How King Henry VIII affected my life

He lived over five hundred years ago and yet his legacy touched me personally and still does. The way Henry VIII changed England is extremely well documented. His desire for an heir, for wealth and power led him to become an infamous 

slaughterer of wives and creator of a new faith. Films and books continue to be made about him and those who knew him. When there seems to be nothing more to say about old Henry, up pops another book or essay from a different perspective.



Critics of British History teaching (oh, here we go again) regularly cite the study of Henry as being too much. The popular phrase is that school history is all 'Hitler and Henry', referring to the study of Nazi Germany as well as the Tudors. In Britain, children study these topics at least twice even if they do not opt to study history at examination level. After that, certainly in some courses, the in-depth study can be Nazi Germany and again at advanced level. The same goes for the Tudors. This year I have taught lessons on different aspects of the Tudors, to different age groups, every single day.



Of course, the Tudors is a fascinating period in European history and the complexity of characters and motivations is what inspires so much interest. According to Robert McCrum, writing in The Observer, the story of megalomaniacs such as Henry VIII and Hitler "continue to make great literary fodder." McCrum suggests that anything connected to the Tudors is bound to be successful and films are "box-office gold." People love to read about  this powerful family. "Tudor sagas of greed, lust and ambition, punctuated by violent death, get hashed over as if they happened yesterday."



While McCrum is correct in what he says, my interest is not in the Tudor pursuit of power or the affairs and scandals. It is the dissolution of the monasteries; Henry's great plan to make himself richer by using the corrupt monks as an excuse to rob the monasteries of their treasure. The remnants of this redistribution of wealth is everywhere. The great buildings fell into ruin hundreds of years ago and the remains are still standing as nobody cleared them away.



Now the ruins serve as tourist attractions: some charging us to see them, others putting on shows and displays, some merely rubble. But I love them.



Before my career in history I was fascinated by monasteries. One of the first ones I visited as a child was Strata Florida Abbey, in Tregaron, Wales. It was so tall, the rooms so vast I knew that special people must have lived there. Another one I particularly remember was Saint David's monastery in the city of Saint David's. The remains always had glimpses of great carvings and evidence of wonderful and divine architecture - the arches must have been gateways to something spectacular. There was a mystery and a magic that even castles did not have.



Decades have passed since my first foray into the world of ancient monasteries but my fascination is still there. A few days ago I went to see Croxden Abbey for the first time, despite it only being only a few miles from where I live. However, perhaps because it was raining, I don't know, but the gates were padlocked shut. The sign said that the abbey remains were open daily from 10-5, but they were not. Fortunately the abbey remains were easy to see in the tiny village even though I could not walk between the massive stones. I could still wonder about what once had been, though. The silent air allowed me to slip away into another time and try to image the monks in their enclosed world. It was still inspiring to me.



In the first book of The Prophets of Mercia, Gulfyrian was brought up in the monastery at Saint David's. Although I did not go into much of his life there, it is a tale I will tell at some point. And I will bring back all of those childish feelings of awe and marvel  that I had.



In the meantime I will try to figure out why the desolate ruins in a tiny village have a wire fence around them with a huge padlock on. It's not as if Henry will be back to strip away the lead from the roof or anything. Well, there is no roof for a start.

Why children have to be put on the bus

Childhood memories stay with us forever. It's as if our new and blank brains are imprinted with experiences and as life adds more, the first ones have already bagged their place. In cases of dementia people cannot remember what day it is or what they did five minutes ago, but those childhood first memories are as clear as crystal. They never fade no matter what.



So it is with sadness that I note that school trips are in decline. I keep coming up with great ideas but the management always turn me down. GCSE Medicine Through Time pupils really need to see the Thackray Museum in Leeds. Not only are there hands on resources and artefacts but the recreated Victorian street includes the smells from the time. No text book can give you that. There are science museums, space centres, castles galore, historic buildings, stately homes in working estates...the list is endless. Why are school trips not utilised?



There are three reasons. First, the cost of transport. With fuel costs increasing at an incredible rate and insurance just as expensive, the entrance fees to these places is swamped and the trip becomes very unattractive. The cost of a day trip is as much as a week at a holiday camp and many families cannot justify it. Also schools are not allowed to demand the full cost only ask for a donation towards it. Usually, in my experience, parents will pay in full but it only takes a couple not to contribute and then the department's budget is severely checked.



Second, the dreaded health-and-safety- risk assessment. Every potential risk has be documented and a procedure put in place. I have completed these and they take forever to compile and  have checked. For example, a child may fall off the kerb. Kerbside will be monitored by staff. Will only be allowed to walk on perfect stones, avoiding any uneven or broken slabs. If child stumbles staff will apply cold compress, ointment, plasters - only if child's guardian has signed permission slip to say staff are allowed to do so. And so on.



Third, the timetable at schools is so crammed there simply is no time to squeeze in a day trip or even half a day. When I was at secondary school I studied seven subjects. Pupils now study between ten and fifteen subjects, all of them leading to examinations and qualifications. I don't know how they do it.



Despite these obstacles school trips should be pencilled in as essential. English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley summed up the importance of extra-curricular visits: "People are more likely to visit historic sites if they first visited them as a child," he said. To maintain our history we have to address it at a young age, to imprint our brains.



The good news today is that English Heritage have designed a scheme using public donations to take school children to these important sites on free bus journeys. A lot of sites offer free entry to school children already so this is a fantastic opportunity for schools. It still leaves the problem of packed timetables and dreaded risk assessment forms, but it is too good a chance to miss. I urge all heads to take a look at this, for the sake of our children and British history.



With this little heatwave here in England  who needs to be stuck in a classroom? Wonder if there are any ice-cream companies willing to donate free ice cream to schools and teachers out there...

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