August Miscellany Upcoming Events Hoghton Tower Graffiti Tours Items of Interest The graffiti and paintings on the columns of the basilica in Bethlehem Medieval Mass Dials, Do You Know What They Are? The unique Nottinghamshire park where hundreds of ‘witch marks’ have been discovered Shoot That Poison Arrow: Apotropaics to…
December Miscellany Upcoming Events The Historic Graffiti in the Medieval Buildings of the Charing Area – Jan 11 Items of Interest Mysterious graffiti in Caen chateau From Twitter Graffiti in Orford Castle, Suffolk Sator Square at Great Gidding, Cambridgeshire Arborograffiti
August Miscellany Items of Interest Graffiti in St. Mary’s in Lidgate, Suffolk From Twitter Graffiti in the Guards’ Chamber in Falaise Castle, Normandy. Much of it depicts weapons and is believed to date from the medieval period #Normandy #France #Graffiti #Medieval pic.twitter.com/6lEPTyqqF8 — Dr Elizabeth Norton (@ENortonHistory) August 8, 2022 Probably our most well defined….
April Miscellany Items of Interest Bronze Age slab found in France in oldest 3D Map in Europe From Twitter One of the most fascinating bits of graffiti I've ever seen. On a corridor in @LancCastle: 'John Bailey. Committed…1741 by Brindle RS [possibly Society for the Reformation of Manners] For Kissing' then a tulip [representing…
Hopital des Pelerin, Pons, France (2/2) Interior The interior of the pilgrims’ hospital consists of a wide open hall with two sets of columns down its length. There are a couple of side rooms at the far end and a door to an arcade and courtyard leading to what would have been the herb garden…
Hopital des Pelerins, Pons, France (1/2) The Pilgrims Hospital in Pons, in the departement of Charente-Maritime in France, dates back to the 12th century. It was built as a rest stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago di Compostella in Spain. A church and a hostel were attached to each other by a porch over…
October Miscellany Upcoming Events Popular Magic: Then and Now Church Studies Zoom lectures Items of Interest CCT lecture on Macabre Church Lore Historic Graffiti to ward off evil found at old church For when protective marks on the windows and door frames just isn’t doing it for you, you can have all…
August Miscellany Upcoming Events Creswell Crags have bookings for private tours of ice age art and/or witch marks CCT Talk on Historic Graffiti in Winchester Cathedral Items of Interest Video discussing ice age engraving of a horse found at Creswell Crags Prehistoric engraved stones found on Jersey Graffiti found on the…
St Vivien, Pons, Charente-Maritime, France Pons is a town in the Charente-Maritime department of south-west France about 35km from the Atlantic coast of France and half-way between La Rochelle and Bordeaux. The town was on one of the main pilgrimage routes to Santiago di Compostella. The Romanesque church of St Vivien dates to the 12th…
May Miscellany Items of Interest French blog post on ritual burn marks How Satan-fearing Scots used apotropaic marks to ward off ‘evil spirits’ in the home From Twitter Pennsylvania Dutch Barns decorations and charms Charm inside a Welsh witch bottle Herefordshire curse doll Graffiti in Leicestershire Mill Daisy wheel…
Notre Dame de Tulle is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the town of Tulle in the Corrèze region of France. An abbey has existed at Tulle since the 7th century. It prospered under the rule of Saint-Benoit. In 1317, the abbey became a cathedral and Abbot Arnaud de Saint-Astier became its first bishop. Due to…
November Miscellany The pictures this month are from a friend of the site, Daniela Weber, who came across these graffiti circles in the Musee de L’Orangerie in the Tuilerie Gardens in Paris. TV Appearances The current series of Digging for Britain, Episode 2:North, has a section on Creswell Crags and the protective graffiti and an…
Saint-Vincent-le-Paluel, Dordogne, France This small church can be found in a hamlet in the Dordogne. The inside of the church has been restored , and no graffiti can be found on the interior walls, although some vestiges of paint can be found in the vicinity of the altar. The carved wooden altar back is impressive,…
August Miscellany From the doorway of the church in Nadaillac, Dordogne, France. Upcoming Events Crystal Hollis giving Church Graffiti talk in York – Sept 12th Crystal Hollis giving graffiti tour of Southwark Cathedral – Sept 18th Items of Interest Medical Charm in the Wellcome Collection Article about protective marks found at Creswell Crags…
The Collegiate Church of Saint Martin, Brive-la-Gaillarde, Dordogne The collegiate church of Saint Martin dominates the centre of the Dordogne market town of Brive-la-Gaillarde. The church was built on the site of the tomb of St Martin the Spaniard who was martyred in the town early in the fifth century AD, and the first building…
June Miscellany Upcoming Events Talk at Leicester Guildhall in July. Hidden Charms Conference call for papers. Tickets are available for the Making Your Mark symposium. Items of Interest Prehistoric Stone engraved with horses found in France. Helmsdale Castle graffiti.
Chateau de Castelnaud, Dordogne, France The chateau of Castelnaud is a towering fortess in a commanding position overlooking the Dordogne River in France. It is open to the public all year and contains some fine displays of weaponry from the Middle Ages. The earliest records to mention the castle date to the 13th century when…
December Miscellany There’s a definite international feel to this month’s miscellany with interesting knotwork used a ritual markings in Tamil Nadu and graffiti from Spain, France and Gozo, Malta. We would also like to take the opportunity to wish our readers health, wealth and happiness in the coming year. Picture of the Month Thanks to…
November Miscellany Graffiti in Paintings We have come across a small handful of 17th and 16th century paintings showing graffiti. This picture, Interior of the Buukerk at Utrecht (1644) by Peter Saenredam actually shows graffiti being painted. If you focus on the bottom right of the picture (which hangs in the National Gallery in London)…
St Sacerdos Cathedral, Sarlat-la-Canéda, Dordogne St Sacerdos is a Roman catholic cathedral in the beautiful medieval market city of Sarlat in the Dordogne region of France. The cathedral has seen a great deal of reconstruction over the years. The east end of the cathedral dates back to the 14th century and was originally named Saint…
Eglise Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, Paulin, Dordogne The parish church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, in the small village of Paulin, was built in the Romanesque style between the 12th to the 14th centuries. The church was listed as a historic monument on 4th October 1939. The church has a single nave and transept, whose cross is covered with a dome,…
Events Day course on Graffiti in August – in Edinburgh Crystal Hollis graffiti talk in London on 8 August Items of Interest Database of Romanesque Sites in Britain and Ireland WW2 graffiti in Bayeux More WW2 graffiti at Bayeux German POW graffiti from WW1 Sharpening Marks If you have ever sighed at someone explaining…
The Collegiate Church of St Yrieix-la-Perche, Haute-Vienne The town’s religious origins go back to St Yrieix (or Arédius, c.510AD – 591), Abbott of Limoges, who established a community there in the 6th century. He was believed to have the power of healing, and after his death, his fame as a saint led to the construction…
Abbey Church of Sainte-Marie, Souillac, Dordogne The abbey church of Sainte-Marie in Souillac in the Dordogne region of France has its origins with the Benedictine monks of Saint Pierre d’Aurillac, who established a priory here in the 10th century. The abbey church was built between 1075 and 1150 and ranks amongst the finest examples of…
Chateau de l’Herm Château de l’Herm is a castle in the commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac in the Dordogne region of France. It was built between 1500 and 1520 by Jean de Calvimont, an ambassador of Frances I to Spain. The château was later abandoned, after the family left it in 1605. With the exception of the…
Condat-sur-Vézère, Dordogne Condat-sur-Vézère is a small village of approximately 900 inhabitants. As the name suggests, it is located on the bank of the Vézère river, with its tributary river, the Coly, joining it in the middle of the village. The village was home to a Commanderie of the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem….