Medieval Myth Busting

Go to any ancient building and there will be interesting, exciting, and romantic stories presented to the visitor. These stories include those of secret passages and tunnels, spiral staircases in castles giving advantage to right-handed defenders, ships timbers used in the construction of old houses, blocked doors in churches which are thought to keep the Devil out, and more than a handful of claims to be the oldest pub in the country. They are commonly believed and widely repeated – but are they really true?

James Wright will explain the development of such myths and investigate the underlying truths behind them. Sometimes the realities hiding behind the stories are even more interesting, romantic, and exciting than the myth itself…

James Wright (Triskele Heritage) is an award-winning buildings archaeologist. He has two decades worth of professional experience - ‘ferreting around in people's cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens’. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period. He is the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog and his book Historic Building Mythbusting will be released via The History Press on 6th June.