April Fools’ Day

And so we fly into April. Tempus fugit.

I was planning on an April Fool, but didn't have enough foresight. And by the time I post this, it’ll be past the 12 o’clock deadline. So, instead, I’ll just post about the history of the tradition.

But first, my morning’s exercise. With the weather looking pretty dreich, I opted a revisit to Rievaulx Terrace as I knew the Iconic Templ ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=31776

#NorthYorkMoors #Rievaulx #Cistercian #medieval

The Ionic Temple, Rievaulx Terrace

They say that things often come in threes, and that certainly seems to be the case for me this week, as I have encountered the Duncombe family for the third time. 
In 1687, a nouveau riche banker named Sir Charles Duncombe purchased the Rievaulx and Helmsley estates for the staggering sum of £90,000. He was known as one of the richest commoners in ...

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=31846

#NorthYorkMoors #Rievaulx #18th-century #history #NationalTrust

Not forgetting that today is the festival of #Aelred of Hexham & #Rievaulx, who died on this day in 1190. The sublime ruins at Rievaulx testify to the size & prosperity of the Cistercian Abbey following Aelred’s long incumbency as abbot.