Below you will find 379 items from around the world on many different topics in the news concerning the Middle Ages. These might range from obituaries of great scholars of the period to articles about the last efforts to preserve a medieval barn. The Middle Ages comes up quite regularly in the news and so we will aim to bring you the latest. To help with that we have also set up two methods for you to get these items:

• You can subscribe to our Middle Ages in the News RSS feed
• You can now download the current headlines to your PDA via AvantGo. Simply add the channel to your AvantGo Channel list.

Medieval Ship May Have Crossed Atlantic

Campaigners who successfully fought to preserve a medieval ship discovered on the banks of the River Usk, claim it could have been among the first to cross the Atlantic. The 15th Century craft was found buried in the riverbank, in Newport, south Wales, in June, when builders started hollowing out the orchestra pit of a new theatre and art centre.
Source: BBC News       Date: 30 Dec 2002

Ancient Loos Under Threat

Archaeologists have expressed surprise at finding a complex medieval toilet system during a dig at a shopping centre redevelopment site. The find at the Sheridan Centre in Gaolgate Street, Stafford, has gone on show to the public, but will eventually be "destroyed" by work to construct a new retail development.
Source: Ananova       Date: 28 Dec 2002

Pilgrims Follow Ancient Footsteps

Hundreds of modern-day pilgrims are planning to take part in the traditional Boxing Day walk from Ripon Cathedral to Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire. It will again be led by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Reverend John Packer.
Source: BBC News       Date: 24 Dec 2002

Bones From Medieval Ship Site Tested

Work is due to begin on a set of bones uncovered during the salvage of a medieval ship in Newport. Tests are expected to reveal more about the person's age, sex and lifestyle and how he or she came to buried at the site.
Source: BBC News       Date: 20 Dec 2002

'Unluckiest Church in the World' is Found

The church was wrecked by two earthquakes, a flood, and a landslide - all of which happened while it was still being built. It later became an opium den and after it was abandoned most of the remains were washed into the sea.
Source: Ananova       Date: 13 Dec 2002

Bones Unearthed at Medieval Ship Site

Workers excavating the banks of a river where the remains of a medieval ship were found have discovered two ancient leg bones at the site. The right and left femur bones were found by archaeologists unearthing the ship which has lain embedded in the banks of the River Usk in Newport since the 15th Century.
Source: BBC News       Date: 12 Dec 2002

Unique Character of Medieval Town

The historic buildings of Edinburgh's Old Town help to mark it out as one of Europe's most beautiful and architecturally important cities. In 1995, the Old Town, along with the city's New Town, was designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Source: BBC News       Date: 8 Dec 2002

Historic Path Given Grant Boost

Plans to build a 60-mile footpath along an historic route in north east Wales has taken a leap in the right direction. Local historians want to open a long-distance route near Wat's Dyke - a defensive earthwork built in the 7th Century to keep Welsh people out of England.
Source: BBC News       Date: 3 Dec 2002

Bosnia Displays Ancient Jewish Book

One of Europe's most important Jewish relics has gone on public display in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. The 14th Century book, known as the Sarajevo Haggadah, depicts scenes from the Hebrew Bible and has intrigued scholars for generations.
Source: BBC News       Date: 2 Dec 2002

Black Book of Carmarthen Goes Online

Over 750 years after being written, probably in the Priory in Carmarthen, the Black Book of Carmarthen is now on the world wide web. Using the very latest technology, staff at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth have digitally captured one of Wales's most important manuscripts so that people world-wide can view some of the earliest Welsh poetry from the comfort of their own home.
Source: NewsWales       Date: 26 Nov 2002

Cashing in on Medieval Law

A North Yorkshire Lord of the Manor could be about to reap thousands of pounds from local villagers - thanks to an archaic law. The centuries-old law could force the residents in Sutton-on-the-Forest to pay the cash to Sir George Wombwell, of Newburgh Priory, for the right to use their drives.
Source: BBC News       Date: 21 Nov 2002

Medieval Mickey Mouse?

Restoration work on an Austrian church has uncovered a 700-year-old fresco that some say bears a striking resemblance to Mickey Mouse. The "medieval Mickey" is one of a group of animals and mythical creatures surrounding St Christopher on the exterior of a church in the village of Malta in the province of Carinthia.
Source: CNN.com       Date: 15 Nov 2002

Floods Uncovered Unique Gothic Altars

The floods that swept the Czech Republic earlier this year have revealed a set of three centuries-old sandstone Gothic altars. The unique religious relics came to light in a church in Zalezlice, central Bohemia, during a clean-up operation after the flooding which practically destroyed the village.
Source: Ananova       Date: 14 Nov 2002

Sherwood Forest Protected

Sherwood Forest has been made a special conservation area. The new status as a National Nature Reserve will protect trees, plants and unusual wildlife.
Source: Ananova       Date: 12 Nov 2002

Saxon Urn Found in Back Garden

Archaeologists digging in the back garden of a family home in Otford near Sevenoaks have found artefacts dating back almost 2,000 years. The local council called in the team after the Taylor family applied for planning permission to build an extension. Their semi-detached home is known to be on a Saxon burial site.
Source: BBC News       Date: 8 Nov 2002

Gusts Delay Ship's Excavation

Windy conditions have delayed the removal of some of the final parts of a medieval ship discovered buried in the banks of a south Wales river. A team of experts had planned to lift the keel of the 15th Century vessel as part of a £3.5m restoration project, following the discovery at the site of a new arts centre in Newport.
Source: BBC News       Date: 7 Nov 2002

Medieval Ship's Hull is Removed

Archaeologists are due to begin removing the final remains of an historic trading ship found in south Wales. A team of experts will lift the keel of the 15th Century vessel as part of a £3.5m restoration project, following the discovery at the site of a new arts centre in Newport.
Source: BBC News       Date: 7 Nov 2002

DNA Tests for Swedish Saint

A shrine to Saint Birgitta, considered as Sweden's patron saint, is to be opened on Tuesday so that DNA tests can be carried out to determine whose remains it contains. Birgitta, a widow and mother of eight, is highly popular in northern Europe, Germany, Hungary and Poland. The shrine, at the Vadstena church in central Sweden, is dedicated to Birgitta Birgersdotter (1303-1373), who was canonised in 1391.
Source: BBC News       Date: 4 Nov 2002

'Haunted Hanging' Pub on Sale

One of the oldest pubs in Wales, where 180 people are believed to have been hanged in the 17th Century, has gone on sale. The Skirrid Mountain Inn in Llanfihangel Crucorney, five miles from Abergavenny, has been linked to Hanging Judge Jeffreys, who carried out mass executions in 1685 following the Monmouth Rebellion.
Source: BBC News       Date: 31 Oct 2002

Spooky Sightings at Medieval Estate

Halloween preparations are gearing up at what is believed to be the most haunted house in the UK. Aberglasney house, a medieval estate in Carmarthenshire, reports many sightings from visitors and workers alike.
Source: BBC News       Date: 31 Oct 2002

Revamp for Town Centre Streets

Nearly £1m is to be spent on improving streets in a west Wales market town. A grant of more than £400,000 has been secured under the Objective One scheme to allow work to be carried out on the Carmarthen project.
Source: BBC News       Date: 30 Oct 2002

Medieval Seat Theft Could be Linked to Others

Police are investigating whether the theft of a medieval carved seat from St Mary's Church in Fairford is linked to a spate of similar incidents in the south west. The 700-year-old misericord, worth £15,000, was stolen from the church at the end of August along with a 16th Century brass plaque.
Source: This is Cirencester       Date: 25 Oct 2002

Viking Artifacts Arrive in Style

A Scottish courier arrived in St. Paul this week with a locked briefcase full of Viking gear. Not shoulder pads or driving manuals; these were priceless artifacts from medieval days when Vikings ruled (the 13th century, not 1998). Alexander Quinn of the National Museums of Scotland delivered the case, which held three 800-year-old figurines that were used in a chess-type game played by the fierce and adventurous Vikings who arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia. The pieces, carved from Greenlandic walrus ivory by Norwegian craftsmen, were found in Scotland. They'll be part of the Science Museum of Minnesota's touring exhibit "Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga," which opens Nov. 23.
Source: Star Tribune       Date: 25 Oct 2002

Airport Growth Threatens Church

A church which dates back to 600 AD may have to be knocked down if an expansion at East Midlands Airport is approved. Under safety regulations, Breedon Church in Leicestershire would cause a hazard to planes landing at a new runway. The Saxon church is in the village of Breedon-on-the-Hill and still holds services, weddings and other religious ceremonies.
Source: BBC News       Date: 22 Oct 2002

Abbey's `Four Story' £10m Facelift

It's been called the Westminster Abbey of Wales. Five generations of princes and princesses of the royal family of Deheubarth lie buried at Strata Florida, Ceredigion, along with the country's greatest medieval poet, Dafydd ap Gwilym. As large as the great religious foundations of Fountains, Rivelaux and Tintern, it was considered so important as a spiritual and cultural centre that it was a target for successive English invasion forces.
Source: iC Wales       Date: 21 Oct 2002

Flashing Blades Recreate Castle's Past

Silhouetted dramatically against the Edinburgh skyline, two soldiers pit their sword-fighting skills against each other. The mock duel in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle was staged yesterday as part of the weekend-long Autumn Spectacular, an event organised by Historic Scotland. Visitors were thrown back in time with a chance to find out what life was like when soldiers and clansmen roamed the land.
Source: Scotsman       Date: 21 Oct 2002

Medieval Books Get Rare Display at Library

Illuminated manuscripts, one of the most fragile of the medieval arts, are getting a rare display at the New York Public Library in an exhibition titled "Rare Illuminated Manuscripts and Early Printed Books." The library's important collection of manuscripts delicately illustrated with miniature paintings and decorations in brilliant color embellished by a generous use of gold are almost never shown because exposure to light causes fading, as it does with tapestries. Since most of the manuscripts are bound, only two pages at a time of any one book can be displayed.
Source: UPI       Date: 21 Oct 2002

'Priceless' Relic Stolen From Monastery

A priceless 15th Century wooden statue of the Madonna and Child has been stolen from a monastery. Benedictine monks at Prinknash Abbey, near Gloucester, fear the Flemish oak statue may have been taken for a private collection.
Source: BBC News       Date: 20 Oct 2002

Where Frenchmen Wear Kilts

A Scottish town in France? Och, oui. Anthony Peregrine, of The Sunday Times, finds a bizarre relic of the Auld Alliance.
Source: Times Online       Date: 20 Oct 2002

Making Medieval Music (and Marketing It, Too)

The singers in Anonymous 4 have discovered in their 16 years as a touring early-music vocal ensemble that fame has its pitfalls and that they are not always what one expects. "There's the problem of being identified with what we sing," said Marsha Genensky, one of the four singers in the group, which is best known for its performances of medieval sacred music but is expanding in other directions as well. "When we've gone to Spain, we've found that people don't believe that we're not nuns. Because how could we possibly sing this music if we're not nuns?"
Source: New York Times       Date: 18 Oct 2002

Ancient Coin Expected to Make a Mint

A penny from the distant past could rake in a fortune when it goes under the hammer at a collector's auction. The rare 900-year-old coin, which shows the head of the Earl of Northumberland, dates from around 1150AD and was probably minted in the North East. And with only about 20 of the coins surviving worldwide from the period, it is expected to fetch £4,000 when it is auctioned at Spink, in London, on November 15.
Source: iC Newcastle       Date: 17 Oct 2002

One 15th-Century Print Does a Star Turn in Cleveland

In a museum known for picking outstanding single works by great artists, a show based on one medieval engraving is especially appropriate. This 15th-century engraving, "Battle of the Nudes" by the Florentine painter, sculptor and goldsmith Antonio del Pollaiuolo, depicts a scene that still puzzles art historians. Ten men, all unclothed, are engaged in fierce combat with weapons including knives, swords and axes.
Source: NY Times       Date: 16 Oct 2002

Experts Study Biography of King of Gwynedd

An account of the rediscovery of a medieval Latin biography of Gruffudd ap Cynan, the powerful king of Gwynedd buried in Bangor cathedral in 1137, will be among the highlights for Welsh medievalists gathering at the University of Wales, Bangor over this week-end (19-20 October) to discuss new research on medieval Welsh history.
Source: News Wales       Date: 15 Oct 2002

National Trust Opposes Stansted Expansion

The National Trust has warned government plans to build new runways at Stansted airport could damage a scientifically important Essex forest... It is particularly concerned about Hatfield Forest, directly south of the airport, which is said to be the last remaining intact medieval hunting forest in Europe.
Source: BBC News       Date: 15 Oct 2002

Schools Reviving a Dead Language

A funny thing happened on the way to higher standards: Schools remembered Latin. As educators work to improve student performance in basic subjects such as reading, math, history and science, a few are finding that Latin, long thought stuffy and irrelevant, can help.
Source: CNN       Date: 14 Oct 2002

A Medieval Mission in Poitou-Charentes

Like a child's drawing of an improbably neat countryside, fields of sunflowers and grapevines stretch for miles in the Poitou-Charentes. Every so often a cluster of limestone houses and a steeple rears up, and it's possible to walk from one hamlet to the next without encountering more than a few cars. The traffic was heavier in the 11th and 12th centuries, when the road from Tours in the Loire Valley southwest through Poitiers and Saintes was one of France's four main routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish, St. Jacques in French) was Europe's premier pilgrimage site, and places of worship were essential along the route. As a result, this placid southwestern region has a saint's ransom of Romanesque churches.
Source: NY Times       Date: 13 Oct 2002

Book Forges Link Between Cities

The bond between Norwich and its French twin, Rouen, was forged in paper and ink today when a book celebrating the archaeological significance of the two cities was launched. The Medieval House in Normandy and England stems from a series of seminars in Rouen and Norwich in 1998 and 1999 where the 12th century Norman house under the Norwich's magistrates court and a similar discovery in France were discussed.
Source: EDP 24       Date: 11 Oct 2002

Lemon Juice 'Could Stop AIDS'

Australian scientists believe lemon juice could act as a cheap and effective birth control and help stop the spread of the deadly Aids disease... The practice of using lemon juice to prevent pregnancy was commonly used in medieval times, including by the legendary lothario Casanova, but has been forgotten by modern medicine.
Source: BBC News       Date: 11 Oct 2002

'Treasure' Unearthed at Oxford

Archaeologists have discovered 4,000-year-old artefacts while doing excavation work for Newsquest Oxfordshire's new £20m press hall. Irrigation gullies and pottery dating from the Bronze Age have been unearthed as well as coins which are thought to be medieval.
Source: HoldTheFrontPage.co.uk       Date: 10 Oct 2002

Jaakko Frösén gets EUR 20,000 prize for studies of ancient world

"It is a wonderful feeling to get first-hand information from 1000 years ago by finding a new papyrus scroll. History teaches, but people are not very good at learning. The world of antiquity had the same kinds of disputes as we do today", says Jaakko Frösén, professor of Greek philology, and one of Finland's best-known scientists. On Wednesday Frösén accepted a prize of EUR 20,000 given by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. He was granted the coveted prize for his scientific achievements as the head of a unique project. The project, sponsored by the Academy of Finland, involves the study of ancient and medieval documents, archives, and libraries.
Source: Helsingin Sanomat       Date: 10 Oct 2002

Museum to Mend Shattered Statue

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is trying to repair a 15th Century sculpture after it fell to the floor and shattered into pieces this week. The statue of Adam by Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo, considered a key piece of Italian Renaissance art, lost arms and legs in the fall.
Source: BBC News       Date: 10 Oct 2002

Rare Find Given to Museum

An amateur metal detector has been praised after handing a 1,500-year-old artefact to the British Museum. The rare gilded silver pinhead, styled in the image of a bird of prey, is thought to have been crafted in the 6th Century.
Source: BBC News       Date: 10 Oct 2002

Will This Map Rewrite History?

In 1507, a group of scholars working in France produced an extraordinary map of the world, the first to put the still-recent discoveries of Columbus and others into a new continent separate from Asia and to call that continent "America." With the Waldseemuller map, the New World was born. But there was something else. What would later come to be called South America and Central America were surprisingly well-shaped, not only on the east coast, where explorers already had sailed, but also on the west coast -- which no European was known to have seen.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune       Date: 10 Oct 2002

Robin Hood, 3 Others Charged in Robbery

Decatur police arrested Robin Hood on Tuesday. They also arrested his two younger brothers and fiancee in connection with the Saturday robbery of Steak-Out at 1823 Sixth Ave. S.E.
Source: Decatur Daily       Date: 9 Oct 2002

Shattered15th Century Statue to be Repaired

Conservationists should be able to restore a 15th-century marble statue of Adam at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that toppled over and broke into dozens of pieces, the museum's director said. The life-size nude by Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo fell after its pedestal gave way, Philippe de Montebello said Tuesday.
Source: CNN       Date: 9 Oct 2002

Dracula Theme Park Could be Switched to Bucharest

A controversial scheme to build a Dracula theme park in Romania could be switched away from Transylvania. Consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers is now recommending that it be built in Bucharest instead. It comes after Prince Charles led international protests against the original proposals to build it in the medieval town of Sigishoara.
Source: Ananova       Date: 8 Oct 2002

New Light on a Lost World of Shattered Icons

When the fragments of saints and angels were whole, lit by flickering candles in dim lofty churches, Stacy Boldrick thinks they looked not merely lifelike but alive, their cheeks flushed pink, their hair glittering with real gold, their painted pupils directly engaging the gaze of the awed devout. The shattered rubble of a lost world of medieval art has been gathered together at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, for the first exhibition devoted to painted sculpture from medieval England.
Source: Guardian Unlimited       Date: 7 Oct 2002

Pottery Find Opens up the Past

Archaeologists say "classy" pottery found during a Suffolk dig has helped confirm the medieval wealth of one of the county's most historic towns. The fine and "pretty" glazed Hedingham ware, which was made in Essex, was unearthed during a three-week dig in High Baxter Street, Bury St Edmunds, on the site of the old Suffolk Hotel garage. Andrew Tester, Suffolk County Council's senior archaeological project officer, said the find revealed the street was home to the well heeled of the early 13th Century.
Source: EADT       Date: 7 Oct 2002

Cash Boost for Norfolk's Churches

Work to restore and renovate Norfolk's historic churches has received a welcome boost of £100,000. The money for the Norfolk Churches Trust came from landfill tax credits distributed through Waste Recycling Environmental Limited (Wren) – bringing to £350,000 the money the charity has received from the scheme.
Source: EDP24       Date: 6 Oct 2002

Spielberg Puts the Legend of King Arthur to the Sword

Steven Spielberg is to demolish the "myth" of Camelot in a television film series about King Arthur that does not feature a round table, Excalibur, Merlin or knights. The series, which is due to be shot in Britain next year, will oppose the traditional view of Camelot as a cloud-covered city of towers and battlements by portraying it as a simple Roman fort.
Source: Daily Telegraph       Date: 6 Oct 2002

Americans Remember King Richard

American enthusiasts for Richard III are attempting to recreate his funeral. Members of the International Foundation of Richard III will be in Ripon, North Yorkshire on Saturday to mark the 550th anniversary of Richard's birth. The foundation is based in New Jersey.
Source: BBC News       Date: 4 Oct 2002

Borgias Exhibit on Show in Rome

An exhibition has opened at an art gallery in Rome which focuses on the Borgias, one of the most notorious families of the 15th and early 16th Century. The Borgia: The Art Of Powers features paintings of members of the family and other works of art connected with them.
Source: BBC News       Date: 4 Oct 2002

Feuds, Food and Feudalism

A lot of family squabbling will take place on Sunday in front of an audience of 40,000. There will be heated discussions about who is going to dust the house and whether the family will write a spider cookbook. No, these folks are not the Osbournes. They are the Calms: Slash and Dot Calm and their offspring. Despite their high-tech names, they are more 12th-century than 21st: occupying a Web Sight, they are an improvisational troupe among the HTML (hypertalented men and ladies) at the 18th annual Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park.
Source: New York Times       Date: 4 Oct 2002

Medieval Skills Give Back Abbey's Past

The building crafts of medieval monks are being used to put right damage to an ancient abbey from botched restoration work in the 1940s. A lime mortar, based on samples of 800-year-old pointing, was edged into place yesterday in deep, water-eroded gashes on the 13th century tower at Fountains Abbey in north Yorkshire.
Source: Guardian Unlimited       Date: 4 Oct 2002

Plans to Remove Mediaeval Ship Without its Prow and Stern Takes Wind Out of Campaigners' Sails

Archaeologists yesterday called for all hands on deck to remove the remains of Newport's ancient ship - but without its prow and stern. Marine history experts concluded hat the stern of the 15th Century merchantman had long disappeared in the sands of time and that the row had been partly destroyed by modern building work.
Source: IC Wales       Date: 4 Oct 2002

St Francis of Fiat 500

It is good that today is set aside to honour Giovanni di Bernadone, hooligan, rake and madcap student, who had the greybeards of Umbria growling angrily about the youth of their day. We know him better as St Francis of Assisi, the Christian paragon who betrothed himself to "Lady Poverty" and preached the gospel to sparrows. For the 776th time since his death in 1226, his devotees will spend the day in contemplation of his life and work, and of the Franciscan order, the Grey Friars, which was his official legacy. But a few moments to think about, and celebrate St Francis will be taken by many others: atheists, Muslims and agnostics who are drawn to his optimistic creed - that we should love life.
Source: Guardian Unlimited       Date: 4 Oct 2002

German Academic to Teach in Welsh

A German academic who fell in love with Wales and its language after a childhood holiday has secured a university post teaching in Welsh. Karen Stöber, 29, who is a native of Cologne in Germany, has been appointed to teach history at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Her inspiration to learn the language came after visiting Wales when she was only 10 years old and, later, her appreciation of mediaeval Welsh poetry.
Source: IC Wales       Date: 3 Oct 2002

Medieval Ship Parts 'Destroyed'

Marine archaeologists have confirmed they will not be able to recover key parts of a unique 15th Century trading ship found in Newport. Previous building work and other disturbance at the site of a new arts centre by the river means the bow and stern of the ship are missing or destroyed.
Source: BBC News       Date: 3 Oct 2002

Archaeologists' Stern Warning Over Lost Ship

Did the Newport Ship, the medieval merchantman trapped for more than 500 years in the silt of the Severn riverbank, have a prow curved like a Viking longboat or a stern shaped like a castle? Archaeologists will never know unless money is found to excavate both ends of the ship as well as the hull - and they insist the historic value of the ship will be destroyed unless all the timbers are lifted. "It would be like excavating a skeleton, but deciding not to bother with the feet and skull," said Dai Morgan Evans, secretary of the Society of Antiquaries in London.
Source: Guardian Unlimited       Date: 2 Oct 2002

Hidden Treasure is Revealed

One of the country's finest medieval wall paintings is being uncovered at a Coventry city centre church after being hidden for more than 100 years. Art restoration experts are painstakingly removing the layer of varnish, dirt and tar which has hidden the doom painting at Holy Trinity in Broadgate for more than a century. Work started at the beginning of September and is expected to take nine months.
Source: ICCoventry       Date: 2 Oct 2002

Sainted and Painted

An exhibition of medieval sculptures reveals how vividly lifelike they must once have looked, says Richard Dorment There are two ways to approach Wonder: Painted Sculpture from Medieval England at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds (until Jan 5). Strictly speaking, it is a small exhibition about polychromy in Gothic statuary between about 1200 and 1500.
Source: Electronic Telegraph       Date: 2 Oct 2002

End in Sight for Castle Campaign

Campaigners trying to save the historic castle which staged the first Welsh eisteddfod say they are hopeful it will be in public ownership by the end of the year. Ceredigion council is now finalising its plans to buy the 12th century Cardigan castle after it used its legal powers to force a sale under a compulsory purchase order (CPO).
Source: BBC News       Date: 1 Oct 2002

Glory-Be! Village Church is Among Britain's Greats

A small village church in Devon has been recognised as one of the nation's architectural gems. St Giles' and St Peter's Parish Church at Sidbury, near Sidmouth, has been granted grade one listed building status - putting it on a par with historic monuments such as Exeter Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Source: This is Exeter       Date: 1 Oct 2002

U.K. Museum Mistakenly Sells Skull

Staff at the York Dungeon museum of horrors said Tuesday they are trying to trace a visitor who was accidentally sold a human skull in the museum shop, where the grisly item was used as a prop. Performance manager Helen Spence, said the skull had been put on a bookshelf during refurbishment of one of the exhibits and presumably sold as one of the replica skulls that are offered to visitors.
Source: Lycos       Date: 1 Oct 2002

150 Churches Protected by Listed Status

Churches and cathedrals are to gain special protection from alteration works or planning blight. Grade 1 listed building status will be granted to 150 buildings throughout 12 counties. The move will make it easier for many of them to apply for grants to help with upkeep and restoration.
Source: Ananova       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Blood and Guts on Menu for Dracula Park

Scary jelly, blood pudding and brains will be on the menu if Romania goes ahead with a Dracula theme park, but critics are more afraid it could spoil the nearby medieval birthplace of "Vlad the Impaler". Romania plans to build the park near the Transylvanian town of Sighisoara, birthplace of 15th century Romanian Count Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler, who is thought to have inspired Irish author Bram Stoker's Gothic novel "Dracula".
Source: Reuters       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Britain Bans Export of Helmet

Britain has temporarily banned the export of a 500-year-old helmet in the hope that money could be found to keep it in the country. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said Monday the 15th-century sallet a visored helmet worn by medieval knights was distinguished by its superb craftsmanship and outstanding historical value.
Source: ABC News       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Dracula Theme Park Town Bites Back

A bloody battle is brewing in Romania as environmentalists protest over government plans to build a Dracula theme park in a Transylvanian town. Groups including the U.N's cultural body UNESCO to Greenpeace are opposed to the park, which they say will spoil the local environment and the medieval heritage of the town of Sighisoara.
Source: CNN       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Historic Store's Trip Back in Time

A time capsule is to be buried at Browns of Chester department store today. Archeological remains dating back to the 16th century were found earlier this year during work on the extension and modernisation of the store.
Source: iCLiverpool       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Medieval Remedies Undergo a Renaissance

Leeches to improve blood flow after surgery. Bee stings to alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis or arthritis. Maggots for bedsores. How is it that these old-fashioned remedies have, for some, found a place in the midst of 21st-century medicine -- the age of stem cells, surgical robots and genetics? It may seem strange, but it appears that some of the very treatments that fell out of favor because of the development of antibiotics and other medical marvels are now coming back into vogue.
Source: American Medical News       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Surveyor’s Shock Over Church Wrecking Spree

A SURVEYOR said church vandalism costing more than £20,000 is the worst he has seen in 30 years. The incident happened in July during the £120,000 renovation of St Mary’s Church, in Rushden, which started in May, as reported in the ET.
Source: Northhants News       Date: 30 Sep 2002

Sex is Better in Latin, Says Former Judge

For hundreds of years judges have been able to protect the dignity of their office by using Latin to tackle the tricky subject of sex. But now a former judge warns that the banishment of Latin from the courtroom may force the judiciary to fall upon the Anglo-Saxon vernacular. The alternative English terms to such phrases as "in flagrante delicto", "coitus interruptus" and "fellatio" are enough to make even the most worldly-wise judge blush.
Source: Independent       Date: 29 Sep 2002

Public Explore Rare Buildings

Some Denbigh's most historic buildings have opened their doors to the public as part of Wales' largest celebration of architecture and heritage. The event forms part of the National European Heritage Days, which give people the opportunity to explore buildings not normally open to the public.
Source: BBC News       Date: 28 Sep 2002

Ancient Bridge is Under Pressure

A Medieval bridge in Ludlow, built for horse carts and pedestrians, is creaking under the strain of modern traffic, a planning chief warned today.
Source: Shropshire Star       Date: 27 Sep 2002

Learn Latin on Cable

Br. Alexis Bugnolo is offering a free first-year Latin Grammar course on Mansfield Cable Channel 17. The 36-week course begins the second week of September and continues to the second week of June. Instruction will include approximately one hour of class and one hour of language workshop each week. You can join in the class by watching Cable Channel 17 Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Tuesday and Thursday, the follow-up hour of language workshop will be shown at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The free textbook for the course can be downloaded from http://www.franciscan-archive.org/misc/latin.html.
Source: Mansfield News       Date: 27 Sep 2002

Restored Assisi Frescoes Unveiled

Frescoes thought to have been destroyed when the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi was hit by an earthquake in 1997, have been unveiled again. The Times says among the restored artwork is Giotto's figure of St Jerome, which was badly damaged at the time.
Source: Ananova       Date: 27 Sep 2002

Assisi Frescoes Rise From the Rubble

A series of restored ceiling and wall fresco paintings are being unveiled at the medieval shrine of St Francis at Assisi in central Italy, five years after an earthquake seriously damaged them. Four people were killed when part of the ceiling of the upper Basilica of St Francis collapsed in the 1997 earthquake, and a memorial service to them is being held as part of the ceremonies marking the restoration.
Source: BBC News       Date: 26 Sep 2002

Lost and Found... 1,100 Years On

Jeffrey Islip only took up metal detecting because he needed a hobby after he retired. He had also recently had a heart operation and thought it would be a good way of exercising. But he never imagined that he would find a rare 1,100-year-old silver strap-end that could have been used during the last days of Alfred the Great's reign.
Source: This is Nottingham       Date: 26 Sep 2002

Medieval Burial Ground Uncovered

Archaeologists have uncovered around 30 bodies thought to date back to the 13th century while excavating a building site in Ipswich. The site, located on Wolsey Street, is believed to have been a medieval cemetery located alongside a hospital.
Source: Evening Star       Date: 26 Sep 2002

Quake-damaged Giotto Frescoes Restored

Exactly five years ago a disastrous earthquake seriously damaged the basilica of Saint Francis and the historic town of Assisi in central Italy. Now the famous frescoes by Giotto in the upper basilica have been unveiled to the public again after painstaking restoration.
Source: BBC News       Date: 26 Sep 2002

Skeletons Found at Queen's Residence

Eight human skeletons have been found under the kitchen at the Queen's residence in Edinburgh. Police were alerted to the discovery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse after workmen installing ducting unearthed the remains. However, experts believe that the bones are at least five centuries old.
Source: BBC News       Date: 25 Sep 2002

Skeletons Found in Royal Palace

Eight human skeletons have been discovered in one of the Queen's official residences. Police were alerted after gas workers who were laying pipes unearthed the remains in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. It is believed the bones, found in the kitchen, probably belonged to people who lived near a monastery which once stood on the site during medieval times.
Source: Ananova       Date: 25 Sep 2002

Treasure Trove Found

Metal detector enthusiasts scouring a farmer's field for lost artefacts have unearthed a haul including fragments of four Roman broaches, a medieval spoon and Elizabethan silver coins lost for four centuries which are now expected to be declared treasure trove. The detectorists were invited on to the field at Wyverstone owned by farmer James Black to help raise money for the village church, St George's.
Source: Evening Star       Date: 25 Sep 2002

Turin Shroud May be Genuine After All

The Turin Shroud bearing the features of a crucified man may well be the cloth that enveloped the body of Christ, a renowned textile historian told United Press International Tuesday. Disputing inconclusive carbon-dating tests suggesting the shroud hailed from medieval times, Swiss specialist Mechthild Flury-Lemberg said it could be almost 2,000 years old.
Source: UPI       Date: 24 Sep 2002

Archaeologists Comb Stiklestad

One of Norway's most fabled historical spots - Stiklestad, where Olav the Holy fell in battle in 1030 - will be the site of an autumn dig by eager archaeologists. Mass warrior graves are one possible find. Archaeologist and excavation leader Eirik Solheim hopes that the dig can confirm the actual spot of the Battle of Stiklestad, Trondheim newspaper Adresseavisen reports.
Source: Aftenposten       Date: 23 Sep 2002

New Road Wins Out Over Ruined Castle

On Monday Minister for Transport Séamus Brennan announced that he was allowing the final southeastern section of the M50 to proceed through the Carrickmines Castle site with just minor adjustments. He claimed that 60% of the castle ruins would be preserved in situ and some of the remainder would be transferred to another part of the site.
Source: Emigrant Online       Date: 23 Sep 2002

Medieval Writings Set to Music

The words of Mother Julian, written in colloquial medieval language, have been an inspiration for many people over the 600 years since they first came to her in a series of visions or 'shewings'. They came to the 30-year-old daughter of a merchant after a near-death experience and days of illness, on May 8, 1373.
Source: EDP 24       Date: 22 Sep 2002

Shroud of Turin Custodians Reveal Details of Secret Restoration

Experts performed a top-secret restoration of the Shroud of Turin, removing centuries' old patches and a replacing a backing sewn centuries ago onto what some say was the burial cloth of Jesus, church officials announced Saturday. The restoration was carried out with explicit Vatican permission, and aimed only to protect and document the artifact.
Source: Billings Gazette       Date: 22 Sep 2002

Vatican Scientists Accused of Destroying Turin Shroud

Microscopic particles that could have proved whether or not the Shroud of Turin could be dated to around the time of the death of Christ have been destroyed by Vatican scientists. Scientists performed a secret restoration of the shroud -- which supposedly wrapped the body of Jesus after his crucifixion -- during which they cleaned and restored the burial cloth. This may have caused potentially important dust and pollen molecules to be lost forever.
Source: Sunday Herald       Date: 22 Sep 2002

Archaeological Dig in Suffolk Town

A small team of workers are down on their hands and trees travelling back in time tracing a market town's medieval roots. Archaeologists have started a three-week dig in High Baxter Street, Bury St Edmunds, on a site of the old Suffolk Hotel garage.
Source: East Anglian Daily Times       Date: 21 Sep 2002

The Knight With a Magic Touch

Stephen Weeks is one of the relatively few Englishmen who can truthfully say that his home is his castle. The 53-year-old film-maker has devoted most of the past 30 years to coaxing medieval Penhow Castle, in South Wales, back to its former glory.
Source: Times Online       Date: 20 Sep 2002

Steelworks Houses Historic Ship Timbers

Steel giant Corus has stepped in to provide a temporary home for the medieval ship which has been rescued from a Newport building site. The timbers from the ancient boat, which is older than the Tudor ship the Mary Rose, are to be stored at the Llanwern steelworks outside the city until preservation work can begin.
Source: BBC News       Date: 19 Sep 2002

Vikings, Saxons and the Seven Sisters

The Houghton-based Friends of Copt Hill will celebrate its first major event with a trip back in time. To mark the 125th anniversary of the excavation of the Copt Hill Burial Mound, the group has organised an open day.
Source: Sunderland Today       Date: 18 Sep 2002

Outrage as Road Plan Clashes with Castle

Environmentalists have reacted furiously to news that 40% of the site of a medieval castle in Dublin is to be lost, under proposals to build a new section of motorway. Transport Minister Seamus Brennan said his plans would allow the final leg of the M50 motorway, which circles the city, to proceed on schedule, while preserving “extensive areas” of the Carrickmines Castle site.
Source: Ireland On-Line       Date: 17 Sep 2002

Unesco Adds World Heritage Sites

Unesco has added nine places to its listing of World Heritage Sites. These cultural and natural treasures that the agency works to protect now number 730 in 125 countries.
Source: International Herald Tribune       Date: 17 Sep 2002

Kaliningrad Rediscovers its History

A Russian engineer who blew up a historic castle in Kaliningrad has returned to the site four decades later - to help archaeologists and historians resurrect it. Avenir Ovsyanov is leading a project to unearth the city's history that has been hidden for almost 60 years.
Source: BBC News       Date: 16 Sep 2002

Archaeologists Find Legendary Icelandic Home

A UCLA team has found the Iceland home of Snorri Thorfinnsson, the first person of European descent born in the New World. Icelandic sagas from the 13th century tell the story of how Snorri’s parents led the first Scandinavian group that attempted to settle in Vinland — on the Canadian coast — around A.D. 1000. The attempt failed, and the family moved to Iceland, but Snorri was born while they were there.
Source: Quad-Cities Times       Date: 15 Sep 2002

Curtain Closes Today on Treasured Artworks from Vatican

More than 120,000 visitors from Lubbock and other cities, states and countries already have viewed Vatican-loaned frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries this summer at the Museum of Texas Tech. That is more than half the population of Lubbock.
Source: Lubbock Online       Date: 15 Sep 2002

Sheriffs Were Seen Way Back in History

As Allegheny County Sheriff Pete DeFazio battles with the county's chief executive, he can claim to have history on his side. More than 1,100 years of history, in fact. The existence of sheriffs goes back at least as far as ninth-century England, back to when King Alfred the Great needed help maintaining law and order.
Source: Post-Gazette       Date: 15 Sep 2002

Fairytale Castle Reveals More

Parts of a fantasy Victorian castle, near Cardiff, have been opened for the public to view for the first time. One of the rooms now on show at Castell Coch overlooking the Welsh capital is the fully furnished bedroom of one of the daughters of the landowner the third Marquis and Marchioness of Bute.
Source: BBC News       Date: 14 Sep 2002

Moor or Less Restored to its Medieval Splendour

In the 1830s the traveller and writer Richard Ford commented on “the general neglect and indifference shown towards Moorish works” in Andalusia. The Alhambra, the pearl of Granada, is in the estimation of locals “little better than a rat hole”, Ford added back then.
Source: Times Online       Date: 14 Sep 2002

Scheme for Robin Hood Gatehouse

A ruined gatehouse - where legend says Robin Hood bled to death - could soon become an unusual holiday home or workplace. The mystery-shrouded building is part of the 1,000-acre Kirklees Priory estate at Clifton, Brighouse. Folklore says the outlaw shot his final arrow from the window of the gatehouse, then died there after an evil nun or prioress had cut a vein in his arm to let his blood drain away.
Source: IC Huddersfield       Date: 14 Sep 2002

Was 'Old' Map Faked to Tweak the Nazis?

The Vinland Map must be the world's most contested piece of parchment. Donated to Yale University by the philanthropist Paul Mellon in 1957, the map, which famously describes the Viking discovery of North America, has been stuck in scholarly deadlock ever since. The subject of endless studies and counterstudies, the map is either a rare medieval artifact — the first cartographic representation of the continent — or else a modern fake.
Source: New York Times       Date: 14 Sep 2002

It's Finally Open After 600 Years

A castle built 600 years ago to defend the English border from Scottish attack is now throwing down the welcome mat to visitors. The ruins of Thirlwall Castle, a 14th Century structure which sits near Hadrian's Wall at Haltwhistle, were officially opened to allow access to the public for the first time yesterday.
Source: iCNewcastle       Date: 13 Sep 2002

Castle Ruin Opens to Public

A medieval castle close to the historic Hadrian's Wall is to open to the public for the first time in 300 years. Thirlwall Castle, near Greenhead, Northumberland, will open on Thursday, ending three years of restoration work.
Source: BBC News       Date: 12 Sep 2002

Hadrian's 'Home' Opened to the Public

A medieval home built with stones stolen from Hadrian's Wall has been opened to the public for the first time in 600 years. Thirlwall Castle underwent a three-year conservation programme to make it safe.
Source: Ananova       Date: 12 Sep 2002

Last Castle of Welsh Prince Opens

The final castle built by Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, the last independent Prince of Wales, opens to the public after over 20 years of excavation work finished. Dolforwyn Castle, near Newtown in mid Wales, has re-emerged from beneath the turf where foundations were first laid in 1272.
Source: BBC News       Date: 12 Sep 2002

Moat Obstacle to Care Home

An Exhall care home has been refused permission to build a 72-bed extension on green belt land between Bedworth and Coventry. But it was not the green belt issue but matters of archaeological and ecological importance that swung the vote of councillors on the planning committee last night, as they considered the application from Chasewood Lodge, in McDonnell Drive.
Source: iCCoventry       Date: 12 Sep 2002

Backing for Restoration of Old Mill's Heart

City councillors have pledged their support to restoring the inner workings of a medieval Exeter mill. Members of Exeter City Council's Economy Scrutiny committee recently welcomed a report into the progress of repairs at Cricklepit Mill close to the Quay.
Source: This is Devon       Date: 10 Sep 2002

Medieval Koran Goes Digital

A medieval copy of the Koran has been added to the British Library's digital collection. The 700 year-old holy book is known as Sultan Baybars's Koran and the text is the latest addition to the library's Turning the Pages project.
Source: VNUNET.com       Date: 10 Sep 2002

New Shrine for Suffolk Church

A medieval Suffolk shrine is to be re-established - nearly 500 years after it was dismantled during the Reformation. A new statue of Our Lady of Grace is to be unveiled at St Mary At The Elms Church, in Ipswich, at a multi-faith dedication ceremony on Tuesday.
Source: BBC News       Date: 10 Sep 2002

Town is Crying Out for Someone to Fit Traditional Role

Oyez oyez. Forget emails or the Internet, the good citizens of Chester-le-Street, County Durham are reverting to a medieval method of spreading the news. The search began yesterday for a town crier, who must have a "thunderous, yet articulate" voice.
Source: iC Newcastle       Date: 10 Sep 2002

Historic Ship Pulled From Mud

Excavation work has began on a historically valuable medieval ship discovered buried in a south Wales riverbank. The 15th century vessel's remains were found in the mud banks of the River Usk at Newport as developers dug foundations for an arts centre and theatre in June.
Source: BBC News       Date: 9 Sep 2002

Modern Snapshot of Historic Village Life

Five hundred years ago, letters written from a North Norfolk village painted a vivid snapshot of local life at the end of the medieval era. Now the same seaside village is set to publish a 21st century update of the historic documents. The Paston Letters won national acclaim for their detailed description of rural events and gossip, along with reflections of national events during the turbulent times of the Wars of the Roses.
Source: EDP 24       Date: 9 Sep 2002

St. Norbert to Host Medieval Conference

The 18th Annual Conference of the Medieval Association of the Midwest will be held Sept. 27 and 28 at the Bemis International Center at St. Norbert College. Speakers include Norris Lacy form Pennsylvania State University and Jonathan Wilcox from the University of Iowa. The conference also will feature breakout sessions in the International Center from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Source: Green Bay Press Gazette       Date: 9 Sep 2002

Magnificent Churches Open to the Public

More than 200 churches of outstanding historical and architectural importance will be open to the public next weekend. The buildings - which are no longer in regular use for worship - are all in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust.
Source: Ananova       Date: 8 Sep 2002

Ancient Tipple at Re-enactment

Medieval ales and mead are being served to thirsty knights at a re-enactment weekend in a south Wales castle. The drinks are being served up from a medieval ale tent which has been set up in the grounds of Caldicot castle.
Source: BBC News       Date: 7 Sep 2002

Farmers Who are Stuck in a Feudal Furrow

Fresh from haymaking, the farmer's son eases out of the tractor and grimly recites a string of complaints against a feudal system his family once respected, if not admired. "It's them and us, master and servant," he says. "They think they're back in the 19th century, they treat us like peasants these days. Everything has changed."
Source: Guardian Unlimited       Date: 7 Sep 2002

Campaign to Save Castle Fields

People living near a 13th Century castle in north Wales are trying to raise £500,000 to buy the area around the site in an attempt to save it from developers. More than 98% of residents within the Parish of Hope in Flintshire have given their support to purchase the land.
Source: BBC News       Date: 6 Sep 2002

Crossbow Rivalry of Two Italian Towns Dates to Middle Ages

"Bless these cavalieri for transferring their noble weapons into instruments of peace." With these words and a sprinkling of holy water, a local priest completed the blessing of arms that opened the crossbow competition in Gubbio, Italy, last May. The target-shooting contest that pits the bowmen of Gubbio against their challengers from Sansepolcro, a neighboring city in Umbria, has been held regularly for several centuries. This weekend, the Gubbio team travels to Sansepolcro for the second stage of the colorful event, known as the Palio della Balestra.
Source: National Geographic       Date: 6 Sep 2002

Friends of the Newport Ship Group Formed

Following the announcement of a plan to save Newport's Mediaeval Ship by the Wales National Assembly, S.O.S. (Save Our Ship) campaigners have changed their rally slogan to Support Our Ship and have reformed as the Friends of the Newport Ship - S.O.S.
Source: News Wales       Date: 6 Sep 2002

Medieval Festival a Big Hit

Brave armour-clad knights helped to weave a bit of medieval magic to delight the crowds in Barnstaple. And the authentic display - complete with traditional crafts - was greeted with such enthusiasm there are high hopes of it being repeated. The historical festival on Castle Green was the work of the specialist company Historical Promotions run by history and archaeology teacher Rob Butler.
Source: This is Devon       Date: 6 Sep 2002

British Library Gets Digital 700-Year-Old Koran

The British Library has added a treasured 700-year-old Koran to its digitised library. The ancient holy book is known as Sultan Baybars' Koran. The text is the latest addition to the library's Turning the Pages project.
Source: Ananova       Date: 5 Sep 2002

Last Chance to View Medieval Ship

The medieval ship discovered in Newport is to go on display to the public for the last time before being removed for conservation work to begin.
Source: BBC News       Date: 5 Sep 2002

Treasures of the Churches

More than 20 churches across Mid-Anglia are opening their doors to the public this month to allow people a glimpse of the many hidden treasures within. This year more churches than ever are taking part in The Churches Conservation Trust Heritage Open Days.
Source: Cambridge News       Date: 5 Sep 2002

Hopkins Backs Bid to Save Medieval Ship

Film star Sir Anthony Hopkins yesterday gave his backing to save a medieval ship found buried in a town centre in his native Wales. Hopkins, 64, said he was "delighted" the ship - which is older then the Mary Rose - is to become a tourist attraction.
Source: IC Wales       Date: 3 Sep 2002

Three-Year Delay in Restoing City's Historic Mill Site

The long-running saga of what to do with one of the jewels of Exeter's medieval heritage looks set to continue for at least another three years. Cricklepit Mill's original foundations are believed to have been laid in 1220 and the present structure close to the Quay dates from 1529.
Source: This is Exeter       Date: 3 Sep 2002

Sir Anthony Backs Ship Campaign

The fight to save a medieval ship - older than the Mary Rose - has attracted the attention of Hollywood star, Sir Anthony Hopkins. During the campaign to save the remains of the ship, discovered in the banks of the River Usk in Newport, the Welsh born actor wrote to a lecturer in archaeology to show his support.
Source: BBC News