‘Memento mori’ among Welsh finds declared treasure
The artefacts, dating from the 9th-17th century AD, all once belonged to wealthy members of Welsh society.
tudor
Reinterpreting a Tudor flagship: the Mary Rose and her crew
Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, famously sank in the Solent almost 500 years ago. Her partial remains were recovered by archaeologists in 1982 – what has been learned since then? Peter Marsden explores some of the latest thinking on the Tudor vessel’s appearance and her crew.
Elizabethan gardens found in Warwickshire
The remains of an extravagant but previously unknown garden from the Elizabethan period have recently been revealed at Coleshill in Warwickshire. The site was first identified a few years ago during an aerial survey that revealed the remains of Coleshill…
Green-fingered finds
Home-improvements and gardening have been on the rise under lockdown in the UK, and, in a few cases, work in the garden has led to archaeological discoveries. One household in the New Forest area in southern England uncovered a Tudor…
Sheffield Castle: archaeology, archives, regeneration, 1927-2018
Sheffield Castle is a rare archaeological treat put together by a university team working with local authorities and professional archaeologists. It is about a place that has topographical and historical meaning thanks to recent well-designed rescue excavations and sleuth-like digging…
Green fingers and golden finds: how lockdown gardening led to a host of new discoveries
Between March and June of last year, many of us found ourselves spending a lot more time at home – and, if you are lucky enough to have outdoor space, in the garden. The British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme has since announced a flurry of archaeological discoveries made by members of the public digging at home, some of which were described in their latest annual report. Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts explores some of the highlights.
An unknown manuscript by a medieval master
‘The Lucas Psalter is of clear artistic and cultural significance, and tells a fascinating English story.'
Glass roots: examining the archaeology of glassmaking in England
Today, glass is a commodity so ubiquitous and cheap that we take it for granted, but it wasn’t always so. A new book by David Dungworth traces the rise of glass from small-scale manufacturing in the medieval period to the major industrial production of the 20th century. Chris Catling reports.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales
The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s was one of the most-important religious, political, and social events ever to unfold in England and Wales. This act, and the associated (but separate) Reformation of the Church, brought about fundamental change…
1520: the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Published 500 years after the event took place, this book serves as a quincentenary celebration of the legendary first meeting between Henry VIII, the English king (r. 1509-1547), and Francis I, the French king (r. 1515-1547). Known as the Field…
X-ray analysis of chainmail from the Mary Rose
Analysis by X-ray of three copper-alloy artefacts recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose has offered new insight into their construction and the success of conservation efforts undertaken on them. Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, was constructed in…
Electrifying discoveries at Hampton Court Palace
This work has revealed the foundations of the original medieval hall, as well as the massive extension commissioned by Henry VIII after he took Hampton Court from Wolsey.
Identifying Armada wrecks off Co. Sligo
'The ship operated as a trade vessel, but was commandeered three times, before being finally ordered into service by Philip II of Spain as part of his Armada campaign.’
1471: the Battle of Barnet
What actually happened on a Wars of the Roses battlefield? What was it like to fight in the 15th century? MHM analyses one of the most decisive battles of the war, blow by blow.
The Wars of the Roses
Our special feature in this issue explores the art of war in late 15th-century England with an article on strategy and tactics, a blow-by-blow analysis of the Battle of Barnet (1471), and a short essay that sets the record straight on the much-maligned Richard III.
Tudor seapower: when Britannia first ruled the waves
Thirty years ago, the wreck of the Mary Rose, pride of Henry VIII’s navy, rose from the seabed to the gasps of a live TV audience of millions. Neil Faulkner takes the opportunity to review the
rise of English seapower in
the early 16th century.
The Mary Rose: celebrating three decades of research
On the 11 October 1982 a pioneering campaign of underwater excavations culminated in the raising of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose. That was only the beginning of a programme of research and conservation that continues to this day.