Mythical Britain
is the home of
Michael Smith 
author, printmaker, translator and performer of medieval romances
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for events, lectures, readings and consultancy

The church of St Mary the Virgin at Dodford in Northamptonshire has a rich collection of medieval effigies and monuments spanning three centuries. A visit is highly recommended.

Monumental brasses in English churches provide a fascinating insight into society, fashion and aesthetics. In this post we look at a variety of brasses from Essex, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire, dating from between 1350 and 1580.

Michael Smith reviews an astonishing graphic novel version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by John Reppion and Mark Penman.

An explanation of the translation approach undertaken to create the first ever alliterative edition of William of Palerne in modern English.

The message of Christmas which emerges from an alternative reading of the Middle English masterpiece, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

How a fourteenth-century alliterative romance has come alive once more, richly illustrated with linocut prints.

Michael Smith reveals the processes involved in the making his latest linocut of Sir Gawain as he ventures in search of the Green Knight.

A detailed look at two magnificent Norman motte-and-bailey castles in Essex: Great Canfield and Pleshey. Both are well worth the trip to see

A detailed look at the magnificent tomb of Sir Randal and Lady Eleanor Brereton at Malpas, Cheshire. A fine example of Chellaston work.

Dr Dan Spencer's book on the Medieval castles is a valuable and accessible guide to castles - not what they are but where they appear in

An overview of the revolutionary tactics used by Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt 1415.

A description of the astonishing motte and bailey castle at Castle Bytham, Lincolnshire, with its historic earthworks and man-made landscape

Learn about the fabulous mediaeval graffiti at Anstey in Hertfordshire, including shields, helmets, writing and more.

The Fourteenth Century holds a real fascination for me; particularly the fashion and ethos of the later days of the Age of Chivalry. In this

How I made and printed a four-colour linocut of the Cheshire Knight, Sir Hugh Calveley. Michael Smith, Mythical Britain