Issue 10: Of Roses & Rosemary
A newly-found relic relating to Katherine of Aragon and my latest read, all because I saw a show on the History Channel about *gasp* actual history.
Welcome back! This last week saw me publishing a book review, editing a history about the watchmaking company Breguet, beta reading a novel, and, you know, trying to find some “me” time. I also registered The Bookish Historian (TBH) with the State of Pennsylvania as a business! Once it’s confirmed, I’ll be able to tackle some other schemes that have been cooking in the back of my mind.
Speaking of cooking, this week’s “Bookish” centers on the book The American Plate: Culinary History in 100 Bites, a non-fiction piece I learned about on the History Channel.
And, “Ye Olde History” is about my perennial favorite, Henry VIII. But in a good way this time!
So, let’s get to it!
Ye Olde History: A New Tudor Discovery
Full disclosure: I’ve always enjoyed English history, and the Tudors in particular. Which leads me to this:
Last month, the British Museum revealed a stunning golden pendant emblazoned with the love knot of King Henry VIII and his wife Katherine of Aragon. Found by amateur metal-detectorist Charlie Clarke in Warwickshire, England, the pendant is a rare and incredible artifact. In describing the find, Historic England writes:
The front of the pendant is decorated with a red and white Tudor rose motif entwined with a pomegranate bush, the symbols of Henry and Katherine. These stem from the same branch, which at its base has a tail, and sits above the inscription + TOVS + IORS - a pun on the French for ‘always’.
The back shows the letters H and K - for Henry and Katherine - in Lombardic script, linked by ribbon, again with the legend + TOVS + IORS.
Analysis dates the pendant as early 16th century, from 1509 – 1533 AD with a most likely date of around 1521.
Rachel King, curator of Renaissance Europe at the British Museum, suspects that the pendant was hastily made and perhaps given as a prize for a jousting tournament or other such contest.
The British Museum plans to showcase the pendant as it prepares the dissemination of two reports related to archaeological finds and treasures: the Treasure Annual Report for 2020 and the Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report for 2021. According to the PAS Annual Report for 2021, the Scheme recorded an astonishing additional 45,581 public archaeological finds in their database. The Treasure Annual Report estimates 1079 of these finds classify as treasure.
The Henry-Katherine pendant promises to enhance our understanding of the Tudor court in the 16th century.
Bookish: The American Plate
I first encountered Libby O’Connell when she served as an expert on the History Channel TV show “The Food that Built America”, and the title of her book The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites intrigued me. It presents America through a culinary lens and how food and our relationship with it impacted America’s development. I’ve not really read much about food history. However, this book has been quite a good introduction thus far.
Historical periods covered include pre-Columbian, colonial, the American Civil War and Reformation, the Gilded Age, World War I, World War II, and the post-war.
I look forward to sharing a review of it soon!
Over at The Bookish Historian: New Blog Post
I recently wrote a new blog post sharing five facts you may not know about the Hawaiian Queen Lili’uokalani.
She descended from nobility
She composed hundreds of songs
The queen’s brother designated her Lili’uokalani
She met and admired Queen Victoria
She once rode in a sleigh…and did not particularly enjoy it
For more information on these facts, please check out the blog post! I hope you enjoy!
Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you back here next week! (Or, should I finish The American Plate, I’ll have a new book review!)
Cheers,
-Amy