Richard III Society

How the Black Death Gave Rise to British Pub Culture

Published on June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

“I’ll buy you a beer when this is all over,” declares Christo Tofalli, the landlord of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which lays claim to the contentious title of Britain’s oldest pub and is no stranger to pandemics. While closed, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, in the historic city of Saint Albans, has become a Community Supply Point, providing much-needed groceries and offering free delivery to the elderly. They are even delivering Sunday Roast dinners to residents in lockdown. The threat posed by coronavirus may feel unprecedented, but Tofalli, who manages the pub, says he has been looking to the past for inspiration. AtlasObscura.com

The debate over which is Britain’s oldest pub is fueled by the impossibility of a definitive ruling. Courtesy of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks

The Sauce of the Middle Ages

Published on May 27, 2020May 21, 2021 by r3waLeave a comment

How Worcestershire sauce changed the way we look at medieval manuscripts. historytoday.com

Beatus page

2020 Membership

Published on April 29, 2020April 28, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

The Richard III Society of WA hopes you are all keeping well in these uncertain times. As you know, our meetings at the Rivervale Community Centre have been suspended for the foreseeable future under the direction of the Australian Government. The Committee will be introducing a membership fee freeze for the next 6 months, with the remainder of the year subject to review at a later time. We will tell you of any changes as they occur.

Thank you to those who have prepaid; your monies will be credited to you in the next half-year.

We are sending you our best wishes from behind our computer screens! If you have any queries, please email us at Richard3inWA@gmail.com.

The Mystery of a Medieval Blue Ink Has Been Solved

Published on April 25, 2020April 24, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

Turns out it was hiding in plain sight by the side of a Portuguese road.

During hot, dry summers in southern Portugal, the key ingredient for medieval manuscripts grows by the roadside. It is called folium, or turnsole, and it’s derived from the fruit of Chrozophora tinctoria, a small plant that grows in the region. For centuries, folium was responsible for coloring everything from Bible scenes to, later, the rind of a popular Dutch cheese. AtlasObscura.com

‘Coventry Doom’

Published on April 25, 2020April 24, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

The Holy Trinity Church in the center of Coventry, England dates back to at least the 13th century. It has great architectural merit in its own right, but the real star of the show is the “Coventry Doom.” AtlasObscura.com

The Doom Painting, Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, England, UK. Colin Underhill/Alamy

The Ambitious Plan to Digitize 100,000 Historic Texts in Belgium

Published on April 24, 2020April 24, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

Come September, a fleet of secure vehicles will pull up to a 17th-century building in Antwerp, Belgium, receive cases full of heavily protected cargo, and then abscond with the goods to a confidential location. The booty? Five thousand rare, centuries-old books, on their way to a 21st-century treatment. AtlasObscura.com

Take a Virtual Murder Tour of Medieval London

Published on April 24, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

In late October 1323, on the eve of the feast of Saints Simon and Jude and in the shadow of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, a heist went awry. According to the coroner’s report, a Frenchman known as John de Chartres had just supped with his accomplices, William of Woodford and his wife Johanna, at their Milk Street residence. They crept over to Bread Street and broke into the home they had targeted, and systematically looted it as planned. But then William noticed that “John was then filled with remorse.” Unable to risk a rat, William politely asked John to light a fire in the kitchen. As John knelt over the flames William hit him with an ax, and then attempted to burn the evidence—namely, John. AtlasObscura.com

Old st Pauls — Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London was completed in 1314 and destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. In the early 14th century, religious buildings saw as many murders as taverns. Francis Bond/Public Domain

Medieval magic at work: 7 spells and charms our ancestors used

Published on April 23, 2020April 23, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

From summoning demons to stemming menstrual bleeding – there was a spell for many complaints or whims in the Middle Ages. HistoryExtra.com rounded up seven of the most interesting spells and charms used by our medieval ancestors.

Wells Cathedral Clock

Published on April 23, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

This clock was constructed during the early 14th century by a monk from Glastonbury named Peter Lightfoot. The clock was eventually relocated from Glastonbury Abbey to Wells Cathedral. Initially, there was only the face inside the church, but around 1400, a second face for the clock was installed outside the church. AtlasObscura.com

509px-Wells_cathedral_north_clock_(cropped) — External face of the clock. LAMIAI

See Europe’s Ruined Medieval Castles Come Back to Life

Published on April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 by r3waLeave a comment

Seven virtual reconstructions offer a glimpse at the fortified past.

A team of designers recently looked at the now-ruined castles of Middle Ages Europe, lifting the fortifications up from their dilapidated states and digitally reimagining the structures as they were in their heyday. atlasobscura.com

01-Samobor-RECONSTRUCTED-HD — Before its dilapidation, Croatia’s Samobor Castle shifted from Roman-Gothic to Renaissance style. All images courtesy Budget Direct

Turns out it was hiding in plain sight by the side of a Portuguese road.

This astronomical clock is the second oldest in England.

Seven virtual reconstructions offer a glimpse at the fortified past.