Special moments in your life?...

Thanks Richard. The book is entitled Church Woodwork in the British Isles, 1100-1535: An Annotated Bibliography, published by Scarecrow Press. It is aimed primarily at academic libraries, museum libraries and Gothic architecture scholars/enthusiasts. I've been hooked on medieval church woodwork--chancel screens, rood lofts, choirstalls, altarpieces, etc.--ever since I saw my first misericord seat in Winchester Cathedral in 1974. I am by profession an academic reference librarian and bibliographer in the areas of History and Religion. I did a lot of research in the main library of the University of Cambridge, the British Library and the Sackler and Bodleian libraries at Oxford while on sabbatical in 2006--happily, a trip completely paid for via grant funding! Great fun! Much of my research was also done at the Newberry Library in Chicago (thank God my brother lives there!). My daughter Leah is thrilled to be a published illustrator as well!

Thanks Diana. Keep in mind that the book is retailing at $100.00, though I have seen it at various online outlets for as low as $75.00. This is not an unusual price for an academic book, but pretty pricey for the general public. I had originally contracted to produce a softcover book to be priced at around $35.00, but once I submitted the final manuscript, the publisher decided to go with a much more expensive hardcover (Scarecrow never discussed this decision with me nor were they contractually obligated to do so). Of course if you ever purchase the book either now or in the future when the book goes out of distribution and price decreases dramatically, I would be delighted to inscribe and autograph your copy!

And please, I just want everyone reading this thread to know that I didn't post the information on my book to generate sales--only to share my happiness at having it published. I know that the British Library has recently added my book to their collection and the V&A Museum Library has it on order as well as a number of American, Canadian and Australian libraries, so hopefully a library near you will purchase a copy in the near future if you are inclined to take a look at it--spoken like a true librarian!

This all seems very interesting Rob, and so unusual, I love reading about that period in time, probly due to the fact that my ancestors were very involved in the 'church' around that time. My family name, originally from the Gerardini's cica 870 ad , of Florence, Italy came via Normondy with William the Conqueror in 1066 before settling in Brynn, in Lancashire. One of my ancestors John Gerrard the Jesuit Priest travelled widely as Catholics were persecuted, hiding in Priest holes etc, imprisoned in the Tower of London. Other Gerrards emigrated from here to America helping to find places such as Newfoundland and bringing the religion to the states.

i would imagin you would have come across many priest-holes in your research?

How wonderful, Rob.  Congratulations!

Michael, I never knew about priest holes until I say the Michael Wood documentary, In Search of Shakespeare.  Shakespeare was a closet Catholic in the days when that would have gotten you drawn and quartered. 

I have stayed in a couple of 16th & 17th century places in the north of England that had priest-holes. One of the priest-holes was just that--a hole in the floor over which a large flagstone was placed. The other one I wasn't actually able to see, but the owner described it as a small secret room originally furnished with a chair, table and cot.

I directly descend from the Arundells of Lanherne (St. Mawgan-in-Pydar) in Cornwall. They were unrepentant Catholics and after the enactment of the Act Against Recusants (1593), they, along with countless other Catholic and dissenting Protestant sects who would not take the Anglican communion, were forced to regularly pay recusancy fines. The Arundells were strongly Royalist during the Civil Wars (1642-51) and in the late 18th century, the family, who had taken up residence at Wardour Castle, bequeathed Lanherne to a group of Belgian Carmelite nuns who had been displaced during the French Revolution. The manor house is still a Carmelite convent. I have little doubt that Lanherne had at least one secret priest-hole. Ah, religious intolerance!