Category: Lockdown Lectures

A one-off online talk looking at the buildings archaeology of enigmatic Greasley Castle (Nottinghamshire) – once the home to one of Richard III’s commanders.

During 2021, the remains of Greasley Castle were surveyed by Triskele Heritage. The aim of the project was to try and unpick traces of a mid-fourteenth century courtyard castle, built for Nicholas, 3rd Baron Cantelupe, from the later post-mediaeval farmyard buildings. The work was funded by the Castle Studies Trust.

This talk outlines the findings of the buildings archaeology survey. For the first time it is possible to understand the structure, layout, size and phasing of Greasley Castle. Surprisingly, the castle once had a great deal in common with other contemporary sites including Haddon Hall (Derbyshire) and Strelley Hall (Nottinghamshire). The story of the castle is one of the meteoric social rise of the Cantelupes family, the loss of the site by one of Richard III’s captains after Bosworth and its gradual transformation into a working farm.

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 19:00GMT+1 on Thursday 30 June 2022 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite:

Due to our licensing agreement with Zoom tickets for each event will be limited to 495 places. This will be a live event. It 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 ***

The sixth in the Triskele Heritage 2021-22 Winter Series of lectures.

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.

Evidence for the craft of mediaeval stonemasons can be seen all around us in the chapels, churches, cathedrals, monasteries, houses and castles built by them. The practical engineering involved in the creation of such great buildings is absolutely jawdropping. There is a great appreciation for the end product, but seldom is there a discussion on the methods of construction.

When the subject of the working practises of stonemasons is considered it is common to find the received wisdom of folklore entering the conversation. For example, it is widely believed that there was a central register of individual symbols that masons were assigned which they used to mark up all of their stones so that they could be paid per piece. Elsewhere, stories are told that the many sexualised carvings, that can be found in ecclesiastical architecture, must be the result of anti-establishment stonemasons creating a visual joke on their patrons because they went unpaid for a job.

The lived mediaeval reality behind both mason’s marks and sexualised carvings are radically different from the commonly repeated stories. This talk will try to unpick the fact from the fiction.

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 28 April 2022 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite:

Due to our licensing agreement with Zoom tickets for each event will be limited to 495 places. This will be a live event. It 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 ***

The fifth in the Triskele Heritage 2021-22 Winter Series of lectures.

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.

The image of doughty English mediaeval archers is a common one that often inspires great pride and nationalistic fervour. Stories of the great arrow-storms which apparently defeated the French at Crecy or Azincourt are often told. Back at home, visitors to parish churches are frequently guided towards strange grooves in the walls which were apparently created by the very same archers whilst sharpening their arrowheads before going off to battle.

However, much of what we think that we know about mediaeval archery is derived from received wisdom. Using a close examination of the contemporary sources, buildings archaeology, anthropology and experimental archaeology this talk will attempt to better understand the lived experience of soldiers of the period.

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 Wednesday 23 March 2022 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite.

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 ***

The fourth in the Triskele Heritage 2021-22 Winter Series of lectures.

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.

Every single hamlet, village, town and city in the British Isles has a story of secret passages running beneath the landscape. The tales speak of hidden tunnels connecting the castle and the monastery, or the hermitage and the pub, or the church and the manor house. Often these are supposed to be escape tunnels, sometimes they are connected with smuggling or treasure, on other occasions the given reasons for their existence are somewhat salacious and scandalous.

The folklore of Britain’s subterranean landscape is ubiquitous, but is there ever any archaeological evidence for these yarns? What are the underlying truths? Can the stories ever tell us something about how people think about their communities and heritage?

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 17 February 2022 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite.

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 ***

The third in the Triskele Heritage 2021-22 Winter Series of lectures.

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 visit to almost any timber-framed structure in the land will elicit a story that the building’s timbers were re-used from a wrecked ship. The tale is often elaborated to add a layer of enigma and romanticism by mentioning the Spanish Armada or battle of Trafalgar. Are these just harmless folktales or can we genuinely find the timbers of lost ships in the rafters of ancient buildings?

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 Tuesday 25 January 2022 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite.

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 ***

Are burn marks in historic buildings the result of careless accidents or deliberate rituals?

The second in the Triskele Heritage 2021-22 Winter Series of talks will also be our Christmas Lecture!

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.

Have you ever noticed strange, tear-shaped scorch marks on timbers in historic buildings? Most people tend to assume that they were left their by the unattended candles of careless occupants. Based on fieldwork survey, research and experimental archaeology this talk investigates a school of thought that suggests such marks are evidence of a number of ritual practices in the mediaeval and early modern periods linked to a desire to bring good luck and avert evil…

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 30 December 2021 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite.

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 ***

Ritual protection marks at Knole, Kent

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

Is there any truth to the story that all castle staircases turn clockwise to help right-handed defenders?

The first in the Triskele Heritage 2021-22 Winter Series of lectures.

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 .

Booking is now available via Eventbrite.

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 ***