Tag: Valentine’s Day

17th Century history, Early modern history, History of Parliament Trust

For St Valentine’s Day, a sad story about marital devotion from Civil War and Restoration Suffolk – or is it?

This Valentine’s Day, Paul Seaward, Director of the History of Parliament, reflects on the marital devotion of Sir Henry North, and questions how devoted North truly was… In the parish church at Mildenhall, Suffolk, close by the chancel, there is a pair of modest, but distinctly odd monuments, placed side by side. One bears a plain inscription noting the death in 1671 of Sir Henry … Continue reading For St Valentine’s Day, a sad story about marital devotion from Civil War and Restoration Suffolk – or is it?

Kirsty O'RourkeLeave a comment
Medieval history, Social history

A medieval MP’s Valentine’s Day Letters

Dr Hannes Kleineke of the 1422-1504 Commons explains how the commercial holiday we now recognise as St Valentine’s Day was observed by a young lover in the fifteenth century… It is a little known fact that the earliest known Valentine’s letter was in fact addressed to an MP, albeit a future one. In February 1477 Margery Brewes, soon to be married to the Norfolk gentleman John … Continue reading A medieval MP’s Valentine’s Day Letters

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