Congratulations to our new, and to our returning officeholders for 2023:
President – Anita Bentley
Vice President – Jenny Gee
Secretary – Alison Carman
Treasurer – Jo-Ann Koh
Loyaulte me lie!
Medieval childhood: a historical A-Z
What games did children play during the Middle Ages? What bedtime stories did they listen to? And what happened when they got into trouble? Speaking on the HistoryExtra Podcast, Emily Joan Ward uncovers the medieval childhood experience, offering an A to Z of growing up in the Middle Ages… HistoryExtra.com
Why there’s no such thing as a typical medieval peasant
If modern film and TV depictions are anything to go by, ordinary people in the Middle Ages either enjoyed lives of rural bliss or unrelenting drudgery. Yet, writes Duncan Hardy, the truth is far more complex (and fascinating) than that. HistoryExtra.com
Amateur Treasure Hunter Unearths Missing Centerpiece of Henry VIII’s Crown
The gold figurine, valued at roughly £2 million, depicts 15th-century English king Henry VI
Standing just 2.5 inches tall, the statuette may have once formed the centerpiece of a dazzling Tudor crown. As historian Leanda de Lisle wrote on her website this past December, researchers had long thought that the diadem—worn by Henry VIII during processions marking the Feast of the Epiphany and by his five immediate successors during their respective coronations—was lost, its precious metals melted down to make coins and its jewels sold piecemeal following the fall of the British monarchy in 1649. Smithsonianmag.com
Was the body of King Richard III REALLY found in a Leicester car park?
Historian Dominic Selwood says the science does not back up the identification of the bones as those of Richard III. GBNews.uk
Blanche Heriot and the Curfew Bell
In the town of Chertsey stands a statue of a young woman grabbing the clapper of a church bell. The piece, created by Shelia Mitchell, depicts a story that dates back to the 15th century. The woman is the statue is Blanche Heriot, who stopped the curfew bell to save her fiancé from being executed. AtlasObscura.com
The Lost King | Cunard British Film Festival 2022
Find details of when the film is showing in Perth, as part of the Cunard British Film Festival 2022. Dates, times and tickets available for Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema, and Palace Raine Square.
Watch the official trailer: https://youtu.be/Bgv6KHeAFeY
The Ancient Books of Wales
Welsh literary history is preserved in the delicate pages of these medieval manuscripts.
There are over 6 million books to be found within the walls of the National Library of Wales, located in the city of Aberystwyth. Within the library’s vast collection, three well-leafed tomes stand out from the rest: the Black Book of Carmarthen, the Book of Taliesin, and the Book of Aneirin are three of what historian William Forbes Skene deemed “the four ancient books of Wales.” Written in Middle Welsh, these are some of the oldest and most important literary works to come out of Wales. AtlasObscura.com
Rediscovering Richard III: the story of identifying a lost king
Ten years ago a skeleton in a Leicester car park transformed our understanding of a medieval king, and turned him into a media sensation. Mike Pitts tells the remarkable story of the discovery of Richard III’s remains. HistoryExtra.com
Written in Heraldry
Lions are noble; unicorns pure. Knowing how to decipher heraldry reveals the aspirations – and humour – of the regal past. HistoryToday.com
Richard III Society 