Talk on Castles

Does anyone belong to or know of a society or group that would like to hear me give a talk about castles? I'm applying to be a NADFAS lecturer, and they need to observe me talking about architecture to a group of 50+ adults. Normally I give a castles talk every six months or so, but at present all forthcoming talks are about the Norman Conquest. Any suggestions gratefully received, and all invitations considered, though preference will be given to invitations to speak sooner rather than later, and to locations close to where I live in south-east England. Please contact me directly by clicking the 'Contact' tab, above, and using the 'other enquiries' email address.

Talking History Interview

Earlier this evening I was interviewed on the Irish radio station Newstalk about the Norman Conquest. You can listen again here. (Scroll down to 'Talking History'. My bit is in Part 2.)

The Burial of King Edward I (revised version)

On Friday 27 October 1307, amid scenes of universal mourning, the body of King Edward I was carried through the streets of London and laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.
      ‘He was a great warrior, but above all a great unifier’, said John, a carter from Evesham. ‘Remember what it was like under Simon de Montfort? Battles all the time and the dead lying unburied in the streets!’
      Dafydd ap Maredudd, who had come all the way from Caernarfon to pay his respects, agreed. ‘Wales was awful before Edward conquered it,’ he said, ‘and economically very backward. Now we have all his lovely castles’.
      A visiting Scot, John MacDonald of Falkirk, nodded approvingly. ‘People say Edward was bad for Scotland – towns and villages burned to the ground, lead stripped from church roofs, whole communities wiped out, yada yada. It’s just loony pro-Bruce propaganda’.
      MacDonald then pointed to the Stone of Destiny in the Coronation Chair, opining that it looked ‘much better than it did in Scone’.

King Harold found at Waltham Abbey

No not really. Check the date.