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Welcome to the Mythical Britain Blog
Written by Michael Smith, the Mythical Britain Blog provides detailed insights into a range of historical and literary topics including Middle English poetry, medieval castles and churches, Arthurian romance, historical geography, prehistoric sites, and historiography. The blog also reviews books, film and theatrical performances of relevance.
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Sir John Swinford of Spratton, and other wonders of St Andrew's church
St Andrew's church at Spratton is home to some wonderful treasures, including a magnificent Romanesque tower and a stunning alabaster effigy to Sir John Swinford (d. 1371)
Michael Smith
Apr 228 min read
Beeston Castle in Cheshire
Join me on a journey to Beeston castle in Cheshire. Built by Ranulf de Blondeville in the thirteenth century, it is situated on a 350 foot sandstone crag with dramatic views over five counties and out towards Wales.
Michael Smith
Apr 138 min read
King Arthur's last battle described
Sometimes described as the Battle of Camlann, King Arthur's last battle is described nowhere as vibrantly and poignantly than in the fourteenth century Alliterative Morte Arthure.
Michael Smith
Mar 512 min read
The arming of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The arming of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is testament to the poet's descriptive skill and accuracy. But the ritualistic nature of the arming of Gawain also builds the dramatic tension as our hero faces unknown terrors.
Michael Smith
Mar 111 min read
The tarnished reputation of King Arthur in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The reputation of King Arthur and the Round Table takes a great knock in the fourteenth century masterpiece Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This article discusses how the Gawain-poet's critique of Arthur also applies to kings and kingship.
Michael Smith
Feb 2612 min read
Seven days to Sandwich - geography and nationhood in the Alliterative Morte Arthure
In the Alliterative Morte Arthure, King Arthur gives the Roman ambassadors just seven days to travel from Carlisle to Kent and leave his Kingdom. His demands tell us much about how medieval writers understood their land and how to move about it.
Michael Smith
Feb 128 min read
Sheriff Hutton Castle in the North Riding of Yorkshire
Join me on a tour of the dramatic ruins at Sheriff Hutton castle near York where we not only look at the castle itself but also learn about its setting in the landscape, its history and ultimate decline.
Michael Smith
Feb 1013 min read
William of Palerne and the Alliterative Revival
William of Palerne (The Romance of William and the Werewolf) is seen as one of the earliest works of the so-called Alliterative Revival of the fourteenth century and with links to Langland - but what is its real history and significance?
Michael Smith
Feb 511 min read
Tarn Wadling and the supernatural landscape of Arthurian Cumberland
A lost, mysterious lake near High Hesket, Cumberland, provided the setting for a series of Arthurian romances written in the fifteenth century and now largely lost to time. Here, Michael Smith explores its reputation and cultural influence.
Michael Smith
Jan 910 min read
Old age and the Reeve in the Canterbury Tales
The Reeve in the Canterbury tale gives us a remarkable insight into how folk in the middle ages viewed old age, and how they looked to the future.
Michael Smith
Jan 86 min read
The medieval magnificence and Ricardian riches at the church of St Michael at Stanton Harcourt
The church of St Michael in Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire is place rich in medieval features dating from the mid twelfth century onwards and includes some remarkable effigies from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Michael Smith
Dec 15, 20255 min read
Common People in William of Palerne?
William of Palerne (The Romance of William and the Werewolf), ca. 1350, features a variety of characters from working life who are often ignored in medieval romance. But who were these 'common people' and why does the scribe feature them?
Michael Smith
Nov 28, 20256 min read
Bisclavret the werewolf
The lais of Bisclavret, a poem by Marie de France about a knight condemned to roam abroad as a werewolf, is remarkable for what it tells us about twelfth century morality and how men and women were treated differently. This articles summarises the story and reflects upon its meaning.
Michael Smith
Nov 11, 20258 min read
The haunting literary landscape of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The literary landscape of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a powerful evocation of a magical possibility existing at the fringes of our known imagination. How does the poet evoke this?
Michael Smith
Nov 3, 20258 min read
The Alliterative Revival - lessons from a time of tyranny which still hold true today
The poems of the Alliterative Revival may date from the fourteenth century but their content has much to tell us about the need for good government today - and how to avoid the tyranny of terrible leaders we are starting to see.
Michael Smith
Oct 26, 20259 min read
Overal enker-grene – the symbolism of the colour green in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The symbolism of the colour green in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has often been attributed to the supernatural. But is there a simpler reason behind the poet's choice, one based on narrative technique and audience expectation?
Michael Smith
Sep 29, 20257 min read
King Alfred and the Danes on the River Lea, 895
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles tells us that in 895 King Alfred trapped the Danes on the River Lea in Hertfordshire. But was this possible and where did this happen?
Michael Smith
Sep 25, 20259 min read
The medieval brass to John and Alice Wilcotes, St Michael and All Angels, Great Tew, Oxfordshire
The church of St Michael and All Angels contains a wealth of architectural wonders and historic features. The brass to Sir John and Alice Wilcotes is certainly amongst them and is a particularly fine example of its type.
Michael Smith
Sep 17, 20257 min read
A history and description of Richard’s Castle, Herefordshire
Named after its original founder, Richard Fitz Scrob, the village of Richard's Castle in Herefordshire is home to one of the few motte and bailey castles to be built in Britain prior to the Norman Conquest. The associated church of St Bartholomew also contains elements from the Norman period.
Michael Smith
Sep 14, 20256 min read
T C Lethbridge and the lost Gogmagog giant of Wandlebury
The excavations by T C Lethbridge at Wandlebury in the mid 1950s revealed a frieze of chalk figures unknown to history but which caused considerable controversy at the time. His book in defence of his arguments met with condemnation but his work continues to attract attention nearly 70 years later.
Michael Smith
Jul 19, 202510 min read
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