Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i History Extra

“With her flame-red hair and imposing Tudor attire, this month’s cover star could easily be mistaken for Elizabeth I. Yet, in reality she is one of the Virgin Queen’s greatest rivals: Lettice Knollys, the woman who stole Robert Dudley’s heart. The exact nature of Dudley and Elizabeth’s relationship continues to be debated, but what’s not in doubt is the queen’s anger on discovering that he had married one of the younger women who inhabited her court. On page 20 Nicola Tallis explores this Tudor love triangle. Also this month, we’re exploring pain of a more physical kind, in an evocation of the hellish world of the Victorian hospital. As Lindsey Fitzharris reveals, these supposed houses of healing were home to dirt, disease and horrifying surgical procedures that often did more…

The emperor Vitellius has not had a good press. The historian Suetonius said he was “stained by every sort of baseness”, while Cassius Dio claimed he was “addicted to luxury and licentiousness”. Yet by the summer of 69, this greedy, profligate man found himself master of Rome. Amid the chaos following the death of Nero, two replacement emperors – Galba and Otho – had already been and gone, leaving Vitellius, for the time being, as the last man standing. It has to be said that he was not an obviously impressive figure. Suetonius even claimed that he was so greedy that he “could never refrain, even when he was sacrificing or making a journey, from snatching bits of meat and cakes amid the altars, almost from the very fire, and…

“John Adams was right to note the boldness of the Bostonians’ action. They had rejected cheaper tea on principle – they didn’t accept parliament’s power to tax them, they hated that the revenue paid the salaries of certain government officials, and they detested parliament’s favouritism toward the East India Company monopoly. The destruction of the tea looks even bolder because it invited dire consequences: the Coercive Acts of 1774. The Boston Port Act prohibited commerce until the town made restitution for the tea, threatening total economic ruin. The Massachusetts Government Act took power away from town meetings and local juries and vested them in the king and his governor. Meanwhile, the Administration of Justice Act allowed officials to stand trial for capital crimes in more favourable venues. These acts were…

Beer was as much of a staple of the 16th-century Irish diet as bread, according to new research by Dr Susan Flavin, a lecturer in early modern history at Anglia Ruskin University. Dr Flavin found evidence that masons hewing stone at a Dublin quarry in 1565 were given an allowance of 12–14 pints of ale a day, when undertaking extreme labour. Elsewhere, household staff at Dublin Castle, as well as Elizabethan soldiers in Ireland, were found to have consumed up to eight pints of hopped ale a day. Irish beers in the 16th century had a higher oat content than their English counterparts. This was influenced by the cold, wet climate and the unsettled economic situation but may also have related to cultural tastes. Oat beer was reportedly thicker and…

Gloucestershire Echo 31 October 1931 Although the first Harley Davidson rolled out of its workshop in 1903, it wasn’t until after the First World War that the motorcycle became universally popular. By the 1930s, more than 80 different makes of motorbike were available in Britain, from the recognisable Triumph to the more obscure SOS. Motorcycle fever soon hit, as evidenced by TE Lawrence dying due to a motorcycle crash in 1935 and Joe Petrali setting a new land speed record in 1937. But the dangerous glamour of the motorbike may have been lost on Luton’s Mr Louis Linnett, who suffered what he described as a “savage attack” on his bike, near Grendon, Northamptonshire in 1931. The perpetrator? That well-known terror of the British countryside – an owl. Mr Linnett claimed…

Don’t erase the past I have an objection to raise against Michael Wood’s position on historical statues, as expounded in his article in the November issue (Comment). The erasure of unpleasant aspects of the past in order to conform with the spirit of our own times is the core of, and the first step towards, totalitarianism. Those who control the past have the potential to control the future. Commemorating those who fought for civil liberties and social justice is the preservation of the past. Removing those monuments dedicated to their adversaries is an attempt at a cultural revolution. Let Rhodes, Cromwell and the Lionheart stand in full view of the public – they stand in the dock of history’s courtroom, present for the jury of the curious and the engaged…

The atmosphere within the queen’s apartments at the Palace of Whitehall was icily cold when, in late 1579, Lettice Knollys stood before Elizabeth I. The queen raged at the woman in front of her in no uncertain terms. “As but one sun lightened the Earth, she would have but one queen in England,” Elizabeth seethed, before reputedly boxing Lettice’s ears and banishing her from court. What could Lettice have possibly done to provoke such a volcanic reaction? She had entered into a secret marriage without the queen’s consent – reason enough to provoke royal outrage. But what really fanned the flames of Elizabeth’s fury was the identity of the groom: Lettice’s husband was none other than the queen’s favourite and one time suitor, Robert Dudley. It was a betrayal that…

Medieval society was a mosaic of different personalities Chaucer’s People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England by Liza Picard Orion, 368 pages, £25 The premise of this entertaining book is to provide historical context for the multitude of figures in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It is well researched and packed with intriguing nuggets – from the etymology of the word ‘haberdasher’ (from an old Icelandic word meaning a pedlar’s sack), to the story of Richard Steris, “one of the cunningest players at the tenys in England”, and a wonderful selection of medieval recipes. Divided into sections on ‘Country Life’, ‘City Life’, ‘Religious Life’ and ‘The Armed Services’, the book is clearly structured. Picard provides a wealth of detail both about the occupations of the various characters, and the wider contexts in…

Nothing Like the Sun Anthony Burgess (1964) Burgess’s well-known verbal virtuosity is much in evidence in this vivid re-creation of Shakespeare’s life and loves, first published more than 50 years ago to coincide with the quatercentenary of the playwright’s birth. Taking its title from a line in one of the bard’s sonnets, this is a rich, idiosyncratic portrait of a genius as he journeys from provincial obscurity in Stratford to artistic success and sexual betrayal in Elizabethan London. The Secret Life of William Shakespeare Jude Morgan (2012) So little is known for certain about the life of England’s greatest writer that there is plenty of empty space for the inventive author to fill. Jude Morgan is a versatile historical novelist who has turned his attention in the past to the…

“The series asks: if you are born in a certain environment and class, can you escape?” Peaky Blinders TV BBC Two Scheduled for November Somewhere off Manchester’s Piccadilly thoroughfare lies a fine old commercial building that has, miraculously, yet to be converted into luxury flats. It’s grand but gloomy and the paint is peeling. This, of course, makes it a perfect setting for filming writer Steven Knight’s saga of Brummie gangsters, Peaky Blinders – especially as there’s something of a back-to-basics vibe as we rejoin Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and co. “The family are all separate, they’re not speaking to each other, but they face an existential threat from outside that means they all need to get back together on their home turf to survive,” says Knight. The Shelbys return…

It’s wasn’t easy being Elizabeth Windsor as Britain made its way into the 1960s. So seems to be the central message of the second season of The Crown (Netflix, from Friday 8 December), which picks up from where the previous season left off and apparently deals with, among other subjects, that of infidelity. On BBC Radio 4, highlights include Archive on 4: British Jews, Right and Left (Saturday 11 November), for which BBC political correspondent Jo Coburn mixes the tale of her own family with that of British Jewry, as a way to explore the outsized role of this small community in British politics – and its movement over a century towards conservatism. Handmade in Hull (BBC Four, November) celebrates the craft heritage of the 2017 City of Culture. The…

Fact in fiction EXHIBITION Harry Potter: A History of Magic British Library, London Until 28 February 2018 - 020 7323 8299 • bl.uk Muggles and wizards alike will be flocking to the British Library this month to explore the history behind JK Rowling’s bestselling Harry Potter series, 20 years after the publication of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The exhibition is themed around the subjects studied by Harry Potter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, from potions and herbology to astronomy and care of magical creatures. It uses rare books, manuscripts and objects from the British Library’s collections to explore the magic and folklore history that sit at the heart of the novels. Among the items on show is one of the Ripley Scrolls, a…

For over half a millennium, the life of a Jew was always one where you never knew whether you were going to be holed up in a ghetto or expelled from your country. • Simon discusses his new book on the history of the Jewish people on page 63 Elizabeth I’s little known relative, Lettice Knollys, forms the subject of my research. This is a tale full of drama, intrigue and ultimately a love story, but one that earned the enmity of the formidable Tudor queen. • Nicola describes the fallout from a Tudor love triangle on page 20 The six weeks that Charles II spent as a fugitive after his defeat at the battle of Worcester were the most exciting of his life. There’s no doubt what would have…

Why did you want to find out more about convicts from this period? The Digital Panopticon set out to answer a question posed in the 1780s by philosopher and social-theorist Jeremy Bentham: what worked best to reform criminals – prison or transporting convicts to Australia? We’ve pieced together the convict records to tell the stories of both those who were sent to Australia and imprisoned in the UK between 1750 and 1925. The new website – digitalpanopticon.org – shows how punishment and events such as marriage and having children affected their lives. One convict we uncovered, for example, was Mark Jeffrey (below), who served a sentence in Millbank Prison for robbery. In 1848 – still incarcerated – Jeffrey got into a fight over prison rations and was sentenced to 15…

Investigation into headless skeleton begins Forensic scientists are examining a headless skeleton in a Highland mausoleum in a bid to determine whether it is indeed that of 18th-century Jacobite sympathiser Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat (pictured left). The scientists, from Dundee University, hope to establish the gender and age of the skeleton as well as confirm whether it shows signs of decapitation. Fraser, who supported Bonnie Prince Charlie, was executed in 1747. “Allah” embroidered into Viking clothes Researchers investigating Viking burial clothes kept in storage for a century believe they have found the words “Allah” and “Ali”, woven in silver thread. The garments were found in 9th and 10th-century boat graves in Birka and Gamla Uppsala in Sweden and were originally assumed to be typical Viking burial costumes. But…

In his article on the Reformation (November), David Starkey made much of the comparison of its violence and destructiveness with the actions of Isis in our own times. An over-emphasis on similarities can, however, obscure important differences. The Reformation certainly resulted in a most regrettable wholesale destruction of the monasteries, but there is scant evidence of violence against the deprived monks, who were encouraged to apply their skills in other areas. In England, both Henry VIII and Mary I were indeed responsible for executing ‘heretics’, but this was not a necessary component of the Reformation, as reference to other countries shows. In Scotland, the burning of Walter Mylne in 1558 was a rare example of the persecution of Protestants during the regency of Mary of Guise, which nevertheless was a…

Lettice Knollys WHEN WAS SHE BORN? On c6 November 1543 HOW DID SHE RISE TO PROMINENCE? Her grandmother was Elizabeth I’s aunt, Mary Boleyn, and her mother was a close companion of Elizabeth. Lettice served in Elizabeth’s household, where she is said to have been a favourite of the queen. WHO WERE HER LOVE INTERESTS? Lettice was married three times: to Walter Devereux, who died of dysentery in 1576; to Robert Dudley; and finally to Sir Christopher Blount, who was executed in 1601 for conspiring against the queen. DID SHE HAVE ANY CHILDREN? She had one son with Robert Dudley and five children with Walter Devereux. Of these, the most famous was Robert Devereux, who lost his head after leading the conspiracy that cost Sir Christopher Blount his life. WHEN…

November 1917 The British government publishes the Balfour Declaration (left) promising to promote “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. 30 October 1918 The Ottoman empire capitulates. The region known as ‘Occupied Enemy Territory South’ from the Sinai border of Egypt north into Palestine and Lebanon is placed under British military rule prior to the subsequent peace conference. April 1920 The San Remo conference assigns Britain a ‘Mandate for Palestine’ under article 22 of the League of Nations Covenant and instructs Britain to implement within the mandate the full terms of the Balfour Declaration. March 1921 The Cairo conference. The British agree to offer Trans-Jordan and Iraq to two sons of Sharif Hussein as partial fulfilment of the spirit of promises made in the Hussein-McMahon…

1 Holes in the skull To alleviate pressure in the head, a Victorian surgeon might perform a procedure known as trephination in which he drilled or scraped holes into the skull. 2 Mastectomies Even before the discovery of anaesthetics, surgeons frequently performed mastectomies on patients with breast cancer. They used a hook-like instrument to lift the soft tissue before making two sweeping cuts around the breast to remove it. 3 Belly-ripping Specialists called ‘belly-rippers’ removed ovarian tumours in a procedure known as an ovariotomy. A long incision was made across the abdomen, which often became a source of sepsis. Sometimes normal ovaries were also removed to treat ‘menstrual madness’, masturbation, and cases of insanity. 4 Lithotomy Lithotomy was used to remove bladder stones, and was one of the most feared…

Caroline would overcome huge barriers to occupy one of the great positions in European royalty Caroline of Ansbach became queen of Great Britain by refusing to become Holy Roman Empress. In the autumn of 1703, the young aristocrat received a breathless letter from a Habsburg courtier outlining in the vaguest terms “extremely important matters concerning your Serene Highness’s greatest happiness”. The chief “matter” was Caroline’s marriage. Her proposed spouse was the current claimant to the contested throne of Spain, Archduke Charles of Austria. A single qualification was attached to her marriage: her conversion to Catholicism. After a lengthy struggle, Caroline, who was a steadfast Protestant, refused. In the words of the poet John Gay, writing after Archduke Charles unexpectedly succeeded his elder brother as Holy Roman Emperor, she “scorn’d an…

The continent would be bound together by the love and loyalty of first cousins Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking by Deborah Cadbury Bloomsbury, 400 pages, £25 When Prince Albert married his cousin Queen Victoria in 1840, he was taking the first step in what would become a masterplan for keeping Europe safe for generations. A native of Coburg, a small German state that had capitulated to Napoleon a generation earlier, Albert knew all about the chaos and destruction that occurred when neighbours and allies took up arms against each other. Albert’s plan, which grew in ambition with the arrival of each of his and Victoria’s nine babies, was to marry his children into all the royal families of Europe, from Russia to Portugal, Norway to Greece. By the time grandchildren arrived, the…

Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought Us Back from the Brink by Anthony McCarten Viking, 336 pages, £8.99 Accompanying a major new film, this is a smoothly written account focusing on the dramatic early weeks of Churchill’s premiership. The first 40 per cent is a potted biography, offering familiar generalities (“Winston was foremost a Victorian”) and incontrovertible facts (“He was also an aristocrat”). The book centres on the author’s conviction that Churchill “seriously entertained the prospect of a peace deal with Hitler”. McCarten writes that he is “aware that this is an unpopular view, and one that puts me at odds with almost all the historians far more immersed in this period of history than I can claim to be”. Nevertheless, he believes we should make more of Churchill’s willingness to…

In Our Time RADIO Radio 4 From Thursday 9 November Never knowingly dumbing down, Melvyn Bragg and academic guests continue to offer learned but accessible discussion of the history of ideas as In Our Time marks its 20th season. This series includes an outside broadcast about the Picts from Glasgow University’s chapel, a venue chosen as a nod to the show’s sizeable student audience. Also listen out for programmes about Germaine de Staël, a French woman of letters who opposed Napoleon; the Greek city state of Thebes, once a major rival to Athens; and the German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss.…

As dawn broke over Boscobel House on 6 September 1651, two figures hurried through the rain, heading for the safety of a huge leafy oak tree about 150 yards away. They rapidly disappeared up the tree, hiding from sight behind the lush foliage of its thick branches. To anyone witnessing their movements, the pair would have made for a curious sight. But onlookers would have been more astonished still by the identity of one of the two men. He was Charles II, king of Scotland, heir to the throne of England, and the most wanted man in the realm. Our own trip to Boscobel, 366 years to the day after Charles’s own stay, is drier but equally atmospheric. The oak tree that provided sanctuary for the Stuart heir as he…

“White horses – one of the oldest breeds in the world – still roam the marshes in free-running herds” In the sunset the lagoons turn pink and pearl, then bronze, darkening to purple. Reeds rustle and bend, and in the sky above, a line of flamingos stretch their long necks and legs. This is the Camargue: the great delta of the Rhône, the largest river delta in Europe. I’ve loved the Camargue since I was a girl, when I spent a bleak Easter holiday there with a howling wind, and saw the black and white film Crin Blanc, about a small boy and a wild white horse. Later, as student hitchhikers, my husband and I camped in the vineyards on the shore at Le Grau-du-Roi, the little port to the…

WREXHAM’S CHRISTMAS MARKET Wrexham’sVictorian Christmas Market has become one of the most eagerly awaited events in the town’s calendar and successfully attracts thousands of visitors year after year. What makes this market special is that it spills over into the beautiful parish church of St Giles. Thursday 7th December 12noon-8pm. St. Giles’ Church,Wrexham LL13 8LY 01978 292 015 TIC@wrexham.gov.uk NEWCASTLE CHRISTMAS MARKETS Christmas at the Grainger Market Enjoy this wonderful 6 day a week shopping experience away from the usual hassles.A fantastic array of local shops selling all things Christmassy. Look out for the arts and crafts, up-cycled, vintage and designer fairs every Saturday. Open 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, with special Sunday openings in Dec (11am-4pm) International Christmas Market Traders from around the world bringing their…

Q Which historical dialects are now at risk of dying out? Emma Lashwood, Bristol A It’s a big question, so let’s keep it close to home. How about the dialects of the Channel Islands – Norman-derived Jersey French (Jèrriais) and Guernsey French (Guernésiais)? There are less than 3,000 fluent speakers of either now. Ned Maddrell, famously the last native speaker of Gaelg, the historic language of the Isle of Man, died in 1974, though many people are now working to preserve it as a valued part of the island’s heritage. Gaelg is a relative of Irish and Scottish Gaelic, both also classed as endangered languages by Unesco. Both currently have tens of thousands of fluent speakers, but this may not be the case in 100 years or less. Regional dialects…

Jansson’s Temptation Who was Jansson and why was he tempted? No one really knows. Some say this creamy potato gratin was named after Pelle Janzon, a food-loving opera singer in the 1900s. Others claim the dish takes its name from a Swedish monk who just couldn’t resist its charms. Most recipes include anchovies, meaning Scandi-style ansjovis, which are actually spiced-cured sprats. But don’t be put off: the sprats add more of a salty spiced flavour than a fishy one. Jansson’s Temptation is perfect to dish up with a giant salad, or makes a delicious hearty side to serve with sausages. Make sure you cook extra, as this decadent dish will leave you wanting more! INGREDIENTS 450g floury potatoes 125g spice-cured sprats 1 onion 150ml single cream 4 tbsp milk 1…

“Wollstonecraft’s influence down the decades in Britain and the rest of the world is immeasurable. She has become an inspiration to women everywhere” Mary Wollstonecraft was a London-born philosopher and an early advocate of women’s rights. She is best known for her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) in which she argued that women are not naturally inferior to men. Wollstonecraft had an unconventional private life before marrying the philosopher William Godwin. She died 11 days after the birth of her second daughter, Mary, who would find fame as the author of the novel Frankenstein. When did you first hear about Wollstonecraft? Years ago, probably in the 1970s or 1980s, when I learned about her through the women’s rights movement. I was immediately intrigued by her, in…

1 It went supersonic in 1969 Concorde completed its first successful supersonic flight in October 1969, yet its first commercial flights didn’t take place until January 1976, after 5,000 hours of testing. These commercial flights saw British Airways fly from London Heathrow to Bahrain, and Air France from Paris to Rio de Janeiro via Dakar. Concorde’s final flight took place in 2003. 2 It crossed the Atlantic in less than 3.5 hours Concorde first crossed the Atlantic in September 1973, flying from Washington to Orly airport in Paris. The London to New York route was inaugurated in November 1977 with passengers reaching their destination in less than three and a half hours – four and a half hours faster than a subsonic flight. 3 It cruised at 1,350mph Concorde’s take-off…

“Catalans argued that, when investing in projects like high-speed rail, the Spanish government showed Madrid undue favouritism” ANGEL SMITH Tensions between a Catalan sense of separate identity and central Spanish authority go back centuries. By the time of the Hispanic Habsburg empire, Catalonia had its own parliament in which the distinctive Catalan language was spoken. This changed in 1714 when, after besieging Barcelona, the new Bourbon monarch, Philip V, swept away the Catalan institutions and imposed an absolutist state on the French model. Many Catalans were bitter at the loss of their ‘liberties’ and at the military control to which they were subject. However, from the second half of the 18th century they became largely reconciled to the new order – influenced by Catalonia’s rapid economic development and the fact…

“Early this year, friends from Delhi sent me a new book which has made quite a stir in India – An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by the author and politician Shashi Tharoor. “Hope you like it!” Krishan wrote with a mischievous flourish. The book is a polemical history of British India – not the tale told in the pages of Charles Allen’s Plain Tales from the Raj (though Allen’s book is still essential reading to understand the mentality of the imperialists). Tharoor sees the Raj as a massive system of extortion and appropriation designed to extract India’s wealth and, because of the loss of life through famine and violence, one of history’s great crimes. Not surprisingly, the book has become a cause célèbre in India, where…

Following the news that forensic examinations may end the mystery of the final resting place of Highlands clan chief Simon Fraser, which historical mystery would you like to see reinvestigated and why? Elizabeth Ann Brough The princes in the Tower. With the discovery and reburial of Richard III, this is the next important part of the story, in my opinion. The princes deserve a right and proper burial, just as their uncle did. After all, one of them was also a king of England – Edward V @S1ovatt How Robert Dudley’s wife died Julie McGuire Find the remains of Alfred the Great Graham Wride I would like to know who, conclusively, was the executioner of Charles I Erin Ferguson Jack the Ripper has to be there, I guess. And the…

Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History by Roy and Lesley Adkins Little Brown, 480 pages, £20 From a quick glance at the title of Roy and Lesley Adkins’ new book, casual readers may wonder how the “greatest siege in British history” could have taken place such a very long way away from Britain. Yet for much of history, strategically placed naval bases were the key to British power across the globe. Gibraltar, a mountain rising steeply from a narrow sand spit, was the most important: it secured the entrance to the Mediterranean for trade and naval power. Spain’s grip on the inland sea was broken in 1704, when the Royal Navy seized the town. In 1779, France and Spain declared war on Britain, supporting rebelling American colonists intent on…

The Music of Time: Ottomans in New York RADIO BBC World Service Scheduled for Saturday 25 November In the early years of the 20th century, the long-ailing Ottoman empire broke up in a series of wars and forced migrations. But, as Maria Margaronis outlines in a one-off documentary that explores memory, identity and loss, the culture of the Ottoman empire didn’t just cease to be. In the New York of the 1920s, musicians from nations once part of the empire – including Greeks, Kurds, Jews, Armenians and many others – recreated its music as émigrés.…

The Last Post DVD (2entertain, £19.74) On 10 December 1963, the British High Commissioner of Aden, Sir Kennedy Trevaskis, was targeted in a grenade attack at Khormaksar airport. So began what came to be known as the Aden Emergency, in territories that now form part of Yemen. The British eventually withdrew from the area in 1967 following a conflict that, viewed at 50 years remove, is uncomfortable to look back upon. Which is perhaps why we need to look back, as writer Peter Moffat’s underrated drama does. Its focus, reflecting Moffat’s own childhood as the son of an officer, is on the lives of Royal Military Police based in Aden during the emergency. These are men constantly at risk from guerilla attack who are defending the last vestiges of empire,…

1 Scone Palace PERTHSHIRE, SCOTLAND Where Charles was crowned king After agreeing to Presbyterian demands, Charles was crowned king of Scotland at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, following the tradition of Scottish kings. The ceremony took place on Moot Hill and was Scotland’s last coronation. scone-palace.co.uk 2 Worcester WORCESTERSHIRE Where the royalist cause was lost Worcester saw the final defeat for the royalists and much of the battlefield itself is still open agricultural land. The top of the cathedral tower gives the best view of the battlefield, while the Civil War visitor centre in the Commandery gives an interesting background to the period. visitworcestershire.org 3 White Ladies Priory COSFORD, SHROPSHIRE Where Charles II hid from enemies The ruins of the 12th-century White Ladies Priory are a 20-minute walk from…

BEST TIME TO GO Spring and early autumn are best. Avoid August, when France is on holiday. Late May is when the festival of St Sara is held at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. GETTING THERE Ryanair flies from Luton to Nîmes and Rail Europe has returns from London St Pancras to Arles or Nîmes. There is a local train from Nîmes to Le-Grau-du-Roi. The central nature reserve is inaccessible by car, but Arles Tourism has advice on tours by bike, and many stables in Saintes-Maries run horseback treks into the Camargue. WHAT TO PACK Sunglasses and a hat, as there is little shade under that arching sky. Also take insect repellent: the marshes have been sprayed with a largely environmentally friendly bacterium, but mosquitoes still lurk in places. WHAT TO BRING BACK Fleur…

1. Which Elizabethan mathematician, astrologer and astronomer may well have been the model for Shakespeare’s Prospero? 2. Which king died in Carlisle Castle? 3. What were first introduced to Britain’s gardens by Sir Charles Isham (left) of Lamport Hall in 1847? 4. What went out as the Naseby and came back as the Royal Charles? 5. Who was Hildegard of Bingen? 6. a. What does this commemorate? b. What was it intended to be used as? QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Dr John Dee. 2. David I of Scotland. 3. Gnomes. 4. The ship that brought Charles II back from exile in 1660. 5. A 12th-century Benedictine abbess, noted as a scholar, writer and composer. 6. a. The Great Fire of London. b. A scientific laboratory. GOT A QUESTION? Write to…