Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works exhibition

I hope you all will allow me the small indulgence of bragging on an exhibition near and dear to my heart! The Harry Ransom Center on the University of Texas campus (my alma mater and current employer) has put on the exhibit Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy. Some of the works on display do coincide with the Tudor period though, so it isn’t totally off-topic! Up at the top is a photo I took of the HRC’s copy of Copernicus’ “De Revolutionibus”, printed in 1543 (the photo was from a different exhibition earlier this year).

More information is available here

And by the way, if any of you are in the area and visit the HRC, they also have an exhibit on Edgar Allen Poe on right now too, celebrating the bicentennial of his birth. See what I mean about all the cool things with anniversaries this year?

Mary Queen of Scots’ last letter to go on display

From the Times Online:

A letter written by Mary, Queen of Scots, to her brother-in-law Henri III of France six hours before her execution at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587 is to go on display in Edinburgh for seven days.

The letter, which is stored in conditions that ensure its preservation, was last seen in public 30 years ago; since then, visitors have only been able to see a digitally enhanced reproduction.

Full article

And another article with a small picture of the full page

Site of the National Library of Scotland

The Anne Boleyn Experience Tour

This looks like so much fun! I wish I could attend, but it’s just not in the cards this time. Here’s the press release for the tour and a link for more information:

Anne Boleyn Tour 2010

The only way to really walk in Anne Boleyn’s footsteps

May 19th,1536 was the day when Anne Boleyn was executed in the Tower of London – a sad day for Anne Boleyn fans. To commemorate this day, TheAnneBoleynFiles.com has organised a luxury tour, beginning on May 17th and ending May21st, 2010.

Claire from TheAnneBoleynFiles said “I wanted Anne Boleyn Fans to come together and walk in the footsteps Anne Boleyn on this important day, so I have put together a trip-of-a-lifetime”.

Those who attend will be staying in the luxury Tudor “Astor Wing” of Hever Castle, the very childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Claire has arranged exclusive use of this normally private part of the castle for the whole tour. There will be a unique guided tour around Hever, focusing on the Boleyns, a Tudor costumer giving information about what was worn at the time, and the well known author Dr Josephine Wilkinson will be a guest speaker. Of course, there is a day trip to the Tower of London on the 19th, and a trip to Hampton Court on the following day – all with an award winning “Blue Badge” guide.

For more information or to book your place on “The Anne Boleyn Experience 2010” visit http://tour.theanneboleynfiles.com/?ab_uid=tudor and see what Anne Boleyn fans will be doing in May next year.

The Throckmortons of Coughton Court

Yet another big anniversary this year…

From The Telegraph:

Six centuries in the same house

Sacred mysteries: The Throckmortons arrived at Coughton Court in 1409. Christopher Howse went to see the traces the generations have left

Side by side on the stairs at Coughton Court, in Warwickshire, hang two portraits of brothers born in the reign of Henry VIII.

One, Sir Nicholas, followed fortune at Court, died, some said of a poisoned salad, and left his name to Throgmorton Street in the City.

The other, Sir Robert, ruined his career by holding to the religion in which he was raised. Fines and prison dogged his family, but this year his descendants mark the 600th anniversary of the arrivals of Throckmortons at Coughton.

Full article

Also, David Starkey will be at the Throckmorton Literary Festival at Coughton Court later this month. Here is the official site for Coughton Court and information on the Literary Festival.

And David Starkey has written the introduction to a forthcoming book on the Throckmorton Family and an extract of that introduction has been published by the Catholic Herald – The family who defied the taint of treason

Update: Leanda de Lisle will be at the Throckmorton Literary Festival on September 20 if anyone wants to ask questions!

Apologies, apologies

I’m sorry for the paucity of podcasts this summer- it was just a bit busier than I had expected. I think I’m going to just skip July and August now and just resume with the September podcast, which should be available by the end of the month. I have a couple of science meetings this fall, but they aren’t nearly as long (or as often) as the ones I was at last year so hopefully they won’t eat in to my spare time as much as in 2008. And no moving twice in the space of a month this year either!

Thanks to everyone for their patience and continued interest in my semi-regular podcasts. 🙂

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Musical discovery in the Stirling Castle carvings

From The Daily Mail:

Scotland’s earliest harp music was encrypted in an unknown binary code in a ceilings at Stirling Castle.

Wood carver John Donaldson discovered the mysterious code around the head of a woman in a wood panel that adorned the bed chamber of King James V of Scotland.

And now, for the first time in almost 500 years, the historic music has been brought to life on harps played by pupils at Allan

Gresham College lectures

A member of my email list posted about an upcoming lecture on Elizabethan shipbuilding at Gresham College (founded by Thomas Gresham in 1597), so I took a look and starting exploring their site. I was delighted to find a bunch of past lectures online, some of which are Tudor history topics.

Here are some upcoming lectures on Tudor history topics (and that I hope will be posted in their archives):

Elizabethan Merchant Ships and Shipbuilding

The Faces of a King: New research on portraits of Henry VIII

And I’ve got to put a plug in for this one:
400 years of the telescope

Letter reveals previously unknown 1499 expedition to Canada

From The National Post (Canada):

British historians have unearthed a letter written 510 years ago by King Henry VII that sheds startling new light on Canadian history.

The letter reveals a previously unknown English expedition to this country in 1499 and may add the name of William Weston — an obscure shipping merchant from the west England port of Bristol — to the pantheon of early New World explorers.

The regal dispatch, believed to have been written the year after Anglo-Italian navigator John Cabot perished on his second voyage of discovery to Canada, indicates Weston was set to embark on his own transatlantic journey to “serche and fynde” the same distant territory.

Specifically, the king names Weston’s destination as “the new founde land” reached by Cabot in June 1497 — the first European landfall in North America since the age of the Vikings.

That makes Henry’s letter, believed to have been written on March 12, 1499, the earliest known use of the phrase that would eventually be used to designate Canada’s easternmost province.

Until now, the first mention of “new found land” in connection with Canada’s Atlantic shore was from a 1502 entry in Henry VII’s royal daybook.

Full article

And another article, with the same text but includes an image of the letter

Update: BBC History Magazine will have an article about this discovery in the September issue.

And here’s an article from PhysOrg

Picture of the Week #34

Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland. May 2000.

Unfortunately, this is the only view I got of Holyroodhouse because they were preparing it for Prince Charles’ visit and it wasn’t open to tourists. But, as always, it just gives me an excuse to go back!

Tiles unearthed at Woking Palace dig

From the BBC:

Rare Valencian tiles have been uncovered by archaeologists during excavations at the ruins of a Surrey palace, once owned by Henry VIII.

The items, which were made in Valencia, Spain, between 1450 and 1490, were discovered at Woking Palace.

More than 100 members of the public took part in the dig at the palace, which fell into disrepair in 1620 and was later virtually demolished.
…
A spokeswoman for the authority said: “The teams uncovered walls of the Palace of Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth, and evidence for earlier medieval buildings.

“The most exciting finds were rare Valencian tiles which were made in Valencia, Spain. They have only been found in a few other locations across the UK, according to the archaeologists working at the dig site.”

Full article