Category: Almanac of the Past

In 1066 England’s destiny was at stake, would the new King, Harold Godwinson, maintain the rule of an English King over England?  Or would William of Normandy impose an alien French dynasty?  But there was a third possible future Harold Hardrada of Norway re-establishing King Cnut’s Scandinavian control of England? 

The fighting began, on September 20th, after the Norwegian King, accompanied by Harold Godwinson’s own brother, Tostig Godwinson, sailed up the Humber with 300 ships, disembarked and matched towards York.

In response, the Army of the North, led by the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria, left York to confront the invaders. They marched the mile and a half to Fulford, which is on the banks of the Ouse.  They, apparently, did not know that on the 18th of September, King Harold of England had left London with the Army of the South to take on Hardrada. If the Earls had waited, the combined English Army had a good chance of destroying the Norwegian threat.

The Norwegians and Tostig had, perhaps 7,500 troops, and the English Earls Edwin and Morcar who were brothers had an ‘immense’ army.

The Norwegians were lined up at Fulford, with their left flank protected by the Ouse, their front protected by a ditch and having the benefit of the higher ground.  The English drove the Norwegians back but Hardrada responded by pushing forward his left flank where he had his best warriors and enfolded the English who eventually broke.  As the English retreated, they suffered terrible casualties, so many that the Norwegians could walk dry-shod over the marshy ground.

The jubilant Norwegians arranged the surrender of York without sacking it. It probably escaped because Tostig had come to England to reclaim the Earldom of Northumbria. It would be a bad start to slaughter the citizens of his capital city! Possibly they also wanted to get back to protect their boats. They matched to Stamford Bridge, to celebrate, rest and recover.

Things looked grim for the continuation of English rule over England,with Hardrada victorious in the North; a defeated Northern Army and the Normans with a huge invasion fleet ready to invade the South.

Click here To read my post on the Battle of Stamford Bridge or wait till September 25th.

James Lovelock is one of my heroes.  He came up with the idea that the Planet Earth is, or can be considered to be, a living being.  He named her Gaia, after the Greek Mother Goddess and the mother of all life. 

He suggested that the Earth was a self-regulating entity that kept the essentials for life on our planet in balance.  Further, he speculated that human activity was putting a strain on the feedback systems that kept the environment sweet for life.  Gaia, he suggested, might spit out the cause of the disruption, if we didn’t mend our ways.

On September 12, 2024 a new book on Lovelock was published. The Guardian ran this lovely article on the contribution of love and Dian Hitchcock to the formation of the theory. Dian and James worked together on the idea when they both worked for Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California in the 1960’s.

 The Many Lives of James Lovelock: Science, Secrets and Gaia Theory, published by Canongate on 12 September and available at guardianbookshop.com

My own take on his theory, is that Gaia keeps the atmosphere and climate within a safe range by a series of feedback loops. Lovelock pointed out that as strains in the system develop, the feedback loops might fracture, readjust and the Earth find a new stable feedback system. This new equilibrium may or may not be compatible with a comfortable environment for humans.

Chris Stringer’s book on the Palaeolithic in Britain (‘Homo Britannicus’), shows that during the 900,000 years of genus Homo’s life in Britain, five or so times the climate has changed in these mild islands so it has become inhospitable for humans. He also suggests that there is evidence that the last Ice Age ended fairly swiftly, and that Britain changed from being tundra to a temperate climate perhaps in as little as twenty years. It is only for around 12,000 years that Home Sapiens have lived continuously on these islands.

So, we know climate change is inevitable, and that when it happens it may not be a gradual change. We also cannot be sure it will make the UK warmer because Britain’s temperate climate depends on the warm air of the Gulf Stream and if this is affected Britain may revert to the colder climate of other countries at our latitude like Scandinavia.

For more on Earth Goddesses see my post here

First written in 2024, revised in 2025

Rowan Berries, hips and haws should be ripening in Hedgerows around the country.  Hips are from Rose bushes, and haws from the Hawthorn. So lots of fleshy red fruits, which will ripen from August to October.

A heavy crop is said to promise a hard winter: ‘Many haws, many snows.’

Rowans were the most powerful plant against witches.

‘Rowan tree and red thread

Hold the witches all in dread’

So, Charles Kightly, tells us in his ‘Perpetual Almanac of Folklore’.  It was hung above doors, planted in gardens and made into walking sticks and other household and farming utensils.  It was made into wine, and jam and a jelly delicious while eating hare.

(see my post on the March Hares and Witches)

Skeletons in my closet

Recently, I read that one of the burials a friend of mine excavated  has been reexamined and reanalysed. The dig was at Bull wharf near the Vintry in the City of London.  The burials dated to the 9th Century (approximately).

Bull wharf is by the River Thames, south of St Paul’s.  The discovery of two burials, dating to just before the Alfredian restoration of the City of London, was in itself sensational.   Archaeology had shown that the City was abandoned after the Romans left.  It is revived only in the late 9th Century when King Alfred restored it. 

Did these burials suggest that the restoration of the City began before Alfred came to the throne?  Perhaps London was restored by the Mercians and not by Alfred and Wessex?

Perhaps this is too much to place on a couple of burials and a dating that was not precise. 

However, the recent reevaluation makes the burials even more interesting. One of the two burials was in a shallow grave with a brushwood cover. Originally it was thought to a ‘proper’ burial rather than a casual interment. 

But recent examination shows the woman was badly beaten a short time before she was killed.  Her many wounds had begun to heal.  Maybe two weeks later she was killed again with astonishing violence. She had  multiple blunt force injuries.

The burial position was on the Mercian shore of the Thames at London. But was looking towards the Wessex shore across the River. This has led to speculation that the place of burial might have been a highly significant and visible site.  Other Saxon execution sites have similar attributes i.e. at significant sites or at liminal locations.   (I’m thinking of the Saxon execution at Stonehenge as a fr’instance.)

The recent piece I read ignores the second burial.  Originally it was said to be buried with less ceremony than the other.  But now, it must suggest both are executions. Unless they are both murders….

Skeletons at York

Decades ago a potential gladiatorial burial ground was found near Mickelgate.  The attribution was made because a large proportion of the burials were young men, many with healed injuries to heads, arms, fingers.  Over 40 of them were decapitated, much higher than the normal 5% of Roman burials. 

One has recently been reexamined.  The inspection showed teeth marks on the pelvis.  These have now been identified as the teeth marks of a lion.

On my tours of various amphitheatres I have talked about the exotic animals that literary sources suggested  Romans used for entertainment.  But I would point out that the evidence comes mostly from literature and mosaics from prestigious places. I always suggested that London, Cirencester, Chester, Verulamium and York probably used bears, bulls, boars maybe dogs but, perhaps, nothing more exotic.  But here is evidence that the Romans used Lions in the distance province of Britannia.

First Published September 2025