England

A Charles I shilling, minted in 1644-45, showing signs of clipping as part of the Yellow Trade. The Portable Antiquities Scheme/ The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Yellow Trade in Counterfeit Coins

How Yorkshire’s Yellow Trade of coin clippers and counterfeiters changed Britain’s economy in the 18th century.

Angels are cast into the mouth of Hell, 20th-century illustration of the Cædmon Manuscript, 10th century. Lebrecht Authors/Bridgeman Images.

Archbishop Wulfstan: England’s Forgotten Lawmaker

As Anglo-Saxon England faced conquests and apocalypse, Archbishop Wulfstan saw hope for the kingdom in a radical restructuring of society.

Impact: Saint Edmund of Abingdon bringing about the reconciliation of Gilbert Marshal and Henry III, from Matthew Paris’ Historia Anglorum, 1250s. © British Library Board/Bridgeman Images.

Edmund of Abingdon’s Dream Job

How a vision led Edmund of Abingdon to elevate the role of Medieval teacher to saintly levels.

The London Necropolis Railway station at Westminster Bridge Road from Living London Vol. III by George Sims, 1903. Public Domain.

London Necropolis Railway Opens

On 13 November 1854, the Victorians combined their love of heavy industry and heavy mourning, with the opening of the London Necropolis Railway.

Mortuary Chest at Winchester Cathedral, containing the remains of six Anglo-Saxon monarchs and two bishops. Amanda Slater (CC BY-SA 2.0).

‘The Bone Chests’ by Cat Jarman review

The Bone Chests: Unlocking the Secrets of the Anglo-Saxons by Cat Jarman is an enthusiastic guide through England’s early medieval past.

‘The Courtship of Anne Boleyn’ by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, c. 1846. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public Domain.

‘Hunting the Falcon’ by John Guy and Julia Fox review

Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe by John Guy and Julia Fox is a well-told account that shies away from debate.

Somer’s day: page from the Psalter of Henry VIII showing Henry with William Somer, by Jean Maillart (or Mallard), c.1540. Bridgeman Images.

‘Fool’ by Peter K. Andersson review

Fool: In Search of Henry VIII’s Closest Man by Peter K. Andersson is the first full length study of William Somer’s life and posthumous mythos.

Duelling techniques illustrated in Vincentio Saviolo, his Practise, 1595.

Playwright Ben Jonson Duels to the Death

On 22 September 1598, Elizabethan actor Gabriel Spencer settled his creative differences with playwright Ben Jonson with a duel.

Angevin family tree showing Henry II and his children. From left: William, Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan and John.

How Henry II Survived the Great Rebellion

In 1173 the Angevin empire looked set to fall, facing rebellion on all sides. Against incredible odds Henry II won a decisive victory, silencing kings, lords – and his own children.