Recent Posts
Stokesay Castle: A Hidden Medieval Gem
A guest post by Lottie Westfield A hidden medieval gem, Stokesay castle is one of the earliest examples of a fortified manor house in England. Located in a serene Shropshire valley, Stokesay castle was built in the 1280s by wealthy wool merchant Lawrence de Ludlow. Although its interior strongrooms and exterior walls and moat (later torn down in the 1640s) give the superficial impression of strength, the castle was never intended for real military use. Full of atmosphere and evocative of … [Read More...]
Episode 230 – The Reign and Life of Elizabeth I with Professor Carole Levin
Guest Bio Carole Levin is Willa Cather Professor of History Emerita at the University of Nebraska. She specializes in early modern English history. She is the author or editor of twenty books, most recently The Reign and Life of Queen Elizabeth I: Politics, Culture, and Society (2022). She has held fellowships at the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Newberry Library, where she was also the Historical Consultant for the Queen Elizabeth exhibit. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University … [Read More...]
Episode 229 – Holbein at the Tudor Court with Kate Heard
Guest Bio Kate Heard is the Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, Royal Collection Trust. The Royal Collection is among the largest and most important art collections in the world, and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact. It comprises almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, and is held in trust by the Sovereign for his successors and the nation, and is not owned by The King as a private … [Read More...]
A Weekend with Elizabeth I
I’m delighted to introduce you to ‘A Weekend with Elizabeth I’, a 2-day online event exploring the life of this iconic Tudor queen. Enjoy talks by 7 leading Tudor history experts from the comfort of your own home. Below is a list of lectures and presenters. Lecture 1 – Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen. Presented by Dr Nicola Tallis Lecture 2 – Elizabeth’s Religion Presented by Professor Susan Doran Lecture 3 – Serving Elizabeth I: Friendship, Intimacy and … [Read More...]
Episode 228 – The Tudor Home & Daily Life in Tudor England with Bethan Watts
Guest Bio Bethan Watts is an historian specialising in the social and domestic history of the English Middle Ages and Early Modern period. She is particularly interested in the history of children and childhood, health and hygiene, and the household. Bethan has a First Class Distinction in both BA and MA Medieval Studies from the University of Wales; she is currently studying for a PhD and is writing her thesis on the lives of infants, toddlers and young children in Late Medieval … [Read More...]
The Enduring Myth of Anne Boleyn’s “French tricks” by Sylvia Barbara Soberton
I'm delighted to be hosting Day 4 of Sylvia Barbara Soberton's blog tour for her latest book, 'The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg & Valois Courts'. Anne Boleyn spent seven years at the Valois court serving Francis I’s wife Claude. The French court was a place of lax morals and Francis I was known as a notorious lover of female charms from the early years of his reign. One contemporary observed that he was “a great womaniser”, and many others commented upon his … [Read More...]
Episode 227 – Death Songs, Funeral Music & Execution Ballads with Brooke Little
Guest Bio Brooke Little is a PhD Candidate in Musicology at Northwestern University who specializes in Tudor queens, music education and music performance at the sixteenth century English court. She holds a BM in Voice Performance (2005), MME in Vocal Music Education (2008) both from the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as an MM in Musicology from the University of Missouri- Kansas City (2017). Her thesis "The Musical Education and Involvement of the Six Wives of Henry VIII", focuses … [Read More...]
Episode 226 – The North Berwick Witch Trials with Naomi Kelsey
Guest Bio Naomi Kelsey is the winner of two Northern Writers' Awards and of the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition 2021. Her fiction has been published in Mslexia magazine and shortlisted for several further awards including the Bridport Prize and the Bristol Prize. She lives in Newcastle with her husband, young children and their dog, and by day teaches English at a large secondary school. The Burnings is her first novel. Naomi's Tudor Takewaway Whitney … [Read More...]
Episode 225 – Tudor Wall Paintings with Dr Kathryn Davies
Guest Bio DR KATHRYN DAVIES, BA (Hons), MA, DPhil (Oxon), Dip TP, FSA, RTPI, IHBC Kathryn Davies is a heritage and planning consultant working principally in the public sector. She came across many wall paintings during the course of her work in Shropshire and of because the lack of information on this subject she started her research. She now works as a consultant on planning and historic environment issues. She is a visiting fellow at Kellogg College, Oxford and has lectured widely on … [Read More...]
Episode 224 – Heirs of Ambition: The Making of the Boleyns with Dr Claire Martin
Guest Bio Dr Claire Martin is a historian specialising in the history of London and the late Medieval period. She has worked on a number of London companies, including the Woolmen and the Girdlers and her PhD looked at London's medieval transport industry. She is currently working, on behalf of The Yorkist History Trust, to publish the executors' accounts and remarkably detailed probate inventories of the former House of Commons Speaker, Sir Thomas … [Read More...]
Episode 223 – Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage that Shook Europe with John Guy & Julia Fox
Guest Bios John Guy: Formerly provost and history professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Renaissance historian John Guy is now a fellow in history at Clare College, University of Cambridge. He has written several books, including Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart, (upon which the 2018 Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, was based). He appears regularly on the BBC’s flagship cultural programs. Julia Fox: Julia Fox is a teacher and … [Read More...]
Episode 222 – Food in Tudor England with Brigitte Webster
Guest Bio Brigitte Webster is a qualified teacher of home economics and history, making her the perfect ‘accomplished’ Tudor housewife in modern day Britain. As a competent and experienced cook with a deep passion for Tudor history she fully immersed herself in archaeological, experimental cookery which also motivated her to grow period vegetables, herbs and fruits to achieve the most authentic end results. In 2019 she and her husband bought a small Tudor manor that had escaped ruthless … [Read More...]
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