British History Online
@bho.bsky.social
British History Online is a digital library of primary and secondary sources for the history of the Britain, Ireland and empire. Part of the Institute of Historical Research.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/
Pinned
British History Online
@bho.bsky.social
· Oct 27
News: Individual subscriptions for British History Online are now available again!
£50 for a years access to 209 high quality transcriptions of volumes of state archives.
Catalogue: www.british-history.ac.uk/premium-cont...
Subscribe: www.british-history.ac.uk/subscribe
£50 for a years access to 209 high quality transcriptions of volumes of state archives.
Catalogue: www.british-history.ac.uk/premium-cont...
Subscribe: www.british-history.ac.uk/subscribe
Reposted by British History Online
#OnThisDay in London's festive history: parliamentary Puritan ban on Xmas is widely ignored in London, 1644.
wp.me/p74yfw-gc
wp.me/p74yfw-gc
Today in London’s festive history: Puritan ban on Xmas widely ignored in London, 1644.
Everyone knows that Cromwell and the puritans of the English Revolution banned Christmas… Perhaps less well-known is the opposition and resistance the ban aroused. In London, as elsewhere, the repr…
wp.me
December 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM
#OnThisDay in London's festive history: parliamentary Puritan ban on Xmas is widely ignored in London, 1644.
wp.me/p74yfw-gc
wp.me/p74yfw-gc
Merry Puritan Christmas!
"An Ordinance for the better observation of the monethly Fast; and more especially the next Wednesday, commonly called The Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Thorowout the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales"
www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/ac...
"An Ordinance for the better observation of the monethly Fast; and more especially the next Wednesday, commonly called The Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Thorowout the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales"
www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/ac...
www.british-history.ac.uk
December 25, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Merry Puritan Christmas!
"An Ordinance for the better observation of the monethly Fast; and more especially the next Wednesday, commonly called The Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Thorowout the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales"
www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/ac...
"An Ordinance for the better observation of the monethly Fast; and more especially the next Wednesday, commonly called The Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Thorowout the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales"
www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/ac...
Reposted by British History Online
#OTD in 1819: The Seditious Meetings Act is passed. One of the 'Six Acts' passed to suppress radical movements in the wake of Peterloo.
statutes.org.uk/site/the-sta...
#History
statutes.org.uk/site/the-sta...
#History
December 24, 2025 at 8:04 AM
#OTD in 1819: The Seditious Meetings Act is passed. One of the 'Six Acts' passed to suppress radical movements in the wake of Peterloo.
statutes.org.uk/site/the-sta...
#History
statutes.org.uk/site/the-sta...
#History
Reposted by British History Online
Concluding our series on places in labour history, Greg Billam takes us to St George's Plateau, Liverpool, where crowds have gathered for more than a century for key social, political, and cultural episodes in the city’s history
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/24/s...
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/24/s...
St George’s Plateau, Liverpool: a place in labour history
Concluding our series on places in labour history, Greg Billam takes us to St George’s Plateau, where crowds have gathered for more than a century for key social, political, and cultural epis…
sslh.org.uk
December 24, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Concluding our series on places in labour history, Greg Billam takes us to St George's Plateau, Liverpool, where crowds have gathered for more than a century for key social, political, and cultural episodes in the city’s history
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/24/s...
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/24/s...
Reposted by British History Online
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Medieval Londoners’ cheaply imported mass-produced Christmas gifts look surprisingly familiar
We often imagine medieval life as dull, dirty and short, with little in the way of material comfort or decoration. However, medieval Londoners were importing toys, treats and trinkets by the boatload ...
theconversation.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Reposted by British History Online
'On the "bitter cold" Christmas Day of 1830, Mary Ann Macham arrived in North Shields, the northern English fishing port that would become her unlikely home; the endpoint of a 4,000-mile journey filled with fear, courage and a superhuman determination to be free.'
From Slavery in Virginia to Freedom in the North East of England
How an enslaved woman fled America and found safety in the North East of England
www.bbc.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 8:02 AM
'On the "bitter cold" Christmas Day of 1830, Mary Ann Macham arrived in North Shields, the northern English fishing port that would become her unlikely home; the endpoint of a 4,000-mile journey filled with fear, courage and a superhuman determination to be free.'
Reposted by British History Online
New in the Cambridge Elements series, and free to read and download until 15 January:
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Cambridge Core - Evolutionary Biology - The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
www.cambridge.org
December 22, 2025 at 10:13 AM
New in the Cambridge Elements series, and free to read and download until 15 January:
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
New in the Cambridge Elements series, and free to read and download until 15 January:
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Cambridge Core - Evolutionary Biology - The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
www.cambridge.org
December 22, 2025 at 10:13 AM
New in the Cambridge Elements series, and free to read and download until 15 January:
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
The London Foundling Hospital and Eighteenth-Century Objects of Charity
Recovering the Digital Archive
by Hilary E. Wyss.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
#History #DigitalHistory
Really good series of posts from the Society for the Study of Labour History @sslh.bsky.social , on Places in Labour History:
sslh.org.uk/tag/place-in...
#History #LabourHistory
sslh.org.uk/tag/place-in...
#History #LabourHistory
Place in labour history – Society for the Study of Labour History
The articles below were part of a series in which labour historians were asked to write about a place in labour history that they thought significant, either to them or more broadly. The series was…
sslh.org.uk
December 19, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Really good series of posts from the Society for the Study of Labour History @sslh.bsky.social , on Places in Labour History:
sslh.org.uk/tag/place-in...
#History #LabourHistory
sslh.org.uk/tag/place-in...
#History #LabourHistory
Reposted by British History Online
Mapped the regulated routes. It's now clear how the police sought to exclude marches from the centre of the City in 1939.
December 18, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Mapped the regulated routes. It's now clear how the police sought to exclude marches from the centre of the City in 1939.
Reposted by British History Online
A nice surprise this morning: my article on prison reform from below is out!
I believe it’s open access but let me know if you can’t get a copy and would like one.
academic.oup.com/histres/adva...
I believe it’s open access but let me know if you can’t get a copy and would like one.
academic.oup.com/histres/adva...
Prison reform from below: London, c.1780–1830*
Abstract. This article explores the history of the English prison reform movement from ‘below’ – that is, from the perspective of prison inmates. By highli
academic.oup.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:17 AM
A nice surprise this morning: my article on prison reform from below is out!
I believe it’s open access but let me know if you can’t get a copy and would like one.
academic.oup.com/histres/adva...
I believe it’s open access but let me know if you can’t get a copy and would like one.
academic.oup.com/histres/adva...
Reposted by British History Online
Interested in connections between #history & #CreativeWriting / #poetry? @ihr.bsky.social is seeking a Creative Practitioner in Residence for 2026. £1000 monthly stipend, opportunities for collaboration & developing projects. Happy to have a chat! Please share:
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
Creative Practitioner in Residence
The Institute of Historical Research hosts a Creative Practitioner in Residence who is interested in working collaboratively with historians.
www.history.ac.uk
December 12, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Interested in connections between #history & #CreativeWriting / #poetry? @ihr.bsky.social is seeking a Creative Practitioner in Residence for 2026. £1000 monthly stipend, opportunities for collaboration & developing projects. Happy to have a chat! Please share:
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
Reposted by British History Online
The @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool 2026 is now booking on the theme of 'Sickness & Health'. From the Black Death to Covid-19. Use code HEALTH10 before 24th Jan to get 10% discount! Bursaries available www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
November 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool 2026 is now booking on the theme of 'Sickness & Health'. From the Black Death to Covid-19. Use code HEALTH10 before 24th Jan to get 10% discount! Bursaries available www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
Reposted by British History Online
Really neat example of how everything about an object—binding, foxing, water damage, annotations—can help us understand it.
December 11, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Really neat example of how everything about an object—binding, foxing, water damage, annotations—can help us understand it.
A new guest post by Helen Rutherford: 'Mapping Death: The Atlas of Victorian Coroners' Districts'
legalhistorymiscellany.com/2025/12/11/m...
legalhistorymiscellany.com/2025/12/11/m...
Mapping Death: The Atlas of Victorian Coroners’ Districts
In this guest post, Helen Rutherford explores what a unique atlas of Victorian coroners’ districts might tell us about technologies of knowledge and death investigation.
legalhistorymiscellany.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by British History Online
A new guest post by Helen Rutherford: 'Mapping Death: The Atlas of Victorian Coroners' Districts'
legalhistorymiscellany.com/2025/12/11/m...
legalhistorymiscellany.com/2025/12/11/m...
Mapping Death: The Atlas of Victorian Coroners’ Districts
In this guest post, Helen Rutherford explores what a unique atlas of Victorian coroners’ districts might tell us about technologies of knowledge and death investigation.
legalhistorymiscellany.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:35 PM
A new guest post by Helen Rutherford: 'Mapping Death: The Atlas of Victorian Coroners' Districts'
legalhistorymiscellany.com/2025/12/11/m...
legalhistorymiscellany.com/2025/12/11/m...
Reposted by British History Online
Following on from his article on Peter McLagan, Scotland's first Black MP, Dr Martin Spychal has explored the life of his father, Peter McLagan senior, and his ownership of enslaved people in Demerara (modern-day Guyana):
historyofparliament.com/2025/12/11/p...
historyofparliament.com/2025/12/11/p...
Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860): enslaver, plantation owner and landed proprietor - The History of Parliament
Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860). A farmer’s son from Perthshire, McLagan senior acquired considerable wealth as an enslaver and plantation owner in Demerara…
historyofparliament.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Following on from his article on Peter McLagan, Scotland's first Black MP, Dr Martin Spychal has explored the life of his father, Peter McLagan senior, and his ownership of enslaved people in Demerara (modern-day Guyana):
historyofparliament.com/2025/12/11/p...
historyofparliament.com/2025/12/11/p...
Reposted by British History Online
150 years ago!
#OnThisDay in London's parklife: 1000s destroy enclosure fences, Hackney Downs, 1875, helping preserve the Downs as an open space
wp.me/p74yfw-q2
Read more about the campaign in our pamphlet
“Green Beneath the Skies”
Buy online here:
pasttensehistories.bigcartel.com/product/gree...
#OnThisDay in London's parklife: 1000s destroy enclosure fences, Hackney Downs, 1875, helping preserve the Downs as an open space
wp.me/p74yfw-q2
Read more about the campaign in our pamphlet
“Green Beneath the Skies”
Buy online here:
pasttensehistories.bigcartel.com/product/gree...
Today in London’s parklife: 1000s destroy enclosure fences, Hackney Downs, 1875
On December 11th 1875, a crowd of several thousand people assembled on Hackney Downs, East London, to take part in the destruction of fences newly built around enclosures on what was traditionally …
wp.me
December 11, 2025 at 8:26 AM
150 years ago!
#OnThisDay in London's parklife: 1000s destroy enclosure fences, Hackney Downs, 1875, helping preserve the Downs as an open space
wp.me/p74yfw-q2
Read more about the campaign in our pamphlet
“Green Beneath the Skies”
Buy online here:
pasttensehistories.bigcartel.com/product/gree...
#OnThisDay in London's parklife: 1000s destroy enclosure fences, Hackney Downs, 1875, helping preserve the Downs as an open space
wp.me/p74yfw-q2
Read more about the campaign in our pamphlet
“Green Beneath the Skies”
Buy online here:
pasttensehistories.bigcartel.com/product/gree...
Reposted by British History Online
Have you seen our Term 2 Research Training and Short Courses a the IHR? We deliver high-quality training programmes and short courses to a wide community of historians and professionals, and provide unique distance learning opportunities
www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...
www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...
Research Training and Short Courses
The IHR offers a wide range of training courses for historians at all career stages, from digital research and oral history to archives and publishing.
www.history.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Have you seen our Term 2 Research Training and Short Courses a the IHR? We deliver high-quality training programmes and short courses to a wide community of historians and professionals, and provide unique distance learning opportunities
www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...
www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...
Reposted by British History Online
#TNAConnections Another great Gold Seam you can explore on the VRTI is that of the State Papers Ireland, 1660–1715 (TNA SP 63), an assembled collection of official letters, private papers, and correspondence that is held at @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy.
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
December 9, 2025 at 1:05 PM
#TNAConnections Another great Gold Seam you can explore on the VRTI is that of the State Papers Ireland, 1660–1715 (TNA SP 63), an assembled collection of official letters, private papers, and correspondence that is held at @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy.
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
Reposted by British History Online
Great to see the programme for the @long18thsem.bsky.social for next term @ihrlibrary.bsky.social . You can register to attend either in person or online here: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
December 10, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Great to see the programme for the @long18thsem.bsky.social for next term @ihrlibrary.bsky.social . You can register to attend either in person or online here: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
Beneath the Sheets: Anatomy, Art and Power exhibition in Leeds, on the Victorian surgeon, artist and anatomist Joseph Maclise:
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
#History #MedicalHistory
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
#History #MedicalHistory
Anatomical exhibition includes rare Victorian-era drawing of a black body
The work of surgeon and artist Joseph Maclise is the focus of a show at the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Beneath the Sheets: Anatomy, Art and Power exhibition in Leeds, on the Victorian surgeon, artist and anatomist Joseph Maclise:
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
#History #MedicalHistory
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
#History #MedicalHistory
Reposted by British History Online
#LegalHistory #BristolHistory This, from Evan Jones @bristolcms.bsky.social @uobrishistory.bsky.social is interesting on humour, Bristol, maps, gallows(es) ... bristolrecordsociety.org/stories-from...
Four Jokes on the Millerd Map
Evan Jones, University of Bristol (8 Dec 2025) 10 min read Millerd Map (1673) James Millerd’s 1673 map of Bristol is the best known and most widely used representation of the pre-modern city.…
bristolrecordsociety.org
December 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
#LegalHistory #BristolHistory This, from Evan Jones @bristolcms.bsky.social @uobrishistory.bsky.social is interesting on humour, Bristol, maps, gallows(es) ... bristolrecordsociety.org/stories-from...
Reposted by British History Online
In our continuing series on places in labour history, Mike Mecham argues that West Ham and Canning Town in East London form a cornerstone of the British labour movement
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/08/w...
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/08/w...
West Ham: a place in labour history
In our continuing series on places in labour history, Mike Mecham argues that West Ham and Canning Town in East London form a cornerstone of the British labour movement. There is a good case for We…
sslh.org.uk
December 8, 2025 at 7:29 AM
In our continuing series on places in labour history, Mike Mecham argues that West Ham and Canning Town in East London form a cornerstone of the British labour movement
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/08/w...
sslh.org.uk/2025/12/08/w...
Reposted by British History Online
An early Christmas present for all you Court of Requests fans. *All* the calendared Elizabethan proceedings [TNA REQ 2/26-294], over 20,000 items in total, are now searchable on The National Archives' online catalogue. Ho ho ho 🎄 discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C...
Browse records of other archives | The National Archives
The official archive of the UK government. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone...
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
December 7, 2025 at 12:49 PM
An early Christmas present for all you Court of Requests fans. *All* the calendared Elizabethan proceedings [TNA REQ 2/26-294], over 20,000 items in total, are now searchable on The National Archives' online catalogue. Ho ho ho 🎄 discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C...