More Detailed Map of Winchester

I don't have a simple graphics program to crop this map, so I left it as a screenshot. I like this map because it denotes the gate names and a little more about what has been found by archaeologists.

I will make a more legible version of my street map as soon as possible.

Wintanceaster Streets

Below is a map I am trying to create without a proprer graphics program.. matching the Saxon street names to the map of Winchester in King Alfred's time.

I will keep you posted as I identify various streets and buildings and make a more readable map. In the meantime, ifyou can add to or correct my map please let me know!

Nan Hawthorne
hawthorne@nanhawthorne.com

Anglo Saxon Map of the World from 1025 AD

• earliest known, relatively realistic depiction of the British Isles


• most likely created at Canterbury between 1025 and 1050


• probably ultimately based on a model dating from Roman times


• shows Roman names of provinces and uses Roman town symvols


• revised and updated in about 800 and again in about 1000


• East at the top as traditional for the time


• pigment on vellum

Couldn't you just die?!

Learn more at British Library Gallery Online

Makes an Author's Heart Sing!

From Historical Novel Review Online
Historical Novel Society
http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/hnr-online.htm

AN INVOLUNTARY KING
Nan Hawthorne, BookSurge, 2008, $27.99, pb, 648pp, 1419656694

Who knows how many worthy stories from the so-called Middle Ages have been lost to us? It’s a rich period, especially in England, where small nations and armies were constantly clashing and men and women could still be larger than life.

Young Lawrence, the hero of Nan Hawthorne’s sprawling historical novel An Involuntary King, yearns to be larger than life. When his father, the king, is cut down, the crown falls to Lawrence, and he vows to be worthy of it and of his young wife Josephine. But 8th-century Northumbria is a dangerous place for such vows—young Lawrence is soon tested on all sides, and the result is a rousing, involving tale of Saxon war and romance.

Although Hawthorne has done an evident amount of historical research (readers will take away a very pleasant sense of immersion in the medieval Saxon world), the main strength of An Involuntary King lies in its people. In addition to the central trio of Lawrence, Josephine, and the mercenary Elerde who in different ways threatens them both, there’s a huge cast of secondary characters, virtually all of whom are brought to life with colorful details and the author’s sound ear for dialog. Indeed, talk bubbles throughout this book, talk of high state affairs, the outpourings of the heart, and the joking prattle of old friends, and all of it works a kind of magic on the reader. Lawrence and Josephine’s world is one in which that reader will want to linger, and by the end of the book, many of its characters will feel like old friends.

The aforementioned mercenary Elerde won’t exactly feel like a friend, but his impression will be the strongest. He’s the novel’s most memorable creation, and Hawthorne would be well justified in giving him a book of his own some day.

-- Steve Donoghue

Wintanceaster Streets

Aeddan (pronounced Eden) and her sister Ystradwel (nickname Stree) are standing in front of me waiting for an answer to their question qabout where they would live in late 10th century Winchester. Their father is an armorer, so I am looking for a street whose Saxon name indicates their presence in that part of the city. One street in that list is designated at "Seyldwortenestret" or "Shield-maker's Street" so that seems like a reasonable place for armorer's as well. My one concern is that as its modern name, Upper Brook Street suggests, that street is where two brooks run through the town. Would armorer's find this useful or rather damaging to their craft?

The list of streets I located on the City of Winchester's history site lists the old street names after the modern equivalents.

CURRENT NAME, PREVIOUS NAME(S)
High Street, Chepe Street (AS)
Southgate Street, Gold Street
Tower Street, Snidelingestret or Snitherlingastret (AS) - The Tailor’s Street
Jewry Street*, Alwarenestret (AS)
St Peter’s Street, Flescmangerstret (AS) - The Butcher’s Street
St Thomas’ Street, Calpe Street (AS)
Upper Brook Street, Seyldwortenestret (AS) -The Shield Maker’s Street Shulworth Street
Middle Brook Street, Wunegrestret or Wongarestret (AS)
Lower Brook Street, Tannerestret (AS) - The Tanner’s Street
Busket Lane , Bucchestret (AS)
Colebrook Street, Colebrochestret (AS)
Parchment Street, ParmentryWest of the Cathedral, Menstrestret (AS) - Minster Street
High St to site of North Gate, Scowertenestret (AS) - The Shoemaker’s Street
High Street Northwards, Bredenestret or Brudenestret (AS)
Kingsgate, St Michael’s Gate
Market Street, Thomas-GateLittle Minster Street, Burdon Street
Blue Ball Hill, Redhouse Lane
Staple Gardens , Bridney Street
Minster Street, Munkestrete (AS)
Canon Street, Paillard’s Close St Cross Sperkeforde
Back Lane to Upper Brook St, Wode Street
Back Lane to Lower Brook St, St Ruel Street
Wharf Mill, Segrim’s Mill
Prior’s Barton Mill, Crepestre Mill
The Piaza, Penthouse

* wholly or in part

The map below has all the modern names on it... thanks to Winchester City Councilman for Oliver's Battery, Dabvid Spender for this ... and one of my projects is to write the Saxon names into the map. You will see Upper Brook Street, or Seyldwortenestret in about 990 AD, is the first street to the right of the red dot.


Stree: Oh no, do we have to live there? The tanners and butchers are so close! When the wind blows from that direction it will be disgusting!

Aeddan: Mayhap Father will see if we can live outside the walls. That should solve the problem.

I hope so, for their sake.

Medieval PIck-up Lines

"Hey, Princess, you wouldn't happen to know where a lonely knight could scabbard his sword, would you?"

"Been there, slain that."

"What's a nice maiden like you doing in a dungeon like this?"

"They don't call me Lance-A-Lot for nothing, you know."

"When the Inquisition put me on the rack, my limbs weren't the only thing they stretched."

"Dost thou know? That chastity belt of yours would look great on my sleeping chambers floor."

Wench: "What's that sound?" Knight: "That's just the sound of my chain mail drawers expanding."

"Thou hast hit on me harder than the black plague!"

"Your hovel or mine?"

"Pardon me, madam, but wouldeth thou like to see my long sword in action?"

"Dost thou practice safe hex?"

"Milady, it's not the size of the wand that matters, but the magic within."

"I have the key to your chastity belt and you have the key to my heart."

"You should be glad I'm not a Viking."

"You would have been ravaged and plundered by now."

"I lost my leg in battle. Guess what I'm walking on!"

"Yes, fair maiden, I am indeed a wizard. Shall I make your clothes disappear?"

"You won't believe this but St. George just appeared to me in a vision and told me that I must bed you...the fate of England depends is on it!!"

"I'm really a prince cursed by an evil witch. Tell me, do you have sex with frogs?"

"My! But you are a beautiful damsel in distress! Allow me to help you out of it."

"I've been VERY NAUGHTY. You'll have to put me in the stocks and...er...PUNISH me, now won't you?"

"You know, I was once imprisoned in a tower very much like Repunnzel. Only it wasn't my hair that the queen asked me to let down."

"I may not be a priest, but I can get you to heaven, m'lady."

"C'mon, sweetie...didn't your mother ever tell you? A cleric a day keeps the black plague away."

Generously and unwittingly shared with you by Jokes-Funnies.com.

The Broken Toymaker

I don't usually blog about dreams, but this image from one I had last night is just too enchanting not to record somewhere. The Broken Toymaker was part of a theme park that had what they called the Mountain of Snow. It was a small mountain one climbed and followed paths or wandered through tunnels to find either a slide exit or any other way of getting off. While wandering over this Mountain of Snow I found a fellow lting on the side of the path. He started out as an automaton but morphed, as things do in dreams, into a live person after a short time. I would say he looked rather like a cross between the two Willie Winkas but without quite the personality of either one, but he had the hat, the coat, a scarf and the generally Victorian look about him.

He lay bent and folded like he was broken. The idea was to fix him, basically by unfolding him and making him stand like a person. Jim and I did this, and as we did I straightened out his scarf. It apparently warmed him up, for as I straighted the scarf he said "59 degrees!" and then "79 degrees!" When he was fully standing he was able to move about. This is when he seemed human. He was smiling and happy and danced a little jig. He took us to the toyshop and made Jim climb a winding staircase up to an attic full of toys. The Broken Toymaker showed me something that looked like twisted wrought iron and said, "I can't give you this, because if I did I would also have to give you this." He showed me another length of twisted wrought iron. He and I left when Jim got down the bicycle the Broken Toymaker told him to.

Next I knew Jimm dressed as a panda, was bringing down the bicycle to cheers from many around us. I excitedly told a couple other people that if they had a chance to straighten out the Broken Toymaker they should, because it was wonderfully fun. I was watching my little sister, 7 or 8 in the dream, in her late 40s in reality, being made up elaborately as a princes. I looked over and noticed that a fellow I had told to go find the Broken Toymaker was over by him. The toymaker was on the ground, in the snow again, and the man was lying on the ground next to him trying to unbend his limbs.

I know precisely why I had this dream. Jim and I took a friend out to lunch yesterday who used to be a man and is becoming Joan, a quite lovely woman. She could be a female version of the Broken Toymaker in her build. She is doing the straightening out on her own. Jim and I were both fascinated and impressed by her story about the transformation. Even the makeover as a princess ties in here, because part of our conversation was about what it means to be female socially and in the world. It makes perfect sense to me that once our friend, the Broken Toymaker, was whole again, she would give us some sort of gift, perhaps one that will help us transprt ourselves in some magical way.

I must insert here that since I first began writing fiction, my dreams are much more creative and insightful.

Joan, Jim and Nan