Sunday, May 31, 2015

The second year of Celtic2Realms Medieval News in review

The second year of Celtic2Realms Medieval News in review

Niall C.E.J. O'Brien

The second year of this blog called Celtic2Realms – Medieval News passed by on the 7th May 2015. My how the year went fast! A total of 32 articles were published in the year from May 2014 to May 2015 with 27,366 page-views. Other articles published were indices to previously published articles and republished articles from last year with additional material. In the first year I had 40 articles published with 12,394 page-views. As in 2014 the article recording the death of Professors Mike Aston and James Lydon achieved the highest number of page views (5,382).

Thanks

To get 27,366 page-views may seem small to other blogs on the internet. But it would not be possible at all without a big thank you to all my visitors from coming and reading the articles on medieval history and hopefully you all found the articles to be interesting and fun.

A thanks also to the followers of this blog – your presence day in and day out is great – thanks.




The performing articles

The article published in the last year which had the highest number of page views was The tragic story of Thomas Duffield, merchant of York with 332 views – article link = http://celtic2realms-medievalnews.blogspot.ie/2014/06/the-tragic-story-of-thomas-duffield.html. This high number is possibly the same as selling newspapers in that bad news sells more papers than good news. 

The article with the lowest number of page views was Siston, Gloucestershire: c.1086 to c.1220 with 14 views - article link = http://celtic2realms-medievalnews.blogspot.ie/2014/10/siston-gloucestershire-c1086-to-c1220.html.

It was my idea to publish an article every week and so I seem to have gone backwards in the target. A number of factors conspired to make this happen. My other blog page, which features history articles after 1600 to modern times, took some of my time away. On that blog page I wrote a number of articles, particularly material relating to the Dromana800 celebrations which are due for July 2015. View the modern history blog at https://niallbrn.wordpress.com/

Another factor in the reduced number of medieval articles has to do with my personal life. At a recent history lecture a woman asked me “how I have so much time to write history” and before I could reply another woman, who is quick witted, butted in by saying that “He doesn't have a wife or children!” Since then I have met a girlfriend and so the number of articles may go down again or maybe I could buck the trend and publish more. Still it is nice to have a girlfriend around - makes life interesting and fun. 

Subject matter

As in the first year, the subject matter of the published articles has been varied in time, space and place. Like Professor Mike Aston, I have for the most part stayed away from chariots and pyramids. Instead the articles explored the more ordinary people of history and places not on the main roads. I am sure this blogging site would get hundreds, may be thousands, of more page-views if I wrote the popular stuff. But there are enough historians doing the popular stuff, on the internet and in academic journals and we’ll leave it to them.

2013/2014 articles

The articles I published in the first year of this blog got mixed reviews in that first year. Yet the articles are still attracting viewers long after the published date. A list of the first year articles and their viewing figures is printed below.  The article with the biggest increase in viewers over the past year was Anchorites at churches and elsewhere which had 61 views in 2013/2014 and this increased to 508 views by May 2015. Article link = http://celtic2realms-medievalnews.blogspot.ie/2014/03/anchorites-at-churches-and-elsewhere.html.

Thanks

Finally, I must say a big thank you to all my viewers and followers – little point in writing articles if nobody reads them. Thanks again and looking forward to more articles in 2015/2016 on medieval history in Ireland and Britain.


Articles published in the second year

7th May 2014
First year review of Celtic2Realms-medieval news blogspot = 91 views

13th May 2014
Prebends in the medieval church = 144 views

17th May 2014
Dublin masters and apprentices in the time of Henry VIII = 98 views

24th May 2014
Chapel and prebends in Exeter Castle = 128 views

30th May 2014
Annaghdown Diocese and the battle with the Archdiocese of Tuam = 146 views

18th June 2014
Conditions of medieval apprenticeship in Bridgwater = 121 views

20th June 2014
Why medieval history? = 18 views

21st June 2014
The tragic story of Thomas Duffield, merchant of York = 332 views

8th July 2014
Walter Jorz, Archbishop of Armagh = 52 views

19th July 2014
The woman constable of a medieval castle: Annota Walsh of Carrickmacgriffin = 215 views

25th July 2014
Anselm Basset: hunting and his life = 141 views

17th August 2014
Some notes on Pyworthy in Devon = 161 views

21st August 2014
William Airmyn, government official and Bishop of Norwich = 72 views

29th August 2014
Biographies on some of the de Mandeville family in Medieval Ireland = 199 views

24th September 2014
The Priory of Carlisle in first half of fourteenth century = 39 views

30th September 2014
Keynesham Abbey in Ireland = 96 views

11th October 2014
Siston, Gloucestershire: c.1086 to c.1220 = 14 views

18th October 2014
Index to medieval articles from start to now = 49 views

19th October 2014
Irish Parliament of 1276-1277 = 43 views

30th October 2014
Glossary of medieval words: First edition = 77 views

10th November 2014
Raymond le Gros and Molana Abbey = 98 views

29th November 2014
The Fitzgeralds of Ireland: origins and branches = 47 views

3rd December 2014
Siston manor, Gloucestershire in 1273 and 1309 = 37 views

7th December 2014
Index of England related medieval articles = 22 views

7th December 2014
Index of Ireland related medieval articles = 51 views

16th December 2014
Gloucester pavage and murage in the time of Edward III = 22 views

29th December 2014
Inquisitions post mortem at Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire, 1419-1422 = 47 views

6th January 2015
Frankincense at Bristol port in Tudor times = 18 views

14th January 2015
Catherine Fitzgerald as the Old Countess of Desmond = 34 views

15th January 2015
Catherine Fitzgerald as the Old Countess of Desmond = 143 views

25th January 2015
Linen industry in Ireland, 1500-1660 = 42 views

24th February 2015
Thomas Fitz Anthony: Thirteenth century Irish administrator = 42 views

26th February 2015
Ballybrommell in medieval Carlow = 70 views

28th February 2015
Thomas an Apa Fitz Maurice of Desmond: Survival, restoration and missed opportunities = 47 views

26th March 2015
Ralph Damesel of Walton, Somerset = 37 views

31st March 2015
Clonmel messuages in dispute = 35 views

21st April 2015
The medieval exchequer at Carlow = 38 views

27th April 2015
Uí Dróna kingdom = 78 views

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Articles published in the first year

7th May 2013
A life of Adam Pode in fourteenth century Gloucester = 120 views = 201 views by May 2015

17th May 2013
Thomas le Reve, first bishop of the united diocese of Lismore and Waterford = 130 views = 187 views by May 2015

6th June 2013
Keynesham family of Gloucester in the early fourteenth century = 42 views = 96 views by May 2015

19th June 2013
Index to published articles = 39 views = 54 views by May 2015

27th June 2013
Royal Constables of Cashel, Co. Tipperary = 181 views = 222 views by May 2015

1st July 2013
Professors James F. Lydon and Mike Aston = 4,321 views = 5,382 views by May 2015

2nd July 2013
Professor James F. Lydon, M.R.I.A., biography and bibliography = 222 views = 409 views by May 2015

16th July 2013
Morland vicarage and the lost book = 90 views = 333 views by May 2015

19th July 2013
Medieval Record Sources in Printed Books and Articles = 183 views = 237 views by May 2015

1st August 2013
Knockanore in medieval times = Writing about castles and abbeys for the August Bank Holiday = 59 views = 129 views by May 2015

27th August 2013
Rincrew Religious House, Co. Waterford = 135 views = 360 views by May 2015

1st September 2013
Matthew the Archdeacon of Bath, 1333-1342 = 20 views = 57 views by May 2015

10th September 2013
Edward Curtis, burgess of Wells in the fifteenth century = 28 views = 62 views by May 2015

15th September 2013
Knockanore in Cork or Waterford in Early Christian times = 74 views = 170 views by May 2015

23rd September 2013
Thomas Fitz Anthony: thirteenth century Irish administrator = 126 views = 474 views by May 2015

30th September 2013
Molana Abbey in County Waterford, Ireland = 137 views = 398 views by May 2015

8th October 2013
Editing Youghal Harbour shipping records = 27 views = 76 views by May 2015

18th October 2013
Dovecotes in the Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous Volume Eight = 141 views = 302 views by May 2015

31st October 2013
Nicholas Cusack, Bishop of Kildare 1279-1299 = 62 views = 135 views by May 2015

21st November 2013
In search of a woman in the time of King John and Henry III = 65 views = 152 views by May 2015

27th November 2013
Gloucestershire people hedging their bets in the political instability of 1470 = 72 views = 85 views by May 2015

30th November 2013
The building, fixtures and fittings of the medieval Irish Exchequer = 54 views = 180 views by May 2015

9th December 2013
Henry de Pont-Audemer: a royal official of King John and Henry III = 42 views = 98 views by May 2015

13th December 2013
Mocollop Castle, Co. Waterford: A history of a medieval castle: Chapters one & two = 101 views = 290 views by May 2015

16th December 2013
Kildemock parish in medieval times and the jumping church = 71 views and 1 count = 173 views by May 2015

23rd December 2013
Mocollop Castle, Co. Waterford: A history of a medieval castle: Chapters three & four = 82 views = 241 views by May 2015

27th December 2013
Mocollop Castle, Co. Waterford: A history of a medieval castle: Chapters five & six = 117 views = 307 views by May 2015

30th December 2013
Mocollop Castle, Co. Waterford: A history of a medieval castle: Chapters seven, eight & nine = 50 views = 249 views by May 2015

9th January 2014
Dean John Bernard of Tamworth and the sale of the church books = 24 views = 42 views by May 2015

23rd January 2014
Irish Parliament of 1264: The first Irish parliament or just another parliament = 65 views = 137 views by May 2015

24th January 2014
Dovecots of Llanthony Priory in Ireland = 26 views = 132 views by May 2015

31st January 2014
Feast days, church holidays and the market = 9 views = 53 views by May 2015

3rd February 2014
Church activities and saving the harvest = 16 views = 42 views by May 2015

11th February 2014
Margaret de Cormeilles and a miscarriage of justice = 55 views = 350 views by May 2015

12th February 2014
Geoffrey of Crowcombe: a witness to early thirteenth century Ireland = 49 views = 104 views by May 2015

16th February 2014
Okyle parish, church and people in County Waterford = 72 views and 2 comments = 257 views by May 2015

2nd March 2014
Anchorites at churches and elsewhere = 61 views and 2 comments = 508 views by May 2015

21st March 2014
Huish manor in Wiltshire: from death to debt = 40 views = 115 views by May 2015

31st March 2014
Pedigree of John Goien in medieval Amesbury, Wiltshire = 28 views = 72 views by May 2015

18th April 2014
Good Friday 1014: Brain Boru, Clontarf and the long shadow = 36 views = 86 views by May 2015

20th April 2014
Dublin apprentices admitted to freedom 1468-1470 = 12 views = 74 views by May 2015

26 April 2014
Mary Magdalene buildings and places in Ireland: first report = 62 views = 232 views by May 2015

5th May 2014
Irish Parliament of 1269 = 13 views = 78 views by May 2015

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End of post and looking forward to the next post
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