King Arthurs Camelot

I can not blog about Arthur and not mention Camelot. It would be like talking about William the Conquerer and forgetting to mention The Battle of Hastings.

Château de Pierrefonds -Location of Camelot in the BBC drama - Merlin

Okay, this is difficult... I am so tempted not to say it...but the truth is the name Camelot was the invention of a French poet who wrote in the twelfth century. Sorry.

Now, I am not saying that Arthur did not have his own hillfort. If he was as great as we are all led to believe then I have no doubt that he did.

With the departure of the Romans, the hillforts became places of power once again. Building on a hill has two benefits..the first, you have a pretty good view of the surrounding area so you can see if any enemy army is approaching and secondly...you are on a hill...you have the higher ground in a fight.

In the mid 1960's and early 1970's the Camelot Research Society decided to excavate one of these hillforts in South Cadbury in Somerset, which caused a great deal of excitement. They found a drystone wall surrounding the fort. They found evidence of timber buildings including a Great Hall or Feasting Hall, as it was sometimes known. But one thing was for certain, it would certainly not have looked like the fairytale castle that is portrayed in Merlin. The remains of Mediterranean pottery was also found at Cadbury, so we can conclude that who ever lived there was pretty wealthy.

No one can say whether Cadbury was Arthur's home. The truth is, no one knows where Arthur lived. Nevertheless, I like the idea of Camelot and somehow it wouldn't feel right to talk about Arthur and not mention his legendary home.

See you soon.

Mary xx

Arthur's Badon Hill

I have spoken often of Badon Hill in my previous posts, but I think it deserves a post of its own. Nennius wrote of Badon Hill as does Gildas. Even our modern day Hollywood has told how a great king defeated the terrifying Saxons at Badon Hill.

King Arthur 2004

It is generally accepted that the battle occurred around AD500 and it was a fight between the Britons and those 'terrifying Saxons.'

Gildas mentions the battle, he describes it as the "....last great victory of the fatherland..." and it did halt the Saxon invasion for another forty years or so. It must have been quite some battle to scare the Saxons away for that long.

Archeologist back up Gildas claim.

"...There is a lack of sixth-century Anglo-Saxon pottery in areas such as Sussex, Essex and Hertfordshire which have all yielded fifth-century material...the Anglo-Saxon expansion in the Upper Thames ceased for fifty years after Badon..." Michael Wood. In Search of the Dark Ages.

Gildas, unfortunately, is his usual vague self when it comes to the finer details. He does not mention Arthur, or where the battle actually took place. What Gildas does tell is is :

The battle was in the south-west

There was a siege on a hill.

Thank you Gildas, that helps a lot!

So, from what Gildas tells us, we are looking for a hillfort in the south-west of Britain...? Maybe.

Okay...next step would be trying to find out where the prominent hillforts were. There are four possibilities.

1. Old Sarum, Wiltshire  (I will talk about Old Sarum in another post...love that place!)

2. Barbury Castle, Wiltshire

3. Liddington Castle, Wiltshire

4. Dyrham Camp, Gloucestershire

Of course there is a strong possibility that it could be none of the above. But most historians kind of sway towards Liddington Castle, because it is next to a village called Badbury...could this have been Badon?

Liddington Castle

Liddington Castle was in a strategic position between the main Anglo-Saxon settlements and "...Liddlington marks one of the great Dark Age road junctions..." Michael Wood. But it does beg the question...Did the hillfort actually belong to the Saxon's? Did the Britons drive them out?

The other question of course is...was Arthur actually there? Nennius states that he was, "...960 men fell in one day..." But Of course Nennius wrote this a mere 300 years after the event by which time Arthur was a folk hero already. Maybe Nennius was merely documents stories about Arthur's famous twelve battles that he had been told rather than writing hard sourced facts, others argue that he found the list in old Welsh war poetry. But I do wonder what he was thinking when he wrote that Arthur felled 960 men on his own, surely he did not really believe that?

Thats all for now. See you soon.

Mary xx

Let's dig King Arthur up!

Remember, in a previous blog about Geoffrey Monmouth ...how he published his work at a politically sensitive time...the Welsh were revolting... and how they claimed that "Arthur would rise again...?" Well, it was time to put an end to this nonsense. It was time to dig up his body and show the world, well the Welsh, that he was in fact, dead.

Around this time there had been strange occurrences at Glastonbury Abbey. The monks had had some nocturnal visions. And that is not all...King Henry II told the abbot that he knew the exact whereabouts of Arthur's body, for a Welsh barb had whispered in his ear that Arthur was buried in the Saxon graveyard within the Abbey.

The monks dug in the exact location that the King described and sure enough they discovered a huge oak coffin beneath a lead cross bearing the inscription. "Here lies King Arthur buried in Avalon."

Inside the coffin there were two bodies. A man and a woman. It is said that the woman's golden hair crumbled away when the monks touched it. The bodies were said to be that of King Arthur and his Queen, Guinevere.

Unfortunately, King Henry died before he could see the bodies.

Now I love the idea of visions and a Welsh barb whispering secrets to a king...But...There is always a but....A fire had badly damaged the Abbey and they were in desperate need of funds and finding Arthurs tomb came at just the right time.

  "....as businessmen, medieval abbots were nothing but pragmatic..." Michael Wood.

They had proof that Arthur was in fact dead and they now had a major tourist attraction which would draw pilgrims, in their thousands, for years to come.

But, even though they had now produced the body, people still believed and some still do, that Arthur would one day rise again. He was after all, "King Arthur, the once and future King."

Mary xx

Was King Arthur real?

"It seems to me that if Arthur did not exist, which seems more likely than not, he ought to have done." Frances Pryor Britain AD

There is no doubt that the Arthur stories have captured the imagination of a nation and beyond for hundreds of years. 

But...

Was Arthur real?

This is a difficult question to answer. On the face of it, I would probably say no...and I hate saying that....more than you could possibly imagine. There is no account of a King called Arthur in any of the ancient stories of Britain written between the years AD 400 to AD 820. Arthur was supposed to have lived in AD 500. Surely there would have been something written about such a courageous hero?  Yes, Bede mentioned a general called Arthur who led the Briton's to victory against the Saxons again and again, but Bede wrote that in AD 731; yet, nothing was written when Arthur lived or the years after his death. Do you not find that strange? I do.

However, that does not mean that he did not exist...I cling to that hope anyway.

There is no way we could prove that he did not exist, just like there is no way to prove that he did.

But what do we know?

The Romans withdrew from Britain in AD 410 and they left the British to fend for themselves. The unity of the country divided and split into smaller kingdoms. And these kingdoms were ruled by very strong and brave characters who were willing to fight to the death to protect what was now theirs. It was certainly the right time for heroes and tyrants. 

1986  British Stamp of King Arthur and Merlin

Maybe there was more than one Arthur. Gildas talks of Ambrosius Aurelianus, the son of a Roman, Bede has Arthur, the greatest general ever. Could it be that with the passage of time, these people and their accomplishments somehow became squashed and moulded into one person? Who knows? That's what I love about Arthur, the possibilities are endless.

See you soon

Mary xx

The search for King Arthur....Geoffrey Monmouth

In the search for Arthur there is one Welsh cleric that we simply cannot ignore. Geoffrey Monmouth. If you have been reading my blogs, you will have seen his name come up several times. Today, I want to look at the best-seller of the medieval period, Geoffrey Monmouth The History of the Kings of Britain.

Geoffrey stated that his work was based on a lost manuscript that only he alone had been able to examine. The lost manuscript remains lost. Whether it actually ever existed in the first place is doubtful.

A great deal of what we now think we know about Arthur comes from the ideas set down in Geoffrey's texts. He makes Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, into a hero. There is a wise prophet called Merlin who advises the young Arthur. Arthur becomes a king so great that he can stand up to the Romans and beat them. In fact he is so great, he is almost invincible. Arthur and his knights, according to the texts, spends most of their time riding up and down the country fighting in noble battles. He is, with out a doubt, according to Geoffrey, the greatest King that Britain has ever had.

But like all good stories of Kings, there always seems to be a hornet in the nest. Modred, his own nephew, and who was at one time trusted to look after Britain while Arthur went on a quest to save some poor young unfortunate girl who had been taken captive by a Spanish giant, betrays him.

They fight...Arthur wins....they fight again...Arthur wins, but this time he is fatally wounded.

'And even the renowned King Arthur himself was mortally wounded; and being carried thence to the isle of Avallon to be cured of his wounds, he gave up the crown of Britain to his kinsman Constantine, the son of Cador, duke of Cornwall, in the five hundred and forty-second year of our Lord's incarnation.'

So there we are. We have the principle players. We also have Avalon. The legend grows.

But, Geoffrey published his work at politically sensitive time. The Welsh revolts of the 1130's had claimed that "Arthur would rise again..." I am sure King Henry, had something to say about that.

"It is hardly surprising, then, that in this climate, given Arthur's rapidly growing status as folk hero, tourist draw and political rallying cry, the establishment should try and dig him up, to hit at least two birds with one stone: prove him dead and reinvent him as a tourist event."
Michael Wood In search of England.

And so the story continues.

I'll catch you later.

Mary xx

King Arthur and the Church

Abbot Gevard, who, during a sermon to his English chapterhouse monks noticed several bethren sleeping - some even began to snore. "Listen brethren, listen," he cried out. "I have something new and important to tell you: There was once a king named Arthur." Seeing his somnolent audience rouse itself, he scolded them: "When I was speaking to you about God, you fell asleep, but you all woke up and began to listen with eager ears" with the naming of Arthur.  

The Fabulous Dark Cloister:Romance in England after the Reformation. Tiffany J. Werth

I love the idea that the monks were roused from their slumbers by the mention of Arthur's name. He somehow caught the imagination of a nation and has held it captive ever since.

The last time I talked about Gildas, and how Arthur had somehow fallen out with the Church. This was something I had to try and find out about.

But, remember, Arthur, according to Bede, was a Christian..he carried the image of the Virgin Mary into battle.

So what happened?

I am going to introduce you to an early 6th Century abbot-bishop who went by the name of Padarn.  Padarn founded St Padarn's Chruch in Llanbadarn Fawk.....Wales.

Church of St Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr

Padarn, it seems, had a little bit of a run in with Arthur.  Check this out.

'When Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.'

This extract make Arthur sound like a spoilt little child, stamping his feet and having a bit of a tantrum when he could not have what he wanted. It doesn't sound very heroic, does it? Did Geoffrey of Monmouth, glamourise the life of Arthur in The History of the Kings of Britain? Was he, in fact, dishonourable? Little more than a bully? Or was the Church merely trying to discredit him...had he in fact become too popular? Did the people, like the monks, prefer to hear the stories of Arthur rather than the words of God? I'll leave it up to you to decide.

See you soon.

Mary xx

The search for Arthur continues...Gildas

I may have got a little distracted over the last few blogs. There are so many places that I take inspiration from that I just have to share them with you. But now I am back on track and the search for Arthur continues...

Let me introduce you to Gildas.

Like Bede, Gildas was a 6th Century monk who was born in the year of the Battle of Mons Badonicus, or, The Battle of Mount Badon, as we now know it. Mount Badon is, of course, the famous battle where King Arthur halted the Saxon invasion for a time.

Unlike Bede or Nennius, Gidas's On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, reads like a damning sermon. He certainly did not mince his words! He target five particular kings - goodness knows what they had done to upset him - and he isn't particularly forgiving of his fellow priests.

"Britain has priests, but they are fools; numerous ministers, but they are shameless; clerics, but they are wily plunderers." 

He seems to be more than a little obsessed with the Book of Daniel, the Christian Apocalypse and the Book of Revelations. I don't think I would have liked to have listened to him preach! And I can imagine he wasn't particularly popular with his fellow clergy. 

Gildas's work is considered one of most important sources on the history of Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries, simply because, for once, it was written by someone who was actually there and although it is not considered a primary sources it is about as close as we are going to get.

However, Gildas give the word 'vague' a whole new meaning. He gives us very few names and no firm dates. He misses out chunks of history if they do not serve his purpose or his message.

So what does he say about Arthur?

Nothing.

The only 5th century person he does talk about is a man called  Ambrosius Aurelianus. 

"... a gentleman who, perhaps alone of the Romans, had survived the shock of this notable storm. Certainly his parents, who had worn the purple, were slain by it. His descendants in our day have become greatly inferior to their grandfather's excellence..."

Now this is where it gets a little confusing. Ambrosius appears to be of Roman decent, which Bede confers with. He organises Briton and leads them in battle against the Saxons. Some historians believe that Ambrosius was Arthur, but remember that Bede named them as two separate people.

So what is going on?

Gildes is very vocal about many things, but not Arthur. He doesn't mention him. At all.

Which led me to the question...Why on earth not?

Arthur has always come across as a sort of people's hero. But in monastic writings of the time he is not described as a hero, in fact he is described as the complete opposite. Which leads me to suspect two things. Firstly, he wasn't as good as we all think he was. Or, he had fallen out with the Church. I kind of lean towards the latter. According to the Life of Gidas, Arthur killed Gildas brother. No wonder he omitted him! He wasn't going to make him immortal in his works. Who could blame him?

So a bit of a dead end there in our search for Arthur...although I do find it all rather fascinating.

That's all for now. Take it steady.

Mary xx

Historical fiction... Farleigh Hungerford Castle

As promised, today I am going to take you to the home of Edward Hungerford...remember him from the blog I wrote about Old Wardour Castle? Of course you do, you have been paying attention!
Right, let me introduce you to Edwards, castle.

Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Sir Thomas Hungerford bought the property, which was then a manor, in the 14th Century for a whopping, £733. Walter was an important man, he was the first recorded Speaker of the House of Commons. He was pretty wealthy so it should be no surprise that he then built a castle on the site. Sir Walter Hungerford inherited the castle in 1412.

Sir Walter was a close  friend of Henry V and Henry made him Speaker of the House of Commons. Walter was quite something, he was an expert in jousting and he fought at Agincourt with Henry. Walter expanded the castle considerably. Walter's son, Robert Hungerford inherited the estate. Unfortunately, his son, Lord Moleyns was captured by the French in the Battle of Castillon and his ransom was a mere £10,000, which financially crippled the family.

From there on in things got slightly difficult for the Hungerford Family. During the War of the Roses, Lord Moleyn sided with the Lancastrians. And unfortunately for him, the Yorks won.

Under Edward IV reign, Lord Moleyn and his son, Thomas, were captured and executed. Edward IV gave the castle to his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Edward's other brother, George may have taken up residence at Farleigh, his daughter, Margaret was certainly born there.

The late Robert Hungerford's son, Sir Walter, became a supported of Edward IV. However, when Richard III took the throne, Sir Walter  changed allegiance. After a failed revolt against Richard in 1483, he ended up in the Tower of London.

Sir Walter managed to escape and he joined Henry Tudor and his invading Lancastrian army. He fought along side Henry at the Battle of Bosworth where Richard was killed and his army defeated. The newly crowned Henry VII returned Farliegh Hungerford to Walter in 1486.

Sir Walter left his estate to his son Sir Edward. Edward was in the court of Henry VIII, but when he died he left the castle to his wife, Agnes.

Agnus was accused of the murder of her first husband, John Cotell. Two of her servant reportedly strangled John Cotell and then disposed of his body in the castle oven. That's right....the oven. She and the servant were hung in 1523.

Edward, another son of Walters, then inherited the castle. Like his forefathers, he held an important position in Thomas Cromwell's, political circle. He became dissatisfied with his first wife, Elizabeth. Probably because he saw her father as a political liability to him. So what do you do with a wife you don't want? You lock her in on the castles tower, of course.

Elizabeth spent several long years in the tower, later she told how she was starved and subjected to several poisoning attempts. It is said that she stayed alive because of the generosity of the villagers who helped to get food to her.

Being friends with Cromwell wasn't a necessarily a good thing. When Cromwell fell from power in 1540, Walter was executed for treason, witchcraft and homosexuality. Elizabeth remarried but the castle reverted back to the Crown.

Sir Edward died in 1607 and he left his estate to Sir Edward Hungerford, his great nephew. In 1642, Civil War broke out in England. As a member of parliament and a Puritan, Edwards was an active supporter of Parliament. Edward was appointed as a Commander in Wiltshire. As we already know, he successfully seized Wardour Castle in 1643. 

Unfortunately for him, Farliegh Hungerford Castle, was then captured in the same year     by the Royalists. They did try to get her back. But the Parliamentary raids against Farliegh Hungerford, in 1644, failed to take the castle back. However, by 1646 all was not well with the Royalists cause and military collapse was imminent. On the 15th September they reached the castle and Colonel Hungerford immediately surrendered. Edward had his home back, and unlike other castles who were deliberately destroyed by the Royalists, Farliegh Hungerford escaped any damage.

I am going to leave the history of the castle there for now.

What do I think of the castle? Well, actually despite the body in the over incident, I really like it. It is really pretty and some of the building are still in tact. You can visit the castle chapel where members of the Hungerford Family are buried and you can explore the ruins.

Farliegh Hungerford, like many of theses old historical castle's, has been used for location on film sets. I don't know of anyone can remember the cult tv show of the 1980's called Robin of Sherwood. If you do, then you may recognise parts of the castle in the episode 'The Children of Israel.'

I think I have waffled on enough for one day.

Catch you soon.

Mary xx

Historic Fiction...Old Wardour Castle

I feel like I should be playing the theme music from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves when I talk about Old Wardour. I think I was about thirteen when that movie came out.  And I can remember going to the cinema again and again to watch it. It was, and has always been, a firm favourite.

I can also remember my friends and I joking about how well traveled Robin was. Robin landed at Dover, headed up to Hadrian's Wall on the borders of Scotland, back down to Salisbury in Wiltshire before heading to the North, where he fought a big man from Bristol in a river in Yorkshire. Perhaps it was an English thing... I doubt anyone else would have found it amusing!

What has this to do with Old Wardour?

Old Wardour Castle, in Wilshire, was used on the set of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. The castle portrayed, Robin's childhood home. Locksley Castle.

Recognise it now?

How about now?

Old Wardour has a fascinating history. It was built in the 14th Century and was inspired by the continental designs of the time, which is why it is hexagonal. It sits between a picturesque lake and a wood. It even has its own grotto. However, if you take a little look closer at its wall, you will see it had a troubled past. There are musket holes in the masonry. 

During the English Civil War (1642-1648) Old Wardour's owners, the Arundell family, were staunch supporters of the King. In 1643, Edward Hungerford, a Parliamentarian,  and his men surrounded the castle. Thomas Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Wardour, was away on King's business, when Hungerford and his men attacked. Lord Arundell's wife did the best she could to defend the castle, but after only a short siege she had to surrender.

Lord Arundell died and Henry, his son, laid siege to his own castle. Whether he meant to blow it up, I guess we will never really know. Unfortunately a large part of the castle collapsed. The Parliamentarian's surrendered and Henry won his castle back. But instead of rebuilding it, the Arundell eventually built a new home in the grounds of the old one.

Nevertheless, it is great castle to explore. It is not just a hollow shell, as many of these ruins are. You can climb those stairs, you can explore all the room and you can look out the windows at the view.

Thats all for now.

See you soon.

Mary xx

Historical Fiction....The Pitchfork Rebellion

Last time I talked about Old Wardour Castle and, if you can remember, I mentioned how Sir Edward Hungerford lay siege to it in 1643. So I thought it was only fair to look at Edward's home as well, and in the next two blogs I am going to do just that. 

But first I would like to look at the little parish of Norton St Philipe, Somerset, where the Hungerford's had their home.

Norton St Philip is fantastic in itself without the added bonus of a castle. There was an incredibly bloody battle fought there during the Monmouth Rebellion or "Pitchfork Rebellion," in 1685. Charles II had died and the throne fell to his brother James II, the Duke of York. James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth was the illegitimate son of Charles II and he claimed that he was the rightful king and attempted to upsurge James.

It is said that a battle was fought on the North side of the village on a street called Chevers Lane. The locals know Chevers Lane as Bloody Lane. There was so much bloodshed on the day of the battle that the blood flowed down the hill like a river. It must have been horrendous, I don't even want to think about it. The rebellion failed and Monmouth was executed. The feared Judge Jefferies, who also became known as "The Hanging Judge," conducted 12 executions on the village common. A bloody history indeed.

But on a lighter note...Norton St Philipe boasts the oldest tavern in England. The George was built in the 14th or 15th Century...no one really know the exact date, and no one really cares when one has had two or more pints! Lets just say it has been there for a long time and leave it at that.

The George

It has a fascinating history. To start with it was a wool store. It was used as accommodation during the annual wool fairs. The Inn then became part of the Stage Coach route between London and the South West. Monmouth used the Inn as the headquarters for his army during the rebellion and then, ironically, it was used by Judge Jefferies as a courtroom to condemn those who had fought with Monmouth.

Regardless of its history, the last time I was there it served really good chips!

See you soon.

Mary xx

Historic fiction...The Bishops Palace

As promised, today I am going to introduce you to The Bishops Palace.

As the name suggests, the Bishops Palace is the home to the Bishop of Bath and Wells and has been for 800 years.

The moat.

From the outside it truly looks like a fairy tale castle...well, I think so anyway.

The Palace is surrounded by a lovely little moat and it has its own gatehouse a sweet, flagstone drawbridge, and a pretty little portcullis. The grounds of the palace once included a medieval deer park. You can visit St Andrews Well, where Wells takes it name from. It is the perfect place for a picnic and there is usually a treasure hunt to keep the children entertained.

Well's Cathedral can be seen through the window.

Unsurprisingly, Wells, is often used as a location for movies. The 2007 comedy, Hot Fuzz was filmed here and more recently the sequel to Snow White and The Huntsman. I did go down and check out the set for The Huntsman. I could have spent the whole day there watching how they transformed The Bishops Palace.

They transformed the Gatehouse. 

And there were a lot of knights. It was grand to behold.

I never really stopped to consider how many people work on a set. It was buzzing. False walls were put up and the art work was so amazing that if you had not known the building previously, you would have thought that you were looking at masonry that had been there forever.

I can't wait to see the film when it comes out.

Take Care.

Mary xx

Historical fiction....Wells Cathedral.

I have a lot of favourite places. Who doesn't?

Mine tend to be old buildings or historic sights. So for the next few blogs I am going to share with you some of the buildings that have touched my heart and have inspired my writing.
Today, I am going to take you on a little journey to the Medieval City of Wells, in Somerset, England. It is the smallest city in England.

Wells, has a long history that goes right back to the Romans and maybe even before. It has bubbling springs which would have made it an ideal place to settle and this was where the name Wells came from. There are three wells that you can still visit today. One is in the Old Market Place, the other two are within the grounds of The Bishops Palace.

Wells is situated on the southern side of the Mendip Hills. It has a small shopping precinct, that takes on the characteristics of a very pretty town. Watching over a the city is the splendour of the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrews...We call it Wells Cathedral...I guess it is less of a mouthful.

The Cathedral dates back to 1175, although there was an earlier church on the sight as far back as AD 705.

Wells Cathedral

The Cathedral survived Henry Tudors Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the English Civil War (1642-1651). During the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, the Puritan solders inflicted a great deal of damage to the cathedral. They smashed windows, tore the lead from the roof to make bullets, damaged furniture, and for a time, they also stabled their horses in the nave. But the cathedral survived and was restored.

If you are ever in Wells, check it out. Especially go and look at the newly restored 14th Century, Jesse window which depicts the genealogy of Jesus, dating back to Abraham. Unfortunately I have not got a photograph that does the window justice, so I guess you are just going to have to take a visit and check it out for yourself.

Next time I am going to look at the building next door to the Cathedral. The Bishops Palace.

See you soon.

Mary xx

Historical fiction...... Bede

The Venerable Bede's greatest work was, without a doubt, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, An Ecclesiastical History of the English people. I think Bede brings this time of history to life, he makes these long dead Kings and Queens breathe again. I had reread this book so many times, that my copy is beginning to fall apart. If you have never read it and are interested in this time of history then get yourself a copy. It is worth reading....only if it is the once. I think it is beautifully written. This is how he describes the life of man.

'The present life of man, O king, seems to me, in comparison to that time which is unknown to us, like the swift flight of a sparrow through the room where you sit at supper in winter, with your commanders and ministers, with a good fire in the midst, while the storm of rain and snow rage outside. The sparrow, I say, flying in at one door, and immediately out at another, while he is inside, he is safe from the wintery storm; but after a short space of shelter, he immediately vanishes out of sight, into the dark winter from which he had emerged. So this life of man appears for a short space, but what went before, or what is to follow, we are utterly ignorant.' Bede

Heres a beautiful animation of the said sparrow!
http://www.pastperfect.org.uk/sites/yeavering/images/sparrowclip_c.html

When we think of historical characters we sometimes forget that they were in fact real people, who felt, who dreamed, who loved, who hated. They experienced the same emotions as we do now. They are not so different, the time they lived in certainly was, but they were human, just like you, just like me. This is what drew me to writing in the first place. The chance to portray humanity in a time that is foreign. And that is what I hope to achieve with my writing. I hope I succeed. 

Historical fiction...Who was Arthur?

I have been very busy researching, writing, more researching. And yes, that is candy floss you can see in the picture...best not ask!

My book, The Du Lac Chronicles, is set roughly 24 years after the fall of King Arthur. When Arthur died it seemed all the heroes did too and I wanted to do something about that. But, in order to write about Britain in post Arthur years, I had to know how Arthur changed the political landscape of the kingdom. So before I put pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard as it was, I researched the world of Arthur.

Arthur has been a hero for centuries. By the Norman conquest he was already firmly fixed in the imagination of the people. There is a lovely story about nine monks from Laon in Northern France who visited Britain in 1113. They traveled to the heart of southern England looking for 'relics' of Arthur's time. When they visited Bodmin in Cornwall, the subject of Arthur came up. The Laon monks dared to suggest that the idea that Arthur would rise again was nothing but a child's fairy tale. This did not go down well with the locals. The monks were in 'Arthur's country.' How dare they suggest such a thing? A full blown riot was only just avoided!

Not long after this incident, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the best seller of the middle ages, The History of the Kings of Britain. I love reading Monmouth's masterpiece, he turned Arthur into a hero and although some of his fact must be taken with a pinch of salt, it gives you the sense of how much pride the British had for their past. And also how much we need heroes,  someone to look up to. Arthur is portrayed as a King who stands for chivalry, honour and everything noble. He's almost to good to be true. He certainly had an amazing life...if the stories are to be believed.

The Sword in the Stone.

'Whoso Pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil rightwise King born of all England.'

Many tried - only Arthur succeeded.

Merlin

Arthur's closest advisor was a wizard called Merlin. And why not? We could all do with a wizard in our lives.

The Somerset Levels

(The Isle of Avalon.)

Excalibur

Arthur needed a special sword, I guess the one he pulled from the stone wasn't good enough...perhaps he broke it.

With the help of Merlin, the Lady of the Lake presented Arthur with his magic sword.

Camelot

King Arthur's home.

His knights

Arthur could not rule alone so he chose a selected few to help him rule. They were as honourable and chivalrous as he was and they often went on quests.

The Round Table

Arthur believed in equality, so he commissioned a round table to be built. Those who sat around it were equal in all things.

Guinevere

Arthur's beautiful wife.

Lancelot

Arthur's first knight and the man who ultimately betrayed him....maybe?

Mordred

The knight who murdered Arthur in a vicious battle.

Those who know the Arthur stories will recognise some of the themes I have just listed. But, I wanted to try and find out the truth...if that was possible...behind the myths. I wanted to know what Arthur was really like.

Thats all for now. Be sure to watch out for my next blog when I explore how an ordinary man became such an extraordinary legend.