A trip to Ripple Field

Old Nan's Hill, Ripple, where Waller and his men arrayed before the battle

A recent trip to the Forest of Dean afforded the opportunity to visit a number of Civil War landmarks.

Following Prince Maurice's stalking of Waller near to the Welsh border my trip took me through the villages of Little Dean and Highnam before arriving at the village of Ripple in Gloucestershire - the site of the Prince's  first telling blow against his nemesis ...

400th anniversary of William Dobson

Detail from Dobson's (middle) self-portrait with Nicholas Lanier and Sir Charles
Cotterell, c.1644-5. 

Further evidence that BBC4 is increasing the quality of depth of its schedule was provided by the recent broadcast of The Lost Genius of British Art: William Dobson. English Civil War historians will be well aware of Dobson's role in cultivating the Cavalier image during his time at the Oxford court, but presenter Waldemar Januszczak goes further, claiming him as English painting's first great genius. The programme celebrates the 400th anniversary of the painter's birth, which is also being marked in a display at the National Portrait Gallery and a new website.

But have all Dobson's works been accounted for? ...