Questions tagged [england]
For questions relating to the historic Kingdom of England prior to 1707, or the country of England within the modern United Kingdom that is one of Britain's Home Nations.
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What do the stamps on this English travel document mean?
It's an A3 sheet, on the recto is a Marriage License, perfectly obvious. But on the verso there are some rubber stamp marks from various railroad companies with filled in dates, a number, and signed ...
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What is the "impious service" of the Anglican church?
Macaulay's History of England makes a cryptic reference to
The absurd and almost impious service which is still read in our churches on the thirtieth of January... (Chapter XV, in the section on ...
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Why did Henry VIII execute Margaret de la Pole?
Margaret de la Pole was, arguably, a Yorkist claimant to the English throne, but never appears to have pressed her claim. Her sons were, certainly, troublesome to Henry, particularly after his break ...
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What is the relationship between these two merchants' marks?
I have attached the images of two Merchants' Marks, from around the year 1500. One is on a memorial stone in Dorchester Abbey, the other from Thame Church. Both of these are in Oxfordshire, about 11 ...
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Where can I find statutory orders made by the Privy Council of England?
I am researching early 20th century statutory orders made by the Privy Council, namely made under the Local Government Act 1899.
In the London Gazette, it is mentioned that on 15 May 1900 Orders in ...
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In the context of heraldry, what is the equivalent of "opposé" in English?
I am reading through the Wiktionnaire page for opposé. More specifically, I am reading through the definitions of the "Adjectif" section.
I can translate the definitions into English without ...
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How long did the 19th century Europe Grand Tour take?
I’m writing a story set it 1815 and I want it to be as close as possible to history.
I know the countries that were visited and the routes they took, but I will love to know how much time it took ...
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Was there a visit of Danish King to England in time of Shakespeare writing Hamlet
about 10 years ago or so I read an essay online that said that the reason why Hamlet talks so badly about the Danish drinking habits is that the Danish king and entourage had recently visited the ...
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Why were there so many English soldiers at the Battle of Towton compared to other battles of the period?
The Battle of Towton is one of the less famous engagements in English history - which is surprising, given that it was probably the largest, bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Certainly - ...
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How could someone claim benefit of clergy after an act of attainder?
In some Tudor-period acts of attainder (laws passed by Parliament declaring certain people to be guilty of crimes and ordaining their punishment), there is a stipulation that the named person will not ...
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How much did Queen Elizabeth I spend on her wardrobe over her reign?
Queen Elizabeth I of England had over 2000 expensive bejeweled gowns when she died. While she was thrifty by refurbishing her gowns when possible and giving some away to maids as payment what would ...
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What about dairy pasteurisation might have made the issue so important to Lord Rothschild?
It’s known that in 50+ years of Lordship, Lord Rothschild only addressed the house twice:
Once was about the Zionist question
The other was about instituting compulsory pasteurisation of dairy
It’s ...
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Has it been common for Lords to only address the House twice in their entire career?
It is often stated by conspiracy theorists that Lord Rothschild only ever addressed the House of Lords twice in his entire 52 year career, once about Palestine/Israel, and once about mandating the ...
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How was ethnicity's role in the voting enfranchisement envisioned after the English Civil War?
I am reading Democracy in Europe: A History by Luciano Canfora. In his short section on the English Civil War he states
There is another element in the Levellers' thinking that should also be taken ...
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Did English archers use thumb rings?
Essex Dogs by Dan Jones describes in passing English or Welsh archers 1 using thumb rings during the hundred year's war.
I can find (unreliable) references to Roman thumb rings, and certainly the ...
MCW♦
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Would the battle between Thornton and Ashford have been armed?
This question was previously migrated from Law, but then rejected and returned on the grounds that it was already answered on Wikipedia. But this essential aspect of the question is not addressed on ...
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Was Alice Perrers a Lollard?
A footnote on page 141-142 of E S Holt John De Wycliffe1 claims Alice Perrers was a Lollard. I know her reputation has been revised recently but is there any evidence for this?
a footnote on page ...
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Travel between London and Lisbon in the 1350s: Philippa of Lancaster and King João I of Portugal context
Given the historical union between Philippa of Lancaster and King João I of Portugal in the late 14th century, there would have been significant communication and travel between England and Portugal. ...
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Were there Old English speaking enclaves within the Danelaw?
I believe the language of the people that settled in England to create the Danelaw was Old East Norse. Do we know if the Danelaw became a homogeneous Old East Norse speaking region, or did it become ...
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Does a year 1900 meeting in a Masonic Hall imply that it was a meeting of Freemasons?
I am researching an individual who lived in the north of England in 1900. He is reported in a local newspaper as having attended “a large an influential meeting” in the local Masonic Hall. The meeting ...
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Are there any medieval manuals relating to castle building?
I'm doing research on the medieval castle, specifically what was required to build one. I'm particularly interested in learning about this from a medieval perspective, so I wondered if there are any ...
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How much could £40pa rent you in 1972?
In this case a premise was rented by the Duke of Westminster to someone in Pimlico (reasonably central London, at least by today's standards, and a fairly expensive area if i'm not mistaken) for £10 ...
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Why did Henry III of England give his sons English names, other than naming them after his favourite saints?
Was the decision by King Henry III to give his two sons the very Anglo-Saxon, 'English' names of Edward and Edmund rather than any names of French derivation commented on at the time by contemporaries,...
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Did James I of England have both male and female lovers?
I've read multiple biographies of James, and there is no consensus on whether he was bisexual. He had four children with his wife, Ann of Denmark, but he also had many repeated male favorites, some of ...
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Can anyone help identifying markings on this artillery shell casing?
Inherited this shell casing from my grandfather who emigrated from England around war time (WW2) but I don't have any real information or dates. My mother just remembers it always being around. My ...
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By what legal mechanism was Catherine Howard deprived of her title of Queen of England?
To the best of my knowledge, under English (and later British) law, a peerage can only be revoked via a conviction for treason by a bill of attainder. Peerages have sometimes been surrendered ...
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What is meant by this medieval reference to combat 'under-ground'?
I was reading The History of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of London, by William Herbert (1836), and came across an interesting turn of phrase. In a section discussing early guilds predating the ...
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How could nonconformist Protestants be buried in graveyards controlled by the established Church before 1880?
Further to my question here, I am attempting to continue to research the wider family of the individual memorialised by a gravestone in St Bridget's Church, near Cockermouth. This church, and the ...
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What is the origin of the crest on this coat of arms found in a graveyard in the north of England?
While researching local history in the town of Cockermouth, in Cumbria, England, I came across the coat of arms below on a gravestone. The gravestone is listed on the Find a Grave website here, and is ...
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How were expelled ministers "witnessed" during the Great Ejection of 1662?
While investigating the local history of a meeting house in the town of Cockermouth, in Cumbria, England, I came across a reference to a "Brief Memoir of the Late Isaac Brown, Esq. of Cockermouth,...
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Why was it tradition to offer 'half-baked cake' to departing students?
According to my copy of The Annotated Christmas Carol by Michael Patrick Hearn, it was traditional for schoolmasters to offer leaving students home-made wine and half-baked cake.
Here he produced a ...
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Prior to 1963 did a British nobleman ever disclaim or renounce his title? What would have happened if someone had tried?
British nobles could not disclaim their titles prior to 1963, and even then it had to be done within a year of succeeding to to the peerage. Why did the British make it so difficult to relinquish a ...
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What did male motorcyclists wear in 1930s England?
What did male motorcyclists wear in 1930s England? I'm assuming the outfits from Watch This Club Ride Vintage 1930s Motorcycles Across France are probably pretty accurate, as well as the top image ...
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In Medieval or early Renaissance times, how could England close its ports to prevent escape?
From time to time I read that in Medieval or early Renaissance times the King/Queen/Privy Council "closed the ports" to prevent someone escaping England. How could this be done effectively?
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What were the last decisions that an English or a British monarch made that were forced on Parliament?
For example, when was the last time an English monarch made a decision to start a war? Or spend money without being limited by the constitution? Or expel rivals? Or raised the taxes?
Based on the ...
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How accurate is Belloc's version of European economic history in The Servile State, with regards to the seizing of the monastic lands?
This is my own short summary of Belloc's version of European economic history, which he lays out in The Servile State (1912):
In 1541, the lands of the monasteries were expropriated by Henry VIII. ...
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Who was the last Emperor of England? [closed]
Queen Victoria assumed I guess in 1865 the title of Empress, do you know if and when that title was dropped?
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What happened to the British universities during WWII?
For one of my courses at university, I chose to work on the topic of British students during the Second World war.
I suppose many of them interrupted their studies to go and fight, but what was the ...
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What benefit was there in executing Anne Boleyn instead of poisoning her and pretending she was ill?
When Henry VIII decided to abandon Anne Boleyn in favor of another woman, due in part to the lack of Anne Boleyn providing a male heir, he had her investigated for treason, adultery, and incest, and ...
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At the time of her death, were there any surviving witnesses to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II?
Title says it all.
My guess is that some of the page boys maybe? or perhaps some members of the choir? Even someone in their early teens at the time would have had to make it through to their mid-...
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What is the exact meaning of England vs. Britain before/during/after the formation of the Kingdom of England in the Middle Ages?
I have been reading for the past few hours about all the various players in Western/Northern Europe:
Celts
Gauls
Germanic People
Anglo Saxons
Britons
Iberians
Aquitani
etc.
Wikipedia says of the ...
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How did one get accepted into university in 19th century England?
So, here's all I (believe to) know on this topic and some follow up questions:
Only the more wealthy (upper and middle class) did have the resources to send their offspring (of course mostly only the ...
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Why did the British people switch from the Celtic language to Old English?
There is a widely held theory that when the Romans left England in the 5th century AD the island was defenceless against Anglo-Saxon invading armies. In the south and east the Britons were defeated in ...
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Was Mary Stuart's execution not accompanied by attainder?
James VI and I, of Scotland and England respectively, was Mary Stuart's son. Given that Mary was executed for treason and an attainder (which resulted in corruption of blood) was automatic in cases of ...
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What was typical of Ireland England court system in the 1700’s?
In the 1700’s there were Court proceedings called ExChequer Court of Equity Bill Books (e.g) in Ireland. I found records of one of my ancestors in the early 1700’s who was a defendant several times ...
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In Mughal India, which factors determined which countries were allowed forts?
I'm roughly halfway through this excellent extensive book: Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. One of the more memorable sections to me was the account of how the first gestures ...
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Is there an English translation of Nicolas de la Mare's 1722 work "Traité de la Police"?
Most places on the Internet (or maybe just the sites with the best SEO) put the origins of Western policing with Scotland Yard. For example, this article says policing came to the U.S. via England, ...
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How many people were executed during the reign of Henry VIII?
I've read something from a few online sources that I don't quite trust (probably because I'm British), but I suspect the reality of the suggestion is in fact highly likely. Going on the data we have ...
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Why is Lady Jane Grey called Lady instead of Queen?
Lady Jane Grey claimed the English throne 19 July 1553, nine days later she was replaced by Queen Mary. To history she is always called Lady instead of Queen. I just wonder why?
Its true she had no ...
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How many visits did the Mitford sisters or Oswald Mosley make to Nazi Germany?
The youngest Mitford sister, Unity, first met Hitler in Munich 1934, who invites her older sister Diana over to meet him in April 1935. Sometime in 1935 Unity delivers the televised speech at ...
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