Kings Clipstone, UK - King John's Palace
King John’s Palace is located in Kings Clipstone in the county of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Six successive Plantagenet kings from Henry II to Edward II used and visited it. As with any other architectural structure, it was built up, neglected, added on to, and burned at regular intervals throughout its history. In the book A Palace for Our Kings: The History and Archaeology of a Medieval Royal Palace in the Heart of Sherwood Forest by James Wright, he cites the Oxford English Dictionary to define a palace as “a large and impressive building forming the official residence of a ruler, pope, archbishop, etc.,” which is what he calls a “pleasingly malleable definition” (5). Later, he provides what is perhaps a more inclusive and useful description: “Palaces were used in remarkably elastic fashion by the monarchs. Their purposes varied according to a wide variety of circumstances not just from king to king but even within individual reigns. The personal preferences of a king might lead to a combination of reasons to visit a particular palace which may have involved sport, recreation, councils, parliaments, building campaigns, impressing magnates and dignitaries, retreating from plague, or as a resting point on a longer journey” (17). The Palace at Clipstone was one of the more impressive and maintained residences over the course of several reigns. The scale of Clipstone “lifts it to an entirely different level [than manor houses]” as it “stretched to seven and a half acres of enclosed land” (6).A major fourteenth-century Middle English text, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, includes several scenes of medieval hunting, but what is less clear until you understand the setting is that the author is actually describing a medieval hunting park. A medieval park was a place dedicated to entertainment, but it was not a well-defended location. The deer and the other animals essentially belonged to its owner, and he had ultimate control and operated under a different set of laws than in an alternative location.
East Haddam, CT - Gillette Castle
Photo forthcoming
Wright, James. A Palace for Our Kings: The History and Archaeology of a Mediaeval Royal Palace in the Heart of Sherwood Forest. Nottingham: Triskele, 2016.
Block Island, Rhode Island, is a popular tourist attraction especially during the summer. Thousands of years ago, this historic city was first discovered by the Narragansett Indians who called the island “Manisses” which translates to “Island of the Little God." In 1614, the Dutch explorer named Adrian Block sailed to the island and named it Block Island. During the year of 1661 the island was finally settled. It’s a typical vacation location; the island is full of ways to explore. Family activities, museums, beaches, boating, fishing, shopping, nightlife, and even weddings are possible activities that you can do while staying on the island. If you are a big nature lover than you definitely would want to explore the island because there are many walking trails and beaches. You could even enjoy a beautiful view on the lighthouse that was built on Sandy Point in 1829. There are several lodging locations so you can actually stay and enjoy your time there. In 1854, the oldest hotel was built, which as the Spring House Hotel, and it is currently still open to the public. Regardless of what time of year you visit, there are plenty of events going on around the island. Spring and Summer are typically the more busier seasons of the island but some say that Fall and Winter seasons provide visitors with a quiet and gorgeous view. Traveling to this destination is convenient because you have the option of taking a ferry boat or a plane, so there is no excuse why you cannot visit the beautiful island!
“History.” Block Island, www.blockisland.com/center/history/11912.
inspire, llc CC. “History.” Block Island Tourism Council, www.blockislandinfo.com/island-information/history.
“The Top 10 Things to Do in Block Island 2017 - Must See Attractions in Block Island, RI.” TripAdvisor, www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g54061-Activities-Block_Island_Rhode_Island.html.
Bigelow Free Public Library. WordPress. 2017, http://bigelowlibrary.org/about/library-history/.
“Chained Library.” Hereford Cathedral, www.herefordcathedral.org/chained-library.
Ford, Andrew E. History of the Origin of the Town Clinton Massachusetts 1653-1865. Historic Buildings of Massachusetts. WordPress. 2017, http://mass.historicbuildingsct.com/?p=6999.
“Hereford Cathedral.” Hereford Cathedral / Cathedral / Hereford / Hefordshire, www.visitherefordshire.co.uk/explore/thedms.aspx?dms=3&venue=1401488&feature=1&pn=cathedral&pvieflag=V&townid=609&miles=8.
“Mappa Mundi.” Hereford Cathedral, www.herefordcathedral.org/mappa-mundi.
"Mechanics' Institutes." Dictionary of American History. Encyclopedia.com. 2016, http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/mechanics-institutes.
"Our history.” Hereford Cathedral, 9 Dec. 2016, www.herefordcathedral.org/our-history.
Strange, Dominic. The Misericords and History of Hereford Cathedral, 7 Feb. 2015, www.misericords.co.uk/hereford.html#History.
“Accessibility Navigation.” Glastonbury Abbey: The Archaeological Story, www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/arch-rg-glastonbury.aspx.
“Excavations at Glastonbury Abbey: Reassessing the Medieval Monastery.” medievalists.net, 9 Nov. 2017, http://www.medievalists.net/2017/11/excavations-glastonbury-abbey-1908-79-reassessing-medieval-monastery/.
Urbanus, Jason. “Legends of Glastonbury Abbey.” Archaeology Magazine, 16 Feb. 2016, www.archaeology.org/issues/208-1603/trenches/4172-trenches-england-glastonbury-abbey.
There are many ways to depict innocence in a story. Words used to describe innocence can be “small,” “little,” “young,” etc. These could also be related to a small or young child or a location such as a small town.
Dorchester is a historic neighborhood located in Boston, MA. It was founded by Puritans in 1630 who emigrated from Dorchester, Dorset, England. It is currently Boston’s largest neighborhood. Dorchester is home to the oldest religious organization in Boston, a church that was originally created as the First Parish Church of Dorchester and still remains today. In addition to this accomplishment, Dorchester is also home to the first and oldest public elementary school in America, the Mather School. The school was created in 1639 and also stands today. Dorchester was founded only a few months before the city of Boston was founded, showing a scale of how important this neighborhood was historically for the growth of America.
The story of The Prioress’s Tale takes place in a small Christian town somewhere in Asia. Children are a reoccurring topic in the story, representing innocence. The focus of the story is of a Christian boy, who is murdered on his way home from school by a group of Jewish boys who were told to do so by Satan himself. The neighborhood of Dorchester, to me, reminds me of these scenes. The schools and churches are small as well as the neighborhood itself. It was a religious town, which resembles the town in which the story took place.
A marble font of Saint Nicholas in Winchester Cathedral is also a good reminder of the story. The Tournai Marble Font was bought from Tournai, in modern Belgium, in the 12th century and is still there today. The block this piece of art was carved from weighed around 1.5 tons and dates back to around 1150. It is the finest of ten fonts in England. In this time period, sculptures were created as iconic messages to be shared. This particular font is decorated with the extraordinary life of Saint Nicholas with symbolic animals such as birds and lions. It is thought to be a gift from Henry of Blois, William the Conqueror’s grandson. Saint Nicholas was known as a man who committed many acts of kindness, especially to children, leading to his identification with Santa Claus. The carvings on the font show multiple stories, but all of them revolve around Saint Nicholas. A few of the stories depict St. Nicholas bringing people back to life. Fonts are mainly used as a symbol of the start of Christian life. They also hold the water in which babies are baptized. It is still used for baptisms today. This relates to Chaucer’s The Prioress’ Tale due to the fact that Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children by means of acts of kindness. The fact that he brought people back to life resonates with the story, specifically when the Christian boy who was murdered comes back to life singing the song of the Vigin Mary that caused the boys to murder him in the first place.
In the beautiful country of Iceland there are a couple of dozen waterfalls, but none of them compare to the great Skógafoss located in Skógar. Skógafoss is one of the largest waterfalls in the country; from where the water flows over to the splash down is a sixty-meter fall and stretches twenty-five feet wide. Because of the constant mist that rises up there is always a rainbow or even two that glow amazingly across the fall. This waterfall is also an attraction for treasure hunters. Legend has it that Þrasi Þórólfsson was the first settler in Skógar around 900 CE. He was known as a great warrior, but most certainly greedy in his old age. When he believed that his life was coming to an end, he decided that he was going to take his money with him. He filled a chest with all of his gold and valuable items and sank it into the water under Skógafoss. Time and time again people have claimed they have seen it, but then would glance away and could not find it again. One man was able to get a rope through a ring on the side of the chest, but as he was pulling it up the ring broke off and the chest sunk back down. The man that was left with just a ring brought it to a church in Skógar where it hung on the door; since then the church has been demolished, and the ring is held at a the Skógar Museum.
In 1658 an all-black ship appeared in the harbor of Lynn, MA. Four men and a chest lowered from the ship, and they were quickly named pirates throughout the town. The men sailed up the Saugus River to the iron works to purchase tools such as hatchets, shovels, and shackles. The tools were crafted as they were getting paid in silver. The pirates set up camp on the Saugus River in the spot which is now known as Pirate’s Glen, but word got out that they were staying there and British soldiers went out to look for them. Three were captured and hung, but one was able to escape. His name was Thomas Veal, and he escaped deep into the woods and started living in a cave. Over time he lived in peace as a member of the Lynn community. One day, a sudden earthquake shook the Lynn area, and a large rock tipped forward permanently sealing the cave entrance and trapping Veal and his treasure forever. This location is now known as Dungeon Rock. Although the area was searched for years no one has been able to find the treasure.
The two men, Þrasi Þórólfsson and Thomas Veal, share much in common with the great Viking Erik the Red. In the Icelandic Erik the Red’s Saga, Erik is banned from Iceland due to a few murders and has to set sail with his followers to new land. They ended up in Greenland, which was undiscovered until his time. When he arrived in Greenland he left his mark by naming new towns after himself and family just as Þrasi left his chest that now plays a part in Icelandic heritage, as does Dungeon Rock in Lynn Woods.
Hjálmarsson, Jon R. "Gold Under Skogafoss." Icelandic Times, Feb. 2016, icelandictimes.com/gold-under-skogafoss/.
The Vinland Sagas: The Icelandic Sagas about the First Documented Voyages Across the North Atlantic. Translated by Keneva Kunz. Penguin, 2008.