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Single Medieval Women now at Key Lime!
Oct. 29th, 2025 06:52 am
Get ready for Love Your Book Shop Day 2025
Oct. 8th, 2025 06:52 amBrisbane book lovers!!!!
Planning your Love Your Bookshop Day visits for this Saturday? Make Books@Stones a must stop! We have a lucky golden ticket, activities for kids and I'm the Author on the Sidewalk with an incredible promotion!
Buy either The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women or Single Medieval Women, and get my bonus Medieval Wisdom for Modern Women quote book FREE!!!
Only on LYBD this Saturday 11th October, and only at Books@Stones at Logan Road, Stones Corner!
Planning your Love Your Bookshop Day visits for this Saturday? Make Books@Stones a must stop! We have a lucky golden ticket, activities for kids and I'm the Author on the Sidewalk with an incredible promotion!
Buy either The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women or Single Medieval Women, and get my bonus Medieval Wisdom for Modern Women quote book FREE!!!
Only on LYBD this Saturday 11th October, and only at Books@Stones at Logan Road, Stones Corner!
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- brisbaneauthor,
- history,
- ladywriter,
- mangopublishing,
- medieval,
- medievalbook,
- medievalbooks,
- medievalsex,
- medievalwisdomformodernwomen,
- medievalwoman,
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- middleages,
- newrelease,
- nonfiction,
- rosaliegilbert,
- rosaliesmedievalwoman,
- singlemedievalwomen,
- theverysecretsexlivesofmedievalwomen,
- truestories,
- womeninhistory,
- womenshistory
Books back in stock!
Oct. 6th, 2025 10:25 amJust in time! More Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women have arrived for next Saturday's Love Your Bookshop Day 2025 at Books@Stones, Logan Road, Stones Corner, who are my local bricks-and-mortar shop.
I'm always keen to participate and I'm hoping to have a fun book giveaway too, because if I know one thing, it's that book people love free books!
It'll be wonderful!
I'm always keen to participate and I'm hoping to have a fun book giveaway too, because if I know one thing, it's that book people love free books!
It'll be wonderful!
Love Your Bookshop Day, October 11th.
Sep. 30th, 2025 07:56 amIn just 11 days, we are celebrating Love Your Bookshop Day, and you can catch me as the Author on the Sidewalk at my local independent bricks and mortar bookshop, Books@Stones.
Come on down for a day full of giveaways, prizes and activity, and of course, by supporting your actual shop, we keep a small business in business!
Come on down for a day full of giveaways, prizes and activity, and of course, by supporting your actual shop, we keep a small business in business!
National Read A Book Day
Sep. 29th, 2025 12:05 pm
It's National Read A Book Day, so here is a great medieval quote for you!
"I have sought everywhere for peace,
but I have found it not,
save in nooks and books."
and thb, I think a lot of us feel this.
Medieval advice for birthing
Sep. 17th, 2025 06:52 am"Open you roads and door!" So says Hildegard von Bingen in advice for a mother-to-be in labour. "May you come out of this door without dying or the death of your mother." These words are part of advice on what to say for safe delivery in childbirth.
Hildegarde von Bingham, like many of her contemporaries, felt that the natural world had a lot to offer, and this was applicable to the pains which accompanied childbirth. This was not considered witchcraft, as stones were a part of the natural world, given to us by God, and therefore to be used in the proper way to help us.
You'll notice that the use of the sard in this instance, was not magical in the least itself, but coupled with an invocation to God to help the suffering mother.
Here are the mineral properties of sard, as listed on the gemrockauctions website:
None of this seems particularly helpful for a birthing mother. The most helpful thing in the advice from Hildegarde was to massage the thighs.
For more information about the secret trials and tribulations of medieval women, peek behind the scenes of their lives in "The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women," available through your local bricks and mortar bookshop, Mango Publishing or your favourite online book seller.
Hildegarde von Bingham, like many of her contemporaries, felt that the natural world had a lot to offer, and this was applicable to the pains which accompanied childbirth. This was not considered witchcraft, as stones were a part of the natural world, given to us by God, and therefore to be used in the proper way to help us.
You'll notice that the use of the sard in this instance, was not magical in the least itself, but coupled with an invocation to God to help the suffering mother.
Here are the mineral properties of sard, as listed on the gemrockauctions website:
Mohs hardness: 6.5-7
Color: Reddish-brown, brown
Crystal structure: Trigonal
Luster: Vitreous (glassy), greasy, waxy, or resinous
Transparency: Semi-transparent to opaque
Refractive index: 1.53-1.54
Density: 2.56-2.68
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Conchoidal or granular
Streak: White
Luminescence: None
Color: Reddish-brown, brown
Crystal structure: Trigonal
Luster: Vitreous (glassy), greasy, waxy, or resinous
Transparency: Semi-transparent to opaque
Refractive index: 1.53-1.54
Density: 2.56-2.68
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Conchoidal or granular
Streak: White
Luminescence: None
None of this seems particularly helpful for a birthing mother. The most helpful thing in the advice from Hildegarde was to massage the thighs.
For more information about the secret trials and tribulations of medieval women, peek behind the scenes of their lives in "The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women," available through your local bricks and mortar bookshop, Mango Publishing or your favourite online book seller.
Tags:
- advice,
- book,
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- medievalwisdom,
- medievalwisdomformodernwomen,
- medievalwomen,
- middleages,
- nonfiction,
- rosaliegilbert,
- selfcare,
- singlemedievalwomen,
- theverysecretsexlivesofmedievalwomen,
- truestories,
- womeninhistory
Interview with ABC Radio Newcastle
Sep. 2nd, 2025 11:39 am
A few quick words about Medieval Women on ABC Radio, Newcastle with Jenny on Friday afternoon at Newcastle Medieval Festival.
As always, questions about hygiene! Were they dirty like we see in movies? How did they keep themselves nice? What kinds of things did they use? Jenny was most interested to hear that I have reproductions of actual museum pieces in my Bath and Hygiene display, including mirrors, tweezers and nail cleaner!
We only had a short time on air to discuss these things, but it's clear that thanks to Hollywood and online media perpetuating these myths of dirty, unkempt women in the middle ages, that a lot more education is needed and I've still got a lot to do to spread the good word. Hygiene was a thing.
Christine de Pizan on educating girls
Aug. 28th, 2025 11:35 am
A little quote from our beloved Christine de Pizan about the education of girls and women, which you can find in my book, "The Secret Lives of Single Medieval Women."
Christine was only married for a brief portion of her life and was educated as a young, unmarried women, and ran a successful business for many years as a widowed, single woman after the age of 25.
You can find out more about attitudes and educational opportunities for young women in my book, which is out now, online and through your favourite book seller. Published by Mango Publishing earlier this year, and available here.
You can find out more about attitudes and educational opportunities for young women in my book, which is out now, online and through your favourite book seller. Published by Mango Publishing earlier this year, and available here.
Give me a sign!
Aug. 17th, 2025 11:33 am
I've got a new sign for Newcastle Medieval Festival (Saturday, 30th and Sunday, 31st August 2025)!
I'm not a stall, per se, so I won't have more than a handful of these tucked away with me in my Medieval Bathing & Hygiene Display. I shared this to social media for those who would like to pay now and collect at the event so they don't miss out!
If you want to avoid Amazon and you're not in the States, you can buy from bookshop.org. If you're in the States, a bunch of places stock them, but you can buy direct from Mango Publishing who are fighting the good fight over there.
Cherrylips
Aug. 14th, 2025 11:31 amCherrylips is what they called her.
There are worse things to be called when it comes to mud-slinging, to be honest, if we are going to be bandying names about!
Even in today's news we see men, often religious ones, advocating family, Christian values and then themselves being prosecuted for sex crimes against women, so those who complain the loudest can sometimes (not always) be participants, which may be what happened here.
Though I feel " the whole town" may be a bit of a stretch!
There are worse things to be called when it comes to mud-slinging, to be honest, if we are going to be bandying names about!
Even in today's news we see men, often religious ones, advocating family, Christian values and then themselves being prosecuted for sex crimes against women, so those who complain the loudest can sometimes (not always) be participants, which may be what happened here.
Though I feel " the whole town" may be a bit of a stretch!
Book event at Stones Corner
Jul. 19th, 2025 11:26 amJoin us at Books@Stones!
FREE EVENT! I'll be chatting about my new book, Single Medieval Women in store on Thursday July 24th at BooksStones in Stones Corner, Brisbane. We kick off at 6.30pm and stay until 7.30pm.
I have a lucky door prize of a big basket of medieval goodies, including tote bag, books, elderflower cordial, hand dipped wax candles and more!
I hope you can make it, especially if you missed me at Abbey this year!
FREE EVENT! I'll be chatting about my new book, Single Medieval Women in store on Thursday July 24th at BooksStones in Stones Corner, Brisbane. We kick off at 6.30pm and stay until 7.30pm.
I have a lucky door prize of a big basket of medieval goodies, including tote bag, books, elderflower cordial, hand dipped wax candles and more!
I hope you can make it, especially if you missed me at Abbey this year!
Single Medieval Women talk
Jul. 5th, 2025 11:23 am
Join me next weekend at the Abbey Medieval Festival in the University Pavillion to hear about Single Medieval Women and have a look at their lives.
I've got pictures in a slideshow as well!
Only one session at 10am on Sunday.
Paper dolls free activity!
Jul. 1st, 2025 11:18 amHere's a cute and free craft activity! Paper dolls with a medieval twist!
Join me at the Abbey Medieval Festival 2025 at the end of the school holidays for this wonderful craft activity!
Of course, if you can't be there in person, these are available as free downloads from my website in PDF form and they're free to use as long as you aren't charging money to anyone else for using them. There are male and female dolls and a variety of clothing for mixing and matching so your little ones imaginations can run free and dress their paper dolls as they wish!
Single Medieval Women in Auslan
Jun. 20th, 2025 11:16 am
This year at the Abbey Medieval Festival, my talk in the University Pavilion "Single Medieval Women: Who Were They And What Did They Do?" will have an Auslan interpreter, so I'm making some adjustments to my new talk to make it easier for our sign language person!
I was asked to provide a script of my talk, but often I don't stick to the actual notes. I made a version with more common language, rewording some academic speak into other words. I have made bold some phrases and quotes so the interpreter knows that these are specifically important.
It's not dumbing the talk down, but thoughtful rephrasing.
It also gives the interpreter a chance to ask questions beforehand if something seems unclear.
EOFY Kindle Special!
Jun. 14th, 2025 10:30 amHey Book Lovers! Big special for the next 2 weeks!! You can score yourself a Kindle Copy of my book for a measly $2.99 and add it to your digital, treeless library!
The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women is a non-fiction book and was released by Mango Publishing a few years ago but continues to surprise new readers. Available in several languages and in the Braille Lending Library of Australia, you too can peek behind the image presented in Hollywood movies and mainstream medieval history.
Facebook 1350 be like...
Jun. 8th, 2025 11:06 am
Just a reminder that having sex and not having sex was a complicated business, even if married. A woman might enjoy all the benefits of being a wife without the conjugal obligations. This, of course, was heavily dependent on several things:
She would need to know that this was even an option. Taking a Vow Of Chastity was not something that every medieval women knew about. One suspects that this knowledge might come about through being put in the care of nuns for safekeeping until a marriageable age was reached or through a private priest attached to a household. Legal accounts suggest that many household priests were not particularly chaste themselves and impregnated servants, so this advice may not have been bandied about overmuch. Women living in modest circumstances in villages and regular homes may not have even known it was an option, and if they did know, they may have been advised again it very strongly.
She would need to want to. Having an heir was serious business, and by and large, men wished for sons to carry on the family name and business. If a bride had made a good marriage, she might be keen herself to become pregnant as soon as possible to secure herself a good husband and home. A wealthy woman might take this option after giving her husband the heirs he desired.
She would need to have the support of her parents or clergy. We read stories of young, devout women who swear to give their lives to God and live chastely, but whose parents have other plans. In the case of Theodora of Huntingdon in the 12th century, her parents actively attempted to force a marriage by letting the intended groom into her bedchambers to have coitus against her will and thereby making her a wife. Thankfully, their plot failed, and she escaped, but it goes to show that piety was not always applauded.
For more true accounts of things that involved medieval women of a sexual nature, you know where to go. The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women is available now.
