Dr Ian Friel
@drianfriel.bsky.social
Independent historian, FSA and FRHistS, specialising in maritime, local and house history, based in UK. Author of five books on maritime history, multiple research papers and house histories. www.ianfriel.co.uk Rep: @donaldwin.bsky.social
When I worked at the Mary Rose Trust, I went to the BBC studios with Margaret Rule in 1989 for a later Blue Peter feature (1989) on the ship. Fascinating to see how this iconic programme was put together: it had been an important part of my childhood, as it has for millions of others in the UK!
November 19, 2025 at 11:57 AM
When I worked at the Mary Rose Trust, I went to the BBC studios with Margaret Rule in 1989 for a later Blue Peter feature (1989) on the ship. Fascinating to see how this iconic programme was put together: it had been an important part of my childhood, as it has for millions of others in the UK!
Reposted by Dr Ian Friel
The MS of the Week is on display in the Reading Room of the Library this week from 10.00-13.00 and 14.00-16.30 Monday - Friday. No appointment or reader’s ticket is required to view the MS of the Week.
November 17, 2025 at 9:34 AM
The MS of the Week is on display in the Reading Room of the Library this week from 10.00-13.00 and 14.00-16.30 Monday - Friday. No appointment or reader’s ticket is required to view the MS of the Week.
Glad to help! The bases probably looked a bit like these wrought-iron (15th cent) Venetian examples, or those from the #MaryRose. The word 'foist' came from the Italian 'fusta' (light galley), which had apparently come into English by 1485.
November 12, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Glad to help! The bases probably looked a bit like these wrought-iron (15th cent) Venetian examples, or those from the #MaryRose. The word 'foist' came from the Italian 'fusta' (light galley), which had apparently come into English by 1485.
Smallest Elizabethan warship of 1580s was the 29-ton Cygnet (built 1585), it measured 52ft overall & was 12ft wide. Assuming similar proportions, the foist (possibly an oared vessel) would have been maybe 44 x 11 ft. Bases were small, breech-loading guns on swivels, not cannon on wheeled carriages.
November 12, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Smallest Elizabethan warship of 1580s was the 29-ton Cygnet (built 1585), it measured 52ft overall & was 12ft wide. Assuming similar proportions, the foist (possibly an oared vessel) would have been maybe 44 x 11 ft. Bases were small, breech-loading guns on swivels, not cannon on wheeled carriages.