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There are lots of potential A223 links with Temple Newsam on the outskirts of Leeds. You could go with the builder of the original house (finished around 1520) - Thomas Lord Darcy - who became embroiled in the Pilgrimage of Grace and was executed for treason as a consequence. Alternatively, you could fast-forward two hundred years to 1720, when Rich, the fifth Viscount Irwin, lost heavily in the South Sea Bubble - the family fortunes went through rocky times, dependent on a mortgage, until the next generation managed to marry into some serious money.

But on a recent visit I was drawn in by the display and story of Edward, fourth Viscount Irwin (brother of Rich, and in fact brother of Viscount Irwins 5 to 8 !!)

Edward is pictured below on the left, aged about 19 - the portrait on the right is his tutor, John Haccius. Apparently the portraits were commissioned as a pair at the start of Edward's Grand Tour when they were in the Netherlands - his trip would last from 1705-1707.  

Edward was supposed to be studying at the University of Leiden, but got himself involved in a duel, and had to get out of town quickly! He was still dependent on his family as trustees for his finances and apparently his correspondence home is largely about trying to get more money out of them. It seems his trustees were unhappy with John Haccius for not having kept better control of his student - and demanded that he was dismissed. Whilst this may have occurred, Haccius continued to travel with Edward as his Grand Tour took in Dusseldorf, Cologne and Augsburg and on into Italy, where he visited Siena, Rome, Lucca, Florence, Genoa and Venice.

Whilst in Venice (where he was recorded as 'making a commotion at Balls and at feasts' with aristocratic friends) Edward came into control of his finances - and had a number of artworks commissioned with the intention of decorating Temple Newsam - many are still displayed there, but Edward never had long to enjoy them - as he died of smallpox in 1714 aged 28.

I think it was the quality of the portraits which initially captured my interest - and then the elements of drama and story-telling in the display (this was presented in small boards and accompanying videos) which was based around examination of correspondence in the family archives. It also gave an opportunity to explore the research tool 'The Grand Tour' which was highlighted in the module - it includes a brief account of Edward's travels and the archival material held about them. 

A few pictures from a final A223 'field trip' in East Yorkshire. 

We were been blessed with some fantastic weather during 'book 3' of module A223 - and this is Burton Constable Hall in blazing sunshine [9/5/2025]. 

The building was initially established in the late 16th century on the flat lands between the Wolds and the North Sea and then had a major refashioning in the 18th - so very much a product of the early modern period we've studied.

The Constable family who owned it (and still live there) were Catholics and got their first big break with the accession of Queen Mary I, but have had chequered fortunes after that. 

The character who is the best fit for the last couple of weeks of A223 is William Constable (1721-91), who was every inch an 'Enlightened' figure. Barred from many fields of endeavour by his Catholic faith, William invested in his property and in intellectual pursuits. I loved this quote from the hall guidebook, 

'My Employments are Reading & Reflecting. My Amusements the Management of my affairs, Agriculture, Gardening, Botany, Embellishing my Place with taste & propriety & Magnificence In which I employ the best Artists of this Kingdom. I am Likewise a Collector, a bit of a Vertu, was once in Esteem as an Electrician, am sometimes an Astronomer & have Knowledge Enough of Natural History...'

William went on a Grand Tour of France and Italy with his sister, in part as 'therapy' for his gout, and met Rousseau - the picture below from 1770 was completed on that trip and has him dressed up as Jean-Jacques in his trademark fur hat!

William was clearly a philosophe fan, he had a Wedgewood statuette of Rousseau, a pair with one of Voltaire...  

... at the other end of the table - which may look familiar from the 'Early Modern Object' for chapter 23!

The Elizabethan long gallery was equipped as his library.

But the most interesting area (for me) were those rooms displaying William's 'Cabinet of Curiosities'. 

This contains multitudes! 

He had agents sending him material from across Europe, commissioned local instrument-makers to create scientific instruments and had the natural philosopher John Arden come and give displays of 'experiments'.

Static electricity was a major topic of interest and there were a number of devices for generating and demonstrating its effects.

William collected and catalogued seeds and shells - and there are numerous biological 'oddities' in cases or mounted on the walls.

It's all very different from what we might now consider as 'science' (apparently William was interested in the possibility of interbreeding chickens and rabbits!) but it was fascinating to see such a collection in its original context.

Thought I'd share a few A223-related images (and even some from A111) after a lovely visit yesterday [23/4/2025] exploring Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens which are about an hour north of York on the A1. 

The site of Cistercian Abbey since around 1160 (monks from St Mary's in York fell out and branched off on their own), Fountains Abbey was dissolved in 1539 by which time it had become one of the richest monasteries in England on the back of wool trading.

By the mid-18th century it had become the most impressive of the many 'sights' in John Aislabie's pleasure gardens. Aislabie's link with A223 is that he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1720 and probably the major political 'scalp' taken after the South Sea Bubble. Aislabie had been born in York, a clever younger son who made good, married well and rose in politics. 

Although he argued strongly in his defence, the House of Commons voted him guilty of the 'most notorious, dangerous, and infamous corruption' in promoting the South Sea scheme - he was fined £45,000 (the Bank of England's 'inflation calculator' puts that at a current value of £8.25 million) and sent to the Tower of London for a few months, but still allowed to keep assets with a current value of £21 million! He was banned from ever being an MP again - but his son William immediately took his parliamentary seat in Ripon 😄.

John was able to spend more time on the ultimate 'gardening leave' - and had these beautiful water gardens set out at his house at Studley Royal. They are listed as a World Heritage Site on the basis of exemplifying 18th century garden design, combining classical water features with 'naturalistic' landscaping. 

It felt quite natural to stop and take a photo every few yards - all the views were deliberately contrived, with the river straightened or shaped as desired and architectural follies distributed where needed - I'm sure I was only doing what the early modern visitor was intended to do!

The Aislabie's house at Studley Royal was destroyed in a fire in 1946, the building below is Fountains Hall and was built by 1604. This was created by owners of the Abbey land - and is of course made largely of recycled Abbey 🙂.

Along with Gothic ruins there were a couple of phases of 'Gothic Revival' on show in the grounds as well. The Octagon below was an 18th century viewing platform....

...and the Marquess of Ripon (who owned the lands and properties by the mid 19th century) had the church of St Mary's designed by William Burges (who we studied in A111) and built in 1870.

Plenty of colourful and curious detail and examples of the slightly eclectic architectural style Burges developed.

This wasn't my first visit - Fountains Abbey hosts one of the most beautiful Parkrun courses I've ever been on - but for this visit I was far less sweaty and far better informed!! 🤣

Thought I'd share some pictures from a trip to the archives [2/4/2025]. Whilst digital access is fantastic I do find the opportunity to interact with original objects is really exciting and motivating.

This is volume two of the Encyclopédie (B to CEZ) from 1751

I'd originally asked if I could see volume one - but as you can see below, the archivist discovered that that hadn't fared quite so well over the last 274 years! They were happy for me to look at it, but I just wasn't brave enough (plus I thought it really ought to be saved for someone who really needed to study it). At least my requesting it meant the conservator cut some boards to better protect it.

Plus there was a chance to see how the binders had originally stitched the pages.

Looking inside took me straight back to being a child, when the 'Reader's Digest Encyclopedic Dictionary' (only 3 volumes 😀) was a fixture on my parents' bookshelf - and the basis for quite a bit of homework! It did feel like the original 'information superhighway'!

I think illustrations came in separate volumes, but the title page does have this fascinatingly enlightening angel, advancing on a foundation of measurement, scholarship and science.

My school French only gets me so far (and there were only words from B to CEZ 🙂) but given chapter 20 of A223 I was pleased to find the entry for cocoa...

Plenty of evidence for interest in that topic - 8 pages (!!) on everything from how to grow and ship it, to using cocoa-butter as a skin cream.

The entries are linked to their author by a letter - so I spent quite a while trying to track down something by (S), M. Rousseau of Geneva.....

Here he is explaining 'cadence' in modern dances (good to see he knew he was 'modern' 😃), and the tricky business of fitting dance steps to the beat! Apparently along with some important entries on political economy he also covered a lot of the music entries.

Whilst I guess it is an indulgence to seek these objects out largely for enjoyment - I do find it adds something to studying (even if it is partly just an excuse to avoid TMA planning 😆). 

Chapter 13 of A223 'The Reformation and local communities', or at least part of it, is literally on my doorstep. The 'Pilgrimage of Grace' of 1536 is mentioned in the materials as an example of resistance to the Reformation, and a few years ago a local history group in my nearby market town of Pocklington set up a walking trail to commemorate it. 

Like many trails, the actual route is determined by available access, and the connection with paths taken by anyone in 1536 are perhaps a little tenuous - but it was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.

The logic of the trail is that it connects a couple of monastic sites with one of the locations that East Yorkshire rebels stopped at on their way towards York. The path runs from the village of Warter, which was the site of an Augustinian priory, through Nunburnholme, which had a small Benedictine nunnery, and ends in the town of Pocklington. Both the religious houses at Warter and Nunburnholme had been dissolved earlier in 1536 and the 'Pilgrims' reinstated them during the rebellion.

This is the church of St James in the village of Warter, it stands on the site of the former priory church. It was recorded that there were 12 canons resident at the time it was suppressed in August 1536; there are records of fine vestments, plate and jewelry and a holy relic, 'St James hand'. The sub-prior and the kitchener of the priory (their names aren't recorded) participated in either the 1536 'Pilgrimage' or the subsequent rebellions of early 1537 - they were executed in York in February of that year.  

The walk takes you along quiet back roads to the village of Nunburnholme, the Benedictine priory there was one of the smallest and poorest religious houses in the county - six nuns had been living on the site at the time of dissolution (Warter priory had been valued at £140, Nunburnholme only managed £10 3s 3d). 

There is nothing left to see of the nunnery, but it was located to the right of the beck as you look eastward up the valley.

Fortunately there's a very handy sign attached to the bus stop, which gives an idea of what the village might have looked like!

The path doesn't really need much signage, but if you look closely on the signpost you can possibly pick out the banner of the five wounds of Christ that was used by the rebels and is the logo for the trail. 

(This is a really grim looking selfie - promise I was enjoying this a lot more than it looks 🤣)

The picture below is taken looking south-west from the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, out over some of the area from which many commoners were drawn into the rebellion. There were a number of separate groups forming across East and North Yorkshire; the body of men that stopped at Pocklington were on there way to York under the leadership of the one-eyed lawyer Robert Aske, who would have a key role in drafting their oath as well as the '24 Articles' that we look at in the module materials. 

The trail stops off at the Georgian mansion at Kilnwick Percy, shown below. There is a slight link with Henry VIII (if not the Pilgrimage of Grace) as it was built on the site of a tudor manor house owned in 1536 by Sir Thomas Heneage, who had just been appointed as the king's 'Groom of the Stool'!

As we probably all got to module A223 via module A111 (with its chapter on Buddhism and compassion) I couldn't resist highlighting that Kilnwick Percy is now in fact a Buddhist retreat - I had a hot chocolate at its 'World Peace Cafe' (to be honest with things as they are at the moment, every little helps!!)

Finally, after about eight miles, the walk ends up at All Saints church in Pocklington, which was looking very impressive in the sunlight today. 

The Pilgrimage of Grace was a complex rebellion, with a mixture of aims and objectives, some about religion, some about political and economic tensions between 'North' and 'South' - but provides a fascinating 'what if...', it does feel that for a short period in 1536/7 the 'top-down' English Reformation was in very serious trouble.

A223 had a fascinating chapter on urban environments, which really helped me to better understand my nearest City of York. This was a record of 'early modern' buildings in central York that I took one morning [12/1/2025] on a quick 'field trip' - plus some pictures which show what the period did to older ones.

It's not easy to avoid the crowds in York, but a cold, overcast, early Sunday morning in January is perhaps ideal - if not hugely photogenic! 😀

Firstly, St Mary's Abbey church, once a building on a similar scale as York Minster, but dissolved in 1539. The Reformation had a very significant impact in York, as much of its power and significance came from the church. Looking at the map of Avignon in the module materials made me think how similar the two locations must have been at one time. There are no doubt 'bits' of St Mary's in many early modern buildings in York, as the site was effectively a quarry for many years.

The Abbots house survived however and was taken over by the Crown, it was repurposed as a site for regional government - the location for the 'Council of the North'. It was known as the 'King's Manor' and was briefly the Royalist 'capital' during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Not much remains of St Leonard's Hospital - once one of England's largest medieval hospitals. The loss of church 'welfare' provision through the Reformation was probably felt more in York than the loss of the Abbey.

Many buildings in the Minster precincts found new owners/uses after the Reformation. This had been the house of the Minster's Treasurer - and was sold back to the Archbishop and eventually became a private residence. 



St William's College had been a residential complex for chantry priests at the Minster - there were 24 of these, all out of a job with the Reformation. This building went into private ownership, at one point it was the Royal print works producing propaganda for King Charles I.

Mendicant Friars had funded the building of St Anthony's Hall shown above. It was taken over by the city governors after the Reformation, becoming at different times a site for a variety of local guilds, a workhouse, a house of correction and a charitable school. It now partly houses a Presbyterian church group.

This is probably my favourite early modern 'makeover'. This was originally a medieval riverside defensive structure, housing one end of a chain across the river Ouse that was raised to control shipping. By 1631 it had become the 'Waterhouse' and was essentially a water tower supplying the city, a system that was augmented with a steam engine in 1780. (Pumping York's polluted river water into its houses ensured the city fared particularly badly in the 1832 cholera outbreak, but that's a different module 😀)

This is York's medieval 'Monk Bar' - (the city's gates are called 'bars' and, confusingly for some, many of the streets are called 'gates'). You can make out a number of the 'control' features it provided, the hinges for wooden gates are visible, as are the tips of the portcullis that could be lowered, but in more common use would have been the (now bricked) window at which toll-collectors sat enforcing local taxation on goods entering the city.

There are a few remaining guild halls in York - this is the location of the Merchant Taylors. This had been established in the medieval period, the guild added a hospital in the early modern period 

Time for some early modern 'new builds'...

Finished in 1735, these are York's Assembly Rooms. It was too early in the day to eat today, but I have been for a meal in the past and the interior is a stunning location in which to eat pizza!

It was the city council that kicked off the idea of building Assembly Rooms as an entertainment venue - and they also funded this residence for the Lord Mayor - the Mansion House finished in 1732. The house sits directly in front of the guildhall, which you can enter via the big green doors - or can't when they're shut like they were this morning! 😠

This is a great example of the early modern aristocracy buying into urban living. Fairfax House was bought by Viscount Fairfax of Elmley in 1760 as a gift for his daughter Anne, a place to hang out rather than living in their 'country seat' at Gilling Castle. 

I guess Anne's leisure pursuits might have included a bit of shopping...
In 1759 the shop on the left was a booksellers, advertising itself “At the Sign of the Bible” as it had since the late 17th century, and it was the place that Laurence Sterne sold the first 200 copies of his first volume of 'Tristram Shandy which he had printed in the city.

Not so sure Anne Fairfax would have been off to the track, but you never know...

This early modern building at York's Knavesmire racecourse is not that easy to spot, and takes a bit of imaginative 'reconstruction'. But it contains the remaining lower storey of the world's first 'grandstand', built in 1756.

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It helps perhaps to know what it originally looked like...

Courtesy British Library (Maps K.Top.45.6.e)

Of course early modern life couldn't all be fun though.

Robert Aske, who we will meet in a couple of weeks rebelling at the head of the 'Pilgrimage of Grace', ended up hanging in chains from Clifford's Tower here in 1537. 

A walk up the castle mound gives good views of three new 18th century buildings...

From left to right these are: the Female Prison - built in 1780 to partly relieve the overcrowded...Debtor's Prison - built in 1701 and finally the County Court built in 1777. The court is still in use, the prison buildings now house a museum.

This building was the manse for a newly built Methodist Chapel, John Wesley was a regular guest and preached at the opening of this new religious building which backs on to the house.

There were a range of non-conformist groups active (and building) in York. Quakers still continue to meet on the site they have used since 1674, but now in a Victorian structure.

The image below is of York Unitarian Chapel which was built in 1693 only a few years after the 'Toleration Act' of 1688 allowed some Protestant nonconformist groups in England to worship publicly. It was initially a Presbyterian chapel (non-trinitarian beliefs like those held by 'Unitarians' were not then legal).

I'd only paid for a couple of hours parking so had to draw the line somewhere 😀, but ended up at another impressive 'new build' ...



Bootham Park Hospital was built as York Lunatic Asylum in 1777. Impressive on the outside, the misery caused inside and in particular the treatment of a Quaker woman, Hannah Mills, led to the creation of the city's second hospital in the early modern period for those suffering with mental illness. The Retreat, funded by local Quakers, pioneered more humane treatments.

Which is perhaps a positive place to end, but then I realised I'd missed what has long been York's major building and was so in the early modern period despite a lot of change going on - it is particularly hard to ignore on a Sunday morning! 🔔🔔🔔

(The current Minster bells were all actually cast in the 20th century, but whilst changes might be being rung the sound seems to me to be all about continuity.)

The museum has a couple of rooms dedicated to tournaments in the early modern period, centering these on the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold' when Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France engaged in a massive and extravagant tournament in 1520. (Meant to inaugurate and celebrate a treaty of 'Universal Peace' in Europe they were at war within 2 years!)

Armour of Christian I, Elector of Saxony. Made in Augsburg 1590

Like the armour in the OU video, the decoration on display is stunning and must have been astoundingly costly.

Henry VIII's tonlet armour, made for the Field of the Cloth of Gold tournament, 1520	Close helmet with grotesque visor incorporating a moustache

"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! We command that the peace of our lady the Queen be well kept by night and day but that all manner of whores, thieves, dice players and other unthrifty folk be welcome to the city, whether they come late or early, at the reverence of the High Feast of Yule till the Twelve Days be past. God save the Queen!"

On 21st December the Sheriff of York gave the annual 'Yulegirthol proclamation' beneath the Micklegate Bar...

The crowd then set off in a properly Early Modern fashion to get the party started and make a bit of noise on the longest night.

I'm sure the costumes and regalia will turn out to be an early 20th century 'reinvention' of tradition, but the celebration of 'Yule and Yule's Wife' in York have a proper historical basis. This link from the Borthwick Archives in York gives some fascinating primary sources for the conflicts that arose in the 16th century over what was clearly a suitably rowdy time! (Have to say there were still plenty of 'unthrifty folk' thoroughly enjoying York City centre that night 🤣)