Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Friday 17 December 2021

A medieval Norwegian falconer’s knife


A recent discovery in Norway of the bone handle of a knife carved to depict a regal figure with a falcon on their arm is reported by the Mail Online

The handle was found during excavations of part of medieval Oslo and it thought likely to be from the reign of King Haakon IV (1217-63) who was known to be interested in the royal, and expensive, sport of falconry. It is not clear if the carved figure is meant to be a king or a queen.

The illustrated article can be seen at Norwegian 13th century knife shows royal figure partaking in falconryIt includes at the end a link to a more detailed Norwegian account, in English, about the work involved in the discovery, the excavation and the importance of falconry in courtly society in the middle ages.


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