The Mystery of the Dobson Triple Portrait Recently there has been some excitement at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford generated by the arrival of a splendid 17th century portrait by William Dobson, court painter to King Charles I. A dramatic work, it features three leading Royalist commanders including Prince Rupert of the Rhine and Colonel John Russell, commander… Read on
On Saturday, I held my first-ever physical book launch at the Guildhall here in Windsor, England. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the Ascot Room in which my launch was held was just as lovely. The room has many portraits of notable historical figures and has lovely stained glass windows, an ornate chandelier in the middle of… Read on
This week’s camping has taken us into the Berkshire countryside, where we stayed at a lovely campground a pleasantly long walk from the village of Hurley. This idyllic village is precisely the sort of place foreigners like me imagine an English village to be. There are beautiful old buildings, some of which date back to the 12th century!… Read on
There is little doubt that Rupert of the Rhine is still capable of attracting admirers – even after being dead for over 300 years. Not only is he known as one of the Handsomest Men of the 17th Century, but he also was an excellent soldier, scientist, artist and more. And he happened to be a Prince, too.… Read on
Charles Landseer was an artist who lived from 1799-1879. Landseer, though sadly not as popular as his painter brother Edwin (famous for his works for Queen Victoria), generally painted scenes depicting historical events or those from literature and each of his works vividly bring stories to life. Take for example this piece, “The Eve of the Battle of… Read on
I am very pleased to welcome historical fiction author Alison Stuart to The Seventeenth Century Lady. Alison is both very talented and one of the nicest people I’ve met on the Twittersphere. So, please give her a very warm welcome! COURTING THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR – Alison Stuart Hi Andrea…Thank you so much for the invitation to visit your… Read on
Naseby is a small village in rural, picturesque Northamptonshire, England. With curving country lanes, and rolling hills of farmland sprawling into the distance, it’s tranquil and quiet, only interrupted by the sounds of passing vehicles on the motorway nearby. But it wasn’t like that during the Battle of Naseby, during the English Civil War, which encompassed the surrounding… Read on
The Devil’s Whore (2008) is a gorgeous four-part series set during the English Civil War which tells the tale of a beautiful teenaged girl, Angelica Fanshawe, who is rich, aristocratic, and lucky enough to be in the same social circles as King Charles I. She marries her best friend, Harry, who wants her to be submissive (rightly so,… Read on