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The Hermit Of Eyton Forest
The Hermit of Eyton Forest is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in the autumn of 1142. It is the 14th novel in the Cadfael Chronicles and was first published in 1987. The mystery is set in the Anarchy, the continuing battles between King Stephen and Empress Maud, now besieged in Oxford Castle. Sheriff Hugh Beringar and Brother Cadfael work together to resolve murder and kidnap, the first done in connection with the anarchy, and the second dealing with property and marriages in 12th century England. One review at the time of publication referred to the "ever-fascinating Brother Cadfael chronicles", said that author "Peters continues to enthrall", and described the "unpretentious but literate style" of this novel. The story was "Swift-moving, intricate plotting, ith arichly tapestried background". Another reviewer was less impressed, and said that characters were in the main "glibly superficial: lovers are fair and pure; villains cruel and swarthy." However, they en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ellis Peters
Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her ''nom de plume'' Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics. She is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern, and especially for her medieval detective series The Cadfael Chronicles. Personal Pargeter was born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), daughter of Edmund Valentine Pargeter (known as Ted) and his wife Edith ''nee'' Hordley. Her father was a clerk at the local Horsehay Company ironworks. She later moved with her parents to Dawley where she was educated at Dawley Church of England School and the old Coalbrookdale High School for Girls.Article by Toby Neal, part of series on West Midlands worthies. She had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fiction and non-fiction) are set in Wales and its borderla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
St Andrew's Priory, Northampton
St Andrew's Priory was a Cluniac house in Northampton, England. The priory was founded between 1093 and 1100 by Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton, Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton and his wife Maud, Countess of Huntingdon, Maud. A sister house for Cluniac nuns, Delapré Abbey, was founded to the south of the town by their son Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton. St Andrew's was initially an alien house, dependent on the French La Charité, but it was independent from 1405. It was located in the north-west corner of the walled town of Northampton and was surrounded by a precinct wall. Maps of 1610 and 1632 suggest that the church lay to the north of Lower Priory Street and the gatehouse north of Grafton Street. The Scottish Franciscan philosopher and theologian Duns Scotus, John Duns (commonly known as Dun Scotus) was ordained into the priesthood at St Andrew's on 17 March 1291. The priory was Dissolution of the Monasteries, surrendered on 2 Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature. ''Kirkus Reviews'', published on the first and 15th of each month; previews books before their publication. ''Kirkus'' reviews over 10,000 titles per year. History Virginia Kirkus was hired by Harper & Brothers to establish a children's book department in 1926. The department was eliminated as an economic measure in 1932 (for about a year), so Kirkus left and soon established her own book review service. Initially, she arranged to get galley proofs of "20 or so" books in advance of their publication; almost 80 years later, the service was receiving hundreds of books weekly and reviewing about 100. Initially titled ''Bulletin'' by Kirkus' Bookshop Service from 1933 to 1954, the title was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon ''burgh'', it grew to become what historian Nicholas Brooks has described as "one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries". Held for the Empress Matilda during the civil war years of the Anarchy, it survived multiple sieges and was never taken. Over the next two centuries it became a luxurious castle, used by royalty and their immediate family. After being abandoned as a royal residence by Henry VIII, the castle fell into decline. Refortified during the English Civil War, it was eventually slighted, i.e. deliberately destroyed, after being captured by Parliamentary forces after a long siege. The site was subsequently left relatively undeveloped, and the limited remains of the castle walls and the considerable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Villein
A villein, otherwise known as ''cottar'' or ''crofter'', is a serf tied to the land in the feudal system. Villeins had more rights and social status than those in slavery, but were under a number of legal restrictions which differentiated them from the freeman. Etymology Villein was a term used in the feudal system to denote a peasant (tenant farmer) who was legally tied to a lord of the manor – a villein in gross – or in the case of a villein regardant to a manor. Villeins occupied the social space between a free peasant (or "freeman") and a slave. The majority of medieval European peasants were villeins. An alternative term is serf, despite this originating from the Latin , meaning "slave". A villein was thus a bonded tenant, so he could not leave the land without the landowner's consent. Villein is derived from Late Latin ''villanus'', meaning a man employed at a Roman villa rustica, or large agricultural estate. The system of tied serfdom originates fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fagus Sylvatica
''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though more typically tall and up to trunk diameter. A 10-year-old sapling will stand about tall. It has a typical lifespan of 150–200 years, though sometimes up to 300 years. In cultivated forest stands trees are normally harvested at 80–120 years of age. 30 years are needed to attain full maturity (as compared to 40 for American beech). Like most trees, its form depends on the location: in forest areas, ''F. sylvatica'' grows to over , with branches being high up on the trunk. In open locations, it will become much shorter (typically ) and more massive. The leaves are alternate, simple, and entire or with a slightly crenate margin, long and 3–7 cm broad, with 6–7 veins on each side of the leaf (as opposed to 7–10 veins in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament (i.e., the 40 years wandering in the desert that was meant to bring about a change of heart). In the Christian tradition the eremitic life is an early form of monastic living that preceded the monastic life in the cenobium. In chapter 1, the Rule of St Benedict lists hermits among four kinds of monks. In the Roman Catholic Church, in addition to hermits who are members of religious institutes, the Canon law (canon 603) recognizes also diocesan hermits under the direction of their bishop as members of the consecrated life. The same is true in many parts of the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church in the Un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One Corpse Too Many
''One Corpse Too Many'' is a medieval mystery novel set in the summer of 1138 by Ellis Peters. It is the second novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1979. During the Anarchy, King Stephen takes Shrewsbury Castle and hangs all of the surviving defenders. Cadfael, a Benedictine monk of the nearby Shrewsbury Abbey discovers a murdered man hidden amongst the slain. He also has to help a young girl escape the siege, and discover the motives of Hugh Beringar – her betrothed fiancé. When the novel was first published, the author was remarked for her knowledge of the historical era and ability to create it for the reader, yet "she never lets the meticulously researched place-and-time interfere with the canny puzzle, the flesh-and-blood characterization, or the sharp tension." It was adapted for television in 1994 by Central for ITV. Plot summary In August 1138, King Stephen is besieging rebels now loyal to Empress Matilda in Shrewsbury Castle. Brother Cadfa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William FitzAlan, Lord Of Oswestry
William FitzAlan (1105–1160) was a nobleman of Breton ancestry. He was a major landowner, a Marcher lord with large holdings in Shropshire, where he was the Lord of Oswestry, as well as in Norfolk and Sussex. He took the side of Empress Matilda during the Anarchy and underwent considerable hardship in the Angevin cause before regaining his lands and former status. William's younger brother, Walter fitz Alan (d. 1177), became ancestor of the royal House of Stuart. Background and early life William was born around 1105. He was the eldest son and heir of Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton noble whose family were closely associated with the sacred environs of Dol-de-Bretagne, close to the border with Normandy and a short distance south-west of the great abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Alan was a close ally of Henry I of England (1100-1135), who was determined to insert reliable supporters into strategically key areas after the disloyalty of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, who had a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Morbid Taste For Bones
''A Morbid Taste for Bones'' is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters set in May 1137. It is the first novel in ''The Cadfael Chronicles'', first published in 1977. It was adapted for television in 1996 by Central for ITV. The monks of Shrewsbury Abbey seek the relics of a saint in Wales for their chapel. The locals object to this translation of the relics, and a local leader is found murdered. Brother Cadfael is challenged to uncover the truth of the murder and help bring right endings to all parties, in both Wales and in the Abbey. This novel was listed on the 1990 list of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time by the Crime Writers Association in the UK, and also on the top 100 list compiled in 1995 by the Mystery Writers of America. In 2010, ''The Wall Street Journal'' named it one of their "Five Best Historical Mystery Novels". These later honours indicate that the novel rose in the view of critics compared to one lukewarm review by Kirkus Reviews in the year of public ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Of Shrewsbury (died 1168)
Robert of Shrewsbury (died 1168) or ''Robertus Salopiensis'' was a Benedictine monk, prior and later abbot of Shrewsbury Abbey, and a noted hagiographer. Identity and origins Robert was a common name in the 12th century among the Anglo-Norman ruling class, so there must have been numerous Roberts of Shrewsbury. Robert the monk is to be distinguished especially from the Robert of Shrewsbury, a secular cleric, who became Bishop of Bangor towards the end of the century. The monk Robert is thought to have been a member of the Pennant family of Downing, a few miles north-west of Holywell, the fountain of Saint Winifred. If so, it is unlikely he was born in Shrewsbury: the toponymic cognomen probably just refers to his long-term connection with the abbey. He appears first as prior of the abbey in 1137, suggesting a birth date around the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. Prior As prior of Shrewsbury Abbey, Robert is generally credited with greatly promoting the cult of St W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monk's Hood
''Monk's Hood'' is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in December 1138. It is the third novel in The Cadfael Chronicles. It was first published in 1980 (1980 in literature). It was adapted for television in 1994 by Central for ITV. Gervase Bonel dies from monkshood oil put in his food. Brother Cadfael made the oil. Who used it as poison? Cadfael assesses the motives of Bonel's family and household staff, including his Welsh natural son and his stepson, and deals with Bonel's widow who was once Cadfael's sweetheart long ago. The sergeant views the case differently from Cadfael. This novel received the Silver Dagger Award in 1980 from the UK's Crime Writers Association. The author was commended by one reviewer for her ability to draw characters who are distinctly medieval, "not modern men and women masquerading in medieval garb," while dealing with fine points of medieval Welsh law. Another reviewer missed the lively character of the second novel, Hugh Beringar, wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
