Guest blog: Princess Elizabeth Stuart (1635-50) (Mary McVicker, writer)

The Five Eldest Children of Charles I  (1637) by Van Dyck (Princess Elizabeth Stuart second-right).

I knew that a couple of Charles I's children (Henry and Elizabeth) had shared a heart-breaking few minutes with their father prior to his execution, but as both died young, their stories have rather been lost.

In this guest article, writer Mary McVicker reflects on the short life of Princess Elizabeth Stuart (1635-50), revealing a dramatic existence governed by the tides of war ...

Colchester Siege Spectacular (19-20 August, Castle Park, Colchester)

My article and interactive map on the Siege of Colchester (1648) still get a lot of traffic - it appears there's still great interest in the siege, so it's great to see that the city's holding a weekend-long event over August Bank Holiday - see video preview above.

Website changes: englishcivilwar.org

 

A quick update on some changes I've had to make to englishcivilwar.org:

Due to the weight of other commitments, I've been unable to update the Events section as regularly as I'd like, so I've now closed this page - I will however continue to post events on the englishcivilwar.org Facebook page, so if you do have events you want to promote, please send them on and I'll try to post/repost as time allows. For the same reason I've also closed the Forum (again, the quickest way to get answers via a knowledgable community of 17th century buffs is via the Facebook page).

Thanks to everyone who has contributed ECW/17th century-related events and queries via these two sections over the past decade.

New research on London's English Civil War fortifications: a Q&A with David Flintham (FRGS)

George Vertue’s 1738 plan of London's English Civil War fortifications.

David Flintham (FRGS) is an expert on London's English Civil War fortifications (readers may remember the guest blog article David wrote for me on siege types). David got in touch recently with news of a major archaeological project that he's been involved in, investigating the fortifications (also known as the 'lines of communication'), the findings of which were published in the Winter 2021 issue of London Archaeologist.

A paper introducing the project and summarising its initial findings will shortly be available at https://www.vauban.co.uk/the-ecw-defences-of-london. After reviewing the key research findings, I asked David about the significance of the project's discoveries, which challenge assumed knowledge about the location and purpose of London's fortifications ...