PinnedWe Need To Talk About The 93 Penises On The Bayeux Tapestry.We’ve all been there. Maybe it was on the Internet or maybe you were lucky enough to be there in person. I’m talking about viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, probably the most recognisable and iconic piece of medieval art. But as serious as the Tapestry is, every now and then, she…Society5 min read
Sep 2, 202010 Things You Never Knew About the Bayeux TapestryAsk anyone you know to name a famous tapestry and I’ll bet there’s one that pops up over and over: the Bayeux Tapestry. No matter how much or how little you know about Medieval England, I guarantee that you could identify any image from the Bayeux Tapestry almost without thinking…Society6 min read
Jul 6, 2020Coronavirus UK: Boris Johnson and the New Political Language“Political language … is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” — George Orwell. Nobody loves a slogan quite like the Tories, and the Coronavirus pandemic had added many to the political vernacular. Some slogans are deliberately introduced…Coronavirus4 min read
Jul 3, 2020David Starkey is Racist and Sexist — Now We Need to Talk About His WorkYesterday, David Starkey was again outed as a racist. In an online interview, he claimed that: Slavery was not genocide otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there? We all remember the riots of 2011, sparked by the murder of a Black British…History3 min read
Jun 29, 2020How to Write A History Book Without Losing Your Sanity — My Top 10 TipsSo you’ve had a great idea for a history book. You’ve done some preliminary research and are certain that you’ve got something worthwhile to bring to the historical table. Fantastic! In 2014, I was in this exact situation. I had my idea, I had written my proposal and, within a…Writing5 min read
Jun 29, 2020“A Penny Worth of Arsenic”: Buying Poison in the 19th CenturyArsenic…strychnine…antimony…cyanide.…opium… the list of poisons available to buy in the 19th century often comes as a shock to modern audiences. Rather worringly, any one of these dangerous substances could be purchased for a few pennies with relative ease, even by children. Part of the reason for this ready availability was…History3 min read
Jun 29, 2020The Wonderful World of Victorian PhysiognomyWhen Christiana Edmunds stood trial for her infamous poisoning spree in January 1872, her physical appearance was heavily scrutinised by the press. This was not uncommon among murderesses, but it was, in part, a response to the rising popularity of a pseudo-science called Physiognomy. As a rough definition, Physiognomy is…History3 min read
Jun 9, 2020Teaching Women’s History in Schools: Time For ActionThis post was originally written for the FWSA blog in April 2020. More young people are studying GCSE history than ever before. As the guardians of our past, history teachers have a tremendous responsibility to ensure that these young people have access to a wide range of historical narratives. Women’s…Teaching3 min read
Jun 9, 2020Why Does A Woman Have to Be “Remarkable” to Be Remembered?Have you ever noticed that women’s history is dominated by the same kinds of women? It’s always the top 100 important women in history or the “remarkable” story of this historical heroine. If she wasn’t “brave,” or “remarkable,” or “influential,” she rarely (if ever) gets a mention. This is a…History3 min read
Jun 5, 2020Assessing Diversity With Textbooks: An Exercise for TeachersIn light of the recent tragic events in the US, I see that many history teachers are (rightly) keen to re-address the balance of diversity in their school curriculum. In this post, I invite anyone who wants to evaluate their current handling of historical diversity to try out this exercise…Society3 min read
