Rod Collins

It’s time I put some effort into yet another Top of the Pops and Top of the Flops list
Check out who or what gets praise heaped upon them and conversely who or what gets scorn poured upon them
Some deserving cases this week
Read the rest of this entry »

Who, where, what or why is or was Sydnaceaster ?
Well, this was started, as many a quest has before, by an old map - a Saxon Map to be precise.
Dug up by historical bloodhound Neville it arrived wrapped in a plain brown envelope in my email box.
Hmmmmm I thought . . .
Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been saying for a long time now that we are going backwards. Things that were once part of the past are becoming facts of today or the future.
On a similar vein I’ve also predicted the return of the barter economy as things tighten up and people perhaps realise they can’t spend money they don’t have
Well a couple of examples just popped up
Read the rest of this entry »

I recently visited the Prisoner of War camp at Kirmington in Lincolnshire - a grim but fascinating sort of place which no doubt reflects the nature of such places.
I hope to find out much more about it - can you help
Read the rest of this entry »

How to find Roman artifacts or Roman finds in Lincolnshire
Now, settle back, close those other windows down and don’t you dare backclick to Facebook or Youtube because I’m going to tell you a tale.
I fully expect it to rock the world of archaeology to its very core - the last time something like this happened it was in Egypt and it involved some fella name Tut something or other.
Gather round folks I’ve got a story to tell
Read the rest of this entry »

Newhouse Castle, or Newhus Castle or for that matter Neuhus (more recently termed Newsham) stood on the site of Newhouse, or Newsham Abbey.
Earlier in the year I was fortunate enough to be taken around the site and now hope to find out as much as possible about the background of the castle
Read the rest of this entry »

Bigby church in Lincolnshire sits in the Lincolnshire Wolds overlooking the Ancholme valley.
The current building dates back to the 13th century
Read the rest of this entry »

I awoke and rose this morning at 6.30am full of the joys of Spring - on opening the curtains however and seeing that mysteriously a carpet of snow had fallen in the night I was reminded it was still Winter
As I needed to wheel the Goldeneye Chariot out of the stables today I thought it best to look for information on
The Best Way to Drive in the Snow and who better to show me than . . .
Read the rest of this entry »

What did the original Knights Templar actually look like and what did they wear ?
I suspect most people have a clear idea, bright white mantles emblazoned with large red crosses, shiny armour and elaborately decorated swords and bright silver suits of armour.
It’s a well known clichéd image but far from the historic truth
Read the rest of this entry »

When in history did surgery first begin ?
Well, this weeks hot and not list tells us
Read the rest of this entry »

Wrawby Mill ~ At Wrawby near Brigg in Lincolnshire stands the only postmill left in Lincolnshire
I went there today and it’s quite fabulous.
Read the rest of this entry »

How long should a woman spend looking for Mr Right ?
An open ended question one imagines and I suspect many women would say the search never ends !
It seems there is a time to stop though . . .
Read the rest of this entry »

St Benedict’s Church in Haltham-on-Bain Lincolnshire ~ was it a Knights Templar church ?
A chance find in a bookshop stopped me in my tracks - this is a good one and if correct may be best historical post to date !
I hope you’ll give it a read and help if possible
Read the rest of this entry »

Has My Child Got Rickets ?
No folks that’s not a line from a Charles Dickens novel but a real question parents may ask in this modern age.
Although I’m interested in history I think it would be better if diseases from history didn’t make a comeback - but they are
Check out the other winners and losers this week
Read the rest of this entry »

St. Nicholas church in Cabourne Lincolnshire is lovely church set in a beautiful part of the country.
This is about the trip I took there and my subsequent research into the history surrounding the site
Read the rest of this entry »

Official Motorhead T- Shirts !
Hard to imagine a finer garment, count yourself lucky if you have one - count yourself even luckier if you have more than one
Washing day at La Casa Goldeneye . . .
Read the rest of this entry »