A biography of Queen Eleanor of Provence can be found here together with many of her letters. She remains the only English queen whose exact final resting place is unknown and remains without memorial. and what is known of her relationship with Amesbury Priory I wish to explore briefly in this post. In the 1280s, in her usual practical way, Queen Eleanor made arrangements to take the veil at the nunnery at Amesbury Priory. In May 1280, the king ordered ten oaks be delivered from Chute Forest to the prioress of the priory 'for certain works' that Queen Eleanor, the king's mother, was causing to be made at Amesbury, and a further 20 oaks were ordered from Clarendon. In 1281, a further 15 Oaks from Chute and 12 from ... Read More

A biography of Queen Eleanor of Provence can be found here together with many of her letters. She remains the only English queen whose exact final resting place is unknown and remains without memorial. and what is known of her relationship with Amesbury Priory I wish to explore ... Read More

Contemplating the writings of Taliesin recently, a few quotes, fragments and thoughts are gathered below, as a repository. Below is a translation of the poem "The Chair of the Sovereign" from pages 292 to 294 of John Matthews book Taliesin The Last Celtic Shaman: "Sing a brilliant song Of boundless inspiration, Concerning the man who is to come To destroy the nations. His staff and his entrenchment, And his swift devastations, And his ruling leadership, And his written number And his red purple robes, And his assault against the rampart, And his appropriate seat Amid the great assembly. Has he not brought from Anwyn The horses of the pale burden-bearer, The princely old man, The cupbearing feeder, The third deeply wise one, Is the blessed Arthur. Arthur the blessed ... Read More

Contemplating the writings of Taliesin recently, a few quotes, fragments and thoughts are gathered below, as a repository. Below is a translation of the poem "The Chair of the Sovereign" from pages 292 to 294 of John Matthews book Taliesin The Last Celtic Shaman: "Sing a brilliant song Of ... Read More

Lady Antrobus of Amesbury Abbey captured the above stunning image on 12 September 1872, which is taken from her personal scrapbook. The location is below Beacon Hill on Salisbury Plain, which is now Bulford camp. On first glancing at the image, my initial thoughts were of the American civil war, which ended seven years earlier on 9 May 1865. It captures the final march past and review after British Army exercises involving not less than 40,000 men in southern Wiltshire and Dorset in the preceding days. Two armies were assembled, one at Blandford, representing an invading force, and another on August 31 at Pewsey. The two sides comprised 12 cavalry regiments, 14 artillery batteries and 24 infantry battalions, and the manoeuvres were scheduled to continue ... Read More

Lady Antrobus of Amesbury Abbey captured the above stunning image on 12 September 1872, which is taken from her personal scrapbook. The location is below Beacon Hill on Salisbury Plain, which is now Bulford camp. On first glancing at the image, my initial thoughts were ... Read More

Lady Florence Caroline Mathilde Satoris was born on 5 February, 1856 at Tusmore, Oxon. Her father had been born in France and her mother was Irish by birth. She married Sir Edmund Antrobus on Tuesday 2 March, 1886, carrying a bouquet of lilies of the valley. She died on 19 February, 1923 at Eastbourne, Sussex. The newly married couple initially set up home in London, and by the 1901 census had moved with their young son Edmund, who was born on 23 December, 1886, to Amesbury Abbey, which remained their family home until 1915. During her years at the Abbey, Lady Antrobus developed an interest in its history and that of the surrounding area, including Stonehenge and Amesbury. I am studying the exquisite personal scrapbook that Lady Antrobus maintained ... Read More

Lady Florence Caroline Mathilde Satoris was born on 5 February, 1856 at Tusmore, Oxon. Her father had been born in France and her mother was Irish by birth. She married Sir Edmund Antrobus on Tuesday 2 March, 1886, carrying a bouquet of lilies of the valley. She ... Read More

The above photograph was captured at approximately 7:45am on 22 May 2014 of the morning sun illuminating the Chinese summer house in the grounds of Amesbury Abbey, at the foot of Vespasian's Camp. The variety and sound of bird song as I approached the River Avon at the foot of the heavily wooded and naturally pristine Vespasian's Camp was stunning. The summer house sits over a meander that has been cut off from the main flow of the River Avon, the water still in morning sunlight and crystal clear above a settled muddy riverbed. In a number of areas, bubbles of air arose from a fresh water source below the riverbed, gently feeding fresh water into the river. In numerous areas where the bubbles were arising, the water took on a turquoise/azure ... Read More

The above photograph was captured at approximately 7:45am on 22 May 2014 of the morning sun illuminating the Chinese summer house in the grounds of Amesbury Abbey, at the foot of Vespasian's Camp. The variety and sound of bird song as I approached the River Avon ... Read More

 Amesbury Abbey occupies a unique position in the Stonehenge landscape. It sits on an eastern bank of the River Avon, west of Amesbury, east of the Stonehenge monument and in the lee of Vespasian's Camp. According to British History online, the recorded history of the Abbey can be traced back to 979AD, some 1,035 years ago. Perhaps in exploring its past and association with the cult of St. Melor, echos from an earlier time -- and of our ancestors, who built Stonehenge a little under two miles to the west -- may reside. Facts surrounding St. Melor are, of course, elusive. The linked story above of St. Melor, which include a magical silver hand, a severed head that speaks, and untamed bulls, is typical of ... Read More

 Amesbury Abbey occupies a unique position in the Stonehenge landscape. It sits on an eastern bank of the River Avon, west of Amesbury, east of the Stonehenge monument and in the lee of Vespasian's Camp. According to British History online, the recorded history of the ... Read More