Category: Lockdown Lectures

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 ***

During the late mediaeval period England witnessed the innovative introduction of brick as a high status building material. Used almost exclusively by elite patrons, much inspiration was gathered from brick buildings in mainland Europe. These architectural ideas were driven by widespread networks connected to itinerant brickmakers, the Teutonic Order and, especially, the Hanseatic League. On encountering these radical new ideas in building from the German, Dutch and Baltic states, English architecture was never quite the same again…

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.

This recording is a memorial lecture in honour of Mike Stillman-Lowe.

The event originally took place via Zoom on Wednesday 6 October 2021 .

Errata: During this talk the speaker incorrectly notes that Eton is in Surrey – it is, of course, in Berkshire 🙂

With the onset of Britain’s third covid-19 lockdown within a year, Triskele Heritage will be stepping up to try and provide some (hopefully) entertaining and informative free public talks. The weekly lockdown lectures will feature the fruits of our research so you can be sure that the content will all be bang up to date!

Each week we will host a lockdown lecture freely accessible to anyone with a web connection via Zoom. 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.

Our next event will take place at 17:00BST on Wednesday 12 May 2021 and will focus on Mediaeval Sculpture – Motifs, Messages & Morals.

This will be the very last talk in the series. Please note that it takes place on a Wednesday rather than our usual Thursday. This is to avoid a clash with another client event.

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 is a live event only and there will not be a recording of the talk available 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.

More information on the talk

An assessment and analysis of how stonemasons worked with their patrons to create meaningful imagery upon buildings which can give us a unique insight into the mediaeval mind. By looking at both sacred and secular architecture we can begin to understand the fascinating, disturbing and sometimes comedic messages imparted to the viewer. Ideas connected to religious texts, morality, lordship, politics and personal identity are covered as we explore how one simple image may have many complex meanings…

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.

*** If you are having any problems accessing the lecture then please email james@triskeleheritage.com and we will aim to resolve any issues 🙂 ***

Going to the toilet is an everyday event for literally everyone that has ever lived. However, there has been a prudish reticence among architectural specialists to research and present the archaeology of this apparently ordinary practice. Despite this, there is a wealth of data which can be drawn upon to explain the latrinal habits of people in the mediaeval period.

This data is not just limited to the functional – Where in the building were the privies located? What did they look like? How they were kept clean? There are a whole host of other considerations: What were the mediaeval attitudes towards going to the toilet? Who was allowed to access the garderobe? What were the social implications of doing so? How were privies used to promote notions of elite prestige? This talk will plumb all of these depths…

The lecture is a brand new presentation given as as an addendum to the Triskele Heritage Lockdown Lectures which ran from January-May 2021. As it is a bespoke piece written especially for this event we will be asking for crowd-funded donations to help cover the time spent in writing the talk 🙂

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 17:00BST on Thursday 17 June 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 is a live event only and there will not be a recording of the talk available 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.

With the onset of Britain’s third covid-19 lockdown within a year, Triskele Heritage will be stepping up to try and provide some (hopefully) entertaining and informative free public talks. The weekly lockdown lectures will feature the fruits of our research so you can be sure that the content will all be bang up to date!

Each week we will host a lockdown lecture freely accessible to anyone with a web connection via Zoom. 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.

Our next event will take place at 17:00BST on Thursday 6 May 2021 and will focus on Mediaeval Fireplaces – A Political Hot Topic in Mediaeval England.

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 is a live event only and there will not be a recording of the talk available 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.

More information on the talk

We think of open fires as simple and practical areas of buildings – intended to provide heat, light and something to cook food on. However, in the late mediaeval period the carved sculpture of fireplaces offered an opportunity to demonstrate family connections, sacred messages and political allegiances at a time of growing civil unrest. Using examples from a variety of castles, houses and religious buildings, this talk builds up to a discussion on the use of fireplaces as a vehicle for showing partisan loyalties during the Wars of the Roses.

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.

With the onset of Britain’s third covid-19 lockdown within a year, Triskele Heritage will be stepping up to try and provide some (hopefully) entertaining and informative free public talks. The weekly lockdown lectures will feature the fruits of our research so you can be sure that the content will all be bang up to date!

Each week we will host a lockdown lecture freely accessible to anyone with a web connection via Zoom. 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.

Our next event will take place at 17:00BST on Thursday 29 April 2021 and will focus on Buildings Archaeology – Recording & Analysing Historic Buildings.

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 is a live event only and there will not be a recording of the talk available 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.

More information on the talk

The study of buildings archaeology involves the forensic application of techniques to observe, record and analyse the standing remains of historic structures found above-ground. Unpicking the history, functions and phasing of the built environment has been a relatively recent addition to the archaeologist’s toolkit.

Using case studies from across a career spanning over two decades, our 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 and early modern periods.