January 2014 – Medieval Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society

Medieval Matters in 2014

The Middle Ages seem already to be doing a brisk trade just a few weeks into the New Year.

Following the traditional seasonal overindulgence many of you may be considering going on a diet. Andrew Jotischky, Professor of Medieval History at Lancaster University has compared the monastic dietary regime with its regular periods of fasting to the currently trendy 5:2 diet (Daily Telegraph 9th January 2014). Which all goes to show that there’s nothing new under the sun, save perhaps for the cigarette.

The Vikings are one of those perennially fascinating historical topics that are revisited every few years with a blockbuster exhibition. So it proves this year and a new Viking exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery at the British Museum from 6th March (Daily Telegraph Review 4th January 2014). This promises to be the biggest show on the subject in living memory. Remember that the ‘World of the Vikings’ Conference celebrating 40 years of Viking Archaeology in York, takes place in York on 21st-23rd March this year. Locally the Bedale Hoard at the Yorkshire Museum pending fund-raising gives the topic added local and regional appeal if any were needed.

Further to the medieval section’s visit to the posited 1066 battlefield at Fulford, campaigners are trying to save the Wars of the Roses battlefield of Tewkesbury from being built upon (Daily Telegraph 1st January 2014).

The parish church in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire has sold a silver cup dating from about 1400 and originally used in feasting for £1.3 million. It has been described as one of the best-preserved specimens of its kind and was lent to the British Museum in 1963. It has been jointly bought by the British Museum and Wiltshire Museum. The silver medieval chalice was donated to the church more than 400 years ago and was used for communion (Daily Telegraph 30th December 2013).

The anniversary of the battle of Flodden (1513) barely passed, the opportunity to settle the score with the battle of Bannockburn (1314) presents itself. As if Medieval Matters in 2014 were not sufficient there is already anticipation building for celebrating the anniversary of Magna Carta. All of which bodes well for stimulating interest in Medieval history and archaeology this year and next.

A Medieval Mount from the Bedale Area

Perforated Medieval copper alloy mount from Thirsk (thanks to David Hirpin) — Perforated Medieval copper alloy mount from Thirsk (thanks to David Harpin)

David Harpin kindly brought some Medieval copper alloy mounts and harness pendants to Claremont to show me just before Simon Tomson’s lecture about St Richard’s Priory in Pontefract on Saturday 11th January.

I photographed one of the pieces that particularly caught my eye (see above). It is decorated with a crowned leopard on a heater-shaped shield with a sun-burst top right and bottom. It is perforated at the corners for mounting. It measures 3.2 cm square and weighs about 12 grams. It looks as though it has hammered from the inside against a mould to create the design. These are the arms of the Trubeville or Turbeville family which originally came from Normandy. David said “The mount belongs to a family that had various name spellings at the time.Very broadly it is thirteenth century, say 1225-1325”.

This made me think of the scene in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles (serialised in 1891) in which an antiquarian-minded vicar informs John Durbeyfield, a poor Wessex carrier, that he is descended from the Turbeville family and that he should by rights be addressed as ‘Sir John’. This goes to his head and out of the realization that the family is descended from a once powerful Norman landed family comes the fateful decision to send his daughter Tess to claim kinship with the apparently still affluent branch of the family at Kingsbere… from which stems much misery.

David showed me an extract from an article in The Antiquaries Journal (vol.29, Oct 1949, 204-6) which says a similar pendant was recovered from silt from the Salisbury street canals before they were filled-in in 1852.

Many thanks to David Harpin for allowing me to share this with members of the Medieval section.

English Companions Early Medieval Events 2014

The foundations of today’s Yorkshire were formed during “the Anglo-Saxon Age”. The English Companions is a society which promotes interest and research into that era – AD 450-1100. A quarterly magazine, “Wiðowinde” is published and our website has ongoing information and discussions of interest. An Old English correspondence course enables members to learn both the written and spoken language.

We encounter numerous instances of our Anglo Saxon heritage locally in place names like Knaresborough which was originally Cenheard’s burh (i.e. fort) or in artifacts such as the crosses to be seen in All Saints Church, Ilkley. By joining the English Companions you can share an interest with like-minded people and learn of the origins of the English language and literature. You can explore the history and events of the period and be introduced to the lives of notable men and women of the time.

The English Companions does not follow any particular interpretation of history and maintains a strictly neutral line on modern political and religious matters. I coordinate a local group which arranges meetings and events – see schedule below for details of upcoming events. If you would like to join us or find out more please get in touch.

George Roe Tel: 01937 520075 or email georgeroe@ntlworld.com

Saturday & Sunday 19^th & 20^th April	Whitby Abbey The Companions will putting on a display about the Synod of Whitby and providing the Anglo-Saxon back story on Easter Eggs and Bunnies to visitors at the Abbey.
Saturday 3^rd May	All Saints Church, Ledsham Meet at the Chequers Inn opposite the church at Noon. Barbara Jackson will give us a guided tour of the church at 2.00pm.
Sunday 29^th June	Ripon Cathedral. Meet at the Royal Oak opposite the Cathedral at Noon. Guided tour of the cathedral from 2.00pm. The Cathedral makes a £5.00 pp charge for the tour.
Sunday 27^th July	Bolton Priory 12^th century church. Meet at the priory at 1.00pm. David Mosley will give us a guided tour and tell us about the sites Anglo-Saxon origins.
Saturday 6^th Sept	English Companions lectures at Dewsbury Minster. The title of this year’s lectures is “People and Politics in the conversion of Northumbria”. Professor Joyce Hill and our own Elizabeth Lee will be speaking. Meet at the centre at 12.45pm. Tickets £2 members £4 non members in advance from George Roe
Saturday & Sunday 20th -21st Sept	The Battle of Stamford Bridge Festival. The Companions will be pitching their tent for the weekend!

World of the Vikings Conference 21-23rd March

A very Happy New Year 2014 to all members of the Medieval Section and other readers of this blog. I have just received word of a ‘World of the Vikings’ conference on 21-23rd March, at the Department of Archaeology, University of York and York Archaeological Trust.

The ‘World of the Vikings’ Conference, celebrates 40 years of Viking Archaeology in York, in memory of Dr Richard Hall. Dagfinn Skre has agreed to give the keynote lecture, several of Richard’s colleagues from York Archaeological Trust will present papers, and other contributors will include Gareth Williams, Neil Price, David Griffiths, John Sheehan, Hannah Cobb, Nela Schola-Mason, James Barrett, Soren Sindbaek and Steve Ashby.

The conference will be based at The King’s Manor, University of York, in the centre of the historic city and YAT will host a reception at JORVIK.

Full details of how to book can be found online:

https://worldofthevikings.eventbrite.co.uk

Also as part of the IPUP Public Lecture Series taking place January to March 2014 there is a lecture by Dr Janina Ramirez about Cultural Triumphs in 8th century Anglo-Saxon Northumbria at 6pm on Tuesday 11th February in the Berrick Saul Building (Bowland Lecture Theatre BS/005).

This series of public lectures, run by the Institute for the Public understanding of the Past, University of York, originates from the Department of History’s new MA in Public History – all the speakers, who are among the leading practitioners of public history in their fields, are also teaching on the MA. The series will highlight recent developments in history by, with and for the pubic, in archives, museums, country houses, popular festivals and the media.