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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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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Why were French maids apparently so common outside France?
Wikipedia article doesn't help at all. It's surprisingly thin and essentially doesn't explain anything. It's only vaguely implied that this was a thing outside of France.
Why exactly did so many ...
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What was the role of Scotland during the Hundred Years War?
Scotland was the enemy of England, as they had regained their independence. It made sense for them to join hands with the French forces. And I heard something like that in an Extra Credits video. But ...
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Were any prominent people exiled from France during the Hundred years war? Especially between 1390-1397
Were any notable figures (such as noblemen, or mercenaries, politician [idk what they called them back then] etc. ) that were exiled from France during Hundred Years War between 1390 to 1397. Or any ...
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What does it mean to grant a church to a priory?
I am trying to piece together the early history of Eversholt Church in Bedfordshire, UK. The earliest record found so far is in The Cartulary of Newnham Priory from 1166. Simon [II] de Beauchamp, who ...
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How to understand the gift of tithes to a priory in 1166 [closed]
I am trying to piece together the early history of Eversholt Church in Bedfordshire, UK. The earliest record found so far is in The Cartulary of Newnham Priory from 1166. Simon [II] de Beauchamp, who ...
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What did 'bookseller' cover as an occupation on British census documents during Victorian times?
I have been researching some of my husband's ancestors who lived in the poorest parts of Liverpool during the second part of the 19th century. Two of his female relatives who had been widowed turned ...
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How did the United Kingdom government come to be responsible for defence of the Channel Islands?
The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the defence of, and foreign relations of, the Channel Islands.
How did this arrangement come about?
Was there a specific agreement/decision/...
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Question about pilgrims [closed]
I wanted to ask a pretty silly question about the English colonization of America. This book that I read said that the puritans were immigrating away from England to America for religious reasons, ...
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What is the corruption that John Winthrop mentions in "Reasons for the Plantation in New England" (1628)
In John Winthrop's "Reasons for the Plantation in New England", we read:
The fountains of learning and religion are so corrupted that most children (besides the unsupportable charge of ...
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How did the Church of England view the local legend and festivities surrounding Gog and Magog?
From multiple sources I've read of legends regarding one or two giants, Gogmagog or Gog and Magog. It appears in Irish and English folklore, as well as other regional tales.
Gogmagog was a legendary ...
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Is 'quartodecimo omnium sanctorum' the same as 'Nov XIV' on this Latin grave inscription?
I have been translating the Latin inscription on a 19th century tomb in the parish churchyard, Mitcham, south west London, UK. I'm using a Latin dictionary and a 'Latin Made Simple' book I bought many ...
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Why did King Charles II cede New Amsterdam / New York to his brother James, Duke of York, in 1664?
On Wikipedia we read:
In 1664, King Charles II of England ceded to his brother, the Duke of
York, later King James II, a large tract of land that included all of
New Netherland. This came at a period ...
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What became of the Richard III infidelity surprise?
Back when Richard III of England's grave was discovered, a paper published in Nature Communications reported that while his identity was confirmed through a direct-female descendent of his sister,
Y-...
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How many 'pubs' (alehouses, inns and taverns) were there in England in 1577?
I came across an interesting bit of demographic information while listening to a lecture:
From early times people had rented out space in their houses for
travellers, but by the thirteenth century ...
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Why was Edward I of England the first Edward?
Why is Edward I of England given the numeration "I", when he was preceded by Edward the Confessor and Edward the Martyr. Did numerations only begin with William I?
