All articles in History
24th November, 2023 in Biography & Memoir, History, Special Editions
Solving the mystery of the Princes in the Tower
Following seven years of investigation and intelligence gathering, including archival searches around the world, Phase One of The Missing Princes Project is complete. The evidence uncovered suggests that both sons of Edward IV survived to fight for the English throne against Henr…
15th November, 2023 in History, Trivia & Gift
Charades for Christmas
In 1895 there appeared an anonymous private booklet of the charades and theatrical conundrums written by the Austen family for their own entertainment. This offers yet another glimpse of the delightful Christmases the Austens enjoyed in their home, particularly at Steventon. Char…
6th September, 2023 in History, Women in History
The forgotten Boleyn
Shortly after the midsummer festivities of 1458 a more sombre procession wound its way towards the parish church of St Andrew’s in the Norfolk village of Blickling. Amongst the mourners was borne the body of Cecily Boleyn, whose soul had departed to God on 26 June and whose morta…
15th August, 2023 in History, Military
Siege warfare in the Middle Ages
In the medieval era, pitched battles were risky affairs; the work of years could be undone in a single day thanks to the vagaries of weather, terrain or simple bad luck. C.B. Hanley author of the Mediaeval Mystery series, including the latest addition Blessed…
9th August, 2023 in History, Natural World, Society & Culture
Cats in the Roman world: The big and the small of it
Feles: a cat, a mouser, but also a thief. The eyes of nocturnal animals like cats gleam and shine in the dark. Pliny, Natural History IX.55 Excavated cat bones and cat images on vases and coins are proof that cats were padding about southern Italy at the end of the fifth century…
11th May, 2023 in History, Women in History
Five things you may not know about Lady Katherine Grey
Learn more about the life and reign of Lady Katherine Grey, great-granddaughter of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, and sister of the ill-fated Lady Jane. 1. Although James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I upon her death in 1603, he was not the rightful successor according to…
5th May, 2023 in Archaeology, History
Six archaeological sites: A journey through the ages of Britain’s archaeology
Archaeology is all around us. Head into the countryside and there will be some remnant from times past not far from you. Sometimes it’s ‘only’ a couple of hundred years old and other sites may be thousands of years old. But how can you tell how old a stone circle is, or an ancien…
4th May, 2023 in History, Society & Culture, Women in History
Wealth, poverty, and childbirth in Victorian Britain
What was it like to give birth in Victorian Britain? Much depended, of course, on individual circumstances: health, wealth, social – including marital – status, and access to medical care. For the Queen for whom the period is named, childbirth was a painful, in some respects unwe…
19th April, 2023 in History
Long Live the King! Coronations throughout history
The main elements of the coronation of King Charles III can be traced back to Pentecost 973, when King Edgar ‘convoked all the archbishops, bishops, judge and all who had rank and dignity’ to assemble at Bath Abbey to witness his consecration as monarch. There was no set venue fo…
19th April, 2023 in History, Trivia & Gift
A royal flush: Coronation gift guide
To celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, here’s a roundup of some of our royal titles. The Throne by Ian Lloyd ‘An entertaining jog through 38 coronations.’ Daily Telegraph Get the best seat in the abbey. From the crowning of Charles III, thirty-nine coronations have been…
18th April, 2023 in Biography & Memoir, History, Society & Culture
The Butcher of the Balkans: Andrija Artuković
Fate called Andrija Artuković out of exile, back to his homeland. It was time to start building the Croatia that he’d been fighting for his entire adult life. At the age of 41, Artuković was assigned an important post in Ante Pavelić’s new cabinet: Minister of the Interior, taske…
13th April, 2023 in History, True Crime
Hawkhurst: The story of smuggling in the 18th Century
In his book Hawkhurst: Murder, Corruption, and Britain’s Most Notorious Smuggling Gang author Joseph Dragovich covers a fascinating era that is underrepresented in non-fiction historical true crime… 18 December 1744 John Bolton sat in the King’s Head Inn in Shoreham in Kent. Wi…