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Category Archives: History
The Devil’s Advocate? Witches vs The Law
What images are conjured up by the word ‘witch’? Hags silhouetted against the night-sky performing aerial acrobatics on broomsticks or brewing strange potions in a cauldron? Strange old ladies accompanied by black cats? Or children with black pointed hats and … Continue reading
Posted in Canterbury, Cathedrals, History, Law, Myth, Witches
Tagged Canterbury Cathedral, Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, Eleanor of Cobham, Fraudulen Mediums Act 1951, Halloween, Henry V, Joan of Navarre, Law, Leeds Castle, Margery Jourdemayne, Old Bailey, Salem, witch hunts, witch trials, Witchcraft Act 1735, witches
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Venice’s Palazzi: Jewels of the Grand Canal
Beyond the Bridge of Sighs! The Ponte della Paglia is often crowded At Carnival and in summer, Venice is submerged. But not by the green waters of the lagoon. St Mark’s Square, the Rialto and the main shopping streets are … Continue reading
Posted in History, Italy, Travel, Venice
Tagged Brustolon, Ca' D'Oro, Ca' Pesaro, Ca' Rezzonico, Canaletto, Grand Canal, La Salute, Longhena, Longhi, Palazzi, Robert Browning, Tiepolo, Venice
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Murder, Martyrdom and the Quest for Bones
As the sun was setting late in December, four armed men strode through the Cathedral precincts determined to arrest one of the country’s most powerful men – or, at least, teach him a lesson. They had probably been drinking and … Continue reading
Posted in Canterbury, Cathedrals, History, King Henry II, Plantagenets, Rochester, St Thomas Becket, Uncategorized
Tagged Becket's shrine, Canterbury Cathedral, Dissolution, Henry VIII, King Henry II, Murder in The Cathedral, Plantagenets, Rochester, Rochester Cathedral, Thomas Becket
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From Independence to Exile: The Extraordinary Story of Sir Oliver Goonetilleke (Part 3)
Life in Exile Nine years of researching the background to my novel The Devil Dancers introduced me to some fascinating historical characters. One of the most remarkable was Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, one of the key architects of Ceylon’s Independence and … Continue reading
From Independence to Exile: The Extraordinary Story of Sir Oliver Goonetilleke (Part 2)
From Dawn to Dusk Nine years of researching the background to my novel The Devil Dancers introduced me to some fascinating historical characters. One of the most remarkable was Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, one of the key architects of Ceylon’s Independence … Continue reading
Posted in Ceylon, History, Independence, Sir John Kotelawala, Sri Lanka
Tagged Ceylon, Lord Soulbury, Mapitigama Buddharakkita Thera, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sir John Kotelawala, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Soulbury Commission, Sri Lanka CHOGM Colombo Telegraph Ceylon The Devil Dancers Bandaranaike Buddhism Burma, Tarzie Vittachi, The Devil Dancers
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From Independence to Exile: The Extraordinary Story of Sir Oliver Goonetilleke (Part 1)
The Road to Independence Nine years of researching the background to my novel The Devil Dancers introduced me to some fascinating historical characters. One of the most remarkable was Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, one of the key architects of Ceylon’s Independence … Continue reading
Richard III’s mysterious son
The discovery of King Richard III’s remains in a Leicester car-park has had many repercussions. Most recently, DNA tests have revealed ‘false paternity’ on Richard’s male side. This is explained by an act of infidelity by one of Richard’s ancestors. … Continue reading
Trafalgar and the Passage of Time
In an age of instant communication, anyone researching the Battle of Trafalgar will immediately be struck by the extraordinary slowness with which the British fleet engaged its enemy, the long delay before these events were reported in British newspapers and … Continue reading
Posted in History
Tagged Battle of the Nile, Battle of Trafalgar, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Greenwich, HMS Temeraire, HMS Victory, Lady Hamilton, Lord Nelson, Medway, Medway Archivevs, Nelson's tomb, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Robert Sands, Sheerness, St Mildred's church, St Paul's Cathedral, Tenterden, Turner, Walter Burke
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