Recent excavation for a "lift" inside York Minster has turned up the remains of 50 bodies in a charnel pit that probably dates back to the 12th century.

Visitors to London may be interested in the Secret City Tour, a walking tour of London's Roman past, including the remains of the Roman fort and Roman city wall, built around 200 CE.

Baron Steffan ap Kennydd of Silverwing, of the East Kingdom, reports that the April 14, 2012 Coronation of Kenric and Avelina will feature an authentic Anglo-Saxon ceremony.

Worsely Man, the 1st century CE skull of a man found in an English bog in 1958, has been sent to Manchester Children's Hospital for a CAT (computer-assisted tomography) scan.

Written in 1543, the letter from Jane Seymour to King Henry VIII, informing him of the birth of Prince Edward, had been carefully stored on a shelf at the Dunham Massey estate, but no one knew it was there.

Metal detector hobbyists and amateur archaeologists in Great Britain are encouraged to record their discoveries of objects over 300 years old on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website, which also provides news and articles on British archaeological finds.

A grant has allowed the Lynn Museum near Norfolk, England to purchase a solid gold Roman pendant crafted in the shape of a phallus. The rare find, in excellent condition, was discovered last year by a metal detectorist. (photo - PG-13)

A farm in Itter Crescent, outside Peterborough, England, has held a secret for nearly 2,000 years, a secret revealed by the recent discovery of "a substantial, two-floor courtyard limestone Roman villa with rooms floored with mosaic on the sides of a cobbled courtyard," on the site.

Dr. Jonathan Hope believes that the key to William Shakespeare's success was not the words that he used, but the way in which he used them. In a chapter in his new book on the English language, Hope finds that the Bard's grammar and word ordering are what set him apart from other writers.

iPhone and iPad users may spend a chill, winter day curled up with a Shakespeare first folio, a Medieval Beastiary, or Sultan Baybars’ Qur’an. The eBook editions are available for download on eTeasures.com.

For those who want to mix economics with blood and gore, Mary Valante has posted a paper presented at the Fourth Annual Appalachian Spring Conference in World History and Economics (2009).

Keith Briggs, a visiting research fellow in linguistics at the University of the West of England, believes he has discovered Hægelisdun, the site of the 869 CE battle between the East Anglians and the Vikings which led to the death of St Edmund. His research involves the use of linguistics.

As part of the York 800 celebrations, the York Mystery Plays will be streamed live on the Internet during the weekend of August 11 and 12. (Yes, it's the last weekend of Pennsic.)  The plays will be set in the Museum Gardens with the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey as their backdrop.  They were last performed in 1988.

Go behind the scenes at the Tower of London. Learn about the "Oldest Ceremony in the World"; read about the "bribe" ships pay to traverse the Thames; see photos of the graffiti carved into the very stones of the cells of the Tower!

Historic Royal Palaces has a YouTube site which includes a video for school children who will be visiting Hampton Court Palace.

The Reverend James Bruce of St Michael and All Angels in Lyndhurst, England wanted a new driveway for the church, and allowed archaeologists to excavate the mound on which the church stands. Under the church, they discovered nearly 100 bits of medieval pottery.

Victoria Moorshead, Vice Chair of the Richard III Society of Canada, reports that the Society will host the American Branch of the Society in Oakville for its Annual General Meeting. Speakers are needed.

Police in the village of Foy, near Ross-on-Wye, England, are looking for a medieval burial stone stolen from St Mary's Church on January 5, 2012. (photo)

Archaeologists are puzzled about the discovery of a winged-shaped building which appears to be unique in the Roman Empire in Norfolk, England. The 3rd century structure can be seen in aerial photographs. (photo)

An ancient yew tree, dating to the 14th century, has been identified at Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. The tree is believed to have been part of a large landscaped garden, and was planted just after the Black Death.

Several years ago, the Friends of Thynghowe, an amateur history group, was instrumental in discovering a Viking Thing in England's Sherwood Forest. Now the group has received a grant to search a wider area.

The British Library nixes the “requirement” that white gloves are necessary in order to handle historical manuscripts, saying that it is “in fact a modern phenomenon, and one that has little scientific basis.” Gloves can actually be a detriment to manuscripts, they claim.

Victorian excavations at the site of the Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire, England led to some surprises, including a 35m (115ft) long Roman mosaic floor, "one of the longest in-situ corridor mosaics in the country." Soon the mosaic will be displayed for the public. (photo)

Why was Henry VIII’s face replaced in the painting “Field of the Cloth of Gold”?  The facial image of him on horseback is not the original, and theories abound as to why he was “decapitated”.

English gentlewomen of Tudor times, especially, married Catholic women to Protestant scholars, were not supposed to pen love poems to men, but this did not deter Lady Elizabeth Dacre, whose work was recently discovered in a 16th century copy of Chaucer.

An English scholar and author has put forth the theory that Robin Hood was originally William of Keynsham, a bailiff who led a group of archers against the invading French in the woods near Sussex and Kent in 1216.

London pastry chef Regis Cursan must have been surprised by his discovery of an ancient coin near Putney Bridge in West London, especially since the coin "depicts a man and a woman engaged in an intimate act." (photos)

Those with an extra UK£1.79m may wish to purchase Ogle Castle, near Ponteland in Northumberland, England, one of the oldest inhabited buildings in the country. Bo Boanas, owner of the castle, says he doesn't believe the building is haunted, despite its violent past. (photo)

Writer Jeri Westerson of Menifee, California loves the Middle Ages, particularly the world of Crispin Guest, her "ex-knight turned detective on the mean streets of fourteenth century London." Scott Butki, of the Seattle P-I has an interview.

Countess Alys Katharine reports that two sets of photos of Christmas interpretations, taken by British photographer and historical interpreter "spiral_tower," are available on Flickr.