Stuck in the Middle
Where did we get to on our time travel through the stone age? Ah yes, it’s almost midnight on our imaginary clock… Readers of my previous post will recall a…
Meet the Flintstones
About a year ago, I was given a meaty challenge by one of my keenest readers. (Well, my son actually - he politely reads the posts, to please his mother).…
The peasants are revolting!
Here’s a quirky group of individuals: Johanna Ferrour, John Ball, Katherine Gamen, Tom Baker, John Wrawe. Their names ring no bells? Then how about Jack Straw or… Wat Tyler? These…
Route Canal work
Britain: we live on a watery island. Any map shows an intricate network of natural waterways, covering the land. So why was there the rise of canal mania in the…
Acci-dental history
I’m a little down-in-the-mouth at the moment. A trip to the dentist has proved very painful: to my cheque book as much as anything. But no experience is ever wasted,…
The French Connection
When I was a young thing, my maternal grandmother would tell me the family tales. “We’re descended from Huguenots, you know”, she’d say proudly. Fast-forward too many years, and you’ll…
Norman Wisdom
What’s the first date you learned at school, in those dull history lessons? No question, it was of course that of the Battle of Hastings. 1066 (and All That).…
Hymn to Her
My next post was going to be about the legacy of nasty Normans, and the wrongs they inflicted on those poor Anglo-Saxons. But Norman/Saxon tensions have been around for a…
Calendar Girl
I wish you all belated Easter greetings. This time last year I was posting about sacred chickens, pagan hares and Easter - or rather Eostre’s - bunnies. This time around,…
Rosie the rivetter
It’s National Women’s month, and International Women’s Day has just passed. So I thought it a good time to turn an eye upon women’s place in the world of work.…
Surely, Templars?
Everyone likes a good conspiracy theory, so I thought we’d start off with some fun. In 1982, a ‘non-fiction’ book was published with the title The Holy Blood and the…
Keep the home fires burning – please!
Here’s another post about the first world war. It’s such a compelling period to study: it’s so close in time to us, yet it’s slowly receding into “proper” history. My…