A forgotten portrait of the man who gave us the greengage
I was recently able to confirm the identity of the sitter in a hitherto forgotten portrait of Sir William Gage, 2nd Baronet of Hengrave Hall (c. 1650-1727), which was painted … Continue reading
Demonology at the Defence Academy of the UK
Yesterday evening I spoke on the theme ‘Demonological traditions and warfare in medieval and early modern Europe’ at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, which is part of the … Continue reading
St Edmund: a Christmas saint
It might seem strange to associate a saint whose feast day falls even before the start of Advent with Christmas, and yet in the Middle Ages St Edmund was strongly … Continue reading
Peter John Payne 1924-2019
Today I delivered the address at the funeral of my relative Peter Payne, who died aged 95 on 28 October. Peter was one of the leading computer scientists of the … Continue reading
Why the millennium of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds matters
Today the Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership formally launched the 2020 celebrations of the millennium of St Edmunds Abbey in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, an event which I was sadly … Continue reading
Suffolk Fairylore shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award
This evening I went to London’s Warburg Institute for a meeting of the Folklore Society where the winners of the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award were announced. My book Suffolk Fairylore was … Continue reading
‘Holy and Unholy Suffolk’ at the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival
This afternoon I spoke at the third Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival (at Bury’s Unitarian Meeting House) on the theme of ‘Holy and Unholy Suffolk: Adventures in Suffolk’s History … Continue reading
