A trip through Norfolk’s history
Norfolk is largely thought of, even today, as a rural county – yet the evidence of settlements there dates back to the Lower Palaeolithic period or last Ice Age. The…
A nonconformist family
One Buckinghamshire family was proudly nonconformist – despite the impact of war and loss on their lives, writes David Rolfe. Shepherds Lane in Beaconsfield runs from the centre of the…
Harvest festival
Cate Williams looks at the origins and history of this autumnal event. Origins ‘Harvest’ originally comes from the Old English word ‘hærfest’, meaning autumn, but has come to refer to…
Beating the bounds
Cate Williams looks at an old tradition that reinforced knowledge of parish boundaries. Origins Beating the Bounds is a tradition dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. It is thought to have…
Exploring the Yorkshire Dales
This rugged area may be less populated than other parts of Yorkshire – but it still has a history of textile manufacture, mining and tourism, as Mike Bedford explores. Today,…
Woman of the waterways
From Mid Wales to the Black Country and back, Hannah Evans had a hard life on the canal system, writes Raymond Humphreys. Life could be hard for anyone sucked into…
The mop fair
Nell Darby details the history of the statute fair, or mop fair, where servants tried to find work, but could became the victims of crime instead. In my local town,…
Exploring Cornwall’s heritage
Mike Bedford, a Camborne School of Mines researcher, has long been fascinated with Cornish mine engine houses. Here, he looks at the county’s history and industrial heritage. Although it’s rightly…
Well dressing
Cate Williams looks at how the plague revived the tradition of dressing wells. Origins The practice of well dressing involves decorating a water source with a picture created from natural…