Eth, Thorn & Wynn

A Prayer Book Owned by Mary, Queen of Scots, Is Up for Sale The ill-fated monarch inscribed the gift from her great-aunt with an affectionate inscription

The dolphins are returning in Italy.
Meanwhile in England:

Old English Word of the Day:

ūhtċearu/uhtcaru/uhtceare (n.) “lying awake before dawn and worrying”; pre-dawn anxiety

pronounced: OOT-key-are-uh
from: ūhta (n.) meaning the last part of the night before dawn + caru meaning worry, anxiety, care, sorrow
first written: The Wife’s Lament, an Old English poem consisting of 53 lines which is found in the Exeter Book, an Anglo-Saxon poetry anthology published in 1072

Old English Word of the Day:

dūstsċēaƿung/dustsceawung (n.) “contemplation of the dust”; reflection upon former civilizations and peoples, and on the knowledge that all things will return to dust.

pronounced: DOOST-shay-ah-wung
from: dūst (n.) meaning dust + scēawung (v.) meaning contemplation
first written: The Blickling Homilies, a collection of anonymous homilies from Anglo-Saxon England written in Old English before the 10th century

It's believed that on this day in 1464 Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville. It was the King's first marriage and her 2nd, having previously been married to Sir John Grey and widowed 3 years prior when he died in battle during one of the Wars of the Roses. May 1st has been associated with love and marriage since pre-Christian history and is often the date fertility festivals are celebrated.

Edward and Elizabeth wed in secret and the marriage was questioned as legitimate because the Earl of Warwick had hoped for a marriage to secure the Yorkist claim to the throne. Their marriage eventually caused a break in Warwick and Edward's relationship with Warwick defecting to the Lancastrian cause which led to the ex*****on of Elizabeth's father. It was also controversial at the time because of she was married previously, lacked any land holdings and was the first commoner since the Norman Conquest to marry a King of England.

They went on to have 10 children together (Elizabeth had two sons prior to their marriage) and their eldest daughter, also called Elizabeth, married Henry VII, who together had Henry VIII.

Incredible! It is said the mill can be dated to 1016 -- which predates the Norman Invasion by 46 years, and it was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a survey of Norman England ordered to be composed by William the Conqueror in 1086. The mill that stands today was built shortly before the reign of Elizabeth I. Quite astounding stuff that a mill created so long ago can still serve its purpose and help feed locals as it did a millennia ago.

1,000-year-old mill resumes flour production to meet demand during pandemic A 1,000-year-old water mill in southwest England, which previously witnessed global pandemics such as the plague in the 17th century and the 1918 influenza pandemic, has resumed production to meet demand for flour during the current coronavirus outbreak.

Here is another boredom buster for you all out there. If you have always wanted to try some medieval calligraphy... you can download this free worksheet from my SCHOOL OF ILLUMINATION. Click on this link below.
https://school-of-illumination.teachable.com/p/medieval-calligraphy

The letter eth (Ð/ð) is used in Old English, Middle English, Icelandic and Faroese. The modern English pronunciation is like the "th" in the word thought or thing. It has not been in use in English since the 1300s.

Eth, Thorn & Wynn updated their website address.