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Category Archives: Anglo-Saxons

St. Cuthbert and Me

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Patricia

On a trip to Northumbria in 2019 I visited a number of sites with ties to Cuthbert, the saint whose feast day is March 20 and who was greatly loved by the Anglo-Saxons. Cuthbert was born in Northumbria in 635, … Read More →

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Tolkien and the Anglo-Saxons

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Patricia

Where has the horse gone? Where is the rider? Where is the giver of gold? Where are the seats of the feast? Where are the joys of the hall? O the bright cup! O the brave warrior! from The Wanderer, … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 8: The Battle of Edington

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Patricia

878 A.D. In the seventh week after Easter King Alfred rode to Ecbryht’s Stone…All those of Somerset came to meet him, and those of Wiltshire and Hampshire…they were glad of his coming. ..He went from that camp…to Edington, and there … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode Five: Uhtred vs Ubba

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Patricia

Alternate Title: UHTRED vs UBBA, ODDA 1, ODDA2, ALFRED, LEOFRIC, MILDRITH, OSWALD…oh heck. UHTRED vs EVERYBODY Episode 5 begins with shipwreck and concludes with a very different kind of wreck. In between, our hero Uhtred covers a lot of ground … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 4: The Peace is Over

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Patricia

With Episode Four we have reached the half-way point of this season. A new woman has entered Uhtred’s life. Those of us who have read Cornwell’s novels have learned to not get too attached to Uhtred’s women. They come and … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 3: The New King of Wessex

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Patricia

Despite the fact that the main character of Bernard Cornwell’s books is our hero Uhtred, it is Alfred who is the focal character of this episode. Everything and everyone revolves around him, and actor David Dawson does a spectacular job … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 2

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Patricia

At the beginning of this episode of The Last Kingdom, as scenes from the previous episode flash across the television screen and the voice of Uhtred summarizes his early life, he says, “Destiny is all.” This phrase appears in every … Read More →

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England’s First City, circa A.D. 1000

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Patricia

For centuries the city of London has been the cultural, political and financial center of the United Kingdom. Turn back the clock some 1200 years though, and you will find that the royal and religious center of England was farther … Read More →

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Those Brutal Middle Ages

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Patricia

I read a scholarly article recently which suggested that medieval warriors suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome, just as modern soldiers do. It also proposed that the fighting men of the middle ages were not the brutal savages that we … Read More →

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What Happened at Corfe in 978?

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Patricia

Today, the chalk hill of Corfe on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset is crowned by the ruins of, for the most part, a 12th century Norman castle. But in Anglo-Saxon times a hunting lodge stood on the hill, and … Read More →

Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Research, UK | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments