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Who was the other Katherine Champernowne? Who was Kat Ashley?

September 26, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Portrait sourced via Wikimedia commons from the collection of Lord Hastings  - thought to be Kat Champernowne/Ashley (Astley).)

 

It’s well known that a woman named Katherine Champernowne, later the wife of John Ashley (Astley), was governess for the future Queen Elizabeth I. Many people recognise her as ‘Kat’, although those closest to her may have actually called her Kate. I have therefore continued to use Kat, both here and in my novel A Woman of …

On the trail of two Devon men, both named Otho Gilbert at St John the Baptist Church, Marldon, Devon : Part 1 The Grandfather.

March 13, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St.John The Baptist Church, Mardon, Devon

The Church of St John the Baptist stands on high ground next to the Church House Inn in the village of Marldon, Devon. This isn’t the first church to stand here. An entry in the register of Bishop Grandison of Exeter on 17 July 1348, describes a religious building on this site as ‘a chapel dependent on the Church of Paignton.’1

The impressive tower, with its polygonal stair turret, was added to the first …

A glimpse of medieval history at Exeter Cathedral

December 23, 2025

I recently had a wonderful opportunity to explore a room in Exeter Cathedral I had not seen before when I joined a tour with the Devon Buildings Group and Cathedral Archaeologist, John Allan.

Exeter Cathedral is one of Europe’s great cathedrals, a magnificent example of medieval architecture from the 12th to 14th centuries. I’ve visited the cathedral many times, and stood in awe wondering at the towering vaulted ceiling and magnificent stained glass. I’ve searched for the tomb effigies of people from my research and wandered through the many chapels. I'd never climbed the tight, winding stone staircase to …

The Feisty Women of St Nicholas Priory, Exeter

October 12, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Nichoals Priory, one of Exeter's oldest buildings 

If you turn away from the bustle of Fore Street in Exeter and take a stroll down a narrow path known as The Mint, you will come to St Nicholas Priory. Today it is a tranquil place, with shady gardens and ancient walls of red Heavitree stone. Had you walked that way on a summer’s day in 1536, you’d have been caught up in a commotion, with the voices of angry women …

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

April 06, 2025

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.

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