Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Peter I. Vardy, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Edith of Wilton may have been the daughter of King, but she did not behave like one in the Abbey or the town.
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By Sergei Gribkov (1822-1893), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
An austere Bishop of Winchester scolded St Edith for her comely nun’s habit, but the young woman’s eyes saw further than his.
By William Blake (1757-1827), via the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Blake throws heart and soul into an impassioned expression of his dream of a new England.
© Tharnton345, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Self-confessed Scottish Nationalist John Buchan warned Scots that there was more to democratic prosperity than having a Parliament.
By Sir David Wilkie (1785–1841), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir Walter Scott takes his daughter Sophia to see the newly-rediscovered Honours of Scotland, and suffers an embarrassment.
© The Scottish Parliament, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Sir Walter Scott described how the long-forgotten crown jewels of the Scottish Kings came to light again.