“If we wish to understand our own place on earth, we must seek to understand those who have gone on before us. We must look beyond the present moment and see ourselves reflected in the deep pool of time as… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“You might be offered oatcakes as well as bread (especially in the north). If these do not tempt you, consider eating "horse-bread." This is… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
W. H. Auden once suggested that to understand your own country you need to have lived in at least two others. One can say something similar for periods of time: to understand your own century you need to have come to terms with at least two others. The key to learning something about the past might be a ruin or… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share
“You might find it alarming to think that your doctor will not actually need to see you in person but might make a diagnosis… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“the commons put forward an exceedingly detailed and comprehensive petition regarding the labour system. It resulted in the statute which made communities responsible for… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“The last day I was here, in eighteen forty-three, was the only time since the plague when we were not at war.” — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
Justice is a relative concept in all ages. The fourteenth century is no exception. — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“There's so much beauty in the world, don't close your eyes to it just because you've lost your own small patch of happiness.” — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“As a result of the Archery Act of 1542… Every man must shoot at the butts on every holy day, and parishes are to… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“In Elizabethan England you will only find small codpieces. Large ones, stuffed with wool and looking like an erect male member, are out of… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“As soon as Gaveston and Edward met they became great friends. Gaveston was witty, rude and enormously entertaining, with a Gascon accent and moreover… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“So much dung, filth, and entrails of dead beasts and other corruptions is cast into ditches, rivers and other waterways, and many other places,… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
“In parts of the country you will come across superstitious practices, such as lowering a infant with whooping cough into a cesspit and holding… — Ian Mortimer Copy Share Image
