Tastes Of History
On This Day: Catherine of Aragon dies
January 7th, 1536: Catherine of Aragon, first of Henry VIII’s six wives, dies. It is said that Henry dressed all in yellow, with a white...
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Tastes Of History
Jan 6, 2022
On This Day: Harold crowned King
January 6th, 1066: Harold Godwinson, formerly Earl of Wessex, is crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey. Harold was born in the...
Tastes Of History
Jan 3, 2022
Cleopatra Ptolemy VII
Cleopatra VII was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, ruling Egypt from 51 BC - 30 BC. She is celebrated for her beauty and her love...
Tastes Of History
Dec 28, 2021
Dispelling Some Myths: Woad
It is widely held, and oft repeated, that ancient Britons, and most especially the Picts, painted or tattooed their bodies with Woad. We...
Tastes Of History
Dec 27, 2021
On This Day: London's coffee houses closed
December 27th, 1675: A Royal Proclamation orders the closure of all coffee houses in London because they are seen as hotbeds of...
Tastes Of History
Dec 24, 2021
On This Day: The first air raid
December 24th, 1914: A German seaplane carried out the first air raid on British soil, dropping bombs on Dover. There were no casualties....
Tastes Of History
Dec 17, 2021
A Brief History of Food: Coffee
Origins Exactly how and when coffee was discovered is uncertain. A legend of its stimulating effects being identified in Ethiopia is...
Tastes Of History
Dec 17, 2021
On This Day: King excommunicated
December 17th, 1538: Henry VIII is excommunicated by Pope Paul III. Henry brought religious upheaval to England. When he became king,...
Tastes Of History
Dec 16, 2021
On This Day: Catherine of Aragon born
December 16th, 1485: Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, was born in Alcala de Henares, Spain. Like all kings at the time...
Tastes Of History
Dec 15, 2021
Paranormal thinking?
Somehow we got talking about ghosts a couple of days ago. We were both reminded of working at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire and how it...
Tastes Of History
Dec 7, 2021
Dispelling Some Myths: Would Mediaeval archers really shoot 12 arrows a minute?
‘Welsh & English longbowman used a single-piece longbow to deliver arrows that could penetrate contemporary plate armour and mail. The...
Tastes Of History
Dec 1, 2021
On This Day: Tudor punishment
December 1st, 1581: Having been convicted of high treason, English Jesuit priest Edmund Campion was drawn through the streets of London,...
Tastes Of History
Nov 29, 2021
Black Friday
On November 18th, 1910, three hundred female protesters marched to the Houses of Parliament as part of their campaign to secure voting...
Tastes Of History
Oct 27, 2021
Educating Romans
In ancient Rome ludus (pl. ludi) referred to a private school outside the home where a teacher (called a litterator or a magister ludi),...
Tastes Of History
Oct 14, 2021
A Century equals Eighty?
With the title ‘5 Facts You DIDN’T KNOW About The Romans’ a recent YouTube video sounded intriguing. In ascending order, the first fact,...
Tastes Of History
Sep 20, 2021
Cury or Curry?
During a recent cookery demonstration at Berkhamsted Castle we were chatting to some visitors about the background and history of the...
Tastes Of History
Aug 13, 2021
What did the Romans ever do for us? Naming the Months
If you are an English speaker, have you ever wondered where the names of the months of the year came from? Well wonder no longer as,...
Tastes Of History
May 17, 2021
Dispelling Some Myths: "Blood Grooves"
There is a persistent myth about the function of a sword's fuller that it 'releases the vacuum' when the blade is thrust into a person....
Tastes Of History
Apr 27, 2021
Dispelling Some Myths: The Amazons
For those studying the ancient Greeks, you will undoubtedly come across tales of the Amazons, the fearsome, man-hating warrior women of...
Tastes Of History
Oct 17, 2020
Vesuvius Erupts!
While researching the manufacture and use of fish sauce in the ancient world, we came across an article published in 2008 that claimed:...
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