Behind The Scenes

27 Dec 2024

The English Civil War was a turbulent era of shifting allegiances, political intrigue, and high-stakes espionage. In this fraught period, few women wielded influence as deftly as Anne Wilmot, Countess… Continue reading A Spymistress in the Shadows of Civil War: Anne Wilmot, Countess of Rochester

16 Dec 2024

I’m still over the moon (and what a gorgeous moon it was last night as Arthur and I celebrated under the stars!) to share that The King’s Intelligencer has been… Continue reading A Message from the Past: The Journey of The King’s Intelligencer

9 Dec 2024

When I first began tracing my family history, I never imagined the journey would uncover the remarkable stories of 17th-century women who shaped not only their families but the tumultuous… Continue reading Unveiling the Past: The Power of Genealogy and Storytelling

2 Dec 2024

Imagine how excited I am to read of the fabulous discovery of a Hilliard miniature of Elizabeth Leighton. I first met Elizabeth when I was researching her daughter Anne Leighton,… Continue reading Rediscovered Miniature of Elizabeth Leighton who had links to Lydiard and The Lady of the Tower

25 Nov 2024

King Charles II dancing at a ball at court, by Hieronymus Janssens c.1660. Royal Collection, London Life at the 17th-century royal court was a glittering spectacle—a swirl of extravagant feasts,… Continue reading Secrets, Splendour, and Survival in The King’s Intelligencer

2 Nov 2024

Gazing from the parlour window of the Lieutenant’s Lodging (also known as “The King’s House”) within the Tower of London, I took in the view of the chapel of St.… Continue reading The Lady Returns to the Tower of London: A 400-year-old Historical Journey

30 Sep 2024

Lucy Hutchinson’s notebook, c. 1665 Imagine opening a four-hundred-year-old diary, knowing the tragic ending as you read the first optimistic page.  Or discovering a cache of letters written by a… Continue reading Writing Family History: A Profound Emotional Journey

25 Sep 2024

Frances Apsley and Nan Wilmot, Countess Rochester Researching family history can be an immersive journey into the past, uncovering not only documents and dates but the rich, layered experiences of… Continue reading Intelligencers and Secret Agents: The women who fought to restore King Charles to the throne

9 Aug 2024

Charles II, painted while in exile, c. 1655 On June 25, 1646, a fierce storm raged over the Island of Jersey, where a ship prepared to sail to France. Aboard… Continue reading A Court of Poverty and Despair: An Exiled English King Trapped in France

12 Jul 2024

Billy Beaumont’s recreation of Lydiard’s 17thC gardens Lady Johanna St.John (1631-1705) Johanna St. John did more than just marry her distant cousin, Sir Walter St. John, 3rd Baronet, around 1651.… Continue reading Unicorn Horns and Mistletoe | Lady Johanna’s Curatives from her Lost Gardens Recipe Book

28 Jun 2024

In 1674, skeletal remains of two children were discovered under a staircase in the White Tower by workmen who were demolishing derelict buildings in the area. Originally discarded on a… Continue reading Are the Missing Princes in Westminster Abbey?

6 Jun 2024

Hello and welcome to the Great Tower of London Bake Off Preparation Class. My name is Lady Lucy Apsley, the wife of the Lieutenant of the Tower of London, and… Continue reading The Great Tower of London Bake Off | Recipes and Alchemy with Sir Walter Raleigh and Henry Percy, The Wizard Earl

23 May 2024

Elizabeth Woodville (c.1437-1492) Walking into the private sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, I retraced the journey my ancestress made almost six hundred years ago. Then, Lady Elysabeth Scrope was ordered by… Continue reading On the Trail of the Missing Princes: A birth in Sanctuary at Westminster Abbey

8 May 2024

In a serendipitous moment, I stumbled upon a fascinating ancestor who inspired “The Godmother’s Secret.” While researching my family tree, I discovered that my 15th-century ancestress, Elysabeth St. John, Lady… Continue reading Elysabeth St.John: The Ancestor who Inspired The Godmother’s Secret

3 May 2024

During a recent research trip to the Tower of London, I had the fascinating opportunity to tour the restored Bloody Tower and a representation of the medicinal garden that once… Continue reading A Centuries-Old Recipe Book and a Woman’s Medicinal Garden in the Tower of London

23 Apr 2024

Graves and wills are an important component of any family history. Working with the Lydiard Archives is a daily adventure, as they continue to grow and reveal fascinating aspects of… Continue reading Grave Surveys and Four Hundred Years of Wills in The Lydiard Archives

7 Feb 2024

“…Sir Walter Raleigh and Mr. Ruthven being prisoners in the Tower, and addicting themselves to chemistry, she (Lucy St.John Apsley) suffered them to make their rare experiments at her cost,… Continue reading Lucy’s Physick Garden in the Tower of London

13 Jan 2024

I taped a chat for the Friends of Lydiard Park about The Lady of the Tower, her life and how she came to live in the Tower of London. It’s… Continue reading Life in the Tower of London | A perspective on the Lady of the Tower

12 Jan 2024

The Historical Novel Society said of my novel, “The historical veracity is impeccable”. The Richard III Society Bulletin wrote “An extremely well-written book with depth and complexity…this is the best… Continue reading The Missing Princes and The Godmother’s Secret

10 Aug 2023

Lady Johanna St.John’s #17thC curative for the plague got me thinking about conditions in London in the summer of 1603…and how my family survived the terror. Check out my article… Continue reading The Summer of 1603 | Plague, Pestilence…and a Curative from Lady Johanna St.John