Welcome back to the Summer Movies series for 2020, in which we watch movies where plants are the movie stars. This summer we're travelling back in time to watch more of the British drama series, Cadfael, set in medieval England. Brother Cadfael is a Benedictine monk in the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the town of Shrewsbury. He works in his garden and prepares botanical cures in his medicinal shed, and is frequently called upon to use his plant knowledge, intelligence, and worldly experience to solve local mysteries. As a historical backdrop, England is filled with strife between King Stephen and his cousin Princess Maude, as they struggle for power in The Anarchy.
The next day a visiting wine seller is found dead, and the abbot charges Cadfael with solving the mystery discreetly, so the fair can continue. The wine merchant's niece, Emma, is determined to honor her uncle by opening their booth during the fair, but is visited by thieves, and accosted in a back alley. Unrest continues in Shrewsbury, as well as curfew breaking, drinking of noxious Vienna liquor, and more deaths. Cadfael begins to think that there is more than petty theft and misdemeanor at work, and suspects political intrigue and possibly a spy. He deftly interviews locals and visitors alike, collects botanical clues, and pieces together stories and timelines that lead to a resolution.
It's a pleasure to see Cadfael working in his garden and medicinal shed, and using his plant knowledge. In this episode, his shed is filled with drying herbs collected over the summer (in The Rose Rent, set in late winter, it was almost bare, no doubt depleted from treating winter ailments). I recommend this series for anyone interested in botany, gardens, mysteries, and the details of everyday medieval life. Edith Pargeter, writing as Ellis Peters, does a wonderful job weaving English history into the fictional series.
Saint Peter's Fair (Season 3, Episode 2)
This episode, set in late summer 1139, opens on the eve of the annual St. Peter's Fair, with the town of Shrewsbury making preparations, and merchants and tradesmen arriving from the countryside. The local tradespeople are agitated, and meet with the abbot to voice their grievance that they must close their shops for three days during the fair, but still pay the abbey a toll that benefits the church while they lose income. The abbott defends the practice as being part of the charter. Discontent ferments, and, a confrontation erupts in the night between the local and visiting artisans.The next day a visiting wine seller is found dead, and the abbot charges Cadfael with solving the mystery discreetly, so the fair can continue. The wine merchant's niece, Emma, is determined to honor her uncle by opening their booth during the fair, but is visited by thieves, and accosted in a back alley. Unrest continues in Shrewsbury, as well as curfew breaking, drinking of noxious Vienna liquor, and more deaths. Cadfael begins to think that there is more than petty theft and misdemeanor at work, and suspects political intrigue and possibly a spy. He deftly interviews locals and visitors alike, collects botanical clues, and pieces together stories and timelines that lead to a resolution.
It's a pleasure to see Cadfael working in his garden and medicinal shed, and using his plant knowledge. In this episode, his shed is filled with drying herbs collected over the summer (in The Rose Rent, set in late winter, it was almost bare, no doubt depleted from treating winter ailments). I recommend this series for anyone interested in botany, gardens, mysteries, and the details of everyday medieval life. Edith Pargeter, writing as Ellis Peters, does a wonderful job weaving English history into the fictional series.
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