Welcome to December's edition of The Castle Times

We have a treat in store this month with our recipe Corner. We have not one but two recipes to tempt you.

Our second recipe was submitted by one of our readers and I would like to add a new contributing author to 'The Castle Times' - Pamela Seres.

In this months issue:

1.    Castle of the month - A Short History - Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight.

2.   Recipe Corner - White bean and honey soup, 14th century English and Prunes in Sirrope

3.    Life in Medieval times - Wedding Traditions and Marriage Laws Pt3

4.   Travel Tips - How to prepare for a trip by road.

5. Readers Story - A Day in the Life of being Henry - A Date with Rolf Harris Pt1 - by Ray Irving

Yarmouth Castle which is hidden in a corner at the edge of the town, and flanked on two sides by sea, has almost become lost among the outbuildings of the George Hotel.

Yarmouth castle which is hidden in a corner at the edge of the town, and flanked on two sides by sea, has almost become lost among the outbuildings of the George Hotel. Some 500 years early though it was a completely different story. The castle played an important role in offering the islanders protection against French raids.

After witnessing the sinking of his flagship ‘Mary Rose’, Henry VIII wasted little time in ordering the building of Yarmouth Castle as one in a line of the many fortifications along the south and east coasts to ward of further advances by the French.

Yarmouth castle was completed in 1547, using stone from two Hampshire monasteries that had been dissolved by the King. The castles design broke with tradition and was square in plan with a pointed 'arrow-head' bastion in the south-east corner which protected the vulnerable area on the landward side, and allowed raking fire down the length of a moat situated along the south and east flanks.

Today the castle appears cramped as a result of the many alterations carried out down through the ages. Originally you would gain access to the castle through a doorway in the east wall leading onto a central courtyard area. The castles guns would have been sited on ramparts above the courtyard's perimeter. The soldier’s billets and provisions were situated along the southern perimeter wall. The arrow-head bastion served as the kitchen and service areas.

During the late 16th and early part of the 17th century, the courtyard was filled with earth to create a level gun platform. To help support the extra weight of the gun, angular buttresses were built on the seaward side of the west and north walls. Other modifications of the time included a second storey extension with gabled roof to the 'arrow-head' bastion, and an enlargement of the Master Gunners House in the south-east corner. During 1632, further refurbishment was carried out on what is now referred to as the 'Long Room', which is located in the south-west corner of the castle.

Controlled by the islands Captain, Richard Worsley, Yarmouth’s original armament comprised three cannon and culverins, as well as twelve smaller guns. Over the next 50 years several additions were made outside of the main castle to assist with extra ordinance, including an earthen bulwark with bastions.

During the time of the English Civil War, those of any social standing on the Isle of Wight were exclusively Royalist. The then current captain of Yarmouth castle, Barnaby Burley had every intention of holding the castle on behalf of the King. However, armed with only a small garrison, Burley decided that discretion was the better part of valour and surrendered the castle to the parliamentarians, who remained until the Reformation in 1660. Ten years later the outer earthworks were removed, the moat was filled in, and a large house was constructed which later became the George hotel.

There seems to have been little or no further changes to the castles appearance until 1813, when modifications were made to the platform parapet, and gun rails were laid to mount the traversing platforms of four large naval guns. In 1869, the guns were dismantled and six years later the current garrison was withdrawn. Yarmouth Castle was then used as a coastguard signalling station until 1901, and was utilised during both world wars albeit on a small scale. In 1984 the castle came under the control of English Heritage.

6 oz (1 cup) Dried white beans.

1/2 pt (1-1/2 c) Almond milk. 1/4 pt (1/2 cup) White wine.

4 tbl Honey.

1 oz (3/4 cup) Raisins, plumped in hot vinegar in which you have dissolved a little brown sugar.

Method

1. Soak the beans in water for 1 hour, drain, put them in a saucepan and cover with salted water. Simmer until tender, for about 1 hour. 2. Drain, reserving the cooking water.

3. Put the beans into a saucepan with the almond milk, wine, and honey and simmer fora further 10 minutes.

4. If the soup is too thick, dilute it with the cooking water.

5. Season to taste and add the drained raisins. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

A Tudor Recipe that works and tastes great!

This rich but simple dish provides an excellent example of the 'suckets' eaten with a fork during a Tudor banquet course.

Prunes in Sirrope

8 oz prunes

3/4 pt claret

4 oz sugar

Soak the prunes overnight in the claret,then simmer the prunes, claret and sugar for 15 minutes until the prunes are tender.

They may be eaten or sealed in jars for a future time.

Submitted by, Pamela Seres

You can read a short biography about Pamela in next months issue

Eat, Drink and be Merry

Wedding Traditions and Marriage Laws Pt3

The garter became one of the most important parts of a bride’s attire. Wedding guests would follow the couple back to their room all the time trying to grab the garter for good luck. Medieval tradition held that a man who gave his love the garter of a bride would be guaranteed faithfulness.

The costumes worn by the invited guests mirrored that of the ever changing culture and increase in foreign trade, which had made more materials available. Nobility clad themselves in elaborate and brightly coloured robes and gowns. Gold and silver thread would be used to embroider fanciful designs. They would adorn themselves in jewellery, furs, and elaborate belts.

Another tradition that has lasted well into the 21st century is that of the groom who would wear his finest court apparel, which was often studded with gems and stitched with fine embroidery. Today the court apparel has been replaced with the morning suite or top hat and tails.

During the Middle Ages precious stones held deep meanings for people and they would wear them at a wedding or other function to let others know of personal characteristics, hopes and beliefs. Listed below are some of stones worn and their meanings:

Red Jasper: Love

Green Jasper: Faith

White Jasper: Gentleness

Amethyst: Christ's martyrdom

Chalcedony: Closeness to God

Emerald: Christian hope

Sapphire: Heaven-bound

In Pt 4 we look at what food you would be served at the wedding feast.

• Research the roads you’ll take. You’ll especially want to know if you’ll be travelling through areas of major road construction.

• Make estimates of travel times along the route, so you’ll have an idea when you’ll be at certain points on your trip. This will help you to plan rest and meal stops. It will also help you plan to avoid travelling through a major city or area of road construction during rush hour.

• Make sure your car is prepared for the weather it will encounter on your trip. You might need more antifreeze, new tires or recharged air-conditioning.

• Pack an emergency kit in your car. Include travel sickness tablets if anyone in your group suffers from it. Remove any unnecessary items from the car that won’t be requried need on the trip.

• Bring along some entertainment for your trip espically to keep your little angles quiet. Include games and music CDs of and/or audio books.

• Check to make sure that your registration and insurance are all valid. Be sure to place your insurance company’s emergency contact number in your car.

• Check to make sure your car insurance covers you for the areas/countries you are going to visit or travel through. If you have an accident in a foreign country, you maybe not covered by your insurance company.

• Fill the car with petrol before you pack the car, you dont want to go looking for a service station at the start of your journey. Check the fluid levels and tire pressure, your tire pressure will affect the ride and mileage you get on your trip.

It started two months ago after a midweek booking and I was unpacking Henry’s costume from my car, I heard the phone ring in the distance and by the time I reached it the caller had given up and gone. 1471 later and the secret of who was ringing was still a secret. About 2 hours later the phone caller tried again, I was out. The caller let it ring longer this time and enabled the recorded message to allow a chance for me to reply.

The message was from the BBC, could I ring back? Now was this a wind up from an old disgruntled ex-colleague out to give me a lesson in humility or was it genuine? I didn’t wait to think too deep, I replied at once. The call was genuine and the BBC was looking for an accurate King Henry VIII for a prestigious assignment in a TV special with Rolf Harris.

I knew the assignment straight away; I am a lifelong fan of Rolf Harris and have always used his graphics act as a template for my teaching for over 20 years. Rolf in my view is the best teacher on this planet and should be watched by all aspiring teachers who should take notes about his delivery, his level of talk and his attention techniques with his audience. Last year on the 24th September Rolf created a giant copy of Constables Haywain in Trafalgar square with the assistance of 100 artists of mixed skills, mind blowing in live TV.

The BBC had planned “Book-end” programmes for his new series of Rolf on Art, where a big event is at the start and the end. The first one was to be in Edinburgh and a copy of the Mona Lisa was to be produced, the last one being Hans Holbein’s King Henry VIII, the one lost in a fire of which only the original sketches are left.

They needed a King Henry Look-a-like who could also talk to crowds and act the part convincingly. They asked me. “Was I interested?” Was I interested! Of course I was interested. I gave them my agent’s details and then drew a breath.

My wife didn’t believe me at first, she thought I was winding her up.

Cutting a lot out, my first BBC shoot was on Tuesday 6th September, a day trip to London and being collected by car and taken to a Church in Maida Vale. I was completely lost, the church was a bit in need of love and attention but the old door opened and I met the Director, Peter. A great bloke, enthusiastic and so relieved that I did really look the part.

I was led to the cellar, steamy, dark and smelled of old damp and dead spiders. The filming crew were taken back about my face, so real to them that they knew they were on a winner and soon started to smile and talk again. I was led to where the costume was waiting for me, the real one, not a hire shop outfit but a heavy, very ornate and very hot suit made for the build and strength of a mighty King of England.

Now the business began, in the cellar the roof had wonderful arches and really was a great location for an eerie sequence with King Henry walking the corridors of power through the mist.

It took 5 hours of shooting, not many retakes except for a bump in the camera track which created an less than smooth shot. The Director was very pleased with me, he said my acting was great and the look was perfect. I was a bit scared of being wooden and his comments settled my stomach instantly.

The shoot was over before I wanted it to be, I was enjoying it so much. Another car journey and Train to home. Was it over? Was that it? My 15 minutes of fame gone!

That concludes Pt 1. In Part 2, Ray tells us all about the big film shoot itself.

I hope you have enjoyed reading issue 10.

If you have an suggestions or comments about any part of the newsletter then please feel free to contact me.

As always, if you have a story,photos or questions you wish to ask or share with our readers then please email me and I will be happy to include them in our next edition.

All submissions should reach me by no later than the 20th of December