David Crouch 🏳️‍🌈

Too sweeping Owen. All politicians (even Trump) pretend to morality, or failing that, religion

And no vociferous assurance that he was redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. No Calvinist he.

The side doors certainly hint at a former screens passage, accessing buttery and pantry. Great find

I came from Ely, which arguably is a lot more unhealthy than the centre, where admittedly I had my skull smashed in by a Bristol Rovers fan back in the day. But all I ever feel in central Cardiff is a warm feeling of home, and if you go to St Mary Street then drunks and noise is the ambience.

Radyr and Morgantown are about as Cardiff as Hatfield is London

The heraldry and diplomatic of the licence is bonkers. ‘Incardinate’ ?

It was largely his brother Edmund’s liberty, as Cornwall was his cousin Henry’s.

Huw Pryce’s work is magnificent and I was glad to be able to help in the collection. I only wish it had come out before I published my analysis of principes in Wales

Another question is where the idea of a “principality” of Wales, or Gwynedd or Powys comes from. I had a stab at tracking the idea in my Image of Aristocracy and found an active debate on the idea in the 1150s which transcended insular models of rulership but was driven by Welsh circumstances

Takes me back to the 'time and motion' regimes inflicted on supposedly underperforming British industry and retail in the 1970s. How well that turned out.

Whatever happened to the High Middle Ages?

Is that icon's collar line modelled on the Anglican bishop of Monmouth, now archbishop of Wales? Would be suitable.

Trump shenanigans contributing to Iceland decision to hold a referendum on joining the European Union.
It will be the 11th non-EU country to apply to join.
If this continues, Britain will be almost alone in Europe in being outside the EU, isolated, poorer and weaker.

Poor sod. No catheters in those days. My bladder aches for him.

Juries, 12 or 13 men assembled and sworn from townships for various purposes, certainly go back to the 11th century. They provided the information for Domesday Book. They were being deployed to inform justices of circumstances in cases in the 12th century assizes. Read Paul Brand and John Hudson

Lost its original octagonal bowl? The lump of cheese resembles a widowed pillar

Who remembers Supercar these days ?

As a west Cardiffian I give my affection to the Ely (Afon Llai, Elai) which shares an estuary with its big sister, the Taff. Incredible now to me that in the hot summers of the 1950s we used to go swimming in its coal dust infused waters above the weir at the Drope like it was some Welsh lido

There are relevant documents in the recently published recovered text of the lost 15th-century cartulary of the Metham family, who had a Laxton manor.

Nice picture, and good to see. Recent work has established that the chapel was founded as a chantry early in the 13th century by a bailiff of Howden town. What remains is the medieval chancel. There is a rare damaged photo of the chapel as it was before part demolition in 1876.

Percy Grainger had no doubts that Handel walked 'the Strand'. Then there is 'the Old Kent Road' London is just weird. Face it.

The Grauniad … not just spelling that their sub-editors fail at

Helps to be in countries with national academies of the sciences or humanities. Yay for the UK and naturally France

Thanks Elise. Rather sweet seeing the programme as a well-intentioned grad student. So can you let it loose on an entire roll on AALT and let it produce a transcript? Or does it work on single membranes?

Did not think it was even possible. I more or less live on AALT at the moment scouting JUST1 for East Yorkshire refs. I fortunately have the skills and experience to speed read entries, and I am dubious your programme could identify place names correctly. But it might be able to index a roll?

It needs a new edition, especially since Mullally has done a good number on the "Geste des Engleis en Yrlande" (aka The Song of Dermot and the Earl).

If we believe the passing comment of a canon of Laon in NW France that John was born ‘around the feast of St John’ and was given the name of the saint and evangelist as his quasi-godparent, then he was born around the 27 December, though that might have been his baptismal date not his birth.

But one other source, John’s own clerk, Gerald of Wales, tells us that when he arrived in Ireland in April 1185 John was 17 years old. That would indicate 1167 is the correct date, and it would also match his known knighting in 1166, for which the customary age was 16

The year was either 1166 or 1167, according to which Angevin historian you read. Ralph Diceto, Dean of London, said baldly it was 1166, but one copy of the work of the annalist Robert de Torigny, listed it under 1167

I've published a fair amount on medieval death culture over the years, but it's not a research priority of mine, just a morbid interest. Useful when you edit VCH volumes though