Social history
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Did the Puritans ban Christmas dinner?
The Puritans are often accused of banning Christmas, and although the House of Commons did sit on Christmas Day during…
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Cancelling Christmas? William Prynne, kill-joy and martyr, and the onslaught on ‘pagan Saturnalia’
With the government currently recommending scaled-back Christmas celebrations, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Vivienne Larminie, assistant editor of our…
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Divorce, cuckoldry and bastardy: two unhappy medieval marriages
Today’s blog comes from Dr Charles Moreton, senior research fellow in our Commons 1461-1504 project, who begins our latest blog…
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The Politics of Protest in Britain: Race Riots in 1980-81
To mark Black History Month 2020, today’s post comes from guest blogger Dr Simon Peplow, senior teaching fellow at the…
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Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland: the brains behind the Gunpowder Plot?
As we approach Bonfire Night on 5 November, Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 project ponders whether we should…
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Book Review: Peterloo: The English Uprising by Robert Poole
Dr Martin Spychal, research fellow on the Commons 1832-1868, reviews Robert Poole’s Peterloo: The English Uprising (Oxford, 2019) What drove…
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Parliament and the Mayflower: the case of Samuel More’s children
This month marks the 400 year anniversary of the voyage of Mayflower, the ship that transported 102 passengers to begin…
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Of Puritans and Pilchards
In recent years, following the impact of Brexit, fishing regulation has become a recurring topic in the UK’s political discussions.…
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The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs: Selection Troubles
Out this month, The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs explores the fascinating interviews with former MPs hidden in our…
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Those pesky deliveries: delivering the King’s writs across 15th century England
In recent months, easily talking to friends and colleagues on the other side of the country, or even world, has…
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The perils of foreign travel in the early modern era
With holidays abroad still a major challenge due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, Dr Paul Hunneyball, assistant editor of our…
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Out this month: ‘The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs: An Oral History of Parliament’
Later this month the very first book based on our Oral History Project Archive is published by Bloomsbury Academic. Today,…