aBurntShip

                          Civil War, Regicide, & The Republic     Author James Hobson has written such works as ''Dark Days of Georgian Britain', 'Following in the Footsteps of Oliver Cromwell'. and 'The English Civil War Fact and Fiction'. Mr Hobson runs an author's website called   about 1816 . The site is worth a look, showing Mr Hobson's interest in less obvious aspects of the 17th century, The Regency , 18th century and Victorian times. Just the list of blogs that he follows is quite intriguing.  Certainly  rate this book highly. Some background knowledge to the British Civil Wars would be helpful, but not essential to get maximum benefit from it. The trial, sentencing, and execution of a reigning monarch was unprecedented in Britain's history, and the author has made a worthy contribution in our attempt to grasp what actually happened.  Have to agree with the author's overall approach to the subject. The killing of kings or their a

                      In Search of Poetry Relating to the Gunpowder Plot    This piece is the start of a longer study that I am working on, looking at the Gunpowder Plot and its place in Apocalypse culture of the 17th century and beyond. Links between  drama and the Gunpowder Plot continue to be made. Macbeth  is the most obvious play that allegedly draws on the Gunpowder Treason of 1605 . James Shapiro has also tried to connect King Lear to the Plot ( SHAPIRO ) . Contemporary plays which used the event for dramatic effect  included John Martson's Sophonisba, Thomas Dekker's The Whore of Babylon,  and Barnabe Barnes' The Devils Charter ( WILLS ) . From the 17th century until well into the 19th century regular sermons and an annual Church of England service of deliverance reminded the congregations of  the failure of the 'Plot .  Of course the most important commemoration takes place on Bonfire Nights even though by the 21st century the growing popularity of Halloween i