Zadok the Priest

Michael discusses an iconic composition – albeit with a low-tech, in-the-trenches approach.

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A brief appeal

To the loyal, cherished, and wonderful fans of the show,

I have a very brief and simple appeal to make. In an attempt to slim down Ye Olde Budget as much as possible, I realize that the cost of hosting British History 101 – $9.95 per month – is a personal budget item that could perhaps be lifted through the kind generosity of just a small portion of British History 101's listenership. Therefore, I humbly request that, if you are so inclined, listeners contribute just $1 US to the show, via PayPal to BritishHistory101@gmail.com. If we do some quick calculations, one finds that a $1 donation from 120 listeners yields enough to maintain the show's hosting cost for an entire year; contributions above that amount, or more people giving $1, keep the show in business longer, and would perhaps even allow me to upgrade my microphone.

HOWEVER – if it should come to pass that this is not a viable choice at this point in time for listeners, fear not! The show will, indeed, still be hosted; I have borne the hosting cost until this point, and I can continue to do so into the future if totally necessary. With that in mind, though, it would be a great help to me to have this particular budgetary burden lifted. Also, should we end up with a substantial amount of money, I will dedicate a portion of it to the show's continued success and donate the balance to a worthy cause, such as the British Museum or the Imperial War Museum.

The listeners of British History 101 are some of the greatest people I have ever been privileged to know, and appreciate any sort of assistance that can be offered. If nothing else, though, just continuing to download the show is a generous display of support and I am incredibly grateful for the continued presence of all the wonderful people out there that join me in discussing history.

Warmest regards,
Michael Anthony

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Mark your calendars!

Just in from the Beeb:

TOLKIEN FESTIVAL PLANNED FOR TOWN

“The influence the Welsh language had on books by JRR Tolkien is to form part of a major new festival in Powys to honour the author.

The Festival in the Shire will celebrate themes inspired by Tolkien, whose novels included Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Fans of the writer, leading academics and illustrators are expected to attend the planned event in Machynlleth.”

Read the rest of the article on the BBC Wales site (for some reason, the blog won’t allow me to link it). You can also check out the official site at www.festivalintheshire.com where you will find that the festival is planned for 13-15 AUGUST 2010. Mark your calendars – I expect to see ALL of you there!

Jerusalem – An Interpretation

In this episode, British History 101 returns with a casual flavor – Michael comments on Blake's "Jerusalem"

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History on the move

From the BBC today:

NEW BATTLE OVER BOSWORTH’S SITE

“Today the spot where he [Richard III] is supposed to have met his end – a victim of treachery rather than military genius – is marked by a roughly-cut stone memorial in a quiet grove.

The plaque upon it reads simply: ‘Richard, the last Plantagenet King of England, was slain here 22nd August, 1485.’

Except that he was not.

According to a team of battlefield experts and historians the location of the battlefield was two miles to the south and west. At the moment they are being no more precise because they fear the activities of illegal treasure seekers.”

 

Source: BBC

Rather interesting news. I believe several historical reenactments have taken place up near Sutton Cheney, so this is obviously a major change. Personally, I think this is a matter more important for archaeologists than historians, but still fascinating.

New directions? Maybe

Graduate studies are well underway for the fall term, and it’s been a whirlwind so far (especially last week). Every once in a while, a nice, quite day will sneak up on you, but not often – usually, there’s plenty of reading and discussing to be done. I must say, though, that even with the heavy load, I’m still incredibly lucky – after all, I get to “do” history all day, every day, in a small, intimate atmosphere with some very interesting people. Sometimes (rarely), an undergrad will even show up for assistance, so a small element of teaching (my ultimate goal) is thrown in there, too.

Do I wish I had time to work on the podcast every single day? Yes, very much so. I don’t think a day passes when I don’t think about how much fun it was when I was able to put out a show every two weeks or so and hear from listeners in the following weeks. I am thinking especially of those people who have supported me through the long term and given me encouragement all along the way – TB from TX, WN from UK, and more. Contrary to what you may think, though, I do still spend no small amount of time pondering the show and what I can do with it now.

I’m currently working on a project that’s not strict historical research on my own part, per se, but I think it will still be interesting when it’s completed (and when I’m legally allowed to post it here) and am pondering putting out an audio version of it. I was also offered an incredible opportunity this morning for an event in London on Tuesday 20 October, but, being a lowly graduate student, the finances simply aren’t there to be able to get to London and stay there for a few days. Still, though, receiving invitations remind me of how rewarding British History 101 has been to me, and I sincerely appreciate all the kind words that have been sent my way. I’m still thinking of all of you, and we will have to gather ’round the microphone sometime soon – if for no other reason than to avoid TB coming after me with a large stick to “motivate” me!

Falling off the map? Not quite.

Clearly, it’s been no short amount of time since I last posted an episode of the podcast; the rigors of life outside of the show have been of a nature which makes it nearly impossible to spend any time in research. If I could find someone to pay me full-time to create the show, we’d have a twice-a-week chat about British history and I’d be pleased as punch. However, due to the fact that this small thing called reality requires my efforts to be poured into things which pay the bills, the show has suffered.

But fear not, faithful listener! The academic year looms like a stormcloud over the Tor at Glastonbury, and this time ’round it actually holds more promise for the show, rather than less as has been true for past terms. I am very grateful to have been accepted into the graduate program at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, where I will soon begin studies on my chosen field – which is, at this point, something to do with later 18th-century imperial studies “on the home front.” I’ve yet to narrow it down past that, but suffice it to say that this will provide much more direct research that benefits both my academic work and the show itself. Hopefully, working with the faculty in the department will bring me just a little closer to Britannia, and I will do my best to bring all of you along with me.

Stay tuned. I’ll make no promises, but I sense the mists are clearing. Onward!

A bit of extra listening

I’m pleased to announce that a conversation about the study and nature of history I had with Mr. Nigel Killick of the great project Peopletalk is now available on the Peopletalk site. Mr. Killick interviewed me several weeks ago and the result is now posted on his site. Check it out here and spend some time looking around the rest of the site – it’s a fascinating project of which I’m honored to have taken part! Thanks, Nigel!

Castell Dinas Bran

Show notes

Length: 17′ 8”

Contributors: Jim M, Wayne N, and Nigel K

Further reading: 

Bartlett, W. (2003). The Taming of the Dragon: Edward I and the Conquest of Wales. Stroud, Sutton Publishing Limited.

Kinross, J. (1973). Discovering Castles in England and Wales. Aylesbury, Shire Publications LTD.

Liddiard, R. (2005). Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism, and Landscape, 1066 to 1500. Macclesfield, Windgather Press Ltd.

Ohlgren, T. H. (2005). Medieval Outlaws: Twelve Tales in Modern English Translation. West Lafayette, Parlor Press.

Oman, C. (1989). British Castles. New York, Dover Publications.

The History of Fulk Fitz Warine (full text, via Google books)

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There is a town in northeastern Wales, the county of Denbighshire, called Llangollen. The town itself is lovely and I’m sure we could spend a few hours discussing its history here, but what I want to talk about tonight is what is situated about a mile outside of the modern city. High atop one of the hills surrounding Llangollen are the ruins of a once-great fortress, an important castle sought after by princes and warriors and the site of its own battle or two. The ruins are what remains of Castell Dinas Brân, legendary referred to as Crow Castle and a few other similar names. It’s a beautiful spot in an enchanting country, and there’s more history surrounding it than one may think looking up at the hill from the River Dee and the apparent pile of rocks sitting at the top.
When working on the research for this episode, one thing about the history of Dinas Brân struck me, and that was its relative paucity. Lacking the ability to read any sort of Welsh primary sources, the English secondary sources to which I must refer largely mention Dinas Brân in passing, as it were. This only serves to increase the mystery surrounding the castle, as we have little on which to rely for information on its construction, inhabitation, and later ruin. Most of the early information which we have about Dinas Brân was written by authors already describing it in an historical sense; that is, medieval authors treated a castle already in ruins, and the story of its foundation is far less understood than its minor role in later history and the places it occupies in historical texts.
The first “castle” thought to have been built atop the hill was probably an Iron Age fort, simply being a large mound topped by a wooden palisade, with a village of roundhouses inside and a deep ditch on the outside for protection, certainly a far cry from what was originally the ruins one sees today when looking up from Llangollen. Later improvements, renovations, and new constructions on top of the hill have yet to be archaeologically proven, but historians speculate that some sort of wooden fortress dominated the hill prior to the 11th century, which we will hear about in one of my favorite medieval stories.
The most notable mention of Dinas Brân that we find is in the Romance of Fouke fitz Waryn, a prose tale probably adapted from a late-13th century poem in the early 14th century, most likely by a clerical figure. The part of the story that directly concerns us in relation to this episode occurs early on in the tale, when William the Conqueror is pacifying the Welsh marches and awarding his newly-won land to his Norman nobles. What is most interesting about this is that the story itself comes from the late-13th or early-14th century but is set in the decades immediately following the Norman Conquest, so keep that in mind as you listen.
The ruins which Peveral would have fought the giant in during the Romance are not the same as one encounters today at Dinas Brân. These are most likely what remains of the castle built sometime in the 13th century by a Welsh prince, possibly a son of Madoc, lord of Powys, who also founded the nearby Valle Crucis Abbey.
We know that in 1270, at least 4 princes of Powys met at the castle to sign some sort of document, and this does give us some clue as to its importance at that point in time. Only a bit over a decade later, however, the castle was doomed to ruin when Edward I of England put a decisive end to Welsh independence, and Dinas Brân and all the lands around it were awarded to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, who allowed the castle overlooking Llangollen to fall into ruin, choosing instead to build a new castle at Holt on the Dee. This itself is a fascinating piece of “what-if” history, as just before the Earl of Surrey was granted the castle, another English noble, Henry de Lacy, recommended to King Edward that the castle be restored after the siege which had destroyed it. Edward disagreed, John de Warenne got the castle, and the rest is, quite literally, history. Owain Glyndwr briefly attempted to take the castle in the early 15th century, but this was to be the end of Dinas Brân glory. John Leland, well-know traveler during the reign of Henry VIII, described the castle in mid-century as a ruin. So the story ends for Dinas Brân.
Today, one can still easily visit the castle as it is open to the public at all hours – to my knowledge, there are no personnel who keep watch of the castle, and the only barrier to its exploration is the moderate-length hike from Llangollen that one must make up the hill. You could even follow the direction of Karl Baedeker, whose 1897’s “Great Britain” mentions Dinas Brân by saying:
“The ruins of Dinas Brân castle surmount the boldly-formed hill on the north side of the Vale of Llangollen. We cross the bridge over the Dee, proceed a few paces to the right, and then ascend to the left to a bridge over the Shropshire Union Canal. On the other side we find ourselves opposite a sign-post, pointing on the right to the Trevor Rocks, on the left to the Eglwyseg Rocks, and straight on to Dinas Brân. The path to the latter ascends through a few fields, crossing two cart-tracks, and reaches the open hillside at a gate just above a house where refreshments are sold. The ruins at the top are of very early origin, but are not so picturesque as they appear from below. The view includes the finely-shaped Eglwyseg Rocks on the north, the valley of the Dee on the east, Llangollen to the south, Moel-y-Geraint and the Berwyns to the southwest, and Moel-y-Gamelin to the northwest.”
From my one visit there, I know it’s not difficult to find and trek to Dinas Brân, and the friendly citizens of Llangollen are happy to give you direction. For simplicity’s sake, I quote directions from Dinas Brân’s Wikipedia entry:
“The castle may be approached from two directions. From Llangollen the path starts from Canal Bridge and runs beside Ysgol (ee sow goal)Dinas Brân. It gradually climbs past several cottages before opening out onto the lower slopes of the hill. A zig-zag path then climbs to the summit. The other route starts from ‘Offa’s Dyke Path’ on the north western side of the hill. This route is shorter but steeper. Official advice is to equip yourself with stout walking shoes and warm, waterproof clothing before climbing to the castle.”
Many thanks are due to kind supporters Jim M, Wayne N, and Nigel K who contributed to this show. I am available through email at BritishHistory101@gmail.com, on Skype on the name britishhistory101, through Twitter at maskaggs, and Facebook under Michael Anthony Skaggs. Feel free to drop me a bit of snail mail, too, at:

Michael Anthony
British History 101
PO Box 1177
Bloomington, Indiana 47408

Again, my sincere thanks and best wishes to you all. I hope you’ll join me again on our next visit to our green and pleasant land!

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The Dawning of a New Era

In the hopes that someone out there is still reading this, I thought I’d post a quick update on the show.

I realize it’s been an eternity since I last posted a show, but I’m looking to change that very soon. I assure you there is something in the works, and I want YOUR help with it! Without giving away our next topic, please do contact me if you have any photos, videos, or anything of the like that you may have obtained on your travels to historic locations around Britannia that you would like to share with the show. I promise you won’t regret it!

If you do want to contribute to our next episode, please contact me through any of the following channels:

Email: BritishHistory101[at]gmail.com

Skype: britishhistory101

Twitter: maskaggs

Facebook: Michael Anthony Skaggs

Thank you!