An historic building survey at Knole, Kent enabled a very surprising revelation about the history of the house in the early 17th century. A series of symbols beneath the floorboards carved by the carpenters working at the house were intended to protect the building from possession by witches, demons and evil spirits. Further research showed that the symbols were related to James I, witch trials and the Gunpowder Plot.
This lecture is available to view online via Gresham College
To book this lecture for an in-person or online event please do get in contact
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were marked by a radical increase in the numbers of accusations of witchcraft throughout Europe. Evil incarnate was a real fear for the populace leading to a raft of folk-traditions being employed to protect house and home from possession.
Using the case studies of the Tower of London and Knole, Kent this lecture presents and explains how the houses of the rich were given spiritual protection from demonic forces.
To book this lecture for an in-person or online event please do get in contact
The Hellish Fears of Mediaeval & Early Modern Britain
An overview of just why folk were so terrified of demonic threats to their world in the late mediaeval and early modern periods (c 1350 – c 1700). Given such a widespread and genuine belief that the Devil was stalking the land, this lecture looks at the various ways in which people attempted to protect their buildings from evil.
These folk traditions often leave tangible remains in the archaeological record including ritual protection graffiti, concealed artefacts and burn marks on the walls. The discovery and interpretation of such finds allows us to trace the lost belief systems connected to the fear of Satan himself…
To book this lecture for an in-person or online event please do get in contact
Following on from the popular Lockdown Lectures which, ran from January to May 2021, this new series of monthly lectures by buildings archaeologist James Wright will examine commonly held myths about the mediaeval period.
A widely repeated story holds that all staircases in mediaeval castles turn clockwise so that right-handed defenders were free to swing their weapons at an opponent, whereas any attackers trying to advance up the stair would find their sword arm hampered by the central newel post. Is there any truth to this story? Were castle staircases really designed to be a military feature? Do anti-clockwise staircases exist? Are there any other explanations? How and why did this story develop?
The speaker, James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is an award winning buildings archaeologist. He has two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period. He is the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog.
All you need to do is register via Eventbrite and – when the time for the talk rolls around – grab your favourite beverage of choice, get comfy and enjoy.
The event will take place at 17:00GMT on Thursday 18 November 2021 .
Due to our licensing agreement with Zoom tickets for each event will be limited to 495 places. If you cannot make it after booking, please do return your ticket so that someone else can enjoy the talk instead.
Please note that this live event will not be recorded and made available online afterwards.
If you have a question about the event – in the first instance please see our FAQs section. The answer will almost certainly be in there.
*** If you have any problems accessing this event please email with your booking reference to james@triskeleheritage.com ***
