Headless Coachmen and Crime August 7, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Medieval, Modern
In the Middle Ages they had the wild hunt, the insanely nasty cavalry that rode across the sky. Then, come the early modern period, when everyone had ‘grown up a bit’ and men with shag and swords were so, well, ‘medieval’, that they moved on. They started seeing, instead, headless horsemen out on the toll [...]
White Horses, Sex and Sovereignty December 12, 2011
Posted by Beachcombing in : Ancient, Medieval
Inspired by Southern Man’s comment on yesterday’s post Beach thought he would today quote from some of the passages relating to Irish sovereignty. There was in pre-Norman Ireland the idea that the land is a woman, Sovereignty, who must be courted and seduced by the successful king. Take, for example, this rather tame passage relating [...]
Mystery Discovery on the Isle of Dogs August 28, 2011
Posted by Beachcombing in : Ancient, Modern
Mysterious golden spurs discovered on Isle of Dogs, London about 1800: do they perhaps have a Celtic origin?
