Sea Dragons, Lost Royal Tombs and A Royal Stuart Wet Nurse...
Welcome to another newsletter full of history. This month it’s all about Sea Dragons, lost royal tombs and an influential wet nurse at the Stuart court…
Writing
You’re not imagining it, I missed June’s newsletter due to manic book writing, travelling and then feeling under the weather. But I did manage a few trips in May which was great - I explored Medieval stained glass at Great Malvern Priory, King John’s tomb at Worcester Cathedral and I found some Elizabethan wall paintings in Ledbury, which I’ve written up a post about here.
Did you know that Rutland is England’s smallest county? And did you also know that it has its own ‘Sea Dragon’? You can find out 11 historical facts about Rutland here. I was also really excited to hear about a musical that will be performed at Edinburgh’s Fringe this summer based on a real historical person. Mrs Pack was a wet nurse to Princess Anne’s son and was credited with nursing the fragile infant to health in the late 1600s. You can read more about the production, named Mrs Pack: The Milking of a Monarchy, here.
Over on the blog I showed you how to make your own Tudor and Stuart Cinnamon Sugar, got a bit obsessed with tracking down some lost royal tombs and dug a little bit deeper into the history of Tudor and Stuart jeweller, moneylender and merchant, Sir Peter Vanlore. I also had a go at riding a motorcycle.
Reading
I listened to the audiobook of Alison’s Weir’s biography of Elizabeth of York, and have made a start on Amy Licence’s book about Cecily Neville, called Mother of Kings. Most of the time though I’m looking through archaeological reviews and court papers. I love history, and I just never seem to learn enough about it.
What have you been reading this month? Leave a comment or drop me an email here - I’m always looking for great books to add to my list.
I’ve been busy with commissions, which is great - and have sold copies of prints relating to Reading Cemetery. You can find the two angel prints over on my online shop.
I also created two new pieces, based on a reworking of two original fifteenth-century sketches by Master ES, now in the public domain. I’ve used the originals as a template and then tweaked them slightly to soften the lines, adding detail - the dragon is new - and then the vibrant colour our Medieval ancestors would have loved. Find more about them here.
I’m hoping, once I’m better, to get out on my bicycle and explore the local villages and churches and I’ll share any sketches as I go on Instagram @sketcherjoey. I’m never far from my trusty sketchbook!
I was excited to share my sketches for Reading’s High Street Heritage Action Zone, commissioned by them to celebrate some of the important historic buildings in the town. The series of watercolour and ink sketches included St Laurence’s church, The George Hotel and the Great Expectations Hotel. Find out more about the project here.
Have a great July! See you in August.
Keep in touch in the meantime on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.