The Colours of Medieval England

In this episode we will be looking at the changing perceptions of colour in medieval England. What significance did colour have in the middle ages? Did they see colour in the same way as we do today and what evidence can we use to find out? Sources used in this episode: Barley, N. F., 'Old English Colour Classifications: Where Do Matters Stand?' Anglo-Saxon England 3 (1974). Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the British People (London, 1990). Barney, S.A., Lewis, W.J., Beach, J.A. and Berghoff, O. The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York, 2006). Crouch, D., The Image of Aristocracy in Britain , 1000-1300 (London and New York, 1992). Hall, L., Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem (2005) Hutchings, J., Folklore and Symbolism of Green , Folklore, 108:1-2, 55-63 (1997) Kress, G., and van Leehuwen, T., Visual Communication Colour as a Semiotic Mode: Notes for a Grammar of Colour (London and New Delhi, 1990). Langland, W., 'The Vision of Piers Ploughman' (1993) Pistoreau, M., Yellow: The History of a Colour (2019). Roud, S., A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles (2005). Sandred, K. I., ' The Place Names of Norfolk ', The Survey of English Place Names, vol. LXXIX, part III (Nottingham,2002). Trevisa, J., Bartholomeus Anglicus De Proboetatibus Rerum: A Critical Text (Oxford, 1975).

You can listen to The Colours of Medieval England online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Colours of Medieval England is an episode from History and Folklore Podcast by Holly Medland.

This episode is 23:31 long.

This episode was published on Aug 4, 2020.

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