History Magazine
The Gruesome Career of Mabel de Bellême, Countess of Shrewsbury
A Norman noblewoman, Mabel de Bellême became Countess of Shrewsbury through her marriage to Sir Roger de Montgomery. Shrewd and politically adept, she was however infamous for her cruelty and ruthlessness…
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus – Governor of Britain
There is a statue of the warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudica, on the Victoria Embankment in London. Her revolt against the Romans is well known – but who led the Roman army against Boudica in her final battle?
William Blake’s Jerusalem
An unofficial anthem for England, ‘Jerusalem’ is considered to be a patriotic expression of Englishness, a permanent fixture at the Last Night of the Proms and adopted by such diverse groups as the W.I., the Labour party and England rugby fans. But what do William Blake’s words really mean?
Arbella Stuart
A cousin of both Elizabeth I and James I and VI of Scotland, and next in line to the throne after James’ children, Arbella’s royal lineage was a curse, not a blessing…
Burma Death Railway
The 1957 epic war film, ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ tells the story of a group of Allied prisoners of war during the building of the Burma Railway, otherwise known as the Death Railway. After the war, it was said that one man died for every railway sleeper laid along its 250 mile length, reflecting the high mortality rate among the POWs and civilian forced labour from the harsh conditions, brutality and disease.