Edgar to life. It is a warm humorous letter, thanking her for his parcel, with the kind of 'bante... more Edgar to life. It is a warm humorous letter, thanking her for his parcel, with the kind of 'banter' one often finds in soldiers' letters: "My regiment has been very lucky lately, not so very many casualties, the enemy very often gives us a warm ½ hours shelling. " He could well have been writing to any one of his family at home on Rashwood Lane, Mells.
by the early modern city, such as the problem of finding drinking water for the city’s population... more by the early modern city, such as the problem of finding drinking water for the city’s population, or the fact that the canals functioned as an open sewer that spread an almost continuous stench. Connection with the Amstel, set lower than the canal system, was also problematic, solved only two centuries later with a system of new sluices and pumping stations around the city. Rather than lofty ambitions and a single unified town masterplan, it was the pragmatism of the ruling merchant elite that characterised the approach taken to expanding Amsterdam, and makes it stand out as an interesting case of early modern planning. The spatial development of its harbours, its stacked warehouses, the ordering of its urban structure, its residential environment of the canal district and the regulations to design, build and maintain it, were all governed by the city’s commercial interests. Abrahamse’s achievement is to show in detail how this seventeenth-century city was built.
driving prices and wages’ (p 1). (For those readers less familiar with the theoretical background... more driving prices and wages’ (p 1). (For those readers less familiar with the theoretical background, it is worth mentioning a potential confusion over terminology here. The Fisher Equation is also known as the Quantity Theory ofMoney; the latter term is used elsewhere in the volume and by Mayhew himself in his lectures on the subject given to the Royal Numismatic Society between 2010 and 2013 (and which were subsequently published in the Numismatic Chronicle: Mayhew 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013). Quantity Theory, in a nutshell, suggests that in an economy there is a causal relationship between the money supply and its circulation on the one hand, and prices and output (usually measured by GDP) on the other; so, for example, if there is an increase in the supply of currency, prices will rise. This theory underpins the emphasis in Mayhew’s work on the centrality of the money supply (its quantity, quality and distribution) to themedieval economy, andmany of these essays are concerned with this idea and its implications. Martin Allen examines extensive new data on single coin finds from the tenth to the sixteenth centuries, suggesting a reinterpretation of the period following the Black Death as one of heightened monetary activity. Chapters by Phillipp Schofield, Pamela Nightingale and Chris Briggs reconsider the role of credit in the medieval economy, its relationship to the money supply, and the importance of regional variation in the way these interacted. Drawing on a range of literary and documentary material, James Davis places these developments in their social and cultural context by examining the moral values that governed the use of money and credit in the medieval period. The final chapters of the volume turn to later time periods, but display a strong thematic link with earlier contributions. The contemporary relevance of the issues discussed within the volume is underlined by Nicholas Dimsdale’s use of Quantity Theory to examine monetary trends in the UK since 1870, in which he concludes that the expansion in credit since the 1980s was one of the driving forces behind the financial crisis of 2007–8. One of the key themes to emerge from this collection concerns historical methodology. Several of the contributors discuss the inherent difficulties in attempting to establish meaningful relationships between historical variables within complex economic systems, and the potential for models derived from economic theory to provide a solution to this problem. In particular, Mark and Catherine Casson address this issue, suggesting that econometric analysis can be a useful tool in determining the difference between correlation and causation in historical data. While not every historian might wish to apply these methods, publications such as this are to be applauded for drawing attention to the possibilities they open up.
Mestrovic’s work in the former Yugoslavia includes some of the finest examples in Europe of the m... more Mestrovic’s work in the former Yugoslavia includes some of the finest examples in Europe of the marriage of sculpture and architecture in the first half of the twentieth century. Working with architects, he created some remarkable buildings – several of them mausolea and war memorials. This article comprises a survey of these structures, looking at the Racic mausoleum at Cavtat, his family mausoleum at Otavice, the Njegos mausoleum on Mount Lovcen, Montenegro, and the Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade, as well as the sculptor’s homes and studios in Zagreb and Split and the chapel and cloister he created in Split.
London in 1872 with the aim of reviving the art of embroidery for secular uses and in addition pr... more London in 1872 with the aim of reviving the art of embroidery for secular uses and in addition providing a source of income for distressed gentlewomen. It had links with both the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts movements: William Morris and Walter Crane were among the designers who regularly produced work for the School. Arts and Crafts designers and makers looked for ways to make the crafts accessible to a wider audience. From the 1880s, technical handbooks were produced to educate the public in design and provide practical encouragement for students of the crafts. The Handbook of Embroidery, produced in 1880 by the Royal School of Needlework, is an early example of one such publication. It was produced as part of the School’s commitment to the technical training of women and their employment in the decorative arts. The aim was also to provide a showcase for the School’s design work to counteract the bad publicity received at the London International Exhibition of Art and Industry in 1874, where its embroideries were described by critics as ‘an incongruous motley of indigested decorative ideas’. It provided comprehensive information on materials, stitches and techniques, as well as helpful hints on cleaning embroideries, a recipe for embroidery paste used to strengthen and stiffen the work, and the presentation of the finished work. Many of the fabrics listed could be supplied by the Royal School of Needlework from specialist suppliers throughout the country. Its importance, and to some extent its continuing practical relevance, is illustrated by the decision to reprint the handbook with an extensive introductory essay by our Fellow Dr Lynn Hulse. In her essay, Hulse provides an introduction to the early years of the Royal School of Needlework together with a detailed description and analysis of the contents of the handbook. The Handbook of Embroidery sets out detailed information on materials, techniques and craft practices. She notes that the School’s current methods for working stitches are much the same as those described in the book. It also gives useful advice for stretching, finishing and cleaning embroideries, although Hulse notes that the suggestion of cleaning newly embroidered crewel work ‘by plunging wrought into a lather made by water in which bran has been boiled’ is a course of action ‘not for the faint hearted’. She also notes that the handbook provided encouragement to thread manufacturers, such as Thomas Wardle, who were promoting wild silks from India; these were cheaper as well as softer and more lustrous than the cultivated silks from Italy, China and Japan. As Tutor in Contextual Studies and former archivist of the Royal School of Needlework, Hulse is ideally suited to set this handbook in context. Her account of the authorship of Handbook of Embroidery is fascinating. It was written by Letitia Higgin, the School’s assistant secretary, and edited by its vice-president, Lady Marian Alford. The subsequent dispute between these two over the publication rights was protracted and ended up with Lady Alford’s resignation from the School; she went on to publish Needlework as Art in 1886. Higgin also left the School in 1884 and went on to found and manage the successful Society of Associated Artists, specializing in embroidery applied to costume. As a result, and despite the demand for copies, the Handbook has not been re-published until now. This reprint of the Handbook of Embroidery is well produced, with Hulse’s essay clearly differentiated from the original. The handbook itself is a facsimile edition, with the two original cover designs reproduced as end papers. The volume as a whole includes both the original black-and-white and coloured illustrations together with historic photographs and a good selection of work produced under the auspices of the Royal School of Needlework.
England's older universities, Oxford and Cambridge, developed in ways quite different from their ... more England's older universities, Oxford and Cambridge, developed in ways quite different from their continental counterparts. Oxford received its charter in 1191, and Cambridge in 1201. Within each institution is an amalgamation of individual colleges: nineteen at Oxford, that predate 1800, and sixteen at Cambridge. The land was owned mostly by the individual college institutions, where the students were (and continue to be) housed and taught. Any survey of English landscapes of learning needs to start from this myriad base. It is a complicated story. Indeed, can English universities even be seen convincingly as deliberate 'landscapes of the Enlightenment'-or are they accidental backdrops against which important intellectual developments took place? If we are to read the Enlightenment as the challenge of reason against tradition and received orthodoxies, it is going to be quite a struggle to find this reflected in the time-deep grounds of Oxbridge. 1
Edgar to life. It is a warm humorous letter, thanking her for his parcel, with the kind of 'bante... more Edgar to life. It is a warm humorous letter, thanking her for his parcel, with the kind of 'banter' one often finds in soldiers' letters: "My regiment has been very lucky lately, not so very many casualties, the enemy very often gives us a warm ½ hours shelling. " He could well have been writing to any one of his family at home on Rashwood Lane, Mells.
by the early modern city, such as the problem of finding drinking water for the city’s population... more by the early modern city, such as the problem of finding drinking water for the city’s population, or the fact that the canals functioned as an open sewer that spread an almost continuous stench. Connection with the Amstel, set lower than the canal system, was also problematic, solved only two centuries later with a system of new sluices and pumping stations around the city. Rather than lofty ambitions and a single unified town masterplan, it was the pragmatism of the ruling merchant elite that characterised the approach taken to expanding Amsterdam, and makes it stand out as an interesting case of early modern planning. The spatial development of its harbours, its stacked warehouses, the ordering of its urban structure, its residential environment of the canal district and the regulations to design, build and maintain it, were all governed by the city’s commercial interests. Abrahamse’s achievement is to show in detail how this seventeenth-century city was built.
driving prices and wages’ (p 1). (For those readers less familiar with the theoretical background... more driving prices and wages’ (p 1). (For those readers less familiar with the theoretical background, it is worth mentioning a potential confusion over terminology here. The Fisher Equation is also known as the Quantity Theory ofMoney; the latter term is used elsewhere in the volume and by Mayhew himself in his lectures on the subject given to the Royal Numismatic Society between 2010 and 2013 (and which were subsequently published in the Numismatic Chronicle: Mayhew 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013). Quantity Theory, in a nutshell, suggests that in an economy there is a causal relationship between the money supply and its circulation on the one hand, and prices and output (usually measured by GDP) on the other; so, for example, if there is an increase in the supply of currency, prices will rise. This theory underpins the emphasis in Mayhew’s work on the centrality of the money supply (its quantity, quality and distribution) to themedieval economy, andmany of these essays are concerned with this idea and its implications. Martin Allen examines extensive new data on single coin finds from the tenth to the sixteenth centuries, suggesting a reinterpretation of the period following the Black Death as one of heightened monetary activity. Chapters by Phillipp Schofield, Pamela Nightingale and Chris Briggs reconsider the role of credit in the medieval economy, its relationship to the money supply, and the importance of regional variation in the way these interacted. Drawing on a range of literary and documentary material, James Davis places these developments in their social and cultural context by examining the moral values that governed the use of money and credit in the medieval period. The final chapters of the volume turn to later time periods, but display a strong thematic link with earlier contributions. The contemporary relevance of the issues discussed within the volume is underlined by Nicholas Dimsdale’s use of Quantity Theory to examine monetary trends in the UK since 1870, in which he concludes that the expansion in credit since the 1980s was one of the driving forces behind the financial crisis of 2007–8. One of the key themes to emerge from this collection concerns historical methodology. Several of the contributors discuss the inherent difficulties in attempting to establish meaningful relationships between historical variables within complex economic systems, and the potential for models derived from economic theory to provide a solution to this problem. In particular, Mark and Catherine Casson address this issue, suggesting that econometric analysis can be a useful tool in determining the difference between correlation and causation in historical data. While not every historian might wish to apply these methods, publications such as this are to be applauded for drawing attention to the possibilities they open up.
Mestrovic’s work in the former Yugoslavia includes some of the finest examples in Europe of the m... more Mestrovic’s work in the former Yugoslavia includes some of the finest examples in Europe of the marriage of sculpture and architecture in the first half of the twentieth century. Working with architects, he created some remarkable buildings – several of them mausolea and war memorials. This article comprises a survey of these structures, looking at the Racic mausoleum at Cavtat, his family mausoleum at Otavice, the Njegos mausoleum on Mount Lovcen, Montenegro, and the Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade, as well as the sculptor’s homes and studios in Zagreb and Split and the chapel and cloister he created in Split.
London in 1872 with the aim of reviving the art of embroidery for secular uses and in addition pr... more London in 1872 with the aim of reviving the art of embroidery for secular uses and in addition providing a source of income for distressed gentlewomen. It had links with both the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts movements: William Morris and Walter Crane were among the designers who regularly produced work for the School. Arts and Crafts designers and makers looked for ways to make the crafts accessible to a wider audience. From the 1880s, technical handbooks were produced to educate the public in design and provide practical encouragement for students of the crafts. The Handbook of Embroidery, produced in 1880 by the Royal School of Needlework, is an early example of one such publication. It was produced as part of the School’s commitment to the technical training of women and their employment in the decorative arts. The aim was also to provide a showcase for the School’s design work to counteract the bad publicity received at the London International Exhibition of Art and Industry in 1874, where its embroideries were described by critics as ‘an incongruous motley of indigested decorative ideas’. It provided comprehensive information on materials, stitches and techniques, as well as helpful hints on cleaning embroideries, a recipe for embroidery paste used to strengthen and stiffen the work, and the presentation of the finished work. Many of the fabrics listed could be supplied by the Royal School of Needlework from specialist suppliers throughout the country. Its importance, and to some extent its continuing practical relevance, is illustrated by the decision to reprint the handbook with an extensive introductory essay by our Fellow Dr Lynn Hulse. In her essay, Hulse provides an introduction to the early years of the Royal School of Needlework together with a detailed description and analysis of the contents of the handbook. The Handbook of Embroidery sets out detailed information on materials, techniques and craft practices. She notes that the School’s current methods for working stitches are much the same as those described in the book. It also gives useful advice for stretching, finishing and cleaning embroideries, although Hulse notes that the suggestion of cleaning newly embroidered crewel work ‘by plunging wrought into a lather made by water in which bran has been boiled’ is a course of action ‘not for the faint hearted’. She also notes that the handbook provided encouragement to thread manufacturers, such as Thomas Wardle, who were promoting wild silks from India; these were cheaper as well as softer and more lustrous than the cultivated silks from Italy, China and Japan. As Tutor in Contextual Studies and former archivist of the Royal School of Needlework, Hulse is ideally suited to set this handbook in context. Her account of the authorship of Handbook of Embroidery is fascinating. It was written by Letitia Higgin, the School’s assistant secretary, and edited by its vice-president, Lady Marian Alford. The subsequent dispute between these two over the publication rights was protracted and ended up with Lady Alford’s resignation from the School; she went on to publish Needlework as Art in 1886. Higgin also left the School in 1884 and went on to found and manage the successful Society of Associated Artists, specializing in embroidery applied to costume. As a result, and despite the demand for copies, the Handbook has not been re-published until now. This reprint of the Handbook of Embroidery is well produced, with Hulse’s essay clearly differentiated from the original. The handbook itself is a facsimile edition, with the two original cover designs reproduced as end papers. The volume as a whole includes both the original black-and-white and coloured illustrations together with historic photographs and a good selection of work produced under the auspices of the Royal School of Needlework.
England's older universities, Oxford and Cambridge, developed in ways quite different from their ... more England's older universities, Oxford and Cambridge, developed in ways quite different from their continental counterparts. Oxford received its charter in 1191, and Cambridge in 1201. Within each institution is an amalgamation of individual colleges: nineteen at Oxford, that predate 1800, and sixteen at Cambridge. The land was owned mostly by the individual college institutions, where the students were (and continue to be) housed and taught. Any survey of English landscapes of learning needs to start from this myriad base. It is a complicated story. Indeed, can English universities even be seen convincingly as deliberate 'landscapes of the Enlightenment'-or are they accidental backdrops against which important intellectual developments took place? If we are to read the Enlightenment as the challenge of reason against tradition and received orthodoxies, it is going to be quite a struggle to find this reflected in the time-deep grounds of Oxbridge. 1
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