Fascinating facts and occasional musings

Pooh Corner at the New York Public Library

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 12:48:45 GMT

The bear that inspired A.A. Milne

A library is a wonderful place simply because it houses a vast collection of books, but the New York Public Library has many other special items to boast about in the display cabinets of the Polonsky Exhibition.

With exhibits ranging from the Gutenberg Bible to miniature books and a section of a musical manuscript by Mozart, there is much to linger over and enthuse about. One of my favourite exhibits is the family of stuffed toys that inspired the cuddly creatures of Hundred Acre Wood. The lovely bear from the Harrods department store was a gift for Christopher Robin Milne on the occasion of his first birthday. Christopher Robin named his bear Edward, but changed the name to Winnie after several visits to see a Canadian black bear named Winnie at London Zoo. A friend had a pet swan named Pooh which inspired the bear's change of name to Winnie-the-Pooh.

The bear gained worldwide fame from the tales and poems A.A. Milne wrote about him and his adorable stuffed toy companions: Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo. Little Roo lost his way in an apple orchard in the 1930s, never to be seen again, but the other toys travelled to the United States in 1947, and have remained there ever since. Milne’s American publisher donated them to the Library in 1987.

It's always fascinating to discover the inspirations behind authors' tales, and it's especially thrilling to be able to stand so close and admire them in all their glory!

Remembering Amelia Earhart

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 13:43:22 GMT

The most famous female aviator

Amelia Earhart was an American aviation pioneer. As a child, she was considered a tomboy because of her spirit of adventure and pursuits that included climbing trees and hunting rats with a rifle. She also played basketball and took an auto repair course. With the help of her uncle, Amelia built a ramp (inspired by a roller coaster she had seen in St Louis) and secured it to the top of the toolshed. This was the "runway" for her first “flight” in a box that served as a sled. With several bruises and a torn dress, Amelia climbed out of the box and announced, 'It’s just like flying!'

After a 10-minute experience flight at an aerial meet in Long beach, California, Amelia was hooked. She worked a variety of jobs to pay for flying lessons and earned her pilot’s licence in 1923. After that, this remarkable woman set several aviation records. She was the first woman to fly at an altitude above 14,000 feet, and in 1928, she left Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She was a passenger for this flight and Wilmer Stultz was the pilot. Amelia was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, and she was the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States. In 1930, she set a record for flying speed, reaching 184mph and breaking the previous record of 156mph.

In June 1937, Amelia Earhart took off from Oakland California with her navigator, Fred Noonan. Their intention was to fly around the world heading in an eastbound direction to make Amelia the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe. They reached Lae, New Guinea, on June 29th, having flown 22,000 miles. They had 7,000 miles remaining to complete the mission. Amelia and Fred left Lae on July 2nd, heading for the next refuelling stop at Howland Island. They were never seen again. No one knows what disaster befell them. Did they crash into the Pacific Ocean and perish? Did they survive a crash and make it to land, only to perish as castaways?

The disappearance of Amelia Earhart and her navigator remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of all time, but she remains the best-known female aviator in the world.

The Man Who Wrote Backwards

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 11:42:37 GMT

A few fascinating facts about Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was a genius from the renaissance period. He was born in Italy on the 15th April, 1452. An artist and inventor, Leonardo had a great fascination for nature and animals. He is famous for painting the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and for inventing a flying machine. He had a thirst for knowledge, but did you know that this gifted man did not go to school? Leonardo learned to read and write, and was educated to an elementary level of mathematics, but it was by observing his Tuscan countryside that Leonardo learned about the natural world.

On the 8th of July, 2021, a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci sold at auction for £8.8 million ($12.1m). The image of a bear’s head is tiny at 7cm x 7cm, and dates back to the early 1480s! The drawing was created using silverpoint, a tricky technique that involves pressing a silver stick to paper with a delicate touch. This was not the first time this little gem sold at auction. Sir Thomas Lawrence sold the same drawing at Christie’s in 1860 for the princely sum of £2.50!

This talented man was a painter, sculptor, architect and engineer. He created many technical sketches, including designs for pumps, mechanical apparatus and military weapons, and he produced many detailed anatomical drawings after careful study of the human form - and dissecting human corpses.

Here’s another fascinating fact - Leonardo da Vinci wrote backwards. This wasn’t to encrypt his notes, but to avoid smudging his writing and ruining his journals because he was left-handed.

King Francis I King Francis I was a great admirer of Leonardo da Vinci’s talent. He named him “Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King” and offered him the use of the Château of Clos Lucé, in Amboise, Loire Valley. Leonardo spent the final 3 years of his life at this beautiful château, working on projects for the king, and surrounded by eager students.

🎉 It's Publication Day for Mistress of Carrick 🎉

Thu, 30 May 2024 09:20:10 GMT

Mawde's story continues in this sequel to Mawde of Roseland

It's Publication Day for Mistress of Carrick , a Tudor tale set in the Cornish village of St Mawes. If you haven't read Mawde of Roseland , you can still enjoy this novel as a standalone tale. Here is the book description:

A woman who must atone for her past. A village that needs her courage.

CORNWALL, 1537.

Mawde Sherman returns to the village of St Mawes to find it is not the thriving community she left behind as a child. The fishing fleet has dwindled and poverty is rife.

When the local priory closes, the villagers despair. They lose a source of charity and many lose paid work. Mawde wants to help the villagers, and her husband has a plan. But Mawde discovers a dark side to Nicholas and a selfish desire for wealth.

Plagued by nightmares about her past, Mawde must make amends. She believes God will forgive her if she helps St Mawes to thrive again. When a foe from Mawde’s childhood moves into the village, her emotions are conflicted. He is a cruel reminder of her past. He is also a man who can help her.

Small acts of charity are not enough to secure the village’s future. The long-term solutions involve great risks, but is Mawde prepared to take them?

A gripping tale about hardship, determination and love set during the reign of King Henry VIII.

This book is available in ebook, paperback and hardback formats. It's also available in Kindle Unlimited for the next 3 months. Click here for purchase options.

If you haven't read Mawde of Roseland and might like to read that novel first, click here to learn more about the first instalment of Mawde's story.

An Unsolved Art Heist

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:25:40 GMT

Have you seen this painting...?

In 1990, a gang of criminals pulled off the biggest art heist in history. Two men dressed as police officers walked into a museum in Boston at 1.24 a.m. and overpowered two night security guards. They duct-taped the guards to a pipe and a workbench in the museum's basement and announced, “Gentlemen, this is a robbery.” In the space of just one hour, they removed 13 valuable artworks that would be worth $500 million in today’s money.

Despite the offer of a huge reward, the stolen paintings were never recovered. They included works by Rembrandt (see the photo of his missing painting "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee"), Vermeer, Degas and Manet, but for some reason, the robbers made no attempt to steal the most valuable work in the museum: a painting by Titian hanging in a gallery on the third floor of the building.

The museum still has the empty frames hanging on the walls as an eery reminder of the unsolved crime.

Thirty-four years later, the FBI investigation is ongoing. If you have any information leading to the recovery and return of the stolen paintings, there’s a $10 million reward on offer...

Pancake day for the Tudors

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 11:10:36 GMT

Shrove Tuesday is fast approaching

Shrove Tuesday will soon be here and many of us will enjoy a traditional pancake or two! Pancakes were popular in the Tudor era too, but they were a little different from the ones we enjoy now.

Modern pancakes are made from a basic mixture of flour, eggs and milk whisked together, perhaps with a little oil and a pinch of salt. Whisking makes a smooth batter, which is then fried to create one pancake at a time. I prefer my pancakes served with a light sprinkling of sugar and a generous squeeze of lemon. You might like yours with fruit and ice cream or even a savoury filling.

Tudor pancakes were made with thick cream instead of milk, 2 or 3 spoonfuls of ale, cinnamon and ginger. They were baked in a pan over a low heat, turned and baked again until the mixture was as dry as it could be without burning.

Adding ale and using cream resulted from Shrovetide marking the end of the Seasonal celebrations that started with Christmas. Lent followed, therefore Shrove Tuesday was an important day for using up dairy products before fasting.

31 January 2024

Seasonality of Tudor Food

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 15:32:12 GMT

The cycle of food

These days, there is little seasonality for our food. Modern growing techniques and the ease of international transportation mean that we can purchase most ingredients every month of the year, such as asparagus in winter or almonds in spring. They usually don’t taste as good as something grown locally and freshly picked, but they are available.

For the Tudors, the seasons dictated what was on their trenchers and plates. Tudor housewives spent much of the summer drying, salting, pickling and preserving foods, and filling their store cupboards in anticipation of the winter months when fresh produce would be in short supply. By spring, their palates would be tired of dried and salted foods and they would be eager to eat fresh food again.

Poor autumn harvests would have left the Tudors desperate during the winter. Poor wheat yields left grain stored empty, pushing up the availability and price of flour and bread. Torrential downpours in August and September would have turned fruit to mushy rot on trees, leaving little to dry or preserve.

Coastal folk might have considered themselves more fortunate - they were able to eat catch fish or forage on the beach for winkles, cockles, limpets and shrimps. But the average Tudor relied on the weather for a good harvest. Putting food on the table was no mean feat.

The arrival of spring put colour on trenchers with delightful recipes such as tarts made with marigolds, primroses or cowslips. Or how about salmon with violets, and whiting with green herb sauce, followed by a delicious cheese tart?

Summer was a time of abundance, especially for fruit. Strawberries and cherries were eaten fresh, while gooseberries and plums were cooked or used in tarts.

Then, when autumn came around again, the food shifted once more from fresh to salted and preserved.

Tudor peas and sausages

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:21:47 GMT

Peas were left to dry on the plants in fields

Unlike sausages, peas carried no social stigma in the Tudor era and graced the tables of rich and poor alike. Peas grew in fields and dried on the plants, and were used in thick stews such as pease pottage. Garden peas featured later in the Tudor period and had white flowers and large seeds, whereas the field peas had brightly coloured flowers and smaller pods.

Physicians labelled peas as “gross, windy and hard to digest” but said they were kinder than beans to the stomachs of the affluent.

Sausages graced the tables of medieval merchants or members of the better off lower classes, but English gentry declined to eat them until the early modern period (from about 1500 onwards). Sausages often featured in carnival-like celebrations but became symbols of sexual license, representing male sexuality and masculinity in general. Illustrations from the late 1500s show fat men brandishing sausages while a thin woman defends herself with a fish. The images capture the religious conflicts of the time between meat-eating Protestants and fasting Catholics at Lent.

The first known use of the word “sausage” dates back to the middle of the 15th century to describe minced or ground meat mixed with spices and seasoning, formed into a patty or enclosed within a cylindrical skin. Grains or breadcrumbs might also be added as fillers.

Sausages are popular all over the world, but did you know that an Akkadian cuneiform tablet from Mesopotamia records a version of a sausage from around 4,000 years ago?

The Mayflower

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:45:02 GMT

What did the Mayflower look like?

No one knows what the Mayflower looked like!

Mention the Mayflower today and most people will conjure an image of the Mayflower II docked in Plymouth Harbor, MA. But that ship is a “best guess” of how the original small cargo ship might have looked.

In the 1950s, JWA Upham Ltd’s shipyard in Brixham, Devon, built the Mayflower II based on information supplied by American naval architect, William A. Baker. Baker undertook five years of research to determine the likely layout of the original ship. He used scant references made to the Mayflower in surviving Pilgrim documents (e.g. William Bradford’s writings and Edward Winslow’s journal known as Mourt’s Relation), images from paintings made in the seventeenth century, and written descriptions of other ships built at around the same time. Baker’s research formed the design plans for the magnificent Mayflower II .

Despite the replica being a best educated guess, the Mayflower II has become a widely recognised depiction of the original Mayflower . The replica is also a popular tourist attraction at Plymouth Patuxet Museum in Massachusetts. It's time I booked a trip to the U.S.A. – I have a yearning to see that little ship!

"Thou shalt not wear silk!"

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 12:52:37 GMT

Dressing in the Tudor era

“Thou shalt not wear silk!”

Did you know that during the Tudor era, there were strict laws about what you could and could not wear? Your rank and social status dictated the standard of dress and quality of fabrics you might choose for your clothes. In 1509, a law was passed which stated that you may not wear silk if you’re below the rank of a knight’s son. This is something I have had to keep in mind whilst writing the sequel to Mawde of Roseland . It has been tempting, on occasions, to throw in the odd piece of silk, but fear not, I made it through without succumbing ��.

Breaching that so-called “Act against the wearing of Costly Apparel” attached a hefty punishment. Wearing silk unlawfully attracted 3 months’ imprisonment and a fine of £10 per day for each day of infringement. That might not sound a lot nowadays, but a Tudor tradesman took a whole year to earn that sum!

Few lower ranking Tudors would have been able to afford the luxury of silk clothing, but for those who risked it, there is little evidence to suggest the rule was enforced.

As a schoolgirl, I was chastised for wearing a skirt with too many pleats. I believe I had 3 when only one was permitted, or something like that. So, I can't help thinking that if I had been a Tudor who had saved enough pennies, I might have been tempted to sneak something luxurious into my wardrobe and push my luck with that rule...

The Palace of Placentia

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:35:15 GMT

A pleasant place for a palace

Hubby and I visited Greenwich recently, and it gave me so much joy to stand on the site that was once Greenwich Palace. A large section of Mawde of Roseland takes place at this location. I won’t say why in case you haven’t read it yet – no spoilers here!

Greenwich Palace was known as The Palace of Placentia, or pleasant place, because it was located away from the crowds and smells of London. It was easily accessible by boat, and was the site of many a party, banquet, and jousting tournament. King Henry VIII was born in Greenwich and later made it his primary palace. His daughters, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I, were also born here.

And remember the story about Sir Walter Raleigh throwing his cloak over a puddle to stop Queen Elizabeth I getting her feet wet? That happened at Greenwich Palace too.

After the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell tried and failed to sell the palace, so turned it into a biscuit factory instead. By the time of the Restoration, the buildings were in a poor state of repair and King Charles II gave the order to demolish the old palace. Fortunately, its image was captured in paintings (like the one above), so you can imagine how regal it would have looked with its red brick facade reflecting on the river.

I loved writing Mawde of Roseland, and the old paintings were especially helpful when I was imagining what it was like for Mawde when she first set eyes on Greenwich Palace.

Click here to learn more about the book ��

(This is an affiliate link , which means I might earn a few extra pennies if you buy the book, but don't worry because there's no additional cost to you.)

Quenching your thirst in the Tudor era

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:23:29 GMT

Ale, Cider & Perry

We are enjoying warm weather here in Britain, and one might be forgiven for seeking refreshment from a chilled glass or two of ale. But did you know that the average Tudor peasant consumed 8 pints of ale per day? Don’t let that fool you into thinking they were a bunch of rowdy drunks, though, because Tudor ale was weaker than most ale consumed in these modern times.

In the Tudor era, well water was unsuitable for human consumption, but it was safe to drink ale. The boiling of the water and the alcohol content killed harmful bacteria and created a drink that some Tudors described as tasting like “liquid bread”.

Elderly Tudors, pregnant women and even young children all quenched their thirsts with ale, but they drank a watered-down version known as “small ale”. Small ale had a lower alcohol content than the regular ale, and despite its bitter taste, it was a suitable drink for the more vulnerable Tudors and those preparing to start their working day.

In the years when harvests were plentiful, other drinks were common too, including cider made from apples and perry from fermented pears.

Cheers! ��

The Balcony Delusion

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:06:25 GMT

A tribute to Shakespeare's Juliet

Hubby and I recently visited Italy to celebrate a special Wedding Anniversary. We spent part of our holiday in Verona, where we saw this famous balcony with a literary connection.

Verona is a beautiful city with much of its medieval past well-preserved in and around its historic centre. This balcony is at the Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet’s House. The house dates back to the early 14th century, and was restored in the early 20th century with a complete rebuild of the interior using architectural and decorative pieces from the medieval period. It also houses the bed used on set for Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet . The house, its interior and its tributes to Shakespeare and his famous play, are proving a popular tourist attraction with hundreds visiting daily to walk in Juliet’s footsteps onto the balcony.

But, of course, this house is one grand delusion. Juliet didn’t live here, and she never stood on the balcony saying “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Juliet was a fictional character, and Shakespeare found inspiration for his play from a tale written in the early 16th century by Italian writer, soldier, monk and Bishop, Matteo Bandello. It’s unlikely Shakespeare ever walked the streets of Verona, but I am thrilled to have visited this “shrine” to his greatest known tragedy. For several moments, I stood on that balcony and imagined myself in Juliet’s shoes.

Isn’t it wonderful how fiction can pull at our emotions and make us believe, even just for a moment, that the story might actually be true? ��

The Lofty Tudors

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:49:10 GMT

The Tudors weren't as short as you might think...

For some reason, many people think the Tudors were short in stature. This might be the consequence of seeing small doorways in historic buildings, or portraits of Tudors who were actually lacking a little height. But studies of skeletal remains suggest the average height of a Tudor was comparable to the average height of today. For example, the skeletons of 100 sailors found on the sunken Mary Rose showed an average height of 5’ 7” (170 cm) – that’s taller than the average British man at the start of the 20th century.

The Tudor royals were especially blessed in the height department. King Henry VII was 5’ 9” and King Henry VIII was 6’ 2” (188 cm). Henry VIII’s grandfather, King Edward IV, was 6’ 4”! It wasn’t only the men who were lofty. Catherine of Aragon was 5’ 8” and Catherine Parr was 5’ 10”.

Of course, there were shorter Tudors too, but those small doorways were built to minimise heat loss from rooms rather than give an indication of the average height of the era. There would have been a significant amount of stooping going on.

The rather lovely “door within a door” photograph was taken at the 16th century townhouse of Plas Mawr in Conwy, Wales. Even I had to stoop to pass through that one, and I’m only 5’ 4” (162.5cm)!

17 February 2023

The surprising history of Bingo!

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 17:21:30 GMT

From 16th century Italy to worldwide popularity

Recently, Hubby and I enjoyed a fun night out with friends. After dinner at a nearby pub, we enjoyed a few laughs over a game of BINGO! My grandmother loved playing Bingo, and I have many happy memories of taking her to one or two of the large Bingo centres that grace our towns and cities. Friday night’s Bingo was a little more rustic. It was at the local social club.

You might think Bingo is a relatively modern game, but they actually played the first game of Bingo during the Tudor era. The 1530s saw the birth of the Italian game “Lo Giuco Lotto Italia”. A caller drew numbers from a sack and players tried to match them to numbers on their playing cards.

It wasn’t until the late 1700s that the game spread to France, and in the 1800s, it reached the United Kingdom. In the early 1900s, the game of Lotto became popular in North America, but using the name Beano until someone accidentally called out “Bingo” and the new name stuck.

The game that first entertained Italians almost 500 years ago has evolved into one of the most popular games in the world. It has moved into the digital arena as well as continuing in traditional Bingo halls, and it is estimated that 1.6 billion people play each year. A 75-ball version in Japan once had 500,000 players for a single game!

Bingo!

The Wars of the Roses

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 10:54:56 GMT

The Wars of the Roses – the story behind the name

The Wars of the Roses – almost sounds romantic, doesn’t it?

In fact, the Wars of the Roses were a series of bloody battles between two rival houses of the royal Plantagenet line. The first battle was in 1455 when Richard of York took 3,000 troops to St Albans to challenge the Lancastrian King, Henry VI, for the English Crown. Thirty years of battles and skirmishes ensued, with nobles repeatedly changing sides.

The wars ended in 1487 with Henry Tudor’s victory at the Battle of Stoke. He ruled as King Henry VII for 20 years and thus began the Tudor dynasty. His marriage to Elizabeth of York in 1486 had already united the Houses of York and Lancaster with the creation of the famous heraldic Tudor rose, with the inner white petals representing the House of York and the outer red petals representing the House of Lancaster.

But did you know the name “Wars of the Roses” came much later, after William Shakespeare published his trilogy of plays about King Henry VI in 1623? A particular scene inspired the name – bickering lords had to choose a rose from a garden, white to show allegiance to Richard, Duke of York, or red for his Lancastrian rival, the Duke of Somerset. (It is unlikely that such an event occurred in real life!)

Sir Walter Scott popularised this War of the Roses in his 19th Century work, Anne of Geierstein, and the name stuck. Until then, the 32 years of warring, scheming, back-stabbing and infighting were called the Civil War.

Now available for pre-order!

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 14:52:07 GMT

The publication date has been set – 17th November 2022

An unfortunate child. A determined adult. A lie that rocks the throne.

The Roseland Peninsula, 1513. A child born during an eclipse.

Constance believes the timing of the birth is a bad omen and her grandchild will bring misfortune and shame to the family. Sparing no affection for the sweet little girl, Constance blames her for every mishap the family endures.

When a disaster strikes, Mawde ignores her spiteful grandmother’s pleas for help. The consequences are catastrophic.

Mawde has no choice but to leave Cornwall and enter a life of kitchen service. The work is gruelling, but Mawde has a goal – to return to her mother in Roseland. First, she must find a way to save enough money, and that requires more than her servant’s wage.

Such ambition comes at a price. But is it a price Mawde is willing to pay?

A page-turning tale set during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Pre-order the e-book now to benefit from a discounted launch price of £1.99, $2.99 or equivalent in other currencies!

Click here to view on the platform of your choice.

The Charing Cross

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 13:34:59 GMT

A monument to a king's true love

I recently enjoyed a conference for Independent Authors in London and used my London trip to take a mini-break from writing, editing, etc. to soak up a little culture.

My favourite travel method in London is by foot, so I covered several miles during my brief visit, gazing at many of London’s landmarks along the way. One landmark that captured my imagination was the Queen Eleanor Memorial Cross outside Charing Cross Station.

This exquisite monument is a Victorian reproduction of the Medieval cross that preceded it, and it has a rather romantic history.

Eleanor of Castile was the wife of King Edward I. They enjoyed a happy marriage and had 16 children! When Eleanor died, King Edward was heartbroken and employed the best stonemasons in England to build 12 memorial crosses at different locations along a route from Nottinghamshire to Westminster, marking the overnight stops of her funeral cortège. The last stop before Westminster was the village of Charing. Some sources say this name derives from the French chère reine meaning “dear queen” while others believe it’s from the Old English word cerring meaning “bend” and relates to the nearby bend in the River Thames.

The original Charing monument survived until 1647 and is depicted on the 16th century Agas Map of London. This reproduction was erected between 1863 and 1865 and is located a few metres away from its original site. It has 8 representations of Queen Eleanor at the top, and since renovation work in 2009 and 2010, it is bright and eye-catching to passers-by.

Two original Eleanor crosses survive. One is in Northamptonshire, the other in Hertfordshire. They are less detailed than the Charing Cross because the monuments started plain and grew more elaborate towards Westminster Abbey where Queen Eleanor’s embalmed body was interred. (Her organs were interred at Lincoln Cathedral and her heart at Blackfriars Monastery in London, as was the custom in Medieval times.)

Rebuilding Buckfast Abbey

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Fri, 20 May 2022 15:06:36 GMT

A labour of devotion for the monks

The original monastery at Buckfast was founded in 1018 during the reign of King Cnut. It was a small Benedictine monastery beside the River Dart, and probably prone to flooding. In 1136, King Stephen gave the monastery to the Abbot of Savigny, but a more drastic change occurred when Buckfast joined the austere Cistercian order in 1147. Luxuries were forbidden, and all ornaments were removed from the church. The rule of silence was strictly observed and the Cistercian monks wore simple white habits of natural undyed wool.

During the Middle Ages, the monks of Buckfast became successful wool producers and farmers, and the monastery was a wealthy landowner. The monks continued to run an almshouse (charitable housing for people in need), a school, and fairs and markets to encourage local trade. Over the years, the monks added new buildings and improved old ones, but on 25th February, 1539, King Henry VIII’s commissioners arrived to present the Deed of Surrender, dissolve the monastery, and take possession of the Abbey’s treasures. They stripped everything of value from the monastic buildings, including lead which was taken for melting, and furniture which was sold at auction. It wasn’t until 1800 that the rubble of the ruins was cleared away to make way for a new mansion house. The Abbott’s Tower and 12th century undercroft were kept, but everything else was flattened.

In 1872, Dr James Gale bought the property. He sold it 10 years later, keen for the Abbey to be restored for its original purpose. Monks inhabited the Abbey once again, the first 6 arriving on 28th October 1882.

The monks wanted to rebuild the Abbey and hired a renowned architect to draw up plans, but after finding the medieval ruins in the vegetable garden, the architect revised his plans so the Abbey would be rebuilt in the 12th century style.

Meanwhile, Brother Peter Schrode went to a monastery in France to learn the art of masonry. When he returned, Abbot Anscar Vonier appointed him to lead the restoration and rebuild of the Abbey Church. In 1907, Abbot Anscar laid the first stone.

It took 32 years to rebuild the Abbey Church. The work did not stop at any time, and the monks carried out the building work themselves – usually four working on site, but never more than six working on the rebuild at any one time. They cut the stones by hand until they could afford to buy them cut and ready dressed, and lifted each one into position with block and tackle or manual hoists.

Meanwhile, life at the Abbey continued as normal. The monks observed the strict rule of silence within the monastery walls, and knelt to speak with the Abbot. They rarely had access to newspapers.

The building work came to an end in 1937, but the pointing was not finished until the following year. The rebuild of the Abbey Church was a true labour of devotion for the monks who undertook all the work themselves, thanks to Brother Peter learning the art of stonemasonry first. I think you’ll agree, the monks did a magnificent job.

Bodmin Jail

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Mon, 09 May 2022 12:44:06 GMT

A jail with a grim past

Last week, hubby and I enjoyed a fascinating trip to Bodmin Jail. I’m fascinated by prisons, so when I saw the sign for Bodmin Jail on the way home from a day trip to North Cornwall, it was an opportunity too good to resist. Hubby was less keen when I suggested the slight detour, but after a delicious Cornish Cream Tea at The Jolly Hangman Tavern, he was as keen as me to see what the jail offered.

Bodmin Jail was built in 1779 during the reign of King George III, during a period of extensive prison reforms. It was the first English prison to house inmates in individual cells. It segregated men and women, provided light airy living and working conditions, and gave inmates access to hot water. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the prison was demolished and a new one built on the same site. In the late 19th century, it became a naval prison but closed in 1927. However, during World War II, the jail provided sanctuary for the Crown Jewels!

Now, it’s a fascinating museum providing insight into the darker side of the prison’s history, including the horrific overcrowding of cells (despite the intention to house inmates with one to each cell!), appalling food, the punishments doled out to the inmates and even the incarceration of children for something as trivial as stealing a blanket on a bitterly cold day.

The jail experience begins with a fabulous tour with special effects and sets the tone for wandering at will among the old Victorian cells flanking a long corridor. There are plenty of information boards, props and tableaux in the cells that give a flavour of how terrible the conditions were for many of the jails’ inmates. Although many were genuinely bad people, too many were desperate individuals who took desperate measures to feed their children or keep a roof over their heads.

Bodmin Jail has hosted 55 executions for crimes that included murder and stealing. These were often public spectacles and people would travel considerable distances to witness a hanging. From 1901, the hangings were more private affairs, and a fully functioning authentic Victorian Hanging Pit is one of the more chilling aspects of the tour. The last person to hang was William Hampton in 1909, found guilty of murdering his girlfriend after an argument. It was a strange feeling, looking through the open doors into the deep pit below, knowing that many lives ended abruptly in that particular hanging shed.

Gruesome, but captivating!

The wild ponies of Dartmoor

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:52:19 GMT

Roaming across Dartmoor since prehistoric times!

One of the pleasures of living in Devon, is spending long afternoons roaming across Dartmoor – and no trip to Dartmoor is complete without seeing a grazing herd of Dartmoor ponies.

These ponies have roamed the Devon moor since prehistoric times, and although living wild, they all belong to different pony keepers. Every year, the pony keepers round up their herds in “pony drifts” and decide which ponies to keep and which to sell. Of those that are sold, some are domesticated for riding, but sadly, many others are slaughtered for pet food, feed for zoo animals or used in scientific research.

Archaeological excavations of ancient hoofprints revealed that domesticated ponies lived on Dartmoor more than 3500 years ago. The first written record of these ponies dates back to AD1012 when someone referred to “the wild horses” of Ashburton owned by the Bishop of Crediton.

Previous generations of ponies were exposed to lives of hard labour. They hauled heavy trucks of granite up and down a tramway, worked in pits pulling coal wagons (never seeing the light of day…), pulled machinery on farms, and laboured as cart horses. They have delivered mail, assisted with shepherding and ferried families back and forth to market. They also have a royal connection – in the 1920s, Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII) crossed Arab ponies with Dartmoor ponies in an attempt to produce a finer polo pony.

The Dartmoor ponies are hardy creatures, thriving on the wild landscape despite harsh winters and poor vegetation. Their wandering and grazing plays a vital role in maintaining a mix of habitats, thus supporting a diverse range of wildlife. Modern Dartmoor ponies are a mixture of breeds. The single coloured ponies are the traditional type, whereas the smaller ponies were created by breeding with Shetland ponies. They tend to have calm temperaments and are strong and surefooted so that, when trained, they make excellent driving and riding ponies.

May these lovely creatures continue to roam Dartmoor for all eternity! They are a delightful feature of the rugged landscape and Dartmoor just wouldn’t be the same without them.

The magic of honey

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 16:37:24 GMT

Honey is so much more than a sweet sticky food

I'm writing a novel set in the Tudor era, and have just finished a scene involving a pot of honey. Honey was an important resource for the Tudors . Sugar was imported from overseas and therefore prohibitively expensive. Honey was more readily available and used to make sauces, cakes, biscuits and for sweetening drinks.

But honey is so much more than just a food.

Honey is a remarkable natural product with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and was a common constituent of balms (for soothing irritated or inflamed skin) and salves (to promote wound healing). It has been used by indigenous populations around the world for thousands of years, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. It fell out of favour with the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, but with antibiotic resistance becoming a global problem, honey is making a come-back.

So, here's a big shout-out for the magnificent honey bees. Let us all do our bit to look after them and protect them so they may continue to make magical honey and pollinate our essential crops for all eternity.

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Things aren't always as they seem

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 15:39:31 GMT

This isn't just a grassy knoll...

Every now and then, I come across something that really captures my imagination. For example, this grass-covered mound of earth in the village of Lydford, Devon, is actually the remains of a small Norman castle.

Lydford was a thriving and important town during the Saxon period and from the late 10th century, it had its own mint (although it has been suggested that the mint was created to pay protection money to the Vikings…).

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Lydford was considered a strategic site in Devon. A small castle, known as a ringwork, was built on a triangular enclosure and surrounded by a deep ditch. The castle was probably little more than a few wattle and daub buildings used to store grain ( there is another larger castle ruin still standing in the village), but archaeologists believe it remained in use until the middle of the 12th century.

Standing on the mound with my eyes closed, I could almost hear the echoes from a long distant past – heavily laden carts rumbling along rutted muddy streets, drunken revellers spilling from taverns, soldiers shouting to each other, and clinking of coins changing hands.

Nature has now reclaimed the castle site, but it make a fabulous viewing spot for the beautiful peaceful surroundings beneath a dramatic winter sky!

The Monday Post on Facebook

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 17:35:53 GMT

The 4th highest working church in England

Every Monday, I feature something of historical interest on my Dionne Haynes, Author Facebook page. The article might be relevant to research for a novel, a place I have visited recently and want to share with you, or occasionally a snippet of personal history.

Recently, I featured this fabulous little church perched on top of a tor (hill) on Dartmoor. Why not visit the page and see if you'd like to follow my Monday Posts?

Click here or the Facebook icon at the bottom of the page to see if the content appeals to you.

TikTok Time

183:788820974 (Dionne Haynes) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 17:22:20 GMT

After months of putting it off, I finally took the plunge.

I used to think TikTok was for people younger than me with a few stunning dance moves to their name. More recently, I have discovered a BookTok population of bookworms, authors and bloggers, so with some trepidation, I dipped my toes in the water. To my surprise, TikTok is more bookish that I thought it would be, so I must just stick around there for a while.

If you'd like to follow me, this is my link:

https://www.tiktok.com/@dionnehaynesauthor