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Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire: Princess Elizabeth passes by on her journey to Woodstock

Today Aston Rowant is a tranquil village with pretty thatched cottages, a village green and the charming parish church of St Peter and St Paul. The village lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, just off the M40. However, in the sixteenth century, the main road from London to Oxford may have run along what is now Church Lane, next to the church.

History touched this quiet little village when, one morning in May 1554, Princess Elizabeth passed by.

Caps, Kerchers and Coifs

16th century women’s informal and workaday headgear

Most of the familiar portraits of sixteenth century women show wealthy individuals, dressed in their best, wearing elaborate headdresses in a variety of styles. Sometimes some hair shows at the front, as with the French hood below, while with other headdresses, like the English gable hood also shown, the hair is completely out of sight. 

The expectation that women of …

The Countess’ Room and the ghosts of Dartington Hall

Every old house has its fair share of ghost-stories, chilling tales that are handed down through the generations, told and re-told by the fireside on dark winter nights. Dartington Hall, with its long and rich history, is no exception.

People have lived here amongst the rolling Devon hills since ancient times. One notable family, the Champernownes, made their home here for three hundred and sixty-six years.

Sir Arthur Champernowne, Vice Admiral of the Fleet of the West, …

The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre by Francois Dubois (c 1572-84) image sourced via Wikimedia Commons

Sir Francis Walsingham, the English Ambassador to the French Court, sent a letter to Sir Thomas Smith, the Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth I, on 2 September 1572. In his letter, Walsingham used the typical diplomatic language, but there was one passage where he couldn't hide his anger.

Walsingham  doubted the King’s promise that his troops would punish those who killed the three Englishmen. He …

A visit to St Faith’s Church, home of the Bacton Altar Cloth

St Faith's Church Bacton, Herefordshire

The charming little church of St. Faith’s, Bacton, stands high above a valley carved out by a meandering river. The Dore flows from the foothills of the Black Mountains to merge with the River Monnow, which then joins the majestic River Wye.

The name Dore may derive from a Welsh word, ‘dwr’ which means water. But the Normans interpreted it as the French word ‘d’or’ meaning golden, and it became known as “The Golden Valley.” …