There are only 4 more days to submit an abstract for our #IMC2026 panel on practice-based/experiential research in medieval studies. We would love for this session to facilitate some interdisciplinary conversations, so please do get in touch with your ideas. #Medievalsky

The amazing Roman pharos (lighthouse) at Dover, still standing after almost 2,000 years! 🤩 The tallest surviving Roman structure in Britain, and one of only three surviving lighthouses from the former Roman Empire! Dated 1st-2nd century AD. 📷 by me #RomanSiteSaturday #Archaeology

So pleased to discover this article (doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10133) on the results from an archaeological dig at Worth Matravers that I was part of in 2007! A rare stone anchor was found with one burial and it's very interesting that the C14 dates didn't require marine correction so close to the sea.

Treasure!

Call for Papers @imc-leeds.bsky.social Following my recent fieldwork sailing down the Seine in a reconstructed tenth-century ship, @stevedehailes.bsky.social and I are organising a panel on practice-based/experiential research in medieval studies. We welcome abstracts from any field. #Medievalsky

The ship has landed! #Medievalsky

Exciting times at the new Museum of the Viking Age vikingtidsmuseet.no/english/ There is a live feed of the Oseberg ship being (very slowly) moved into its new position. #Medievalsky

I visited Saint Fiacre's chapel in Lisieux Cathedral last week. The Brother Cadfael books were, in retrospect, probably an early influence that led me to an interest in the medieval period and I have a great affection for gardening monks.

Most unfair. The Pythons were famously aware that kings didn't have shit all over them.

I’m in Normandy for the rest of the month with family, though I’m taking every opportunity to think about my thesis. Today I visited an exhibition on the river Risle which was very interesting and made something I’ve been wondering about for a while become clear. I love it when that happens!

Well that’s the end of this excellent adventure. I’ve spent 2 weeks travelling down the Seine from Paris to Honfleur managing navigation, radio communication with the maritime authorities, booking our harbours, and acting as translator and tour guide as well as crew. I’m tired but happy 🙂 #Saga25

Life aboard: Today is the last day on board as we hand over the ship to the next crew at the end of our 2-week stage. Yesterday afternoon we cleaned the ship, which is a big but important job as we all live, sleep and eat on board and don’t want any rodent or insect passengers joining us #Saga25

I’ve just spent the morning visiting La Mora project in Honfleur (like a kid in a candy shop)! My doctoral research examines the maritime culture of tenth and eleventh-century Normandy to identify the foundations which enabled the Norman invasion to become a successful reality #Saga25 #MedievalSky

We have just taken delivery of a new rudder, as the one we have been sailing with all week was broken on the previous stage and had a temporary repair. The new rudder was driven to Honfleur from Norway to meet us #Saga25

This morning we arrived in beautiful Honfleur after a speedy voyage on the ebb tide. Honfleur has a long maritime history and tomorrow the public holiday in France celebrates the Assumption of Mary, a festival particularly important to sailors who consider Mary their protector- Stella Maris #Saga25

We have been averaging 4-5knots along the river on this voyage, which the crew say is typical of the speeds this ship type would have achieved in the 10th century. However, the tides are now so strong that we have been averaging 7-8knots this morning. You certainly have to go with the flow! #Saga25

We just passed Aizier, the location of a Roman port excavated between 2009-13. The excavations revealed three successive phases of a substantial port from the 1st-3rd centuries. A publication from the excavations can be found here journals.openedition.org/gallia/5763 #Saga25

We had another early start this morning from Caudebec to catch the tide again. Minutes after we cast off we discovered that some of the debris carried by the strong tides had been wedged under the boat causing drag. Once free it floated away and we could continue 1/ #Saga25

We arrived in Caudebec at midday and visited the MuseoSeine. I’ve been here several times and really like it as it shows the importance of the Seine throughout history and how it has changed. This is essential for interpreting the activities that took place along this waterway in the past #Saga25

The abbey of Jumièges from the river (& a closer view from an earlier visit). Est. in the 7th c, attacked during the Scandinavian raids of the 9th c, and rebuilt by William Longsword in the 10th c. The abbey church was consecrated in the presence of William the Conqueror in 1067 #Saga25 #MedievalSky

It was a very early start this morning leaving Rouen to catch the tide. We have quite a long voyage today along the boucles de la Seine and will be passing some important historic locations, so I’m interested to find out what is visible from the river today #Saga25

A day spent in Rouen today where I’ve been acting as tour guide to some of the crew. We visited the cathedral, where Rollo and William Longsword have effigies and where there is a relic of Saint Olaf. We also went to the new Viking Cité Immersive experience which was interesting #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Yesterday we arrived in Rouen and last night Rouen Cathedral was illuminated by a Viking-themed light show #Saga25

We also passed Oissel, an island with a fortified camp in the 9th c. Today the island is joined to the bank, as with most of the 117 islands that were in the Seine in 1750 before engineers sought to tame and reclaim from the river. There are only 20 islands left today #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Just passed Pont-de-l’Arche where a Frankish fortified bridge is mentioned frequently in the late 9th c at a strategic location at the confluence of the rivers Seine and Eure. In the 12th c Robert of Torigni reported that a fortification built by Rollo could also still be seen #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Life aboard: Most of the crew take turns in pairs to make all the meals for one full day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), and also do the washing up. Each pair can choose what they make, so we have had a nice variety of interesting meals. The double gas hob is hidden in a big box on board #Saga25

Today we arrived in Poses which is 200km along the Seine from where we started in Paris. It is also the location of a barrage, so from this point on we will be travelling down the maritime, tidal Seine. The church has late 16th-c graffiti depicting ships made by local bargemen #Saga25

The duke is sailing in the opposite direction #Saga25

Life aboard: Sounds and views from the lookout position in the bow #Saga25

Today we had a short voyage from Vernon to Les Andelys below spectacular Château Gaillard. We passed Le Goulet, where in a charter of 1006 the abbot of Saint-Ouen de Rouen granted Drogo permission to build two new mills in the port called ‘Orgul’ (Scripta 1446). #Saga25 #MedievalSky 1/

This afternoon we visited Monet’s beautiful house and gardens at Giverny. I walked there from Vernon along the Seine and Epte which was lovely #Saga25

Yesterday evening we arrived in Vernon and had another beautiful mooring. A charter (Scripta 3342) of c.1200 records that King Philip Augustus granted the earlier mill here to the man who showed him the best place to build it in return for a nominal annual payment of one fat eel #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Life aboard: There are lots of small, interesting details to spot on Saga Farmann. The steering post is carved, as is one of the pegs for tying ropes for the sail. This is the only one that is carved and is perhaps the sort of thing a bored medieval mariner may have done too #Saga25

I just got what may be considered disproportionately excited about crossing the invisible border into Normandy at the confluence of the rivers Epte and the Seine as established in 911 #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Another historic point of interest today was the island of Jeufosse where the Viking army camped in 852 and 856 #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Today’s voyage has also taken us past the late 12th-century keep of Château de La Roche-Guyon #Saga25

We have just passed Vétheuil, famously painted by Claude Monet #Saga25

We also had a particularly beautiful mooring place on the opposite side of the bridge to Mantes in Limay #Saga25

Yesterday we continued down river and passed Meulan, an important crossing point on the Seine in the 11th c that controlled and taxed river traffic. Meulan came to the Norman family of Beaumont in the mid 11th c and were important political players between Normandy and France #Saga25 #MedievalSky 1/

Life aboard: Although Saga Farmann is 20m long and 5.5m wide the mast takes up a lot of space so during the day everything must be packed away for walkways to be clear. Everyone has a number for their cup and life vest so you always have your own and washing up can be minimised. #Saga25

Yesterday afternoon we travelled to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine at the important confluence (hence the name) of the Seine and Oise rivers, and which marks the start of the Vexin. The tower at Conflans was built in the eleventh century to control this important maritime interchange #Saga25 #MedievalSky

I have some time this morning so I will introduce the project I’m taking part in. I am sailing on Saga Farmann, a reconstruction of the Klåstad ship. It dates from 998 and was found near the the site of Kaupang in southern Norway. Only 40% of the original ship survives #Saga25 #MedievalSky 1/

Today was a long day. I went to see Notre-Dame Cathedral first thing in the morning when there was no queue at all. It was nice to see the building after the restoration, and especially the copper cockerel from the roof that miraculously survived the fire #Saga25 #MedievalSky 1/

This afternoon I’ve explored Île de la Cité, the medieval heart of Paris. I visited Sainte-Chapelle, part of the medieval royal palace, to see the spectacular 13th-c stained glass and the oldest wall painting in Paris. #Saga25 #MedievalSky 1/

Yesterday I visited the former abbey church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, home of Abbo who made an eyewitness account of the Viking attacks on Paris in the 880s. We also moved the ship from the Eiffel Tower to the harbour at the Bastille monument, going through our first lock. #Saga25 #MedievalSky

Today I start my research trip sailing down the River Seine from Paris to Honfleur (via a few stops) in a reconstruction of the Klåstad cargo ship built in 998. It’s the penultimate stage in the ship’s journey from Rome to London throughout the summer. I’ll post updates as we go #Saga25 #MedievalSky

I was very sad to hear of the death of Professor Peter Marshall, the generous benefactor of the Marshall Fellowship that I was honoured to receive from October 2024-March 2025. Peter was very kind and encouraging to me, and I am extremely grateful to him. royalhistsoc.org/peter-j-mars...

There is strong Bristol representation at #Battle2025, and we have just been treated to a brilliant paper by @sophiekelly59.bsky.social on 'Episcopal display and the English crozier around the time of the Norman Conquest'.

I'm setting out for the Battle Conference on Anglo-Norman Studies, as I was lucky enough to have been chosen as this year's Marjorie Chibnall Essay Prize winner. My essay is titled 'Contributions to the Conquest: The Abbey of Fécamp and Maritime Memory', and an abstract is below: 1/ #MedievalSky

I wasn’t feeling in a very happy place today, so I sketched and then painted one.