Elizabeth Biggs

Ad firma[m] “at farm” is what it looks like to me at first glance.

OMG- this looks like it could be an amazing project to work on!

R&R should have happened and been well underway by now, but the flipside has been that they've been spending vast sums of money on hopefully-temporary-until-restoration-actually-happens fire safety measures.

One member of the Clerk of Works’ team used to carry an angel’s foot around with her. Said foot fell from the heavens (aka ceiling) and she hoped this concrete example would demonstrate the urgency of repairs.

Didn’t help.

Yeah, that would catch attention. At least on a Sunday, the Palace of Westminster would be very quiet and so more chance of getting everyone out safely. I do worry about the evacuation from the train station complex on a probably pretty busy day.

Yeah- I’m surprised that the TV news isn’t at least giving some details about the fire in the scrolling headlines.

I’m also watching BBC news right now and it’s all laser-focussed on the new Iranian leader with not much other coverage.

Fire near Glasgow Central station causes major rail disruption Dozens of trains cancelled and station closed after blaze at building on Union Street

It’s now made it to the Guardian homepage as well; albeit underneath both the US war in Iran and Nigel Farage.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

I am so so so thrilled that the clumber spaniel won best in show- an endangered breed and Bruin is such an appealing dog.

And now on to the gundogs, with some of my favourite breeds, from the spaniels to the flat-coat retriever and the German Short-Haired pointer (my aunt has had them for years and I love them so much)

Claudia Winkleman really really loves the cavalier King Charles spaniels doesn't she? The winner, Dublin, is a particularly lovely one, I have to admit.

I always try to spot the German Spitz in the Utility group- this time they are white and black which makes them both easy to see. But neither wins the group, sob.

(I'm watching the coverage of Crufts about 30 mins behind actual time)

A staffie has won the hero award at Crufts for being the best girl and a companion to a kid 🥰 It's so so sweet @hagenilda.bsky.social

a blurry photo of a smiling young woman, holding a pet dog on the dockside in happier times. The only known photo of Madeleine.

black and white photo of a single stack, ex-merchant RN vessel

To mark International Women's Day, meet Lt Cmdr. Madeleine Barclay. First Officer on HMS Fidelity.

To my knowledge, the first woman to officially serve as First Officer on a Royal Navy vessel deployed on combat duty. Achieving this involved a three-way war between Navy, SOE and the WRNS /1 🧵 #IWD

Two Working LEGO Printing Presses | LEGO® Ideas The development of mechanical printing changed how ideas move through the world. Once text and images could be printed rather than copied by hand, knowledge was…

Hi #EarlyModern Bluesky - did you know that someone brilliant has built working printing presses using Lego and they are trying to get enough supporters so that Lego will release it as a kit?

They look so cool!

beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...

I returned the copy edits for my article on women as part of the medieval political community on Friday. This week I’ll be trying to finish writing another article on medieval women and the economy. Feels very appropriate for #IWD2026

Continuing with medieval women, money, property and politics for #IWD2026 here is a taster of @elizabethbiggs.bsky.social research.
Elizabeth's full journal article is due out later this year.

Rediscovering the Women of the Medieval Irish Exchequer
www.virtualtreasury.ie/archive-feve...

I have no personal experience with them, but the Marc Fitch fund was mentioned as a possible funding source when I was dealing with images for my book. Might be worth a look?

www.marcfitchfund.org.uk

It was supposed to be well underway (and about half-done if I remember correctly) by now! And the costs kept rising with all the dithering from successive governments.

How's your Friday going? I've been to the dentist, walked the dogs in pitching rain and now am trying to work out if I need to report an ill pigeon to DEFRA as suspected bird flu.

But in good things, I'm very nearly done with copyedits on an article I'm very excited about and can't wait to share.

Clearly I needed to add (mostly) in front of independent in my post; it's just a shame that it was already at the limits of the character count.

Kent, where I went to sixth form, has stellar grammar schools and the secondary moderns are some of the worst-performing schools in the country, or were when I knew it better. The system works for some but very much not for others.

Two things can be called "grammar schools". 1 (the controversial one) is a selective state school with an entrance exam for 10yr olds. Some counties still have a full grammar school system and secondary moderns for those who don't get in.
2. Independent schools with the name for historic reasons.

Huge congratulations and how exciting to see this census recovery come to completion!

There's a Netflix series with this premise called "The Gentlemen"! I was reminded of it today- it's not bad.

Gaza Grill in the old meat market is fantastic and there’s good ice cream right next door.

There is a vacancy in our project 'Pages of Prayer: The Ecosystem of Vernacular Prayer Books in the Late Medieval Low Countries, c. 1380-1550' for a junior or postdoctoral researcher! #medievalsky
careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/Junior-R...

A section screenshot from Bracton online with the heading "What the punishment for evil judging is". The text says: "and lest in the day of wrath of the Lord he feel the vengeance of Him who said 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay' on that day when kings and princes of the earth shall weep and bewail when they behold the Son of Man, because of fear of his torments, where gold and silver will be of no avail to set them free. Who shall not fear that trial, where the Lord shall be the accuser, the advocate and the judge? From his sentence there is no appeal, for the Father has committed all judgement to the Son; he shuts and there is none to open; he opens and there is none to shut. O how strict shall that judgement be, where we shall give account not only of our acts but even of every idle word"

Followed with the very medieval Catholic section on consequences.

Bracton may be as misogynist as his surrounding culture, but the idea of actually having to account for one's decisions is one that we could bring back usefully.

A screenshot of an English translation of Bracton. The first heading is in red and says "England alone uses within her boundaries unwritten law and custom". The second heading says "If an unwise and unlearned man ascends the judgment seat".

Combing Henry de Bracton's 13th century law treatise for his treatment of women's rights and he has surprisingly current, if self-serving, advice for the world today.