Sarah Morris's Blog, page 7

Markenfield Hall: The Loveliest Place You’ve Never Heard Of

A medieval, moated and much-loved family home, Markenfield Hall is a historic house unlike any other. Set within stunning Yorkshire countryside south of Ripon, medieval Markenfield has remained largely untouched and is one of a few moated, medieval manor houses that its original owners could still recognise; indeed, the Hall is instantly recognisable thanks to ... Read more

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Cowdray House & the Sinister Curse of Fire and Water

Every now and again, a tragedy befalls a Tudor house that is so catastrophic that the sorry tale makes you want to weep at the mere thought of what has been lost. The focus of this blog tells such a story. On the fatal night of 24 September 1793, a fire broke out in one ... Read more

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The Battle of Stoke Field: A Bloody Rout Ends the Wars of the Roses

Now part of the Nottinghamshire countryside, the Battle of Stoke Field was witness to the final major conflict in the Wars of the Roses. Lambert Simnel, an imposter pretending to be Edward, Earl of Warwick, was used as a figurehead for the Yorkist rebel cause as they tried to re-establish their hold on the crown. ... Read more

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Lost & Found: Remarkable Survival of Monastic Books

On 15 January 1535, King Henry VIII was proclaimed Supreme Head of the Church of England. In a bid to claim annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, Henry sought to abandon Rome and the Catholic opposition to his divorce. The break with Rome triggered England’s transition to being a Protestant country, which brought ... Read more

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Mortlake Manor: Cromwell’s Palatial Residence on the Thames

The subject of today’s blog is a place that I would bet very few Tudor history fans know about. Yet, in its time it was once a palace and later became a cherished residence of one of the most powerful figures in Tudor history – and a time that would change the very fabric of ... Read more

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West Horsley Place: At Home with Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter

I am delighted to be hosting a stop on Sylvia Barbara Soberton’s virtual book tour for her new book The Forgotten Tudor Women: Gertrude Courtenay: Wife and Mother of the last Plantagenets. A writer and researcher specialising in Tudor history, Sylvia’s work goes behind the scenes, to share the lives of lesser-known people from the ... Read more

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The Royal Family of Britain: 1000 years of Treachery, Triumph and Rejoicing!

One of the most iconic and enduring institutions in the world, the British monarchy has weathered many storms. From the bloodiest of battles to religious, political and economical uprisings, our kings and queens have faced treachery, triumph and rejoicing! As we approach Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, we look back on centuries of royal traditions ... Read more

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Woodstock Manor: An Ancient Pleasure Palace and Doleful Prison

Recently, I visited Blenheim Park in North Oxfordshire; the site of the once magnificent Woodstock Manor, the most ancient, royal palace in England. Standing next to a solitary plinth, which is all the remains to mark the spot where this historic palace once stood, I felt a deep sadness. This was not only for its ... Read more

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Tudor Macarons: A Christmas Treat

Welcome back to The Great Tudor Bake Off. For our last Tudor bake of the year, our resident chef here at The Tudor Travel Guide, Brigitte Webster, shows us how to make macarons, a Tudor Christmas treat. Advent was a time for fasting in Tudor England, meat was taken off the menu and fish was eaten instead. For ... Read more

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Busks, Busk-Points, Courtship and Sexual Desire in Early Modern Europe

Please note: THIS BLOG CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT AND EXPLICIT SEXUAL REFERENCES I have long been fascinated by Tudor dress, from the magnificent gowns worn by queens and courtiers to the garments worn by women of the mercantile classes. The fashions of the Tudor dynasty communicated status, power and femininity; dress was a form of political ... Read more

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