I visited Barcelona in November 2014 and, as a tourist, I was obliged to take a wander down Las Ramblas. Despite being largely a tourist trap area there is something quite wonderful about the place. As I walked along with everyone else, glancing at the street entertainers and the various stalls that all seem … Continue reading I’ve Walked Les Ramblas but Not With Real Intent
anglo-saxons
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge occurred on the 25th September 1066 and is one of the most significant military encounters in the early medieval period but it has become largely overshadowed by the third engagement of that year near Hastings. History is written, as they say, by the victors and the Normans saw little reason … Continue reading The Battle of Stamford Bridge
Two Thirds There
I have finished the second part of the Sorrow song Trilogy!Well, almost. The actual writing part is complete. I am now in the process of formatting the manuscript in Sigil, an epub file creator. I write using Microsoft’s Word, which I find to be an excellent word-processor, and as I use more than one computer … Continue reading Two Thirds There
My first book makes the Kindle bookshelf
For me it is a dream come true, my book has been published!It is quite a feeling logging onto a site like Amazon and seeing your hard work appearing there and not just that but knowing that it is for sale! What a rush!After four years of writing, research, re-writing, more research, and then hours … Continue reading My first book makes the Kindle bookshelf
When the finish line is in sight!
Taking a break for a family holiday seemed like a good idea at the time but now that it is over and I am back at my desk I have to admit that I feel somewhat under pressure! Perhaps that is not so surprising when I look at my notes and realise that I started … Continue reading When the finish line is in sight!
The Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon Treasure
The Staffordshire Hoard was discovered in July of 2009 by Terry Herbert who had asked for permission to search a farmer’s field with his metal detector. The field had only recently been ploughed and also other people had searched it only a little while ago but Mr Herbert was keen to give it a try. The … Continue reading The Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon Treasure
The Forgotten Battle of 1066
Most British people can name at least one battle from 1066; the Battle of Hastings. In fact this is the one event that seems to encapsulate the very essence of 1066 as a subject; the killing of King Harold and (almost) inevitable Norman Conquest of England.Some people can also name a second, earlier encounter; the … Continue reading The Forgotten Battle of 1066
The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Aethelings and the Eoldermen
As you would expect with any society that was characterised by a hierarchical class system there would be the top class who were defined by their wealth and by the power that they wielded. In the Anglo-Saxon world the upper class were known as the aethelings, who were principally the royal family. The king was … Continue reading The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Aethelings and the Eoldermen
The Battles of Brunanburh and of Maldon
The Battle of Brunanburgh is both important and significant to the Anglo-Saxon peoples because not only did it lead to the establishment of England as a single kingdom. It was also widely reported in many different sources and various languages including Old English, Middle English, Latin, Irish, Welsh, and Icelandic.Under Aethelstan, the King of the … Continue reading The Battles of Brunanburh and of Maldon
The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Theigns
Above the ceorls, the peasants of the Anglo-Saxon world, sat the ‘theigns’. They were to all intents and purposes the middle class. To qualify as a theign a man needed to own a minimum of 5 hides of land. A hide was not an exact measurement in Anglo-Saxon England but roughly equated to enough land … Continue reading The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Theigns
Peter C Whitaker 