Curators

Henry III of England (1216-72) expressed the importance which he gave to almsgiving through the decoration of his great halls.  The parable of Dives and Lazarus, with its warning to the avaricious rich, was positioned opposite the dais in the king's own line of sight, while images of St Edward the Confessor offering his ring as alms identified English kingship with exemplary generosity. Henry III filled the royal halls with thousands of poor as part of the celebration of the liturgical year. The feeding of the poor was also an integral part of the commemoration of the royal dead.

Four of my favorites objects from the the Tower of London: Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown (1870); Astrological graffito left in 1560 by Tower prisoner, Hew Draper, an innkeeper imprisoned for sorcery; the Coronation Spoon (C12); a late C18 tankard, used by a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) at the Stone Kitchen, a former pub at the Tower of London.

An all new guidebook to the Banqueting House, Whitehall - Inigo Jones' masterpiece and the only standing building surviving from Whitehall Palace, which once stretched from present day Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square on both sides of the road 'Whitehall'.  The Banqueting House was used by monarchs for Maundy distributions and 'Touching for the King's Evil'.

Marriage in Chaucer’s time – how it was defined, created, and who could get married – was significantly different to today. Chaucer clearly knew the Canon Law of marriage, promulgated through preaching and enforced via the church courts. It was incredibly easy to get married (even, perhaps, unintentionally), through words or deeds, such as exchanging rings like Troilus and Criseyde, or having sex while engaged. However, divorce, in the modern sense of voluntarily ending a valid marriage, did not exist. Joan of Kent’s marriage history illustrates how a clandestine marriage, although strictly prohibited, would still be held up in court and could overturn a subsequent, properly publicised, marriage. Second marriages, to the dismay of the Wife of Bath, were regarded as lesser, as their religious symbolism was flawed. The Church wanted exogamy (marrying outside the wider kinship group) but the main concern for many people was maintaining and increasing their social status.


This essay will be published in Ian Johnson ed., Chaucer in Context, Cambridge University Press  (April 2019 electronic access, 2019 print volume)

Getting married in the medieval period was incredibly simple for Christians living in western Europe – all they had to do was say their “I do’s” to each other. But, as Sally Dixon-Smith reveals, proving that you were actually married and had not tripped up on the many potential ‘impediments’ to marriage might be another thing altogether…

Based on the research for the academic piece in 'Chaucer in Context'

https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/love-and-marriage-in-medieval-england/

27 January 2017: public evening event, discussion between me and Dr Daniel Wildmann (QMUL) chaired by Lauren Johnson.


also available via I-tunes podcasts (search Historic Royal Palaces) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talks-and-lectures/id1065848261

Public evening lecture, 30 October 2014. From the 11 spies executed at the Tower of London in 1914, to spying in today's digital age, espionage has long been an intriguing practice.
Hear Tower Collections Curator Sally Dixon-Smith and professor of international security Richard J Aldrich discuss spying techniques, digital intelligence and our own personal data during this talk recorded at the Tower of London.

This talk was inspired by the research I undertook into executions by firing squad at the Tower during the First World War.  Remembering these executions on site for the first time (permanent bronze installation above the site of the former rifle range where most of these executions took place) was part of the wider project I curated for the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War,  'The Tower Remembers', which included the massive installation of ceramic poppies in the moat, 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red', new displays on the Tower in the First World War using historic photography, and this public acknowledgement of these executions.

This podcast is part of our Curious Connections series, which looks at contemporary issues through stories from our palaces’ past.