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Medieval graffiti in Hertfordshire churches
Medieval graffiti provides a fascinating insight into life six centuries ago. Here, we look at six churches to learn about their secrets
Michael Smith
Mar 145 min read
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Medieval Women exhibition at the British Library
A review of the British Library's recent and brilliant exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. An exhibition well worth seeing!
Michael Smith
Mar 146 min read
10 views
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Sir Gawain graphic novel by John Reppion and Mark Penman
Michael Smith reviews an astonishing graphic novel version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by John Reppion and Mark Penman.
Michael Smith
Jan 247 min read
131 views
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Translation and equivalence in the Romance of William and the Werewolf
An explanation of how the challenges in translating a fourteenth Middle English text into modern English are overcome.
Michael Smith
Jan 237 min read
12 views
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A new complete English translation of William of Palerne
An explanation of the translation approach undertaken to create the first ever alliterative edition of William of Palerne in modern English.
Michael Smith
Jan 35 min read
25 views
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Some hidden Christmas messages in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The message of Christmas which emerges from an alternative reading of the Middle English masterpiece, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Michael Smith
Dec 2, 202411 min read
32 views
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The making of a book - the Romance of William and the Werewolf (William of Palerne), its creation and production
How a fourteenth-century alliterative romance has come alive once more, richly illustrated with linocut prints.
Michael Smith
Nov 30, 20244 min read
57 views
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The Journey of Sir Gawain - a new linocut print inspired by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Michael Smith reveals the processes involved in the making his latest linocut of Sir Gawain as he ventures in search of the Green Knight.
Michael Smith
Nov 29, 20243 min read
56 views
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St Wystan's church, Repton, Derbyshire and its Anglo-Viking historic landscape
A visit to the historic church of St Wystan at Repton, Derbyshire, home to a magnificent Anglo-Saxon crypt and a rich Viking heritage.
Michael Smith
Nov 26, 20248 min read
29 views
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The Battle of Maldon, 991 - an epic tale of defiance, folly and communal loyalty
Northsey Island near Maldon in Essex is the site of a famous battle between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons and celebrated in an epic poem.
Michael Smith
Oct 20, 20247 min read
53 views
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All Saints' Church, Brixworth, Northamptonshire – a magnificent Anglo-Saxon survival
A visit to the Grade 1-listed church of All Saints at Brixworth, Northamptonshire, the largest Anglo-Saxon building standing in England.
Michael Smith
Oct 14, 20245 min read
62 views
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The Stones of Stenness, Orkney - a special linocut print
The Stones of Stenness on Orkney provided inspiration for a new linocut print by author and printmaker, Michael Smith.
Michael Smith
Jul 1, 20243 min read
67 views
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Book Review: Footmarks - A Journey into Our Restless Past, by Jim Leary
Jim Leary's Footmarks uncovers how our ancestors were always on the move, leaving behind traces of an exposure to a much broader world.
Michael Smith
Jun 17, 20243 min read
44 views
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Wayland's Smithy, Oxfordshire - the making of an original linocut print
An article about the creation of a linocut print featuring Wayland's Smithy, a neolithic chambered cairn near the White Horse of Uffington.
Michael Smith
Feb 19, 20243 min read
65 views


Book Review: Northerners - A History, by Brian Groom
A review of Northerners - A History, by Brian Groom. Published by Harper North.
Michael Smith
Feb 6, 20245 min read
157 views


Cheshire survivor - the effigy of Sir William Boydell at St. Wilfred's Church, Grappenhall
The effigy of Sir William Boydell at Grappenhall, Cheshire sheds a remarkable light on how, against the odds, ancient monuments can survive.
Michael Smith
Jan 7, 20246 min read
201 views
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Castles and Landscapes – Hautdesert Castle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Michael Smith discusses the Gawain-poet's castle Hautdesert, showing how its place in the landscape reflected the zeitgeist of his time.
Michael Smith
Dec 22, 20236 min read
245 views
2 comments


Nobut an old Cave – the power and meaning of the Green Chapel in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The poet in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight calls the Green Chapel 'nobot an olde cave' with huge understatement. It was a house of horror.
Michael Smith
Nov 23, 20235 min read
754 views
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A Cheshire Church and its Knightly Founder: Sir Hugh Calveley at St Boniface, Bunbury
A description of the magnificent alabaster monument to Sir Hugh de Calveley and the church of St Boniface near Chester, Cheshire.
Michael Smith
Mar 24, 20236 min read
79 views
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Book Review: The Road by Christopher Hadley
A review of Christopher Hadley's fascinating new book about a forgotten Roman Road, RR21b, and the traces it has left behind.
Michael Smith
Feb 5, 20235 min read
696 views
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