Curious posts for curious people

This unassuming grave, tucked away in St. Margaret's Church in Rattlinghope, England is the final resting place of Richard Munslow, a local farmer and the last sin-eater, who died in 1906. The practice of sin-eating was generally undertaken by beggars, the poor and other social outcasts. These individuals would "pawn their souls", meaning they would be paid to eat and drink over a corpse, to take the sins of the suddenly deceased who had not been able to confess their sins and/or receive last orders before death. In some areas, it was believed that this ritual would ensure the deceased...

During my adventure to Ireland, I was fortunate enough to be able visit one of, if not the most important Neolithic site in Europe – Newgrange burial chamber, the most famous structure within the Brú na Bóinne complex. Having stood for over 5200 years and containing the highest concentration of Neolithic art in Europe this ancient wonder actually predates Stonehenge in England, in its original form by 200 years, but its present form by a massive 500 years and predates the Great Pyramid of Giza by roughly 700 years. Needless to say…. It’s old. The structure itself is massive, with...

Aztec mythology in general is a fascinating subject, but today I’m going to focus on one badass god – Xipe Totec, otherwise known as “Our Lord the Flayed One” – Already we’re off to a good start. Xipe Totec was seen as a life-death-rebirth deity, who was also the god of agriculture & vegetation, the east, spring, liberation and the patron of gold and silversmiths, a pretty all-round guy. While his origins are uncertain, with most historians being reliant on post-conquest Spanish texts for information, in 2018 an excavation in Puebla revealed a temple dedicated to his worship. In Aztec...

Due to lockdown, I ended up doing some digging into my family history, as there is literally nothing else to do at the moment. There’s the usual family fun – pig farming, illegal gambling parlours, hookers and gin – a heritage to be proud of. Anyway, heading back to 1776 I discovered my 4x great grandmother, Sarah Edwards. At age 27 in 1803 she had at some point travelled from the green, rolling hills of Shropshire to travel to London… Where she managed to end up banged up in Newgate prison. I manged to locate a copy of the “Middlesex...

With the West cemetery of Highgate now being open to tourists for 'free range' visits, I thought I'd share some images I took of this beautiful place a few years ago. Highgate cemetery was established in 1839 and is considered one of the 'magnificent 7' cemeteries situated in London, created during the Victorian era to cope with the increasing numbers of the dead, with Highgate being the final resting place of the rich and famous. The west cemetery is famed for its the impressive architectural features including the Chapel, Colonnade, Egyptian Avenue, Circle of Lebanon, Terrace Catacombs and the mausoleum...