Cate Williams wards off the cold weather by exploring the history of these winter celebrations. Origins Many celebrations involving light and fire have their origins in ancient pagan rituals. One of the oldest winter celebrations in the world is Yule. This occurs around the winter solstice, when people in the northern hemisphere experience the shortest … Read more
You may not be able to trace your forebears to Neolithic times, but Stonehenge is at last worth visiting again, writes Andrew Chapman. Everyone’s been to Stonehenge already, haven’t they? Even if you haven’t, you may be aware of the halcyon days of the early 1970s when it was still possible to meander among the … Read more
Liverpool’s fortunes have been shaped by its port and associated industries – and, as Nicola Lisle explores, your ancestors could have been involved. Originally known as Liuerpul, meaning ‘muddy creek’ or ‘pool’, Liverpool was once little more than a small agricultural settlement within the historic county of Lancashire, clustered on the banks of the River … Read more
Lucy Williams looks at this autumnal celebration of troublemaking. Origins Mischief Night, also known in more recent years as Mizzy or Miggy Night, is an annual celebration of troublemaking popular in parts of England and Northern Europe. When or where Mischief Night first began is not precisely clear. Carnival days of tomfoolery, humour and chaos … Read more
The last battle on English soil saw a Jacobite uprising fall apart, as Kev Lochun explains. November 2015 marked the 300th anniversary of what is widely held to be the last battle on English soil – the showdown between Jacobite rebels and an army loyal to George I at Preston in 1715. It was both … Read more
This museum focuses on the lives of the ordinary – yet extraordinary – people who fought for democracy, writes Nell Darby. The People’s History Museum is one of our all-time favourite museums. It focuses on the lives of ordinary people in the past, looking at their political involvement and how they marched or fought for … Read more
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 county’s Grimes Graves are a group of some 400 Neolithic flint mines, suggesting considerable human activity in the area by this time. The Iceni tribe … Read more
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 Old Town, down the side of the White Hart pub, to the Amersham Road at the northern end. One hundred metres along on the left … Read more
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 the season for reaping and gathering crops. Harvest time was, historically, one of the most important periods of the year, as the quality of the … Read more
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 derived from the Roman festival Terminalia, which was celebrated on 22 February in honour of Terminus, the god of boundaries. The purpose of beating the … Read more