Penis count debate rages over Bayeux Tapestry
Debate is raging amongst historians over the number of penises included on the Bayeux Tapestry.The original embroidery is still kept in Bayeux, France, and depicts the Norman conquest of England, but a replica created in the late 19th Century is held at Reading Museum.Most of the penises were not transferred onto the replica by the Leek Embroidery Society, which made it, after it was given censored etchings, engravings and photos of it to work from.Oxford academic Prof George Garnett counted 93 penises in 2018 – with 88 belonging to horses and another five to men.
But Dr Christopher Monk said he had counted one more on another man.Prof Garnett said he believed he was still correct and that the potential penis was the scabbard of a man's dagger because "right at its end is a yellow blob", which he took to be brass."If you look at what are incontrovertibly penises in the tapestry, none of them have a yellow blob on the end," he told the History Extra podcast.
Either way, Prof Garnett said the Bayeux Tapestry, at 70m (230ft) long and about half a metre high (1.7ft) is "by far the most splendid and largest surviving" textile art from the period.The men's penises are included in the border of the embroidery, but there is no agreement about why they are there. "It might be that [the penises] are just there for fun and for levity, that's what some scholars say," Dr David Musgrove, from the podcast, said."Some say the figures are making some sort of commentary on the action in the main scene, some sort of subversive commentary, perhaps even casting doubt on the probity of some of the characters in the main scene. "Some people say they're something to do with Aesop's fables."There are lots of interesting theories – we don't know really, to be honest. But it's very interesting that they're there."
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Glasgow Times
31-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Lost Alan Turing papers set to fetch £150K at auction
The incredible archive was found gathering dust in an attic in Bermondsey, London, after its owner moved into a care home and her daughters began clearing out her loft. Among the documents which were nearly destroyed was a personal copy of the mathematical genius' PHD dissertation from 1938-39 and his first published paper from 1935. The papers, known as "offprints", had originally been gifted by Turing's mother, Ethel to her son's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Routledge. They were produced in very small numbers and distributed within academia, making them "incredibly scarce" survivors that rarely ever appear on the market. The documents were nearly destroyed. (Image: SWNS) The collection is now expected to sell for between £100,000-£150,000 when it goes under the hammer at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, Staffs, on June 17. Turing was one of the famous codebreakers at Bletchley Park who played a vital role in cracking the Enigma code, which led to Allied victory in World War Two. Despite helping to shorten the war by an estimated four years, on March 31 1952, he was prosecuted for homosexual acts and died from cyanide poisoning on June 7, 1954, aged 41. Shortly before pleading guilty, Turing sent a poignant letter to Norman Routledge, the original owner of the papers being sold. The letter, known as 'Yours in distress', was read by Routledge when he appeared in "The Strange Life and Death of Dr Turing" on the BBC's Horizon in 1992. It has also since been read by Benedict Cumberbatch after it was presented by Routledge to King's College, Cambridge, where it now resides in The Turing Archive. The collection is expected to make £150k. (Image: SWNS) But he kept the collection of Turing's offprints, which were eventually rescued by his nieces and nephews. One of the nieces explained: 'Following his retirement from Eton College, Norman bought and lived in a house in Bermondsey. "When he died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. "There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. "Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. "Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives. The papers were saved by Turing's friend, Norman. (Image: SWNS) Adding: "One cousin felt the Turing and Forster papers might be of interest to collectors. "After taking them home for a closer look, she decided to attend a local valuation day hosted by Hansons Auctioneers, who consigned them for research with their specialist saleroom, Rare Book Auctions. "We were bowled over by the valuations and level of enthusiasm.' The collection includes his PhD dissertation from 1938-39, Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, which is signed by Turing, having been his personal copy. This document alone has been valued by the auction house at £40,000 to £60,000 as has his 1936-37 paper entitled On Computable Numbers. The paper introduced the world to the idea of a 'universal computing machine', which, despite the model's simplicity, is capable of implementing any computer algorithm, and has been described as the first programming manual of the computer age. The papers have been checked by experts. (Image: SWNS) Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, who is more famed for finding Harry Potter first editions, described the collection as "the most important archive I've ever handled.' He said the exchange of offprints had historically been a method of correspondence between scholars and is prized by collectors as representing the first separate edition of an important work. He added: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to find in that carrier bag. "These seemingly plain papers-perfectly preserved in the muted colours of their unadorned, academic wrappers - represent the foundations of computer science and modern digital computing. "Literature has always been my forte, not mathematics, so the past few months of intensively researching and cataloguing these papers has left me feeling that Alan Turing was superhuman. The collection includes letters. (Image: SWNS) "For me, it's like studying the language of another planet, something composed by an ultra-intelligent civilisation." The collection also includes The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis, which dates from 1952, and is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology. It has since become a basic model in theoretical biology, describing what have come to be known as 'Turing patterns'. Mr Spencer said: 'As recently as 2023, a study confirmed Turing's mathematical model hypothesis as outlined in The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis. "In this way the papers are still alive. They're still relevant and groundbreaking. 'We even have Turing's first published paper from 1935 – Equivalence of Left and Right Almost Periodicity – which is simply a single sheet of paper. The collection is set to get interest from around the world. (Image: SWNS) "And the provenance couldn't be better. The archive was gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Arthur Routledge (1928-2013) by Turing's mother Ethel - and we have her handwritten letter explaining this." In the letter, dated May 16, 1956, Ethel Turing says: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints...I don't know what people in Cambridge thought of the manner of Alan's death. "I am convinced it was accidental as the experiment of coke under electrolysis – which smelt of cyanide had been going on for weeks – I feel sure he got some of this on his fingers & so on to the apple he customarily ate in bed...I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan...I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Mr Spencer added: "This fascinating letter is a golden thread that neatly ties up and seals the authenticity of everything being offered. "The potential value compels us to offer the papers individually. The price is unknown and could run to any amount. Recommended Reading 'Anything with a direct connection to Turing is highly desirable and almost impossible to find. "These papers were owned by his close friend Norman, having been gifted to him by Turing's mother. That's what makes this collection so significant. 'Hardly anything like this appears on the open market, so predicting hammer prices is fortune-telling." Adding: "I suspect interest will be strong in Silicon Valley – where Turing's influence shines brightly – but it would be lovely to see material acquired by institutions who could share things with the public."
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Zoe Ball's love life as she fronts VE Day concert - including bond with her ex
BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball - who has returned to the radio station for a new Saturday afternoon show - will host VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember for the BBC tonight Presenter Zoe Ball will be back on TV later tonight as the 80th anniversary celebrations for VE Day continue. She will follow in the footsteps of Sophie Raworth who led the BBC' s coverage of the special occasion earlier this week. Zoe, 54, will front VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember from 8pm until 10.10pm on BBC One this evening. It will showcase a concert from Horse Guards Parade in London and has been described as the "finale" of the celebrations. Her involvement with the special comes after she returned to BBC Radio 2 just days ago to launch her new Saturday afternoon show. Zoe had hosted the station's weekday breakfast show for six years before leaving in December. She had announced her departure weeks prior after an extended absence last summer, which came following the death of her late mother Julia Peckham in April last year. Ahead of her return to TV tonight, there's been renewed interest in Zoe's life off-screen. There's been no update on her dating life, with her thought to be single, but the Mirror has now taken a look back at her previous relationships. Fatboy Slim Zoe had a high-profile relationship with musician Norman Cook, now 61 - better known as Fatboy Slim - after meeting whilst both in Ibiza in 1998. The presenter was out there hosting BBC Radio 1 's breakfast show from the island. She got married to the DJ the following year and their son Woody Cook, now 24, was born in 2000. The couple then briefly split in 2003 after she had an affair. She told the Mirror in 2012: "It was a mix of everything. I wasn't happy." Zoe reflected: "[We] met in Ibiza and lived this crazy, party life and got married within a year. Then we had Woody and suddenly I was all settled down. I thought 'do know each other?' [...] Reality hit me hard when we started a family." She ended up reconciling with Norman though and their youngest child Nelly Cook, now 15, was then born in 2010. Six years later, the couple however announced back in 2016 that they had decided to separate after 18 years together. The exes have remained on good terms over the years. As previously reported, Zoe told Red magazine in 2020: "[Norman] is such a good friend and a good guy. It's not always been easy and it's taken time. He's been through a lot, I've been through a lot, but now we're in a great place as parents together." Zoe and Norman were said to be spending "more time" together last year following the loss of her mother. A source told OK! magazine in September: "Zoe has really struggled these past few months as she copes with the loss of her mum and just lots of changes in her life. And despite them splitting up, Norman is the one person she can still rely on and he has been her rock, as he always is." Speaking to the Mirror recently, their son Woody dismissed any suggestion of a rekindled romance though. Asked how his family are doing, he said: "It's pretty good, for a half-estranged family unit. Not a lot of turmoil at the moment. We are very excited, the four of us. Not that we are actually 'a family'. They are still very much not together. As much as the papers keep trying to insinuate they're back together. Just to clarify that!" Billy Yates Following the end of her long-term relationship with her ex Norman, radio host Zoe began a romance with camera operator Billy Yates in 2017. The pair are said to have been friends for years before their relationship developed. Billy was said to have given Zoe a "new lease on life". Just months into their romance though, it was announced that he had died, aged 40. It was later reported that Billy had taken his own life and Zoe's paid tribute in the years since. Remembering him on Desert Island Discs in 2020, she said: "He had lived with depression for a huge chunk of his life. It's so hard to sit and watch someone you love and care for struggle with mental health." She shared: "Losing him was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with in my life." Zoe continued: "I think something that's really important to share [is] that there is hope. There is help available, there are ways, we're still learning. For some people, the drugs work. For some people that isn't the case. But I think it's so isolating to be trapped in your mind like that, where you doubt yourself, you doubt everything you've ever known. You doubt your family love you. You doubt that your friends care for you." She added: "I don't want people to remember him for how he died. I want people to remember Billy for how he lived his life. He was so full of love. He would help anyone in need. He was always there for all his friends. He brought so much [into our lives]. He loved to dance and he loved to laugh." Just days ago, she reflected on the loss on the anniversary of his death. Alongside a photo of her late partner, she wrote on Instagram: "8 years forever in our hearts Billface #mateswithyates." She included emojis of a rose, stars and a heart. Michael Reed Zoe is said to have begun dating model Michael Reed towards the end of 2017. A source told the Sun in December that year: "She has had a tough time of it this year so deserves some happiness. It is early days with Michael but Zoe seems quite taken with him." Two years later, there was speculation that they had split up though the couple are now thought to have remained together after then. It was subsequently reported four years later that they had ended their relationship in 2023. A source told the Sun two years ago: "Zoe is gutted." They went on to say: "[They] started spending a lot less time together, went away on separate holidays and drifted apart. Now it seems the relationship has finally run its course." If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@ or visit their site to find your local branch.
Telegraph
05-05-2025
- Telegraph
‘I'm 18 and I'm a town crier': Meet the youngsters keeping up ancient British traditions
Many people view the likes of town crying and Morris dancing as dying British traditions, uniquely performed by bearded men of a certain age. If most of us are asked to picture a Morris dancer, an image of an older gentleman dressed head-to-toe in white, bells jingling as he waves two handkerchiefs around with abandon, may spring to mind. Not so much a 12-year-old schoolgirl wielding a stick with attitude. Yet, far from dying out, a new generation is taking up the baton to keep our ancient traditions alive. The medieval village blacksmith has been reinvented as a social-media-savvy student selling his wares internationally, while a town crier, once used to spread breaking news to townsfolk, now conveys a message of empowerment to young women. Here, we speak to three young people about their unusual pastimes. The teenage town crier There are a few key skills a good town crier should possess: an outgoing personality, confidence to speak in front of a crowd and, of course, a great set of lungs. Luckily for the people of Tenby, Erin Morgan has these skills in spades. 'I'm a performing arts student, so I'm very used to performing in front of large crowds, and I can project my voice quite easily,' she explains. 'I thought it's an excellent way to bring the community together, and by having a young person in the role, it changes the view of what a town crier is.' Last year, Erin became the first female and the youngest person ever to take on the ceremonial role in the Welsh town, aged just 17. Her appointment was met with surprise, but overwhelming positivity. She said: 'I did get comments from people, but they were all positive. 'My friends were a bit shocked, to say the least, and there's been continuous banter about it, but there's always going to be. They have been really supportive and always want to know what I am up to.' Town crying has been around since at least 1066, with two bellmen depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. Traditionally, their job was to inform the townspeople of the latest news, proclamations and bylaws – a little like a medieval version of X. Now, town criers primarily perform ceremonial duties at civic functions and events. Although she is used to performing, Erin's first engagement was a baptism of fire as she led one of the most important events in the calendar: Tenby's VE Day commemorations. 'It was only two days after I had got the role, so I was extremely nervous. It was outdoors and there were a lot of people there, so I was given a microphone,' she said. 'But I grew more comfortable as I got into it, and by the end of the evening I loved it.' The first year has been a busy one, with Erin turning out in her ceremonial robes to everything from the town's Christmas lights switch-on, to the annual RNLI pancake race. Erin has had to juggle her engagements with her studies at Pembrokeshire College. As a performing arts student, Erin takes part in two major shows a year in the summer and at Christmas – peak seasons for a town crier. Erin is also a leader for Tenby Guides and Rangers and hopes her role will inspire the girls and young women in the unit to engage with their community. 'The best thing is seeing people's reaction when they realise the town crier is an 18-year-old woman. It changes their perspective on it and what it can be,' she said. 'It's important to get the next generation to engage with traditions like these. I would love people my age or even younger to get involved.' The social-media-savvy blacksmith Most teenage boys would probably want to find the latest PlayStation waiting for them under the Christmas tree. For 14-year-old Ben Perkins, his favourite present was something rather more low-tech: a blacksmith's anvil. The gift was a sign of his family's support for his new hobby, which eventually grew into a fully fledged business, with Ben selling his creations across the globe. In the Middle Ages, every village had a blacksmith, but the craft almost disappeared after the Second World War with the advent of mechanisation on the land. But thanks to young people like Ben, blacksmithing has survived into the 21st century. Growing up, Ben had always enjoyed DIY with his father, but when he reached his teenage years, he wanted to try something new. Ben, now 21, says: 'Making things has always been a passion of mine. I loved bushcraft, and when I was 14, I thought it would be fun to make a bushcraft knife.' After watching some tutorials on YouTube, Ben successfully made his first knife. He says: 'It was very rudimentary and nothing to shout about, but hammering some red-hot metal was a lot of fun.' Ben constructed a makeshift forge at the bottom of the garden at the family home in Guildford, Surrey, using whatever equipment he could lay his hands on. He says: 'I started using my mum's old hairdryer, a hole in the ground and some coal. And that was enough to create a forge, which is essentially where you put the metal in to get it red hot. I had to use an old fence post as an anvil, because anvils are quite expensive to buy. 'As time went on, I got the anvil for Christmas, and tools for my birthday, meaning I had a proper setup, rather than using things that aren't actually that safe when you're playing around with metal that's over 1,000 degrees.' After a few more YouTube videos, and a bucketful of failed projects, Ben started to create useful items such as coat hooks and bottle openers, and decorative whales and snails. He was sharing his creations on Instagram, Facebook and Reddit, looking for feedback, when someone asked if they were for sale. It was a lightbulb moment for Ben. 'I hadn't even thought about selling products; I was just having fun making them,' he says. 'When I realised I could sell them, I was quite excited, as I was spending a fair bit of my savings. Now I could actually cover the cost of my hobby.' Ben's first sale came aged 16, when someone in the United States purchased a snail for £25 via Reddit. A second sale to Germany quickly followed before Ben's business, Ben Makes, took off in the UK. Now studying business and digital marketing at Falmouth University, Ben continues to enjoy blacksmithing during his university holidays. But the entrepreneur has branched out into jewellery making and crafts luxury pieces in his student accommodation. His creations include rings and necklaces containing gold flakes, crushed opal and Cornish sand as a romantic memento, while others incorporate ashes and fur from customers' pets. After university, Ben plans to scale up his business. 'I've been slowly doing more social media marketing and looking at business collaborations as well. It's exciting to see where it might go,' he says. The tween folk dancer The arrival of May Day heralds the start of a busy time of year for 12-year-old Morris dancer Charlotte Lindsay. To get ready, Charlotte, a member of the National Youth Folklore Troupe of England (NYFTE), spent a week of her Easter holidays at an intensive residential training camp at Denstone College in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. There, she joined a group of young people aged between 10 and 18 with a passion for English traditional song, music and dance in learning and perfecting new routines to take out on the road to folk festivals across the country this summer. 'The training can be quite tiring, but we have a lot of breaks for cake,' smiles Charlotte. The origins of Morris dancing are debated, but it is believed to have started in England sometime in the 15th century. Historically, the dance may have been a fertility ritual, and it has even been linked to pagan worship, although there is limited evidence to support this. Charlotte discovered a passion for folk dancing when she started going with her family to monthly cèilidhs in her home village of Kennington, Oxfordshire. This inspired her 16-year-old sister Bella to join NYFTE, while a then 10-year-old Charlotte went on the waiting list. In the meantime, Charlotte began to hone her skills with Cry Havoc, a Cotswold Morris dance side based in Botley, Oxford. 'I'm the youngest dancer there, but everyone else is very friendly, so I don't really mind at all,' Charlotte says. 'It's very relaxed. We practise during the winter, and then in the summer, we go to different pubs and sometimes festivals, like the Oxford Folk Festival.' Charlotte is dancing with Cry Havoc at the Appleton Fair on Bank Holiday Monday. The group also performed at the May Morning celebration in Oxford on May 1, with dancing starting in the botanical gardens at 5am. Unfortunately for Charlotte, a 4am start isn't really compatible with a full day at school, so she had to give this particular event a miss. Despite young Morris newcomers like Charlotte, the 2023 Morris Census shows that the age distribution of UK Morris dancers is still skewed towards older age groups. Just 9 per cent are aged under 30. Groups such as NYFTE are bringing folk to young people in a bid to keep traditional dances, including stave, clog and broom dances, alive. NYFTE dancers come from across England, from Devon to Durham, and perform at festivals all over the country, which means a busy summer for their families. Charlotte's mother, Rachel, says: 'All the families camp together, so we have to pack the car with tents, sleeping bags and all the camping gear, and then get to wherever it is and put the tent up – often in the middle of the night by the car headlights.' Despite the early starts, hours of travelling, and the amount of time Charlotte's hobby consumes, Rachel says it has benefited the whole family, adding: 'We were never really a 'folky' family, but we have discovered folk festivals, found new music, tried new dances and had lots of fun.' Speaking about Charlotte's hobby, Rachel says: 'I wouldn't have expected it when she was younger, but since she had to come along to NYFTE events before she could join because we were all going with Bella, she saw what fun they had and was keen to get involved. As a parent, I think it's a really nice thing to get into.'
