Lady Jayne's Pillow Book

theoddmentemporium: The Bisley Boy It is a tradition amongst...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:30:25 -0600

The Bisley Boy

It is a tradition amongst villages in England to celebrate the advent of the month of May with a festival involving processions, music, dancing, and, the piece de resistance, a May Queen - usually a young girl from the village adorned with a crown of flowers. The village of Bisley, however, does things differently. They choose a boy instead and have him dressed in the clothes of a Tudor era female. The question as to why is one which plagued Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, who, when he heard of the strange custom, sought to get to the bottom of it in his lesser known work Famous Impostors.

Stoker uncovered a local legend that told how, around 1543, Queen Elizabeth I, then a princess, was sent to Bisley to take in the country air, when suddenly she fell ill and died. Learning that Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, was on his way to visit his daughter, her governess began to fear for her own life: Henry had recently had his wife, Catherine Howard, beheaded and, famously ill-tempered and unpredictable, no one wanted to upset him further. As such, the governess hurried to find a replacement but no girl of similar appearance to Elizabeth could be found. There was however, a red-headed boy who would do just the trick. The governess had him put on the princesses’ dress and presented to the King. Henry saw his daughter infrequently and never discovered the impostor. In fact, the trick worked so well the King was never informed and the boy grew up to become Queen Elizabeth I. In 1870 the vicar of Bisley claimed he had uncovered the coffin of a girl dressed in Tudor clothes but had reinterred the remains in an unmarked grave so it did not become a shrine.

To add credence to the theory, Stoker cites a series of 16th century letters which detail ‘secrets of great moment’ between the Queen and her closest companions; her refusal to marry and apparent inability to bear children; her baldness; a change in the style of her writing from before and after the apparent swap; her refusal to see any but one doctor; and her instruction that there be no post mortem on her body when she died. Of course, all these things can be explained away much more simply, but, whatever the truth, everyone loves a conspiracy.

[Sources: Telegraph | Elizabeth Files | Famous Impostors (Full Text)]

scinerds: I <3 Lucy!

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:34:18 -0600

scinerds:

I <3 Lucy!

indophilia: Watched over

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:23:20 -0600

indophilia:

Watched over

kharsto: Tambour double face représentant...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:21:11 -0600

kharsto:

Tambour double face représentant l’Oiseau-Tonnerre.

Civilisation Pawnee. Oklahoma.

ancient-serpent: Malplaquet House, Stepney, East London

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:17:38 -0600

ancient-serpent:

Malplaquet House, Stepney, East London

LoL!

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:13:05 -0600

LoL!

thingswoolike: Manticore Romanesque (by petrus.agricola)

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:02:11 -0600

thingswoolike:

Manticore Romanesque (by petrus.agricola)

nine-reeds: Gold and Heliotrope pendant. C. 3rd-4th...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:00:21 -0600

nine-reeds:

Gold and Heliotrope pendant. C. 3rd-4th Century
Roman.

chinacat-crazycat: This is the cutest thing I h e ever found on...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:57:59 -0600

chinacat-crazycat:

This is the cutest thing I h e ever found on a site. Dog print in a fort brick! #archaeology #fortcaswell #dog #print

art-of-swords: Swords & Daggers Dagger with scabbard -...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:56:06 -0600

art-of-swords:

Swords & Daggers

Dagger with scabbard - Middle East, 17th century

Rapier - Italy (Milan), 1605

Sword - Germany, early 18th century

Rapier with matching parrying dagger - Germany, 1562

Rapier - Spain, 1575

Rapier - Spain, 1575

Dagger with scabbard - Germany, 18th century

Sword of Elector Augustus - Germany (Nuremberg), 1566

Ceremonial/presentation swords and daggers from the Dresden Museum Armoury.

Source: © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden 2013

meret118: Me either. I fell asleep on the couch yesterday...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:55:18 -0600

meret118:

Me either. I fell asleep on the couch yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours and consequently got NO sleep last night. *hugs*

japaneseaesthetics: Dogu earthenware. Final Jomon culture...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:53:31 -0600

japaneseaesthetics:

Dogu earthenware. Final Jomon culture period, 1000-300 BC, Japan. These dogu or “clay dolls” clay at low temperature (800 ° C), are hollow.

Their ritual use is still poorly defined. They are usually found in tombs nearby villages, sometimes deliberately broken and scattered, perhaps for prophylactic purposes. Their female forms also seem to relate to the cult of fertility, these statuettes were attached to a shamanic use and established a link between the supernatural world and the earthly world. Guiment Museum

archaeology: New high-definition scans of the tomb of...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:46:45 -0600

archaeology:

New high-definition scans of the tomb of Tutankhamun now online, courtesy of the Factum Foundation.

badminton: hicockalorum Date:late 19th centuryGeography:Canada,...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:30:06 -0600

badminton:

hicockalorum Date:late 19th centuryGeography:Canada, British ColumbiaCulture:HaidaMedium:Copper, haliotis shell, fur

LoL!

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:30:20 -0600

LoL!

nativeamericannews: Pawnee Star Chart & Astrology Map The...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:30:10 -0600

nativeamericannews:

Pawnee Star Chart & Astrology Map

The picture of the Star Chart and astrology map clearly depicts recognizable constellation patterns and these have been highlighted and named. The Pawnee Star Chart and astrology map was created between 100 -300 years ago and is painted with ochre on to a soft leather deer hide measuring 22 inches by 15 inches.

islamic-cultures: An engraved bronze fountain spout in the...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:30:03 -0600

islamic-cultures:

An engraved bronze fountain spout in the shape of a lion made in 13th-century Spain/Andalusia the Louvre, Paris.

أسد مونثون، فم نافورة أنجزت في إسبانيا/الأندلس في القرن الثالث عشر، متحف اللوفر، باريس

ytellioglu: A very large and rare cloisonné enamel Imperial...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:30:07 -0600

ytellioglu:

A very large and rare cloisonné enamel Imperial dragon charger, China, Ming dynasty. Photo Nagel Auktionen

Of circular form with a large five-clawed yellow dragon above waves and a further smaller red dragon. The border depicts twelve lotos blossoms amidst scrollwork. Minor losses to enamels, minor wear. D. 63 cm.

Photo

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:30:19 -0600

ragbag: discardingimages: flying penis monster Decretum...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:58:38 -0600

ragbag:

discardingimages:

flying penis monster

Decretum Gratiani with the commentary of Bartolomeo da Brescia, Italy 1340-1345.

Lyon, BM, Ms 5128, fol. 100r

flying penis monster auto-reblog enabled.