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Looking forward to Autumn

As per usual during the school summer holidays, I am doing a couple of weekends at Skipton Castle, and have been on a few adventures with my boys (including having just completed the West Highland Way).

I am now looking forward to visiting schools again, but first I must once more return to Skipton in little over a week’s time, and, like in May earlier this year, I am going to portray the castle governor, Colonel Sir John Mallory.

Here he is, waxing lyrical about his Bellarmine pot. Why would two little maids want to know about the troubles of civil war and strife afflicting the Three Kingdoms?

But when addressing able bodied fellows, he is quick to begin teaching them the art of war, such as the loading of a matchlock musket!

Of course, he also likes telling tales of the garrisons recent exploits, like beating up Colonel Brandling’s quarters at Keighley and attempting to relieve Sir Jordan Crossland’s Helmsley Castle garrison. He even gets the children to act out the parts in these stories!

Earlier in the summer the castle was used as a place to hide by the infamous highwayman ‘Swift Nicks’ Nevison.

He never tires of telling tales of his own exploits, but is almost equally happy regailing folk with the adventures of other highway robbers.

While there, he met with two likely lads who told him they were going on an adventure themselves, along the West Highland Way!

If you would like Nevison to hide in your school, and immerse the children in the world of highway robbers, perhaps because they are studying the famous poem, or mastering the art of persuasive writing, then be in touch. Maybe your children are doing some local history about the British Civil Wars in your area (a battle nearby or a castle), in which case Sir John or one of my other Civil War characters might be of great use. Or perhaps you are interested in one of my other characters, such as the incredibly popular Sir William Petty (Great Fire of London or the Great Plague of 1665), or perhaps Guy Fawkes, Captain Burwash the pirate or even one of Drake’s sailors? If so, please have a look at the variety I can offer on my page of Characters.

I hope to see some of you soon.

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Posted on August 15, 2024 by , Reply

Two Visits, Two Characters, But Only One Castle!

To ensure I kept one foot in the past over the summer holidays I did two weekends at Skipton Castle. At the start of the summer the castle was mine (!) … or, more accurately, it was under the governance of Colonel Sir John Mallory, who did his best to ensure it and the town remained loyal to King Charles.

He was also keen to ensure that those trapped in the castle with him knew that he would not be so foolish as to ‘stout it out’ too long, but that he would negotiate honourable terms of surrender long before they suffered either the the flux or scurvy (as did the poor garrison at Scarborough Castle).

Two young lads, regular visitors to the castle, swore their loyalty to the king and his cause. (The strange shaped belly, by the way, is due to the pistol that Colonel Mallory has taken to wearing at all times, “Just in case”!)

Later in the summer (strangely, about 35 years later), another fellow was to be found in the castle, John ‘Swift Nicks’ Nevison, whose own brace of pistols were the very tools of his trade! He too was happy to talk to the gathered crowds, but rather than delivering inspiring speeches and sharing stories of the war in Yorkshire, he regaled them with tales of derring do – his own adventures and those of other highwaymen.

Of course, folk had to take the tales with a pinch of salt, especially when the claims made were somewhat ridiculous. Still, strange things do happen – for example, here, lingering behind, you can see a boy who seems exactly alike the visitor to the castle who spoke to the governor 35 years earlier! He does not seem to have aged a day. Perhaps he is a hearth-haunting ghost?

Even a land pirate such as Nevison can become thoughtful, especially when considering that the likes of he cannot expect a long life, merely a merry one! And, of course, he can live like a gentlemen. Cards and dice, sport and riding, wine and feasting, are how he spends his time, not living by his finger ends like a rude mechanical. Oh, and as well as the air and carriage of a gentlemen, of course he follows the fashion!

Occasionally tempted by the sight of a fat purse among the visitors, Nevison held himself in check, for he was in the castle to hide until it was dark, and not to get himself in more trouble! Besides, he is a ‘Goodfellow’ like Robin in the Hood, and would never think to rob his friends or the poor!

If you would like Nevison to regale your children with his stories, immersing them in the world of historical highway robbers, perhaps because they are studying the famous poem, or mastering the art of persuasive writing, then do be in touch. Maybe your children are doing some local history about the British Civil Wars in your area (a battle nearby or a castle), in which case Sir John or one of my other Civil War characters might be of great use. Or perhaps you are interested in one of my other characters, such as Sir William Petty (Great Fire of London or the Great Plague of 1665), Guy Fawkes, Captain Burwash the pirate or one of Drake’s sailors? If so, please have a look at the variety I can offer on my page of Characters.

If so, I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on September 4, 2023 by , Reply

A Highwayman’s Home is His Castle?

Luckily for John ‘Swift Nicks’ Nevison, the steward at Skipton castle owes him a considerable sum in gold from their time at the gaming table. Luckily for the steward, Nevison was willing to forgive him that debt in return for being allowed to hide in the castle for the weekend while the hue and cry was raised in the town and the parish constables and watchmen were after him! (Luckiest of all, the countess was at one of her other castle homes, for I doubt she would have been so willing to have a ‘gentleman of the road’ lodging at her home!)

Not that Nevison lacked for company. Here he addresses a crowd (the picture maker was among the main press of persons) with tales of his exploits …

And here he he recalls one of his more difficult escapades!

For a man supposedly laying low, he never shut up for most of the day, spinning tales to all and sundry …

He’ll back at Skipton Castle at the end of August, while another John, Colonel Sir John Mallory – the governor who is the very image of Nevison – will be there at the end of July.

If you would like Nevison to visit your school, immersing the children in the world of historical highway robbers and giving them all a very motivational ‘reason to write’, then be in touch. Or you might be interested in one of my other characters, such as Sir William Petty (Great Fire of London or the Great Plague of 1665), Guy Fawkes, Captain Burwash the pirate or one of Drake’s sailors? If so, please have a look at what I can offer on my page of Characters.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 31, 2023 by , Reply

Nevison Goes North!

Last Friday, the highwayman ‘Swift Nicks’ Nevison fled further north-west than he has ever done before, trouble hot on his heels as usual, all the way to a school near Kendal. There, his old friend, one of the teachers, was happy to hide him until it was dark, and the gregarious Nevison was very pleased to find he would have good company for the day.

The children had never met a highwayman before, and so the loquacious rogue began telling them tales of his adventures. Here he explains the usefulness, indeed the necessity, of a pistol and a pair of formidable words, ‘stand’ and ‘deliver’, to a gentleman of the road such as he.

Of course, he added, not only does he follow the fashion and have the air and carriage of a gentleman, he has the manners too – being most courteous when he takes purses, and always saying thank you.

Once he discovered that the children were accomplished scholars, he asked for volunteers to read out some of the stories about him, so that he could tell the class the much more exciting, true versions, in which, of course, he is more of a hero than a villain, just like Robin Hood.

The children went on to write letters of complaint to the London Gazette (concerning the lies printed about him), as well as improving a ballad so that he wouldn’t be turning in his grave at the singing of it! They even corrected the erroneous stories. Later on, the children helpfully came up with some new tricks he could try, to escape goal or a pursuing constable. They even fashioned some portrait likenesses to accompany the tales of his deeds.

If you would like Nevison to regale your children with his stories, immersing them in the world of historical highway robbers, perhaps because they are studying the famous poem, or mastering the art of persuasive writing, then do be in touch. Or perhaps you might be interested in one of my other characters, such as Sir William Petty (Great Fire of London or the Great Plague of 1665), Guy Fawkes, Captain Burwash the pirate or one of Drake’s sailors? If so, please have a look at the variety I can offer on my page of Characters.

I hope to hear from you.

(Thank you to Mr Turley for sending me the pictures.)

Posted on March 8, 2022 by , Reply

London’s Burning, in Doncaster!

Sir William uses a flint, steel and char-cloth to show the children how servants can start a fire!

This Tuesday I visited a school in Doncaster to work with two classes of Year 1 children. I had a lovely day, and so did they. As their teacher wrote to me afterwards:

“I just wanted to email you to say thank you so much for Tuesday. It was such a fantastically memorable day. The children rated it an overall 100/10!”

Sir William spent the whole day with all the children, telling them the story of the Great Fire in the morning. All the children joined in two big activities and Sir William showed them exactly where the events happened on his big map of London. He even showed them a leather bucket just like they have in London.

In the afternoon, the two classes worked on a map for a new, safer London, in which the houses were built in such a way that a third Great Fire (the first one was in 1212!) would be a lot less likely. 26 children each had their own part of London to plan, making a very large map (in exactly the shape of the hole left by the fire) when they joined them all together.

Here you can see the fancy fountains one child has drawn in the new parks, and the statues of the King and Queen another has drawn in theirs.

At the end of the day Sir William had to stand very still so that the children could sketch a likeness of him. I think they did a very good job.

If you might like to receive one of my visitors from the past, perhaps Sir William Petty (Great Fire of London or the Great Plague of 1665), or any of my characters – from Guy Fawkes to a Highwayman, from a pirate to a Civil War musketeer – then please have a look at the variety I can offer on my page of Characters.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on February 4, 2022 by , Reply
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