All articles in History
21st August, 2017 in History, Local & Family History, Women in History
When Henry VIII met the Holy Maid of Kent
On Monday 20 April 1534, a twenty-eight-year-old Benedictine nun was taken from her cell in the Tower of London, stripped of her religious habit and bound hand and foot to a hurdle. She was dragged behind a horse for five miles through London’s filthy streets to Tyburn, where she…
15th August, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
India from Queen Victoria’s time to independence
Queen Victoria became Empress of India in May 1876. Benjamin Disraeli, the Conservative Prime Minister, saw the new title as an effort to link the monarchy to the country and tie it closer to Britain while also showcasing Britain as a dominant world power. India had been under cr…
5th July, 2017 in History, Women in History
Five things that may change your mind about Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria ruled from 20 June 1837 to 22 January 1901, making her the second longest reigning monarch in Britain. To many she is thought of as a dour, rigid monarch – perhaps because she is oftentimes seen dressed in black and with a downturned expression in her portraits. Ho…
5th July, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
Dadabhai Naoroji: The UK’s first Indian MP
Dadabhai Naoroji was an Indian social political leader and one of the founders of the Indian National Congress. A leading nationalist author and spokesman, he was the first Indian to be elected to membership in the British Parliament. Born in Mumbai in 1825 in a Gujarati-speaking…
4th July, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History, Society & Culture
Thomas Cook’s first tours to the continent
Soon after the emotional blow of his mother’s death, Thomas Cook took a brave step. He gave up his printing business so he could become a full-time tourist operator, having already been in travel commercially for ten years. Liverpool and Wales were augmented by more destinations…
23rd June, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
Freemasonry: The first Masonic Grand Lodge
Over 300 years ago the Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), was founded in London to govern Freemasonry. What is Freemasonry? Dogged by conspiracy theories, implicated in countless political intrigues…
15th June, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
Why is Magna Carta still celebrated?
Back in 1215, Magna Carta was like many a new-born in the Middle Ages: the odds were stacked against its survival. It was a sickly baby with abusive parents. Those who’d conceived it – King John and the barons – abandoned it within three months, and turned to attack each other. T…
26th May, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History
The later diaries of Samuel Pepys
The great Diary for which Pepys is universally known was closed on 31 May 1669. For some while his eyesight had been weakening, and he feared that complete blindness was imminent. He suspected that the Diary, written in shorthand and usually by candlelight, had been much to blame…
17th May, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History, Women in History
Eleanor of Aquitaine’s greatest gamble
The decree was read out and that, for Eleanor, was that. The prize of release from the marriage to Louis VII of France, which she had sought for so long, had been obtained at the cost of a year of her life, plus a pregnancy she had not wanted. But she was free, at a price. Her da…
17th May, 2017 in History, Military
Fact vs fiction: The Battle of Lincoln explored
The Battle of Lincoln took place on 20 May 1217, pitting an army of baronial rebels and French invaders against forces loyal to the 9-year-old King Henry III and led by his regent, William Marshal. Historians Dr Sean McGlynn and Dr Catherine Hanley have written about the battle i…
11th May, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History
Emperor Constantine’s legacy: Theocracy
As Rome’s first Christian emperor Constantine’s reign spanned more than three decades, from 306 AD to 337 AD. Although his personality and religious convictions certainly changed over the years, some things, such as his ambition, his exceptional military talent, and his simultane…
11th May, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History, True Crime
The assassination of Spencer Perceval, British Prime Minister
On Monday 11 May 1812, an unremarkable, anonymous man, just over 40 years of age, made his way to the Palace of Westminster, the seat of government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. No one could have known that on the inside left of his overcoat he had a special…