Walk around London or indeed any large British city or town and you might come across round circular blue plaques on the side of buildings. They are a way of honouring a person from history who has made a positive contribution to British culture in any number of fields. Normally one has to wait about… Continue reading Remembering Ælfric the Grammarian
Tag: Anglo-Saxon
Waylands Smithy – The neolithic monument which is home to a supernatural Elf!
Monday saw my post on the ancient Ridgeway road and I used that to visit another ancient place, Waylands Smithy. I’ve wanted to visit here for years but never got around to it as despite being not too far from London, it’s in a rather isolated spot and only accessible from the Ridgeway on foot,… Continue reading Waylands Smithy – The neolithic monument which is home to a supernatural Elf!
King Edgar The Ætheling – The last and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England
We all know about the momentous events of 1066 where poor King Harold and his men achieved the impossible in marching up from London and defeating a massive Viking invasion led by Harald Hardraada at the Battle of Stamford bridge and then by total bad luck having waited all year for an invasion from then… Continue reading King Edgar The Ætheling – The last and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England
Kent Invicta! – The undefeated Garden of England.
My last post on the re-discovery of Eanswythe of Kent ended with a mention of the proud tradition of the county of Kent. Today Kent is often known as the garden of England with its kind climate and multitude of fruit, beer and wine related industries but for all that, Kent has some steel.… Continue reading Kent Invicta! – The undefeated Garden of England.
Revealing the remains of Eanswythe – An ancient Anglo-Saxon princess and Saint.
Exciting news has come out recently, at least exciting if ancient skeletal remains are your thing. An Anglo-Saxon princess who was one of England’s earliest Christian saints has been identified by scientists in a church in Kent. The remains have been found to Date from the mid-seventh century AD, the princess was the daughter of King Eadbald… Continue reading Revealing the remains of Eanswythe – An ancient Anglo-Saxon princess and Saint.
You shall not pass! (on London Bridge)
Many people will have seen the terrorist attack on and around London Bridge last week with the remarkable image of him being overpowered by a man armed with an antique Narwhal Tusk, a fire extinguisher and a pair of fists. A quite amazing and brave feat by any stretch of imagination and worthy of note… Continue reading You shall not pass! (on London Bridge)
An example of how English has changed over 1200 years.
I found this poster earlier today and thought it was well worth sharing. The text contains a brief passage of one of the most famous Psalms and I think gives a wonderful insight to how language changes. I really don’t like the modern version, it sounds almost like it is written for people with learning… Continue reading An example of how English has changed over 1200 years.
The Anglo-Saxon exhibition at the British Library
A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get to visit an incredible new exhibition at the British Library all about the Anglo-Saxons. Despite going past the building almost every day for 25 years, I’ve never been in it before (I avidly visited the old building) and it is one of if not the… Continue reading The Anglo-Saxon exhibition at the British Library
Æthelflaed – Lady of the Mercians
Every now and then I like to write a post about one of the important and often overlooked women in history and British history in particular. Sometimes they appear in the most unexpected places such as the Wrestling Mongolian Princess Khutulun or a very Grace Darling who became a heroine around the world in Victorian times. We… Continue reading Æthelflaed – Lady of the Mercians
The Drowned Village of Dunwich
There are several places around Britain that are said could be the location of the mythical Atlantis. Last year I wrote about Doggerland in the North Sea, another possible location are the Isle of Scilly which in recorded history were once a larger landmass before the sea levels rose and people were forced to live… Continue reading The Drowned Village of Dunwich
Stephen Liddell 