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The Countess’ Room and the ghosts of Dartington Hall

Every old house has its fair share of ghost-stories, chilling tales that are handed down through the generations, told and re-told by the fireside on dark winter nights. Dartington Hall, with its long and rich history, is no exception.

People have lived here amongst the rolling Devon hills since ancient times. One notable family, the Champernownes, made their home here for three hundred and sixty-six years.

Sir Arthur Champernowne, Vice Admiral of the Fleet of the West, …

The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre by Francois Dubois (c 1572-84) image sourced via Wikimedia Commons

Sir Francis Walsingham, the English Ambassador to the French Court, sent a letter to Sir Thomas Smith, the Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth I, on 2 September 1572. In his letter, Walsingham used the typical diplomatic language, but there was one passage where he couldn't hide his anger.

Walsingham  doubted the King’s promise that his troops would punish those who killed the three Englishmen. He …

A visit to St Faith’s Church, home of the Bacton Altar Cloth

St Faith's Church Bacton, Herefordshire

The charming little church of St. Faith’s, Bacton, stands high above a valley carved out by a meandering river. The Dore flows from the foothills of the Black Mountains to merge with the River Monnow, which then joins the majestic River Wye.

The name Dore may derive from a Welsh word, ‘dwr’ which means water. But the Normans interpreted it as the French word ‘d’or’ meaning golden, and it became known as “The Golden Valley.” …

Wash or brush up? Caring for Elizabethan clothing.

In our throw away age of fast fashion, it’s hard for us to comprehend just how expensive clothing was in Elizabethan England. In her book Tudor Fashion, Eleri Lynn tells us that Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532-1588) spent more for one suit of clothes that William Shakespeare paid for a house in Stratford-on-Avon less than ten years later.

Image via Wikimedia Commons Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Anglo-Netherlandish School, Unknown Artist NPG

This level …

Cotehele and the Legend of the Chapel in the Woods

During the fourteenth century, marrying an heiress was a great way for young men to enhance their wealth and future prospects. In 1353, William Edgecombe seized such an opportunity when he married Hilaria de Cotehele. As a result of their union, William acquired extensive lands, including a substantial manor that overlooked the picturesque River Tamar, situated near Calstock in Cornwall.

The family thrived, partly due to the profits from …