My Story
Reliquaria is a small store - just me, Tara England (A.K.A. Ellaire). I am a school teacher by day and a seller of medieval things by night (plus a mom, every minute of everyday). I started Reliquaria Medieval as a passion-project. I love re-enacting and hands-on history, so I couldn’t resist the temptation of having amazing medieval “things” all around me.
Since I started in 2019, I have developed a loyal customer base on my Etsy shop, seen my product grace several movies and increased my product offering to over 300 items. In 2022, I finally got the chance to take my goods to live events in Ontario and Quebec. Service disponible en Français! Je suis bilingue.
What a wonderful journey it’s been! I’ve met thousands of fellow medieval enthusiasts, shared thoughts with medievalists around the world in both French and English and had the best excuse to buy every book I could find on medieval furnishings and jewelry. Each year I try to add new products to my store, I hope you enjoy what I've carefully picked out.
This year, I plan to attend even more in person events. Make sure you come by and say “Hi”. I’ll be there with a smile and you might just get the chance to see my favorite shop assistants Marilyn (Mom) and Leia (Daughter). Oops, I guess my first sentence wasn’t quite true, Reliquaria is more than just me, it’s family, friends, medievalists, Larpers, SCA players, renaissance fair attendees and hopefully one day soon -YOU!
P.S. - Yes England is my real last name, I guess I was destined to explore European history, Eh?
Historical Connections
In my youth, I started my journey into history at the Pickering Museum Village as an interpreter. I was also a member of the Ajax historical society. I worked for a short time at the Royal Ontario Museum before becoming involved in the creation of digital media. After a period of soul searching, I started a career in public education, where I have been ever since.
The exploration of historical themes has become a passion that I explore through my store but also through the Society for Creative Anachronism (a medieval reenactment society) and extensive worldwide travel.
Academic Credentials
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Masters of Museum Studies
I earned an important professional degree from the Univesity of Toronto in Museum Studies. (M.M.St.)
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Honours Bachelor of Science
Also at the University of Toronto, I studied anthropology to earn my H.B.SC. degree.
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Bachelor of Education
In order to teach at Ontario schools, I completed a Bachelor of Education at Ontario Tech University (previously called University of Ontario Institute of Technology).
