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The Historian 127: Agincourt
The magazine of the Historical Association
This edition of HA's The Historian magazine is free to download in full via the link at the bottom of the page (individual article links within the page are not free access unless otherwise stated).
For a subscription to The Historian (published quarterly), access to over 300 podcasts and our huge library...
The Historian 127: Agincourt
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Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Historian article
Much research has been devoted in recent years to Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People (EH), completed in 731 at the joint monastery of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow; but in one crucial respect little progress has been made: the editing of the text. The excellent edition published by Charles Plummer in 1896...
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People
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My Favourite History Place: Sutton Hoo
Historian feature
A Secret Uncovered, A Mystery Unsolved
Sutton Hoo is a sandy heathland overlooking the estuary of the River Deben in Suffolk. In Old English a ‘hoo' is a promontory, ‘sutton' is southern, and ‘tun' is a settlement. Historians have known for years that the fields were farmed in the Iron...
My Favourite History Place: Sutton Hoo
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The Uses of History in the Twenty First Century
Historian article
During the last century or so there has developed a new ‘public role’ for history: the past as personal history, a vital element in the nourishing of people in society. During the past decades a new perception of what history is has manifested itself on two levels: first a shift of...
The Uses of History in the Twenty First Century
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The Historian 169: Visual Arts
The magazine of the Historical Association
4 Ask The Historian and Letters
5 Editorial (Read article)
6 To see the witch: understanding fear, accusation, and brutality during the European witch craze through visual art – Natasha Brockman (Read article)
12 The Lady and the Unicorn: unravelling the symbolic threads of sixteenth-century tapestries – Damien Dessane (Read...
The Historian 169: Visual Arts
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Folkestone in World War One
Historian article
Grahame Jones contributes to our determination to explore the wider involvement of the community in responding to the challenges of the Great War, in this case two inspirational women who provided refreshments for soldiers en route through Folkestone harbour.
A fading Edwardian resort and handy for that trip through the...
Folkestone in World War One
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The Historian 166: Crime and Punishment
The magazine of the Historical Association
This edition of The Historian is free to access for all HA members. Find out about membership here.
Contents
5 Editorial (Read article)
6 Coroners, communities, and the Crown: mapping death and justice in late medieval England – Stephanie Emma Brown (Read article - open access)
11 Mercurial justice: a...
The Historian 166: Crime and Punishment
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My Favourite History Place: Mountfitchet Castle
Historian feature
In the first of an occasional series Alf Wilkinson, HA CPD Manager, explores Mountfitchet Castle, in Essex - his favourite history place.
As every schoolchild knows, William the Conqueror landed near Hastings in 1066, pursuing his claim to the throne of England. He was accompanied by the Pope's blessing, but...
My Favourite History Place: Mountfitchet Castle
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The Historian 126: The Battle of Waterloo
The magazine of the Historical Association
4 Reviews
5 Editorial
6 The Battle of Waterloo: Sunday 18 June 1815 - John Morewood (Read Article)
13 News from 59a
14 Scum of the earth - or fine fellows? The British soldier in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars - Carole Divall (Read Article)
19 The President's Column
20 Medical...
The Historian 126: The Battle of Waterloo
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Virtual Branch Recording: 'Hidden Histories of the Viking Age'
Embers of the Hands
Eleanor Barraclough tells a richly detailed history of the Viking Age through the everyday objects and traces left by ordinary people, revealing the complex, lived realities behind the familiar saga‑era myths.
Dr Eleanor Barraclough is a historian, author and broadcaster. Her most recent book, Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories...
Virtual Branch Recording: 'Hidden Histories of the Viking Age'
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HA webinar series: American culture
30 June–8 September | Online via Zoom | Free for members
Join us this summer to explore how American culture has developed and influenced the wider world, in this new webinar series from the Historical Association.
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. To reflect on this pivotal moment in global history, this series examines the ways in...
HA webinar series: American culture
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HA short course: The World of the Normans
September–December 2026
Book Now
(Registration is via Cademy which opens in a new window. Please read the course terms and conditions before registering)
What does the course cover?
With the Bayeux Tapestry coming to the UK for the first time in 2026, and 2027 heralding the ‘Year of the Normans’, there will...
HA short course: The World of the Normans
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The Investiture Disputes
Classic Pamphlet
Historical labels are dictated by a wayward fashion; and the name which is still most commonly associated with the first struggle of Empire and Papacy (1076-1122). "The Investiture Disputes," is neither lucid or appropriate. It has been commoner for historians to name the great wars of history after the issues...
The Investiture Disputes
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Challenges facing The National Archives and the archives sector
Public History Podcast
Podcast of a second interview between Dr Andrew Foster from the Historical Association and member of The National Archives' Strategic Academic Stakeholder Forum and Oliver Morley, Chief Executive and Keeper, The National Archives, which took place on 6 December 2011. The interview covers the strategic challenges faced by The National...
Challenges facing The National Archives and the archives sector
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Podcast: Suffrage lives, 1866 to 1914
Annual Conference Podcast 2019
When, as a researcher, I was asked to take part in the Historical Association’s Suffrage Resources project and to populate the database for it, I jumped at the chance. Who wouldn’t? It offered the opportunity to delve into the archives, reaching back in time to the symbolic beginnings of the organised...
Podcast: Suffrage lives, 1866 to 1914
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From Norwich to Nara
Historian article
Simon Kaner explores the fascinating parallels revealed by the international research project From Nara to Norwich between life and religious belief at the ends of the Silk Roads.
Nara is the ancient capital region of Japan. The eighth century imperial treasury, the Shōsōin, with its treasures from China and central Asia, is...
From Norwich to Nara
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Podcast Series: German History 1918-1948
Multipage Article
An HA Podcasted History of Modern German History: 1918-1948 featuring: Sir Ian Kershaw, Professor Jill Stephenson of the University of Edinburgh, Dr Christina von Hodenberg of Queen Mary, University of London and Professor Benjamin Ziemann of the University of Sheffield.
Podcast Series: German History 1918-1948
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Protestantism and art in early modern England
Article
“I am greatly honoured to receive the Medlicott medal and I thank the President for his much-too-kind remarks. It is fifty years since I attended my first meeting of the Historical Association and heard a lecture by Professor Medlicott himself, no less. The Association does a wonderful job in encouraging...
Protestantism and art in early modern England
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Cartooning King Cotton
Historian article
While cartoons have been widely used by historians of ‘High Politics’ or diplomacy, they have been used less often by social historians. Alan Fowler and Terry Wyke examine a source for the social history of the Lancashire cotton industry. Cartoons have long held a fascination for historians, though when using...
Cartooning King Cotton
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Real Lives: Jessie Reid Crosbie
Historian feature
Alyson Brown, Dan Copley and Jack Bennett uncover the life of a reforming Liverpool headmistress.
Our series ‘Real Lives’ seeks to put the story of the ordinary person into our great historical narrative. We are all part of the rich fabric of the communities in which we live and we are...
Real Lives: Jessie Reid Crosbie
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More than skin deep: unmasking the history of cold cream
Historian article
From the ancient Mediterranean to the shelves of twenty-first century pharmacies and cosmetic counters, cold cream has a long history. In this article, Farhana Qayoom Shaikh explores how Galen’s simple formula for treating skin complaints transitioned over the centuries into a luxury beauty product.
More than skin deep: unmasking the history of cold cream
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Doing history: reconstructing the life of physician, psychiatrist and anthropologist James Cowles Prichard
Historian feature
Margaret Crump’s Doing History explains how she went about researching the life of a Victorian scientist, gathering material about the man himself from a variety of sources including newspapers, genealogical databases, and archives, supplemented by contextual knowledge of the period.
Doing history: reconstructing the life of physician, psychiatrist and anthropologist James Cowles Prichard
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Doing history: Contemporary narratives and the legacy of the Dagenham Ford Factory Strike of 1968
Historian feature
In this article, Zubin Burley looks at how a visit to the local archive can transform our understanding of an important event in British social history...
Doing history: Contemporary narratives and the legacy of the Dagenham Ford Factory Strike of 1968
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My Favourite History Place: The Great House of Mercers Creek
Historian feature
The tropical island of Antigua is a tourist heaven, but Gabriella Howell’s research into her family property, the Great House of Mercers Creek, shows how over the centuries, a varied history has shaped the experience of visitors and residents alike. From the enslaved and missionaries to admirals and film stars,...
My Favourite History Place: The Great House of Mercers Creek
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Doing history: The Old Poor Law in a Regency York Parish 1795–1847
Historian feature
In this regular feature called Doing History, history enthusiasts describe a piece of research they have undertaken and how it sheds light on aspects of local and national history. Here Steve Barrett shows how his exploration of archives in York provided interesting insights into the controversial issue of poor relief, with a focus...
Doing history: The Old Poor Law in a Regency York Parish 1795–1847
