Promenades Travel

15/03/2024

Dr Mark Shearwood has written a piece for our blog exploring the life of ‘The Hanging Judge’ or ‘the Most Hated of James II’s Protestant Collaborators’.

Mark leads our tour ‘The West Shall Rise for Monmouth’, on which we delve into the story of the Monmouth Rebellion, and visit Taunton Castle, where Judge Jeffries conducted one of his many Bloody Assizes.

Read the article here: https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/the-life-of-judge-george-jeffreys/

Image: Taunton Castle, and adjacent Castle House, where Judge Jeffreys stayed during the ‘Bloody Assizes.’ Taunton Castle, Taunton, Somerset. Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

12/03/2024

Photos from last year’s Short Break based in Bath: ‘War in the West: The English Civil War’. There’s still time to book onto this tour taking place in April!

https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/english-civil-war-in-the-west-country/

08/03/2024

Happy Friday history lovers! We’ve got a new blog piece for you: ‘Devizes — a centre of Civil War conflict’ https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/devizes-a-centre-of-civil-war-conflict/

Now the title of this blog is a bit of fun, as ‘Devizes’ comes from the Latin ‘ad devizas’ meaning ‘at the boundaries’, when a Norman castle was built there on the boundary of three Saxon parishes. But in the English Civil Wars, the town was, for a brief time, a centre of conflict between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians —notably two men who feature prominently in our Civil War tours: Sir William Waller and Sir Ralph Hopton.

The 17th century Civil Wars saw some of the most brutal battles to ever take place on British soil and clashes in the West Country, of prime importance for controlling routes to the key ports of Bristol and Gloucester, were some of the most fierce.

The Parliamentarian forces under Waller had just suffered a set-back at the Battle of Lansdown (5th July 1643). However, Waller knew that Hopton’s Royalist forces were in disarray and had sought refuge in Devizes. Waller led his troops from Bath, and on 10th July, Prince Maurice was sent to Oxford to seek Royalist reinforcement for the siege. The following morning, Waller led his troops into position just outside Devizes. After failed attempts at negotiation, on 12th July Waller began his attack. Prince Maurice’s mission to bring reinforcements to the besieged Royalists proved successful in the form of Lord Wilmot’s cavalry, upon whose arrival, Waller was drawn away from the siege and up to Roundaway Down, high ground just north of the town.

The battle that followed was a disaster for Waller, which he described as ‘the most heavy stroke’. After a form of defeat at Lansdown just a week before, and a failed siege, the Parliamentarians were no match for the Royalist cavalry, even though they were of a lesser number and had ridden through the night to relieve Hopton at Devizes. The Battle of Roundaway Down (13th July 1643) led to the effective end of the Parliamentarian army in the West, in the first of England’s 17th century Civil Wars. Despite more attempts by the Parliamentarians, Devizes remained in the hands of the Royalists until Oliver Cromwell’s attack in 1645. Devizes’ Norman castle was slighted in 1648 to avoid it being used as a military base again. The castle we see today is Victorian.

We visit the bustling and historic market town of Devizes on Day 2 of our Short Break ‘War in the West: The English Civil War’ - a four-day expert-led history tour based in Bath, exploring the English Civil War in the West Country, with Julian Humphrys, taking place 15/04/2024 - 18/04/2024

We explore the local Wiltshire Museum which has a range of Civil War artefacts, take in the charming architectural history and independent shops, and have lunch in a local café. We then head to the outstanding landscape of Roundway Down, imagine the smoke of battle, and discover the human stories of friends who became foes, families who fought on opposite sides, and communities that were torn apart.

Pictured is the Church of St. John the Baptist, Devizes, which has evidence of Civil War damage in an external wall.
Left: West elevation, St John's Church, Devizes. Right: Close-up of Civil War damage, St John's Church, Devizes by Brian Robert Marshall, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Find out more on our website, and have a great weekend!

05/03/2024

Dr Samantha Harper shares some insight into why monumental brasses exist…

The emergence of these sorts of memorials and their growing popularity in the 14th & 15th centuries ran in parallel to the increasing emphasis of church teaching on Purgatory —the limbo place one went after death if not quite good enough for Heaven, but not bad enough for Hell. Two ways existed to shorten time in Purgatory: performing good deeds during life, and gathering prayers for your soul once dead.

The rising 'middling sort'— tradesmen, merchants, country knights —lacking the funds for large-scale stone effigies and tombs, favoured these memorials to remind congregations that they had existed, and still required their prayers. To this end, the brass figures often had scrolls coming out of their mouths saying 'Of your mercy, please pray for the soul' or other such sentiments.

This same motivation saw the embellishment in this period of many medieval churches and ecclesiastical buildings. Windows, altar cloths, side chapels and other decorations, often embellished with coats of arms or merchant marks of the patrons. Chantry Chapels or small altars might be created by the better-off, with a priest to say daily mass for the departed, funded by an endowment.

Look closely at the brasses - they were designed to catch the eye, and tell the beholder something of the life, ambitions and self-identification of the deceased in a bid to win prayers which would speed them to life ever-lasting.

Have you spotted these special memorials in your local churches?

Check out our tour with Dr Samantha Harper ‘Discovering the Medieval Churches of the Cotswolds’, taking place this April. Final chance to book!

https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/medieval-churches-of-the-cotswolds/

04/03/2024

Monday blues? What better way to start your week than to book a history holiday?

Book your place on our Short Break based in Taunton and find out all about the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 with expert guide and historian Dr Mark Shearwood. ‘The West Shall Rise for Monmouth’ tour was introduced to the Promenades Travel calendar in 2023 and was a great success - here are some reviews from last year’s guests. There’s still time to book your place for this year!

Find out more on our website https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/the-west-shall-rise-for-monmouth/

01/03/2024

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, was executed on Tower Hill following his rebellion in 1685.
Monmouth is a fascinating character - the illegitimate son of Charles II, raised as a royal, a courageous and charismatic war hero with great populist appeal.
So what went wrong?
Read all about him in our latest blog post: https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/james-scott-duke-of-monmouth/

23/02/2024

What are monumental brasses?
Monumental, or memorial, brasses are a type of engraved tomb decoration found in churches mainly in England, but also across Europe. Popular from the 13th to the 16th centuries, these flat sheets of decorated brass lay within shallow cavities in the stone slab of the floor marker. This style of tomb decoration is often found on processional routes such as aisles, or near minor altars within the church. They therefore do not obstruct activities in the church in the same way that large 3D monuments and effigies do.

These memorial brasses are a symbol of status and were increasingly used by wealthy merchants and knights in the later medieval period. Many brasses are found in the wool churches from that time which were funded by wealthy wool merchants and farmers who were trying to secure divine favour and a place in heaven. Around 4,000 such brasses survive in England although there would have been many more, some being stolen, damaged or lost over time.

The image shown is of a fantastic brass in the church of St John the Baptist in Cirencester. It depicts Reginald Spycer, a merchant in the town who died in 1442. He married four times and all four women are buried and depicted alongside him: Margaret, Juliana, another Margaret, and Joan. The Spycer effigial brass is one of ten in this church, six are for merchants, two are knights, and two depict priests.

Some exquisite monumental brasses can also be seen in the church of St Peter and St Paul, Northleach. The burials of the wool merchants of the town, Thomas and John Fortey, John Taylour, William Midwinter, Robert Serche and Thomas Busshe, are all marked with such monumental brasses and make up one of the finest collections of brasses in the country.
As with so many medieval things, monumental brasses saw a revival in popularity in the nineteenth century and there are a few examples around the country from the twentieth century.

Visit the churches of Cirencester and Northleach as well as many more on our tour: Discovering the Medieval Churches of the Cotswolds, with Dr Samantha Harper, taking place 08/04/2024 - 11/04/2024

https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/medieval-churches-of-the-cotswolds/

Through this tour of ecclesiastical buildings in the wonderful Cotswolds, you will learn how to read a Medieval church and recognise the different architectural styles, the functional parts, and understand the motivations behind the decorations you will see. Can you join us?

16/02/2024

Read our new article ‘The Black Prince: the chevalerie who would not be king’
https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/the-black-prince-the-chevalerie-who-would-not-be-king/

Image: the Black Prince receives Aquitaine (Detail) Initial E: King Edward III granting the Black Prince the principality of Aquitaine. Originally published/produced in England (London); 1386-1399. British Library, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

09/02/2024

It’s Friday! 🎉 and that means there’s a new article on our blog!
‘The retinue of the Black Prince: Military expertise and loyal friends in the early stages of the Hundred Years’ War’

Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, is well-known as a leader of the English forces in the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War. As Prince of Wales and heir apparent to his father King Edward III, military prowess was crucial to his image-building as he prepared to become king.
But what about the men around him? It is a fact throughout history that the best military commanders are the ones with good advisors and experts at their side to whom the leader can delegate, and a skilled and loyal following of soldiers. The micromanaging autocrat has rarely seen long-lasting victory…
Read more: https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/the-retinue-of-the-black-prince/

07/02/2024

The Great Glen fortifications of Fort William, Fort Augustus and Fort George are symbols of Williamite and Georgian attempts to pacify the highland clans during and in the wake of the Jacobite risings. Following the Glorious Revolution in 1688 which unseated the Catholic Stuart king James II of England & VII of Scotland, the Protestant William & Mary, Anne, and their Hanoverian successors faced opposition from the Jacobites in the north.
These monarchs of Great Britain wanted to enforce their rule in Scotland and suppress those who supported the Catholic Stuarts.
Find out more on our blog https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/the-three-forts-williamite-and-georgian-control-of-the-highlands/

Check out our Short Break exploring the stories of the Jacobite risings of the 17th and 18th centuries with expert historian Barry Hilton.
‘The Jacobite Risings in Scotland’, a 4-day tour taking place 07/10/2024 - 10/10/2024
https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/jacobite-history-holiday/

02/02/2024

Check out our latest YouTube video!
Dr Rob Jones is at Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire, exploring its architectural history and the involvement of the de Valence family.
Why not join us on our Short Break with Rob this August? ‘The Wye Valley Castles of the Marcher Earls’ - Find out more on our website

We hope you have a great weekend!

Dr Rob Jones is at Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire, exploring its architectural history and the involvement of the de Valence family. Learn more on our webs...

29/01/2024

Tretower Castle and Court: ‘the place of the tower’

The history of Tretower spans nine centuries, beginning with a Norman family who fought with William the Conqueror and established themselves as Welsh lords.
The Picards initially built a motte and bailey castle on the site before enclosing the fortress with a stone shell-keep in the mid 12th century. Its striking cylindrical tower was inserted in the 13th century and it was this famous shape that gave the castle its name of Tretower - ‘the place of the tower’.

The origins of Tretower Court stem from around the year 1300 and it appears that the Picard family built it next to the castle and used both places in conjunction. The castle was damaged during the revolt led by Owain Glyndŵr at the turn of the 15th century and shortly after, the inhabitants developed the Court as their more permanent home. By the time of the Wars of the Roses, Tretower was in the hands of the Vaughan family. Sir Roger Vaughan, half-brother of Sir William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke, remodelled Tretower Court and established it as a magnificent medieval mansion. Although the family had been Lancastrians, Roger’s allegiance shifted to the Yorkist faction, helping to secure Wales for Edward IV.

The late medieval baronial residence set within the shadow of the castle ruins that preceded it continued to be adapted by its owners, with grand timber-beamed ceilings and large windows being inserted in the 17th century. However, the site passed from the hands of the Vaughan family in the late 18th century and it gradually fell out of residential use - being used to house livestock.

In 1929, the Court was in a dangerous state and so it was bought and meticulously restored for the nation. Today it is managed by Cadw and is a truly wonderful historic site, set within the rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons National Park. With gorgeous recreated 15th-century courtyard gardens, it provides visitors with a tangible sense of history.

We visit Tretower Court and Castle on day 4 of our 5-day tour exploring the Wye Valley castles of the Marcher Earls.
‘The Wye Valley Castles of the Marcher Earls’, with Dr Rob W. Jones, taking place 05/08/2024 - 09/08/2024
Find out more: https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/wye-valley-castles-of-the-marcher-earls/

24/01/2024

This August, why not join us on our Short Break ‘The Wye Valley Castles of the Marcher Earls’, a five-day tour exploring the Wye Valley castles of the Marcher Earls with historian Dr Rob W. Jones. Find out more on the website: https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/wye-valley-castles-of-the-marcher-earls/

19/01/2024

The Siege of Derry and the Protestant hero Adam Murray

On 18th April 1689, the Catholic James II stood before the walls of Derry with an army of Jacobites, and forces from his French allies. The ousted king was seeking to use Catholic support in Ireland as his way to regain his throne, taken from him just months before by his Dutch Protestant son-in-law William and daughter Mary.

James ordered Derry to surrender to him, but the city refused, and what followed was the long famous 105-day siege.
Among those within the walls was Adam Murray, a cavalry officer who has caught the imagination of many as a hero of the Siege of Derry and the Protestant cause in the Williamite War in Ireland.

Adam Murray reached Derry the day that the siege began. His horse unit had been engaged in fighting with the Jacobites at the Battle of Cladyford 3 days before. As part of the Protestant Army of the North, they were admitted into the city, strengthening the garrison and bringing a new sense of determination to the inhabitants and soldiers of Derry. James began with a failed attempt at storming the walls before creating a blockade to starve the city into surrender. Murray led a series of missions, killing leaders of James' army and successfully keeping his forces at bay. The siege was finally broken when an English supply ship expedition broke through the river blockade on 31st July, causing the Catholic enemy to retreat by the next morning.

Colonel Murray’s injuries during the siege meant he saw little action in the rest of the Williamite War. He died in 1706 with no money to leave to his family. Other men have been posited as ‘the hero of the Siege of Derry’, including the clergyman George Walker, who was co-governor of the city alongside Major Henry Baker and then with John Mitchelburne. Walker’s status as a hero, historian Karen Holland notes, was due to his own writing of the events at Derry in a journal, published in pamphlet format the month after the siege. Although there are accounts by many involved in the siege, each highlighting their authors’ crucial role in the events, at least two sources, those by Rev. John Mackenzie Joseph Aickin, praise Murray’s leadership skills and how crucial he was in persuading the citizens of Derry to stand firm and not surrender to James. He is noted as having been asked to be governor of the city, but refusing on the basis that he felt better suited to military action than governance. Aickin in particular stresses the importance of Murray’s actions as heroic in saving the Protestant cause at Derry.

The Williamite War in Ireland would continue for another two years and would lead to much greater British Protestant control of Ireland.

Join us this May on our tour, War of the Three Kings in Ireland, with expert historian Barry Hilton. On this five-day history holiday in Ireland, we delve deep into the Williamite-Jacobite War from 1688-1691, exploring the key battlegrounds and uncovering the dramatic, devastating stories of Boyne, Athlone, Aughrim and Limerick.

https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/ireland-history-holiday/

Happy Friday!

16/01/2024

The bill, a polearm that helped the English to victory at the Battle of Flodden

On 9th September 1513, James’ Scottish forces were lured down from their favourable position on Branxton Hill, and defeated in marshy ground, their pikes abandoned in the waterlogged struggle. They were met by well-organised English infantrymen wielding a superior polearm - the bill - and attacked from the side by a volley of longbowmen’s arrows. James himself was killed in the final stages of battle, his blood-spattered coat sent to Catherine of Aragon, who sent it on to her husband in Tournai as evidence of the great victory.

Read more on our blog and find out all about our tour of the area ‘Border Reivers – Rebels And Raiders’ with historian Julian Humphrys on our website.

📸 Image is an example of a bill used in Europe between 1500 and 1600. Source: Rijksmuseum, Paardenschender of gleve, NG-KOG-838.jpg Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication via Wikimedia Commons.

12/01/2024

Two Northumbrian castles captured by James IV of Scotland on route to meet the English and his fate at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Can you name the castles?
This July, visit this landscape of conflict and learn from Julian Humphrys historian and guide about the border reivers and Anglo-Scots relations in the area from the late 13th century to the early 17th century.
Find out more on our website:
https://www.promenadestravel.com/tours/tour/border-reivers-rebels-and-raiders/

Read our latest blog article to learn the story of James IV's route to Flodden:
https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/the-castles-of-the-battle-of-flodden/

08/01/2024

Which era of British history most interests you?
At Promenades Travel, we are always looking to create new and exciting history holidays based on what you find most interesting and what historians are most excited about.
Let us know in the comments your favourite era or theme!

05/01/2024

We hope that 2024 has started well for you all!
Check out our new article ‘Bruce, Bannockburn, and the Stewards who would rule’ and find out about our new tour ‘Scenes From The Troubled House Of Stewart’

https://www.promenadestravel.com/blog/post/bruce-bannockburn-and-the-stewards-who-would-rule/