Historytalker
By Nigel Swift .You hear it all the time from archaeologists and some detectorists: licensing will improve behaviour as the official code will be adhered to and finds will be recorded not concealed. I think it’s tripe, whoever proposes it. £100 is well worth paying if you’re minded to conceal finds from a farmer in […]
Once and for all, licensing of metal detectorists won’t work — The Heritage Journal
While damaged through constant exposure to the elements and even being once hit by a bus, the Kells Market Cross is a fragile, beautiful yet defiant survivor of over 1,100 years. Dating to the late 9th or perhaps the very early 10th century, the cross has a complex story regarding its art that has yet […]
A Cross in Time: The Market Cross at Kells — Archaeo𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥
Today I ticked a point off my bucket list playing two ancient boardgames in the park with a friend. We played about five games of Hnefatafl and one of Fox and Geese in the War Memorial Park in Coventry. Hnefatafl, also known as Kings Table, is a board game popular in the Viking period. Fox and Geese is a similar game but is heavily weighted to the Geese player and so fell out of popularity in the Middle Ages. Both games are asymmetric games with unequal forces and different winning goals. They challenge the player to be competent, keep focus and work towards specific goals in pursuit of the eventual objective of winning.
My friend is called Arron and despite it being his first time playing (and having just come off a long drive from work) did very well indeed. I obviously play these games daily as part of my job and I did not cut him any slack but he soon picked up the rules and the game and after an hour was making it very hard for me to win.
It was a very enjoyable time with lots of good conversation and game play. We got a lot of interest as well from other park users. One boy sent his mother over to ask if he could have a game. In the future I would like to play more in the park so if anyone would like to join me drop me a message in the comments section.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my Disclosure page for more info Chester’s Roman Garden is located just outside the city walls. It’s a place I would highly recommend visiting. Its made up […]
Chester, England: A Roman garden — NattyTravels
Britain enthusiastically adopted the Roman tradition of writing curses on lead (or sometimes pewter) tablets. Maybe that tells us something about the British character. Maybe it doesn’t. Either way, because lead doesn’t rust, they left us a record of daily life, or of one odd corner of it anyway, that we can snoop around in. […]
Curse tablets in Roman Britain — Notes from the U.K.
King Henry VIII after Hans Holbein (Photo credit: National Portrait Gallery) Dispelling Tudor Myths: King Henry VIII As part of the Dispelling Tudor Myths series here on The Freelance History Writer blog, it’s time to address two items regarding the reign of Henry VIII, both of which were debunked long ago but continue to be […]
Dispelling Tudor Myths: King Henry VIII — The Freelance History Writer
In today’s blog post, I wanted to share a six episode documentary series called Life On A Tudor Monastery made by BBC. All episodes are aired and free on this amazing YouTube channel called Absolute History, with the permission of the BBC and its content creators. It was a very enjoyable series detailing what life […]
Documentary Review ╽Life On A Tudor Monastery – Absolute History — THE CHRONICLES OF HISTORY
A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 May, 1940. Already weakened by failures in Norway, the successful blitzkrieg in Holland and Belgium sounded the death knell for Chamberlain as Prime Minister. Reluctantly King George VI offered the position to Winston Churchill, a man adored by the public […]
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson — FictionFan’s Book Reviews
This fantastic model was created during the first lock down of 2020 by an incredibly talented Coventry resident. I saw it at Coventry Central Library but it is now on display in the Frier Gate building.
