Category: social history
Branded, burned, hanged – punishments in the 18th century
Branded for life is a figure of speech; in the 18th Century, branding was a punishment dished out by judges for a range of offences. The old saying ‘may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb’ me... Read More
Port Carlisle – a history built on hope
Port Carlisle – a history built on hope is my book, written because it’s something I wish I’d been able to find in bookshops in the past. There are some excellent books about aspects of life a... Read More
Average wages and a drunken elephant
What was the average wage in 1843, in the UK? The date is random, but the question is an important one for family history and social history research. Knowing what people earned in the past is the bes... Read More
Tracing your family history: Wills
Among William Shakespeare’s almost countless famous lines is one from his will: ‘Item, I give unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture.” If you’re tracing your family history or... Read More
Cartes de visite – snapshots of history
Cartes de visite are both fascinating and sad. Fascinating because they are literally a snapshot of people’s lives (dressed in their ‘Sunday best,’ for the occasion). Sad because you can find th... Read More
FP signs – what are they?
FP signs are like street furniture – something most people walk past without really noticing. Yet they could be a matter of life or death in times gone by. For FP signs are the predecessors of fire ... Read More
Hallowe’en in the ‘pagan borderlands’
Hallowe’en is a subdued affair in 2020, due to Covid-19 and lockdowns. But then in the UK, it mostly always was. The short history is that it became a Big Thing in the US, due to Scottish and Irish ... Read More
Food control, and war service for women
Food control was a matter of national concern in the UK in both the First World War and the Second World War. If the trade-off for the national prosperity of the Industrial Revolution was people leavi... Read More