Latest news with #Thetford
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hawk tag discovery linked to Elizabeth I's cousin
The discovery of a silver hawk tag has uncovered the story of one of Elizabeth I's cousins, who also had family links to two of her favourites. The identity tag, known as a vervel, was found by a metal detectorist near Thetford, Norfolk, in early 2024, and has been declared treasure by a coroner. It belonged to the well-connected landowner and MP Sir Robert Knollys, a grandson of the queen's aunt Mary Boleyn. Parliamentary records revealed Sir Robert was very interested in hunting and hawking, said Norfolk's finds liaison officer Helen Geake. "He sat on numerous parliamentary committees to do with hawking and hunting and what's more unusual is he was also appointed to a committee on hunting with guns, which was a very new thing then." Hunting with hawks was a hugely popular sport for the wealthy, from the Middle Ages until the mid-17th Century. Vervels were used to identify ownership of the birds if they were found dead or had flown off. The 6.1mm diameter (0.36in) silver find was engraved SR. ROBERT. KNOWLES. 'Regular updates' Dr Geake's research revealed it belonged to Robert Knollys, who was born in about 1547 in Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire, and died in 1618. Sir Robert had a Norfolk connection through marrying one of his daughters to the politician Framlingham Gaudy, from West Harling, a few miles from Thetford. "We know he kept hawks on his son-in-law's estate and received regular updates about them from his servants," said Dr Geake, from Norfolk County Council's Environment Service. Sir Robert's father was the long-serving treasurer of Elizabeth I's household and his sister Lettice secretly married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in 1578. The earl had long been the queen's favourite, and even hoped to marry her at one point, but his marriage resulted in Lettice's banishment from court until Elizabeth died in 1603. Sir Robert's nephew Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, became another of the queen's favourites until an attempted uprising in 1601 resulted in his execution. The massive increase in firearms during the English Civil Wars (1642 to 1651) helped bring about the end of hawking, because it was much easier to shoot game for the kitchen than train a hawk for the purpose. A coroner at a treasure inquest typically decides whether the discovery is treasure, and therefore whether a museum should have first refusal over it. Norwich Castle Museum hopes to acquire it. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Story of sign-language educated pair 'remarkable' Centuries-old ring found 'gleaming in the sunshine' Museum hopes to acquire 'rackety' baronet's ring Hawking rings etched with landowner's name found Related internet links Norfolk County Council Portable Antiquities Scheme
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Thetford hawk tag discovery linked to Elizabeth I's cousin
The discovery of a silver hawk tag has uncovered the story of one of Elizabeth I's cousins, who also had family links to two of her favourites. The identity tag, known as a vervel, was found by a metal detectorist near Thetford, Norfolk, in early 2024, and has been declared treasure by a coroner. It belonged to the well-connected landowner and MP Sir Robert Knollys, a grandson of the queen's aunt Mary records revealed Sir Robert was very interested in hunting and hawking, said Norfolk's finds liaison officer Helen Geake. "He sat on numerous parliamentary committees to do with hawking and hunting and what's more unusual is he was also appointed to a committee on hunting with guns, which was a very new thing then." Hunting with hawks was a hugely popular sport for the wealthy, from the Middle Ages until the mid-17th were used to identify ownership of the birds if they were found dead or had flown 6.1mm diameter (0.36in) silver find was engraved SR. ROBERT. KNOWLES. 'Regular updates' Dr Geake's research revealed it belonged to Robert Knollys, who was born in about 1547 in Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire, and died in Robert had a Norfolk connection through marrying one of his daughters to the politician Framlingham Gaudy, from West Harling, a few miles from Thetford. "We know he kept hawks on his son-in-law's estate and received regular updates about them from his servants," said Dr Geake, from Norfolk County Council's Environment Robert's father was the long-serving treasurer of Elizabeth I's household and his sister Lettice secretly married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in earl had long been the queen's favourite, and even hoped to marry her at one point, but his marriage resulted in Lettice's banishment from court until Elizabeth died in Robert's nephew Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, became another of the queen's favourites until an attempted uprising in 1601 resulted in his massive increase in firearms during the English Civil Wars (1642 to 1651) helped bring about the end of hawking, because it was much easier to shoot game for the kitchen than train a hawk for the purpose.A coroner at a treasure inquest typically decides whether the discovery is treasure, and therefore whether a museum should have first refusal over Castle Museum hopes to acquire it. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Telegraph
Violent prisoners taught philosophy
Prisoners have been taught the philosophy of stoicism under schemes that have reduced violence and conflict behind bars. Watchdogs at Wayland Prison in Thetford, Norfolk, have revealed the inmates have been undergoing classes based on the works of Socrates and Zeno of Citium. The theories behind stoicism were developed by Socrates, the Greek philosopher, while Zeno is credited with having developed the concept and founded the stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in Athens from about 300 BC. Stoicism, which was taken on by the Romans, teaches individuals to focus on what they can control – their thoughts and actions – and to accept what they cannot, such as external events and outcomes. Stoics strive to develop virtues such as wisdom, courage, justice and temperance to achieve a life of tranquillity and virtue. The classes at the category C prison are said by its watchdog, independent monitoring board (IMB), to have been so popular that they have been scheduled throughout the year to meet demand. The IMB said the innovative approach was proving an effective remedy to combat drug use at the jail and contributing to a decline in the amount of violence. Data published by the watchdogs showed that assaults on staff and other prisoners had decreased. 'It is this sort of effort, which distances itself from both punitive and simply educative approaches and, instead, seeks to increase a prisoner's inner resilience, which we would encourage and were recommending in our commentary on the 2024 prisoner attitude survey,' said the watchdogs. 'We therefore recommend to the governor that the prison takes the success of this course and examines how additional resilience and prevention training could be introduced as an expanded weapon in its war on the evils of drugs and the rehabilitation chances of its prisoners.' The move follows research by Manchester Met University into the impact of regular sessions on Descartes, Aristotle, Plato and other thinkers on prisoner's ability to trust and cooperate with other inmates, including some of the most dangerous Category A prisoners. Dr Kirstine Szifris, a researcher in the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge, said the initial interactions were characterised by 'bravado, one-upmanship and competition' with the men not having any respect for any of their criminal counterparts. She led the prisoners through a series of philosophical problems to illustrate ideas such as Plato's ideal society, the Stoic philosophy of the Greeks and Romans, and the Socratic method of inquiry. One scenario led them to imagine they were shipwrecked on a desert island with other survivors and asked how they would organise their new society. She found that through an emphasis on philosophical conversation, the inmates began to appreciate the importance of listening to each other. 'They learned that working together to understand what Kant, Descartes or Plato were saying was more fruitful than trying to outdo each other,' she said.
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Solar farm plans submitted for Brookeville
A renewable energy company is seeking permission to build a solar farm that would cover an area the same size as 46 football UK Development submitted plans to West Norfolk Council for Green Lane Solar Park in Brookeville, near solar farm, backed by Octopus Energy, would have a generating capacity of 15 megawatts (MW), and power about 5,000 residents have raised concerns that agricultural land could be lost, but others supported the scheme. The thoughts were gathered via a questionnaire conducted by the firm as part of a public afield, some people, including MPs, have expressed concerns about the number of solar projects planned for the government has said they are necessary as part of aims to cut carbon emissions and provide better energy security. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Driver dies after crash involving two cars on A143 near Ixworth
A driver has died following a crash involving two Police was called to the A143 at Ixworth, near Bury St Edmunds, after reports of a crash involving a blue Ford Focus and a grey Honda Jazz on Monday at 14:40 East of England Ambulance Service also attended and took one of the drivers to West Suffolk Hospital, where he later died.A 41-year-old man from Thetford was arrested in connection with the incident before the road reopened by 22:15. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
