The Role of the Monarch
The job of the King is to reign, and in that work he performs two main functions: Head of State Unlike politicians, the King does not owe his position to a vote or vested interests.…
Tag: British Isles
A Holy and Devout Virgin Queen: St. Aethelthryth (Etheldreda) of Ely
In the medieval period and up to around 1540, St. Etheldreda was still held in great esteem throughout England. Pilgrimages were made to her shrine in Ely Cathedral and badges were worn by those who…
Pilgrimage to a Small Island: An American Britophile’s Reflection
You are my first love, tossed by the sea of my soul. My blood has run with the timeless murmur of your rivers, and I have felt the stillness of your history stir a flame…
Traveling through Ever-Changing Ireland
Ireland 1982: Age 7 – I had never traveled by plane anywhere. I’ll never forget that we went from Boston to Shannon via “Pan Am” and fell asleep. When we were approaching Ireland, we looked…
A Welsh Voice
The mists, the mountains, cloud topped giants,houses hung beneath the roads,the mysteries of Cader Idris,the bearded lake, Arthur’s stone,a throne beside the glassy water,hollowed rock o’er grown with moss,the leap of silvered salmon in the…
Change and Rest: A Reflection on the Work of Edmun Spenser
In 2019 and 2020 I had the privilege of having a teaching position at the University of Warwick, where despite my academic work being in Maths I was able to work with people from many…
To the Queen
Heavy is the head And strong the heart Of she who wears the crown. Lady, lioness Our Queen The young girl at the microphone Whose father braved his stammer And the bombs at Buckingham You…
Ipswich, Willesden and Walsingham: Three Marian Shrines in Sixteenth Century England
Everyone likes a mystery. The story I am going to tell has elements of a good detective story: statues revered for centuries, royal agents bent on destruction of images, traditionalists trying to preserve sacred objects…
The Five Crosses
Sonya stood outside Dr. Bergstrom’s office thinking she was in another world, reality slowly slipping away from her. Thirty minutes later she realized she was sitting in her car with no recollection of how she…
My British Literary Spring
Early spring morning, crouched in the cold, wearing pyjamas and wellies, putting together an Easter garden with my son. My legs begin to ache as we line the oven cleaning tub with soil and horticultural…