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.


Tuesday 3 January 2023

Progress on recreating two historic ships


The BBC News website reports that significant progress is being made on the building of a replica of the Sutton Hoo ship that is being undertaken, close to the site of the discovery of the ghost of the ship in the burial mound, at Woodbridge on the banks of the Deben in Suffolk. 


Meanwhile the Daily Telegraph recently had an article about a French project to recreate and sail William the Conqueror’s flagship from 1066, La Mora, and, hopefully, for it to visit London in 2027, the milleniary of the King-Duke’s birth. The design of the ship comes in part from its depiction on the Bayeux Tapestry and also from knowledge about ships of that time. 

Don’t be put off by the Telegraph’s obsessive Eurosceptic headline* and read the report which can be seen at Norman conquest boat project could be dead in the water - because of EU red tape

* I do rather wonder, given their attitude, why the Daily Telegraph would wish to report on a story that might just suggest that this country has ever had a creative engagement with the rest of Europe.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The schematic drawings in the Telegraph article don't look quite right, because the ship had a front figurehead of a young boy (his then six year old son William Rufus) blowing a trumpet.

One can well imagine the young William having previously been given a trumpet as a present, and driving everyone potty by marching around constantly blowing it!

John R Ramsden

P.S. It was his wife, Matilda, who had arranged for the Mora to be built and given to Duke William as a birthday gift. The following is an interesting article on the origin of the name "Mora":

https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2014/09/12/the-meaning-of-mora-the-flagship-matilda-of-flanders-gave-william-the-conqueror-a-guest-post-by-elisabeth-waugaman/

Once I was a Clever Boy said...

Thank you for this and for the link to the Waugaman article.

Once I was a Clever Boy said...

I have now read the Elizabeth Waugaman article which makes a very credible case indeed. Thank you once again.