiance being in league with Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr and Edmund Mortimer with the aim to topple Henry's crown.

In this cause, Percy not only had the support of the men of Wales, his own northern forces, but he had been informed by John Skelton and Sir Thomas Rokeby, that both the men of Cumbria and Yorkshire would side with him, encouraged he made his way from Thirsk to meet with the army of Rokesby.

On the 18th February he approached Knaresborough he found that Rokeby was not waiting to join with him but was at the head of the kings forces and was holding the crossing of the River Nidd at Grimbald Bridge. Percy's and his men were forced to head towards Wetherby with Rokeby in pursuit.

Henry Percy had no option but to do battle, he would face Thomas Rokeby's force on high ground at Bramham Moor the following day.

Mary's Last Letter

8/2/2019

Below is the first page of the last letter Mary Queen of Scots wrote before her execution at Fotheringhay Castle. It was to Henry III of France the younger brother of her first husband Frances II.

It was dated 2am in the morning of the 8th February 1587 on the first page Mary writes:

" Royal brother, having by God's will, for my sins I think, thrown myself into the power of the Queen my cousin, at whose hands I have suffered much for almost twenty years, I have finally been condemned to death by her and her Estates. I have asked for my papers, which they have taken away, in order that I might make my will, but I have been unable to recover anything of use to me, or even get leave either to make my will freely or to have my body conveyed after my death, as I would wish, to your kingdom where I had the honour to be queen, your sister and old ally.

Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning. I have not had time to give you a full account of everything that has happened, but if you will listen to my doctor and my other unfortunate servants, you will learn the truth, and how, thanks be to God, I scorn death and vow... "

Simeon and the Cradle Rocking Ceremony

3/2/2019

On the nearest Sunday to Candlemas (2nd February) there is held in the Nottinghamshire village of Blidworth a Cradle Rocking Ceremony. This tradition has taken place in Blidworth since the 13th century and continues to this day - however it was banned during the Reformation but revived in 1923.

Before the ceremony begins an old wooden cradle, that has been decorated with ribbons and flowers is placed in front of the altar awaiting the arrival of the parishes most recently baptised baby boy.

The baby is placed within the cradle and all through the service, he is rocked gently by the vicar. At the end ceremony the baby is returned to its parents and the congregation sing 'Nunc Dimittis'

The story of this tradition has its roots in the Gospel of Luke - an event in the life of Simeon. Nunc Dimittis is a hymn that is also known as The Song of Simeon.

Simeon is said to have been a devout man unto who an angel appeared promising him that he would not die until he had seen the new Messiah. Sometime later, Mary and Joseph arrived at the Temple in Jerusalem bringing with them their baby for the ceremony of consecration of the firstborn son, which you will know is Candlemas. It was into Simeons arms the baby Jesus was placed.

The time frame in which these events occurred is not specified and therefore I don't know how old Simeon was when the Holy Spirit arrived, or how long after holding the baby Jesus Simeon died.

However, as previously stated this story appears in the Gospel according to Luke, and Simeon is stated to be one of the translators of the of the Greek Old Testament (c 2nd/3rd century BC) if this is the case it would mean that Simeon would have been over two hundred years old at the time of the meeting the Messiah.