Evelyn Lord

In this intimate history of the extraordinary Black Plague pandemic that swept through the British Isles in 1665, Evelyn Lord focuses on the plague’s effects on smaller towns, where every death was a singular blow affecting the entire community. Lord’s fascinating reconstruction of life during plague times presents the personal experiences of a wide range of individuals, from historical notables Samuel Pepys and Isaac Newton to common folk who tilled the land and ran the shops. She brings this dark era to vivid life through stories of loss and survival from those who grieved, those who fled, and those who hid to await their fate.

On the 18th March 1314, in Paris, Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and Geoffroi de Charney, preceptor of the Knights Templar in Normandy, are led to the stake. Before the pyre at their feet is set alight, Jacques de Molay speaks to the watching crowd, proclaiming a curse on those who had wrongly condemned them.A month later Pope Clement V, who had helped to condemn the Knights Templar, died. Their chief persecutor, Phlip IV of France, followed him to the grave a few months later. And famine, plague and revolt were to follow. Was the Templar’s curse coming home to roost?The Templar’s Curse shows the Knights Templar under arrest, torture and trial, followed by penance for life. Chronicling the dissolution of the order after the trial in 1307, this fascinating new book investigates the consequences of the Templar’s persecution and their mysterious legacy. Curses, cruelty, political intrigue, revenge…the true story of the Knights Templar is better than fiction!

The Knights Templar In Britain examines exactly who became knights, what rituals sustained them, where the power bases were, and how their tentacles spread through the political and economic worlds of Britain before their defeat at the hands of the Inquisition some two hundred years later.Founded in the early twelfth century, the mysterious Knights Templar rose to be the most powerful military order of the Middle Ages. While their campaign in the Middle East and travels are well-known, their huge influence across the British isles remains virtually uncharted. For readers interested in Medieval History.

Where can you see an effigy of a Templar? What prompted King John to hand England over to an Italian? Who worked for the Templars in Yorkshire? The Knights Templar in Yorkshire answers all these questions and many more. This new book explores what medieval life was like during the Templars' stay in Yorkshire. Not only was it the biggest county in Britain, but in Templar terms it was also the richest. They owned more land, property and people in Yorkshire than in any other county in England. This fascinating volume takes the reader on an intimate tour of the ten major Templar sites established in Yorkshire, and reveals what life was like for their inhabitants - how the land was farmed, what the population ate, how they were taxed and local legends. Illustrated with an intriguing collection of photographs and specially commissioned maps, this book is sure to appeal to anyone interested in medieval history.

A history of Derby