Woven silk brocade in leopard-spot pattern, France, 1760s, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. By Natasha Bailey William Eastman was indicted for that he on the 11th of September, about one in the night, the dwelling house of Daniel Clarke, did break, and by force enter, with intent, feloniously and maliciously to cut and destroy silk manufactory,… Read More »
Alt text: “A Collection of the Canting Words and Terms, both ancient and modern, used by Beggars, Gypsies, Cheats, House-Breakers, Shop-Lifters, Foot-Pads, Highway-Men &c,” from Nathan Bailey’s The new universal etymological English dictionary (1760). Image courtesy of the Bodleian Libraries John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera (Crime 7 (25)). By Natasha Bailey Sarah Page, Catharine… Read More »
By Natasha Bailey This post is the first of a series looking at the LawBod’s pre-1800 collections (yes, we do have them!) and one of (hopefully) several on cases that have caught my eye from the proceedings of the Old Bailey. The original print copies of these proceedings from the early 1700s onward are in… Read More »
By Lara Hatwell The relationship between Northern Ireland and Europe has dominated the headlines since the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was signed in 2020. This has largely been a result of the Democratic Unionist Party, the (then) largest party’s opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, and its subsequent refusal to elect a speaker, leaving the Stormont… Read More »
I can guess what you thought when you looked at today’s date! Ah 31st May, the anniversary of the execution of Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria. No? Okay, fair enough. However back in 1076 this date was taken as the end of the Revolt of the Earls. It was arguably the end of Anglo-Saxon Britain. As… Read More »
“Do you know the butchers in the next street but one?” “I should hope so.” “Good. Intelligent boy. Remarkable boy! Tell me, have they sold the prize turkey that was hanging there, not the little turkey, the big one?” “What, the one as big as me?” “Yes. Delightful boy! Yes, my boy, the one as… Read More »
Father Christmas himself plays a brief but crucial appearance in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a symbol of hope and, more immediately and conventionally, the bearer of gifts. Those he gave to the Pevensie children became vital in the vanquishing of the White Witch & the restoration of a peaceable kingdom. In… Read More »
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913, also known as Old Bailey Online, is a fascinating free resource offering insight into the lives of ordinary people through 197745 reports of criminal proceedings heard in London’s central criminal court. It contains some terrifying and heart rending stories, however since it’s the time of year for romance,… Read More »
The lilting lament of The Coventry Carol is not especially festive, being as it is a mother’s song to her doomed infant as she waits for Herod’s soldiers to visit and murder him, however it is a haunting, beautiful tune with extraordinary history. If you’d like to know more about that, you can compare audio… Read More »
We three kings of Orient are. Bearing gifts, we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star…‘ By Madeleine Lawson ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are,’ also known as ‘The Quest of the Magi,’ is a nineteenth-century carol by Reverend John Henry Hopkins Junior. (Click here for a rendition of the song… Read More »
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