Research and Reference

Research and Reference

• Sixteenth Century Renaissance English Literature: Background Information, an astonishingly wide-ranging scholarly site at Luminarium.
• Elizabeth I at Luminarium. Poems, speeches and other Works, image gallery, biography, essays.
• William Camden's Annales Rerum Anglicarum et Hibernicarum Regnante Elizabetha, in Latin and English, at Dana F. Sutton's The Philological Museum.
• Shake Loose the Border, the Anglo-Scottish border in the sixteenth century, from Legends.
• The Great Chain of Being, an essay on precedence and rank (and how to play them theatrically), from St. George's.
• Tudor England, an introductory survey by Lara E. Eakins, with sections on the monarchs, Tudor architecture, films, and a bibliography.
• A General Study of the Plague in England, 1539-1640. .
• The English Calendar by Ian MacInnes does calculations for days of the week, ecclesiastical dates, regnal dates, and old style-new style conversions. Watch the Regnal Year calculations; they assume the year begins January 1.
• Alciato's Book of Emblems, the Internet Memorial Edition in Latin and English.
• The English Emblem Book Project at the University of Pennsylvania has online editions of nine early modern emblem books.
• The Voice of the Shuttle's English Renaissance Links Page.
• Elizabethan Heraldry, part of Renaissance, with essays, primary documents, blazons of arms, and online links.
• The Elizabethan Review, a scholarly journal devoted to publishing new research on Shakespeare and the English Renaissance.
• Shakespeare Studies Links at Central Michaigan University covers Shakespeare, Elizabethan theatre, and the period in general.
• Wrong Side of the River: London's disreputable South Bank in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, a long article by Jessica A. Browner of the University of Virginia.
• Natural Magick (1584), a hypertext version of the treatise by Gamopetalous della Porta (John Baptist Porta) that ranged the length and breadth of sixteenth century science. (Thanks to Jack Beslanwitch for this link.)
• Renaissance links at the Creative Impulse: The Artist's view of World History and Western Civilization.
• Le Poulet Gauche, a guide to the history, culture, and daily life of 16th century France, from the troupe of the same name.
• A Description of England by William Harrison, from Holinshed's Chronicles.
• Shakespeare's Life and Times by Michael Best, from the Internet Shakespeare Editions.
• On-line Calendar of Saints Days, a research tool focusing on people recognized as saints in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, at ORB.
• The Prices and Rates that euerye perticuler person ovveth to pay for his fayre or passage, vnto Watermen or Whyrrymen from Londõ to Grauesende, and likewise from Grauesende to London..., c. 1555, from Jeff Lee.
• A Letter from the Queen's Majestie to the Lord Mayor of London, 1586, also from Jeff Lee.
• Facsimile Pages of Hall's and Holinshed's Chronicles at The Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text & Image at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Tudor England 1485-1603 at enlishhistory.net.
• A Display of Heraldry by John Guillim (1611), transcribed for the web by Paul Grant.
• An Early Modern Holiday Calendar for England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales by Prof. Kristen McDermott, Central Michigan University cover ecclesiastical and folk rituals.
• Tyburn Tree: Public Execution in Early Modern England
• Herbal Medicine in Shakespeare's England from Dr. John Hall's Case Studies.
• Winter Fool, Summer Queen: Shakespeare's Folklore and the English Holiday Cycle, an essay by Kristen McDermott at the Endicott Studio Reading Room.
• The Image of Irelande by John Derrick (London, 1581) - all the woodcuts, online, at Edinburgh University. New!

People and Portraits

• The Elizabethan Portrait Site by Edward Buehler.
• Elizabeth I at Luminarium includes her life, works, essays, and an image gallery.
• 16th Century Renaissance English Literature at Luminarium includes individual pages on writers of the period.
• Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, part of ElizabethI.org.
• Who's Who in Tudor History, with portraits and short biographies.
• Elizabethan Images, portraits of Elizabeth I.

Costume and Textiles

• The Elizabethan Costuming Homepage. An essential page for Elizabethan costumers, lovingly laid out by Drea Leed.
• Elizabethan Sumptuary Statutes, transcribed by Maggie Secara, here at Renaissance.
• Thrednedle Strete Clothiers Elizabethan Costume World "explores the artificers and merchants of Elizabethan era costume".
• The Renaissance Tailor, an extensive site with primary source tests and period patterns and methods of construction.
• Elizabethan Costume: History and Technique at Margo Anderson's One Tough Costumer, which also features Guidelines for the Bad Elizabethan Costume Contest.
• Scottish Clothing for Men and For Women at Medieval Scotland.
• Irishwomen's Dress, documented Irish clothes of the sixteenth century including the Shirone Gown, now in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin; part of Reconstructing History.
• The Blackwork Embroidery Archives, original patterns inspired by period sources, from the designer of Renaissance.
• The Costume Site, Online Costuming Sources for Historical, Science Fiction and Fantasy Costumers.
• Renaissance Faire Costuming Guide from Renaissance Entertainment. These are conservative theatrical guidelines intended for Faire actors and workers; good for "dressing up for the Faire."
• Participant Costume Guide and Visitors' Costume Guide from the Heart of the Forest Renaissance Faires. More traditional Renaissance Faire theatrical guidelines based on Elizabethan Costuming by Janet Winter and Carolyn Savoy.
• To Make a Beautiful Color, an introduction to trade (commercial) dyes of the sixteenth century by Gwyn Carnegie at her Obscure References pages..
• Footwear of the Middle Ages, a history of the development of footwear and shoemaking techniques up to the end of the sixteenth century, by I. Marc Carlson.

Literature and Drama

• Sixteenth Century Renaissance English Literature, at Luminarium.
• The Voice of the Shuttle links page - search on "Renaissance". Highly recommended! .
• Renaissance Literature Links by Jack Lynch.
• Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet, includes renaissance resources, educational material, and other goodies.
• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare at MIT.
• Shakespeare's Plays in their original draft spellings, from Internet Shakespeare Editions.
• A Shakespearian Grammar by Edwin Abbott Abbott (1879).
• The Shakespeare Resource Center edited by J. M. Pressley.
• Shakespearean Prompt-Books of the Seventeenth Century, electronic editions at the University of Virginia.
• Shakespeare's Stories, at Legends.
• King Lear, the complete text with Quarto and Folio variations and linked annotations, from Dr. Larry A. Brown at David Lipscomb University.
• Elizabethan Authors: Texts, Resources, and Authorship Studies, a collection of drama, satire, poetry and fiction, with glossaries and notes; a collaborative effort by Robert Brazil & Barboura Flues.
• The Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe, part of the Perseus Project at Tufts University.
• The Edmund Spenser Home Page, edited by Richard Bear for Renascence Editions at the University of Oregon.
• Essayes or Counsels Civill and Morall by Francis Bacon (1601) for Renascence Editions.
• The Book of the Courtier by Baldessar Castiglione, translated by Sir Thomas Hoby (1561), also at Renascence Editions.
• Astrophel and Stella, A Defence of Poesie, and The Lady of May by Phillip Sidney, also at Renascence Editions.
• The Scholemaster by Roger Ascham (1570), also at Renascence Editions.
• The English School-maister by Edmund Coote (1596).
• The Philiogical Museum, an amazing collection of sixteenth and seventeenth century hypertexts in Latin and English, from Dana F. Sutton at the University of California, Irvine.
• The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster, the complete text, with Notes and Commentary by Dr. Larry A. Brown, professor of theater, Nashville, Tennessee.
• Thomas Nashe, R. Lamb's site with criticism, works, timeline, patrons, and other good stuff.
• Biographical Index of English Drama Before 1660 by David J. Kathman.

Food and Drink

• Elizabethan Food, a page of references and links for students, with recipes and bibliography, from Cindy Renfrew.
• The Medieval and Renaissance Food Page, from Greg Lindahl.
• Medieval and Renaissance Brewing Home Page, also from Greg Lindahl.
• Elizabethan Brewing, an extended essay on ingredients and techniques by Paul Placeway.
• Food Heritage Press, purveyors of historic cookery books.
• Fooles and Fricassees: Food in Shakespeare's England, from the Folger.
• The Housewife's Rich Cabinet: Remedies, Recipes, and Helpful Hints, from the Folger.

Gardens and Husbandry

• Excerpts from Thomas Tusser's 500 Points of Husbandrie (1573), with notes and glossary.
• The Garden Visit Guide's chapter on Renaissance gardens in England.
• The Gardens of Plimoth Plantation by Michael Weishan.
• The Museum of Garden History next to Lambeth palace.
• Flowers for an Elizabethan Garden "Being a Compendium of Knowledge Historical and Practical About Flowers of the Elizabethan Age for Use by Modern Gardeners" by Jane Abbot.
• Thomas Etty Esq., "supplier of heritage seeds and bulbs for the period garden". .
• Scents of the Middle Ages: Uses of the aromas of herbs, spices and resins by Jennifer Heise (Jadwiga Zajaczkowa).
• Medieval and Renaissance Gardens by Jennifer Heise (Jadwiga Zajaczkowa).

Music and Song

• The Music of Thomas Ravenscroft, from Greg Lindahl.
• Sixteenth Century Ballads and A Short Note on Sixteenth Century Child Ballads, also from Greg Lindahl.
• Playford's The Dancing Master Or, plain and easie Rules for the Dancing of Country Dances, with the Tune to each Dance. The HTML version by Jeff Lee.
• A Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Instruments at Iowa State University, and a collection of links to Early Music Resources on the Web.
• Sixteenth-Century Printed Tablatures for the Lute, Guitar, and Vihuela at Duke University.
• The Schoole of Musicke by Thomas Robinson, 1603. An HTML version by Jeff Lee.
• The First Book of English Madrigals by John Wilbye (1598). Also from Jeff Lee.
• English Ballad Archive, 1500-1800. Samuel Pepys' ballad collection, at the University of Santa Barbara, with facsimile images, transcriptions, and notes. New!

Games and Pastimes

• The Medieval and Renaissance Games Homepage, from Justin du Coeur.
• Elizabethan Card Games, at the Tattershall Trayned Band.

Swordplay and Military Matters

• Rapier & Dagger, period swordfighting resources, from Legends.
• The London Trained Bands 1572-1647 by David Green.
• Diverse Facts Appertaining to the London Trayn'd Bandes ..., also from David Green.

Exploration and Navigation

• Introduction to Drake's Navigation by Bob Graham explains Elizabethan navigation and instruments, in search of Nova Albion.
• Captain Sir Francis Drake, part of Pirates & Privateers, at Legends.
• Elizabeth I: Exploration and Foreign Policy by J.P.Sommerville at the University of Wisconsin.
• The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation by Richard Hakluyt, edited by Edmund Goldsmid, from Project Gutenberg.

Wordplay - Names and Language

• Shakespearean Insults.
• Faire Names for English Folk: Late Sixteenth Century English Names, from Chris Laning.
• Proper Elizabethan Accents, with related pages on language, vocabulary, and grammar, at The Renaissance Faire site.
• Shakespeare's Grammar, at the Shakespear Resource Center.
• A Shakespearian Grammar by Edwin Abbott Abbott, 1879.

Guilds and Troupes

• Guild of St. George (California).
• Guilde of St. George (Virginia).
• Guilde of St. George (Bristol Renaissance Faire, Wisconsin).
• St. Michael's, a Guild of Military Companies (California).
• Guilde of St. Ives, revelling town and country folk (Bristol Renaissance Faire).
• The St. Ives Historical Society, an organization of historical re-enactors.
• Le Poulet Gauche, a group that recreates a 16th century tavern in Calais at various events.
• La Compañía de Calderón (Calderon's Company), a sixteenth-century Spanish New World garrison at the De Soto National Memorial, in Bradenton, Florida.
• Society for Creative Anachronism.
• Tattershall Trayned Band, dedicated to the study of pike and shot companies of the Elizabethan period, English Civil War and the Scottish Border Reivers.

Renaissance Faires and Festivals

• Heart of the Forest Renaissance Faires in Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara, and Novato, California, from Theme Events Ltd., . creators of the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire.
• Renaissance Faires from Renaissance Entertainment (incorporating the California Renaissance Pleasure Faire and the Bristol Renaissance Faire).
• History Revisited - Central Coast Renaissance Faire (California).
• Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire (Oregon).
• The Official Renaissance Faire Site, including a National Directory of Renaissance Faires/Festivals by state.
• Another Renaissance Faire Site.
• Renaissance Information Center, a service of Crossroads Renaissance Publications & Event Productions.
• The Chivalry Sports Renaissance Catalog On-line.
• The Renaissance Re-enactment Home Page, from St. Michael's.
• Texas Renaissance Festival

Fonts

[Some of these are commercial sites]

• Jeff Lee's Computer Typography features several free fonts with long S's, ligatures, and other period details, plus a utility for converting modern text.
• Scriptorium offers a wide range of fonts based on historic calligraphy (many of their fonts are used on this site).
• Walden Font Company offers historical fonts for creating period-look documents, including one based on Shakespeare's handwriting.

Scripts

• English Handwriting 1500-1700, an online course. New!
• Early Modern Paleography, another online course. New!

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