Interpreted less charitably by Thomas Astle, its former owner, who drew it as a horned devil holding a baby and two brands. Stowe MS 665, f. 86r.

Grant of Margaret Neville to her son in 1315 of her London mansion called 'la Sale de Plum', the Hall of Lead. The area is still called Leadenhall today. LFC Ch XXIII 16. #medievalsky

The back of the seal of Hubert de Burgh, a key figure in the governments of John and Henry III. An ancient intaglio gem was used showing Mercury holding a caduceus, a staff entwined with serpents. LFC Ch XXIII 3.

One week until publication of my book on the Knights Hospitaller in Britain and Ireland! #medievalsky

Tiny grotesque on this 1292 charter granting the manor of Sheet near Ludlow. LFC Ch XXIII 1. #medievalsky

Stephen of Werehorn. LFC Ch XXII 5. Bit concerning when googling the name to have the safe search option come up. Werehorn thankfully turned out to be the name of a village.

Haven't seen this before. A husband and wife stamped a different side of the same piece of wax with their seal. LFC Ch XXV 14. #medievalsky

Seal of Baldwin, count of Flanders and Hainault, later 1st Latin Emperor of Constantinople following the Fourth Crusade. LFC Ch XXII 4. #medievalsky

Seal with a ship with furled sails. LFC Ch XXV 16. #medievalsky

Another great medieval name: Dudeman. LFC Ch XXV 1. #medievalsky

@medievaljews.bsky.social and I were quoted in The Times last week about a project we've been helping on to commemorate London's medieval Jewish cemetery. A free exhibition on the site is now at St Giles Cripplegate church until 16 September. #medievalsky www.thetimes.com/uk/london/ar...

Very early depiction of Canterbury Cathedral in this seal of the cathedral chapter, attached to a charter of 1152, but using a seal matrix possibly of the 11th century. LFC Ch XXII 2. #medievalsky

'King Arthur died, never to return'. Not sure if this is a scribal error for umquam or someone being contrarian. LFC Roll XX 4. #medievalsky

A calculation for the date of Easter which 'never fails, either in a leap year or out of a leap year'. LFC Roll XX 4.

French copy of the Sortes Sanctorum, a text with prophecies for every possible roll of 3 dice predictions. If you roll a 6, 3, 3, for example, the highlighted entry below, this means 'regarding the thing that you thought about before, you shall have great glory'. LFC Roll XXI 2. #medievalsky

Author copies! My book on the Knights Hospitaller and their part in medieval Britain's wars, politics, and intrigue will be out on 25 September. #medievalsky

1/20 A thread about the appearance of the ‘Papal Banner’ in episode seven of #KingandConqueror. In an article that was published in 2021 in the @haskinssociety.bsky.social Journal, I expressed some scepticism about the veracity of William of Poitiers’ claim that the papacy sponsored the Norman...

Edmund Crouchback in a 15th century Lancastrian genealogical roll, here depicted as disabled, in line with a Lancastrian myth that he was Henry III's eldest son, passed over in favour of Edward I because of his supposed disabilities. LFC Roll XXVIII 11. #medievalsky

A roll from Bury St Edmunds Abbey with a list of the foundations of different religious orders. Oddly the Templars aren't there and the Hospitallers were added later, but the Teutonic Order and the Knights of Santiago and Calatrava were included. LFC Roll XXI 1. #medievalsky

A very perturbed lion in this capital on a charter of Edward III. LFC Ch XVIII 12. #medievalsky

It is 2029. At a ceremony attended by a dozen "political lesbians" and cis white gay men of a certain age and income bracket, Paul Burston hands the uncontested Polari Prize to John Boyne for his novel "Six", detailing the theft of Henry VIII's six golden coins by the Italian explorer Mario.

Now that's an index entry.

If the sandwich was invented by the earl of Sandwich, then brunch was invented by:

Seal of Robert of Farleigh, a stonemason, showing a hand holding a hammer. LFC Ch XIII 13. #medievalsky

Brunchingus, another great medieval name. LFC Ch XVI 17. #medievalsky

In October, I will be giving the Jonathan Riley-Smith Memorial Lecture at the Museum of St John in London, talking about the often tense relationship between the Templars and Hospitallers: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talk-templ...

Fragmentary seal showing Adam eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, the Serpent wrapped around the tree. LFC Ch XV 12. #medievalsky

Tickets are out for London Month of the Dead, including my talk on 2nd November about spells in medieval manuscripts. Learn how to summon demons, find buried treasure, and make bread dance. londonmonthofthedead.com/spellssaints...

In June 1513, Henry VIII launched an invasion of France, attempting to reclaim lost English lands. Today's blogpost by @rorymaclellan.bsky.social looks at three documents which shine a light on the preparations for this campaign and the supply of armour for Henry's troops. t.co/rYaeYw6Jbq

My book Warrior Monks: Politics and Power in Medieval Britain is part of Waterstones' preorder sale until the end of Thursday. Get 25% off if you enter the code SUMMER25 at checkout. #WPreorder #medievalsky

Wereward and Goldhawk, medieval crime-solving duo. The first is nothing to do with werewolves, sadly, but means someone who guards a fish weir. LFC Ch XIV 9. #medievalsky

My book Warrior Monks: Politics and Power in Medieval Britain is part of Waterstones' preorder sale until the end of Thursday. Get 25% off if you enter the code SUMMER25 at checkout. #WPreorder #medievalsky

Two months until publication of my book on the Knights Hospitaller and their role in civil wars, politics, and intrigue in medieval Britain and Ireland, with very kind endorsements from @lucyworsley.bsky.social and @tracyborman.bsky.social thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/... #medievalsky

Three engraved Roman gems were used in this 13th century seal. The first shows Hercules wrestling the Cretan Bull, the second a woman in a long dress, the third a dancing satyr. LFC Ch XIV 4. #medievalsky

Very disappointed to find that an old catalogue is incorrect and this charter doesn't mention cheesecake at all, but fish.

A great Tudor name this time: Hippolytus Butter, living in Holnest, Dorset, in 1599. LFC Roll XIII 1.

Tickets are out for London Month of the Dead, including my talk on 2nd November about spells in medieval manuscripts. Learn how to summon demons, find buried treasure, and make bread dance. londonmonthofthedead.com/spellssaints...

A post on my latest cataloguing project: the Campbell Charters, which include a collection of grants from Scotland's kings and a roll for calculating dice probabilities. #medievalsky blogs.bl.uk/digitisedman...

Another great medieval name: William Prick. LFC Ch XII 15. #medievalsky

Charter quitclaiming land to Sir John Paston and others, 28 July 1497. John had been knighted a month earlier by Henry VII at the Battle of Stoke. LFC Ch XII 9. #medievalsky

Seal of a squirrel on a 14th century charter. LFC Ch XII 7. #medievalsky

St Margaret of Antioch is normally shown with a dragon, referring to a story where one tries to eat her until she makes the sign of the cross, making the dragon's belly split open and freeing her. But in the Catalan version, it's not a dragon. It's a demonic turtle. #medievalsky

Another great medieval name: William le Knave.

Really pleased to see these new panels at the Tower of London using some of my research from my postdoc project there.

15th century drawing of the badge of William Hastings, Lord Hastings, one of Edward IV's chief counsellors. BL, Add MS 40742, f. 11.

The seal of Ankerwycke Nunnery, Buckinghamshire, showing their church with a thatched roof and half-timbered walls. LFC Ch X 7. #medievalsky

Those famous 15th-century Protestants...

Contract of the future Cardinal Wolsey with an Italian merchant for 2000 suits of armour for Henry VIII's invasion of France in 1513. With Wolsey's signature (spelt Wuley). LFC VIII 18.