Blog
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Discovering 12th Century Nottingham Castle
“Richard arrived at the siege of Nottingham in a black mood and his first act was to set up an enormous gallows beneath the walls.” — Richard Coeur de Lion by P. Henderson Line drawing is copyright The Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire. Used with permission. Earlier this week I was a guest at Catherine Curzon’s…
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Historical Nottingham, York, and more – blog trotting adventures
“A breathtaking gallop through Richard the Lionheart’s England.”–Sharon Bennett Connolly on The Review blog The knights have returned from the crusade to the Holy Land in For King and Country and face enemies at home that will take them from Lincolnshire to York to Nottingham, climaxing with the siege of Nottingham in 1194. Writing about these…
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Not the Sheriff of Nottingham… Meet Lincolnshire’s Sheriff: Gerard de Camville
I am guest posting today on English Historical Fiction Authors with John’s Man in Lincoln: Gerard de Camville. Gerard is a late 12th/early 13th century sheriff, who like many men, paid King Richard (the Lionheart) to get his appointment. Richard needs the money for his Crusade to the Holy Land. But does money buy loyalty? Enjoy…
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Research gems: the scallawag, John, King of England
Medieval Lincolnshire has been one focus of research for my upcoming novel. For King and Country takes place in 1193-94 so I dove into several histories on the county. In Lincolnshire in History, and Lincolnshire Worthies, I discovered J. Medcalf’s thoughts on John, who is crowned King of England in 1199. This is a gem worth sharing: “…John, was…
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Third Crusade history – my guest post on English Historical Fiction Authors
In the year 1191, on the 7th day of September, a decisive battle was fought between Christian and Muslim armies. On this 824th anniversary, join me on English Historical Fiction Authors (EHFA) for “The Bloodiest Day of the Third Crusade: Richard I and Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf.“ Photo By Eloi Firmin Feron (1802-1876) (de:wiki)…
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Guest post on English Historical Fiction Authors
Join me at English Historical Fiction Authors for my guest post: War Crime, or a Strategic Military Decision? The Massacre at Acre, August 20, 1191. Image credit: Siege of Acre By Blofeld of SPECTRE at en.wikipedia (Transfered from en.wikipedia) [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASiege_of_Acre.jpg (This post originally appeared on EHFA on Aug. 21, 2015. It…
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Third Crusade history – my guest post on English Historical Fiction Authors
10 July 1190 A day that could have changed the course of English history. Join me on English Historical Fiction Authors for The Third Crusade: an Early Mishap at Lyon ><><><><><><><><><><><><
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Research Gems: The Murder-Fine
I am continually surprised by the fascinating bits of information I uncover while doing research for my medieval fiction. For Book III of Battle Scars I have been reading (or re-reading) biographies of Richard I and John, and stumbled across this gem in England Without Richard, 1189-1199 by John T. Appleby: the “murder-fine.” This form of…