I am like the needy knife-grinder — I have no story to tell. — Maria Edgeworth I dwell in Possibility — A fairer House than Prose — More numerous of Windows — Superior — for Doors — Emily Dickinson ... the modes of fainting should be all as different as possible and may be made very diverting. — The Girls’ Book of Diversions (ca. (1840) From Sappho to myself, consider the fate of women. How unwomanly to discuss it! — Carolyn Kizer

The madwoman in the attic :the woman writer and thenineteenth-century literary imagination

Recent scholarship on medieval queenship has focussed to a great extent on 'exceptional' queens such as Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou. This study bridges the gap between those queens by focussing on the inconspicuous queens Philippa of Hainaut and Anne of Bohemia, with comparison to Joan of Kent, not a queen but the mother of Richard II. Comparison of queens with the mother of a king allows for examination of the queenly offices, such as the uses of influence with the king. This thesis focusses on the areas of intercession and patronage in particular in order to investigate queenly use of ‘soft power’ and influence.

The first chapter analyses literary depictions of intercession with its focus on motherhood, while the next chapter compares the petitionary activity of queens, finding that despite the emphasis of literary instances on pregnancy and childbirth, Philippa in particular actually participated in less intercessory activity during those times. The third chapter focusses on the queen's revenues, particularly the custom of queen's gold, which maintained an indirect link between intercession and the queen's benefits, by which she could fund her patronage activities. The next chapters focus on material culture, such as jewellery, and queenly representations including seals, effigies and depictions in manuscripts. The use of symbols and heraldry, as well as gift-giving, demonstrates that although queens were expected to assimilate into their new marital families, in practice they maintained links and identities with their birth families. Finally, the thesis examines queenly literary patronage in the late fourteenth century and the lasting legacies of Philippa, Anne and Joan.

Royal women, intercession, and patronage in England, 1328-1394

The gender of history: Men, women, and historical practice

To continue to provide expert and timely care, orthopaedic surgeons need to improve the evidence base and change the shape and size of the workforce, according to a presenter at the 15th EFORT Congress – a combined programme in partnership with the BOA. “The wind of change is here and we must change, I believe. If we don’t take the leadership and change, others such as politicians and mangers will. They will do it in a way that is unacceptable and unpalatable to us and actually I do not believe it will benefi t our patients,” said Timothy Briggs, MBBS(Hons), MChOrth, FRCS(Ed), FRCS(Eng), at a 5 June symposium on international health care. He said an increased demand for orthopaedic services, an ageing population who is living longer, a decreasing workforce and obesity have added to the health care burden around the world. In 1950, there were 856 million people older than age 60 years in the world. By 2050, there will be more than 2 billion people older than 60 years. The annual budget in the United Kingdom for musculoskeletal disease is £10 billion, he said. Overall, 25% of surgical interventions in the secondary care sector are for musculoskeletal disease. “We are big players in the game because we are 33% of the surgical workforce,” Briggs said. The world debt is $52 trillion as of midMarch 2014 and while GDP spending varies around the world, governments will prioritise spending. In the United Kingdom, he said 70 of 250 hospitals were in fi nancial defi cit at the end of the last fi nancial year. Despite an increase of 1.91%, they actually needed an increase of 4.6% to stay neutral. He said the NHS will be underfunded by billions in 4 years and orthopaedic surgeons will have to get used to tariff defl ation. Additionally, if orthopaedic surgeons don’t address the challenge, general practitioners will continue to be under pressure not to refer patients for orthopaedic care. “We can no longer hold our head in the sand.” he said. Increased demand gives orthopaedic surgeons a ‘golden opportunity’ to lead and 'take control'

Rosemary Mitchell

Papers

Victorian Cultures of Liminality: Borders and Margins

The Culture of History: English Uses of the Past 1800–1953 (review)