Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Ousbert finished emptying the ealdormen’s house and now his men have left with the full cart of the squandered and pilfered remnants of his loveless evil. All the people’s losses were the shabby little treasures that this ealdorman had collected from people seeking justice in their times of hardship. ItContinue reading “#78.4 Tuesday, March 10, 2026”
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
#78.3 Thursday, March 5, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. I make my way through the scribbles of an untrained, barely literate scribe, in order to read these cases and judgements brought before the Jarrow ealdorman. The log book is page after page of squabbles over sparse material things. Who owns the fishnet woven with stolen string? Is it theContinue reading “#78.3 Thursday, March 5, 2026”
#78.2 Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. At the house of the ealdorman, the furnishings and personal items are being loaded onto a cart. Inside the house I’ve found Ousbert in his full military garb in command of this project. He says after the proclamation was read in the King’s court, he was appointed to investigate theContinue reading “#78.2 Wednesday, March 4, 2026”
#78.1 Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Usually, while at St. Paul, I end the day taking a walk at the vesper hour, following the river to the sea. But this evening my thoughts are on the little village just beyond the paupers’ wood, so I walk the other way up the river to the place whereContinue reading “#78.1 Tuesday, March 3, 2026”
#77.12 Thursday, February 26, 2026
Historical Setting: River Tyne, 794 C.E. Talking politics with Cloothar, I’d been wondering what makes King Charles great, and apparently, the easy answer for that is that he baptized the Saxons. He is Christianizing the world. And I was thinking about the drastic change in baptism. In these times, war victory seems “cleaned up” byContinue reading “#77.12 Thursday, February 26, 2026”
#77.11 Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Historical Setting: River Tyne, 794 C.E. In the long view of time, even things most reliably unchanging — like rocks and rituals — change. Over time rocks wear down and mosses own them, and the forever and always of our human habits and rituals edge away or sometimes quake abruptly but these seemingly most stableContinue reading “#77.11 Wednesday, February 25, 2026”
#77.10 Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Historical Setting: River Tyne, 794 C.E. I am chatting with Cloother over the ways of Vikings and Christians in these times. I came to him with a coin and bought back my fine cloak. He says, “So, you’ve found riches since you were my assistant, when we sailed down from Lindisfarne.” “Riches? IContinue reading “#77.10 Tuesday, February 24, 2026”
#77.9 Thursday, February 19, 2026
Historical Setting: River Tyne, 794 C.E. Cloother doesn’t say it, but I am sure he’s been to the markets where the Norsemen trade and he has seen the displays of stolen wares. “Do you think the Vikings are enticed by Lindisfarne to strike again on this coast?” I ask him. “Of course! EvenContinue reading “#77.9 Thursday, February 19, 2026”
#77.8 Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Ousbert and I are working on a proclamation to be read in the king’s court. This begins, “Proclamation of Commendation for the Military Guard Posted at Jarrow” the “P” in proclamation is my best work in creating a decorative illumination, but it’s nothing to match the standard of the LindisfarneContinue reading “#77.8 Wednesday, February 18, 2026”
#77.7 Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Ousbert made arrangements to use a monk’s cell as a scriptorium, with me the only scribe. He supplied a very fine swath of vellum. It will unfurl to an impressive length when it is read in the king’s court. He’s chosen to have me use the Merovingian hand which allowsContinue reading “#77.7 Tuesday, February 17, 2026”
Lazarus Ink 