In this episode, Dr Hailwood (University of Bristol) asks whether everyday life in English villages 400 years ago was really as uncomfortable and harsh as we generally tend to think. Not everybody died young, and although ‘creature comforts’ were not up to modern standards there is plenty of evidence that...

In this episode, Dr Hailwood (University of Bristol) examines whether rural villages were really as cut off from the outside world as is often assumed. The evidence of court records not only shows that people often travelled quite far as part of their work, but also that surprisingly high levels...

In this episode, Dr Hailwood investigates what the relationship between villagers might have been like four centuries ago. There can be a tendency to romanticise the ‘close-knit’ communities of a past age, but through a case study of a pub crawl in a Somerset village we come to see that...

In this episode, Dr Hailwood (University of Bristol) uses witness statements from court records to reconstruct a ‘typical’ working day for 17th century villagers. Contrary to our expectations that men toiled in the fields all day whilst women were occupied with work around the home, the evidence reveals that both...

In this podcast Professor Tim Hitchcock of the University of Sussex discusses LGBTQ+ history in Britain during the Early Modern period. Dr Hitchcock examines legal changes brought in by the Tudors, the development of Molly houses, subsequent persecution and hetero-sexism and the construction of some LGBTQ+ identities.

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students examine the English Civil War, including looking at the religious, political, social, and economic causes of the Civil War; the Scottish and Irish dimensions to the conflict; the role of the New Model Army in...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students examine the origins, course and outcome of the Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace, the largest popular uprising in Tudor England. The playlist also includes a two-part case study looking at the fortunes of...

In this podcast Professor Alison Rowlands of the University of Essex delves into the witch trials and witchcraft of the early modern period. She examines the sources historians use for this time period, and how they differ between regions, from the continent to England and the colonies. Rowlands distinguishes the stereotypes of witches...

In this podcast Professor Elaine Chalus of the University of Liverpool looks at women's involvement in 18th century elections in the UK. This podcast was funded by the Age of Revolution education legacy project and recorded with the help of Megan King, Student Ambassador at the University of Kent.  

Dr Tracy Borman gave the following keynote speech at the HA Annual Conference on 19 May 2018. Elizabeth I is often portrayed as a ruthless ‘man’s woman’, who derided her own sex – ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman’ – and loved to flirt...

In this podcast Dr Catherine Horler-Underwood of the Cardiff University looks at crime and punishment in Wales between 1700 and 1830.

In this podcast Dr Catherine Horler-Underwood of the Cardiff University discusses changes to law and justice in Wales from 1543 to 1830.

In this podcast Professor Tony Claydon looks at Parliamentary and constitutional change between 1660-1702.

In this podcast Professor Laura Gowing of King's College London looks at the how the role of women changed in Britain, both within the family and within society, between 1500-1700.

In this podcast Dr Anne Murphy of the University of Hertfordshire looks at the origins and significance of the South Sea Bubble, one of the earliest modern financial crises.

In this podcast Professor Michael Braddick of the University of Sheffield looks at why it proved impossible to achieve a negotiated settletment between 1646 and 1649.

In this podcast Dr Steven Gunn of Merton College, Oxford, looks at the rise of Wolsey, his foreign and domestic policy, failure in the 1520s and loss of favour, Wolsey's Rivals and his divided responsibilities: Papal servant vs Kings man.

In this podcast Professor John Miller discusses how we should judge the reign of Charles II and ask what was his domestic and international legacy?

In this podcast Professor Barry Coward, former President of the Historical Association asks: "Was the Cromwellian Protectorate a military dictatorship?"

In this podcast Professor Gaunt asks what was the importance of Oliver Cromwell both to the Civil War and to the protectorate? What was his legacy?