Scandal & Heresy in the Priory of Notre Dame de Lihou ?
Archaeological excavations of the Priory on Lihou island have unearthed, quite literally, some intriguing details about who lived there and has raised some serious question questions about what they might have been up too !
The Bayeux Tapestry – The Missing Ending
The Bayeux Tapestry is a beautiful historical artefact that never fails to impress. However this thousand years old embroidery, has a secret. It’s ending is missing! That is until the residents of Alderney crafted a new ending for this iconic artefact.
When ‘The Prince of Wales’ brought Slaughter and Mayhem to Guernsey
From the loss of Normandy by King John in 1204 until the Papal Bull of Pope Sixtus IV in 1480 granting the Channel Islands neutrality, Guernsey suffered frequent attacks, sieges and invasions at the hands of the French. One of the bloodiest and best recorded was an invasion which was immortalised in the Guernsey folk ballad La Déscente des Aragousais or The Ballad of Yvon de Galles.
Pivotal Moments : November 27 1095 – The Pope orders Crusade
There are key moments in history when on the decisions and actions of men the course of human history is changed forever. November 27 1095 was such a day. It was the day on which Pope Urban II made perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages calling for crusade in the Holy land.
Magna Carta – The Beginning of our Modern Law System
A big deal is made out of Magna Carta. But could a document that is over 800 years old really be that influential in our modern society ?. In this article we take a very brief look at what it is and why it IS actually a big deal.
How did people tell the time & keep appointments before clocks were invented ?
It’s almost incomprehensible to the modern mind not to know the time and the date. Our world would cease to function in the way it does. So let’s imagine then an average man during the Dark Ages, in say in the 9th century. After a hard days work he decides to meet a friend for a drink. Was there an awkward pause after. ‘Okay, why don’t I meet you at my place at… ?’ …so how dis the world function before clocks ?
Daily Life as a Medieval Monk
Let it not be said that we at guernseyDonkey.com ever short change you when it comes to answering some of those random questions that have a habit of flitting across our minds from time to time, or that we skimp on adding to that great body of knowledge that we like to call “Internet Fluff” so … “What did Medieval Monks get up to ?”, “What was the daily life as a monk like ?”
The Guernsey Militia : A Short History – Part I
Guernsey and the other Channel Islands lived for hundreds of years right on the front line of conflict between Britain and France. Islanders had to train and be ready to fight to defend their homes at a moments notice. To do this a Guernsey Militia was formed. In this article we track it’s illustrious history.
Sark Legends – The Pirates of Sark
A local Sark legend about how the island was taken over by pirates and how they were eventually driven off by cunning and guile.
Glass
A world without glass is unthinkable . Entire buildings today can be made up pretty much entirely of glass. But when did man first discover it, use it and eventually learn how to manufacture it?
Some more historical myths debunked
Every nation has its favourite tales from the past, but how accurate are they? A lot of what we ‘know’ to be historically true can sometimes turn out to be no more than a : Who perpetuated historical myth. We look at a few here. Who really was the 1st US President? Did Mediaeval people really think the Earth was flat ?
Some Historical Myths Debunked
Every nation has its favourite tales from the past, but how accurate are they? A lot of what we ‘know’ to be historically true can sometimes turn out to be no more than a perpetuated historical myth. We look at a few here. Did King Harold really die from an arrow in the eye? Did Slaves built the great pyramids in Eqypt ?
Anno Domini – Origin of the Western Calendar
Anno Domini or “the year of our Lord” is the dating system we use in the West and is all but the de-facto world standard for chronology. But when and how was it calculated and what was in use prior to this dating system in western Europe ?
1204 – The Birth of Guernsey’s Constitution
Guernsey today is an independent crown dependency. How did this state of affairs, common to all the Channel Islands, come about ?
The Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is a fascinating historical artifact. It depicts such a pivotal moment in British and Channel Island history, that of the invasion & conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. It’s a beautiful artifact that’s nearly 1,000 years old!
