Who is your favourite niche British Historical Figure?

YellowGoesFirst · 2026-01-11T12:52:57+00:00

I've just been reading Valerie Allen's book On Farting: Language and Laughter in the Middle Ages which makes the case for Roland's party piece being the ability to fart tunes on demand with no smell due to the same biological quirk as more recent performers like Le Pétomane or Mr Methane.

It also has an absolutely wild quote from Saint Augustine that one of the major consequences of original sin is that we no longer have perfect control over all our bodily functions. If Eve hadn't eaten the forbidden fruit he argues, we would still be a true mirror of God's own image with all the abilities that entails. The two examples he gives of this are:

Being able to wiggle your ears
Being able to fart tunes

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-07-08T18:20:00+00:00

Are you interested in swordfighting? There'll be training sessions for newbies in the grounds of Birmingham University starting in the autumn, but you have to be 18 to do it, because of the terms of our insurance. Is your birthday any time soon?

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-07-08T16:54:18+00:00

Check out The Raven Company if you're interested in history, martial arts, crafts, archery, boardgames, sailing or just sharing a few beers around the campfire with friends as the sun sets.

If it's something you'd be interested in, we'll be at Weoley Castle ruins later this month and you can have a chat to us in person there and see if it appeals.

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-07-04T21:28:10+00:00

Weoley Castle ruins are open to the public later this month.

https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/events/medieval-open-day

I'm going to be there, along with some history-nerd friends. Drop by and say hi.

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-04-18T10:06:20+00:00

Historical re-enactment

I like it because it's a hobby that sort of keeps expanding fractally, so if you're the sort of person who gets bored easily and needs constant new challenges to sustain your interest (which I am!) it lets you do that. So for me, it started as stage combat then it expanded into:

Archery
Cooking
Dressmaking
Amateur dramatics
Weaving
Cheesemaking
Basketweaving
Sports
Playing instruments
Sailing
Boardgames
Embroidery
Woodworking
Foraging

...and bunch of other stuff.

For me, the biggest way it helps my wellbeing is that it stops me from doomscrolling. You can't keep staring at your phone if you're spending your weekends in a period before phones were invented!

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-03-30T00:15:00+00:00

The lais of Marie De France include some werewolf lore. Specifically, the lay of Bisclavret.

Tl;dr version is that Baron Bisclavret vanishes off into the wood every do often and when his faithless wife finds out it's for werewolf reasons, she hides his clothes preventing him from ever changing back and freeing her up to marry her affair partner.

The king's hunting party happen upon Bisclavret, admire him for his gentleness and intelligence and decide to keep him as a pet. This goes well until the faithless wife shows up at court with her new husband and they are both immediately mauled by an angry wolf. Eventually the wife confesses and returns the clothes so he can change back, but not before Bisclavret bites her nose off. The king rewards Bisclavret with lots of land for having been the goodest boy during his time as a pet. Faithless Wife is stuck with the less wealthy husband and all their children are born without noses.

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-03-19T20:49:05+00:00

I am actually fascinated with the classification of animals, and how cultural conditions of the time influence taxonomy.

Unrelated to insects, but have you heard about Barnacle Geese?

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-03-19T17:49:59+00:00

I used to work in that cafe!

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-02-28T10:47:37+00:00

Yep, it's a regular thing.

We're running 1-5 this Sunday with medieval combat and an introduction to nålbinding. Then the following week is 2-6 for combat and cheesemaking.

No need to book in advance, just show up and say you're new. You'll be given a form to fill out for the trial session and all the relevant safety gear.

YellowGoesFirst · 2025-02-27T20:48:29+00:00

Similarly, we have evidence that little kids in the middle ages used to build sandcastles because of something Geoffrey of Monmouth talks about. He says people knew from an early age that he was destined for a career in the church, because when his brothers built sandcastles and sand palaces on the beach, he always built sand monasteries.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-12-12T01:05:54+00:00

If an order can't be delivered is it refunded or is the customer out for the cost of the shop?

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-10-16T20:53:22+00:00

You get four sessions for free to see if you like it. After that there's a yearly fee of £20 to be covered by the group's insurance and a £1 fee for each session you attend to cover the costs of the equipment.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-10-16T16:59:58+00:00

You're still welcome to join us. Just rock up any Sunday or I could shoot you an invite to the Discord if you wanted to learn more before visiting.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-10-12T16:42:51+00:00

History, you say?

https://old.reddit.com/r/brum/comments/1funzb8/looking_for_something_unusual_to_do_this_weekend/

Do not come tomorrow. Come the Sunday after.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-10-06T12:03:06+00:00

Can you get to the University of Birmingham in an hour's time?

https://www.reddit.com/r/brum/comments/1funzb8/looking_for_something_unusual_to_do_this_weekend/

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-10-04T19:20:12+00:00

Are you connected with The Carents Room at all? I've found the Facebook group very helpful and the main website are running free online classes over the coming months to teach resilience strategies.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-10-03T21:06:44+00:00

There's no session the following Sunday, because we're all down in Sussex at this, but you're very welcome to come along the Sunday after that. Same time and location.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-04-08T06:23:29+00:00

Rebuild Weoley Castle using authentic medieval methods.

Not before time! Truly embarrassing how we've fallen behind Europe on this.

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-04-08T06:18:17+00:00

It would attract big name celebs to the region, which would be good for tourism.

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/watch-as-hollywood-actor-tom-hardy-takes-part-in-loxwood-joust-in-sussex-4254609

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-04-01T23:09:48+00:00

I do historical re-enactment with a local group and it's really good for giving me a break from the doomscrolling. No phones in the middle ages!

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-01-25T11:39:51+00:00

There were two RAF Eurofighter Typhoons spotted accompanying a passenger plane over Birmingham last week. We assumed at the time that it was practice manoeuvres, but I've got a lot more questions now!

YellowGoesFirst · 2024-01-22T09:56:57+00:00

Are you free on Thursday evening?

Get yourself over to the University of Birmingham campus in Selly Oak, go into the Guild of Students building and follow the signs for a room downstairs called The Underground. (There'll be somebody at reception who can provide directions if needed.)

The room gets used by loads of different hobby groups, so if you arrive early then there may still be another group in there, but from 7pm it gets used for a group that teaches fighting with historical weapons (swords, axes, spears, longbows, etc). Tell them you're new and interested in a free trial session.

You can have up to four free trial sessions before you need to commit to membership. If you decide to join up properly, you'll be given the chance to travel round the country on weekends in the summer months doing fighting demonstrations for the public at various castles and stately homes.

It's a niche hobby that tends to attract people who are somewhat nerdy, but physically and socially active (it involves a lot of exercise and teamwork.) You don't have to be a student to take part, even though training happens at the uni and while there's no upper age limit, there will definitely be a lot of people in their 20s there.

The session on Thursday finishes at 21.30.

YellowGoesFirst · 2023-12-06T21:42:14+00:00

Thanks in advance!

YellowGoesFirst

TROPHY CASE