Questions tagged [united-kingdom]
Formally known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland these questions relate to the history of events that have happened in the countries that make up the United Kingdom; such as England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and various territories; or the United Kingdom's dealings with other sovereign nations around the world.
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Why were there more Catholics in Lancashire than other parts of England around the time of the Jacobite rebellions?
The abstract of this article begins "Historians are generally agreed that Lancashire was the most Catholic and the most Jacobite county in England at the time of the 1715 rebellion".
The ...
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When did the United Kingdom become "United" rather than merely united? (I.e., that word became part of its name.)
In 1707 the two British kingdoms of England and Scotland became one kingdom.
I naively thought that that was when the name "United Kingdom" first came to be used as the proper official name ...
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Did the IRA attempt to point out the innocence of the Guildford 4 or Birmingham 6?
While the Guildford Four or Birmingham Six were wrongfully imprisoned for bombings carried out by the IRA, did the IRA themselves try to tell anyone - (e.g. the authorities or the media) - that the ...
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What events or situations of WW1 led to a Nazi fascination with Anglo-Saxon powers?
In the book Hitler, a world biography of Brendan Simms, it is said that Hitler and Nazi leaders were fascinated by the "power of the anglo-saxon countries". It is also mentionned that this ...
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Was there a British Royal tradition associated with the name Elizabeth?
My high school history teacher once told me that apperently there was a tradition (superstition?) among the various Royal Families of the United Kingdom that the British Empire would last "from ...
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What kind of uniform is this, with a closed collar on a WWI British General?
The British Army's Service Dress uniform "has been referred to as No. 2 Dress, with the tunic being swapped out for a jacket with an open collar for wear with collared shirt and tie." King ...
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Why was the BEF so ill-prepared for WW1?
I'm reading Peter Hart's The Great War: A Combat History of The First World War. I'm very new to studying history, but making my way. One thing that's stood out to me is how ill-prepared the British ...
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Who of the British military had access to the ULTRA messages of the Enigma in September 1944?
Access to the decrypted messages of the German Enigma, called ULTRA, was very limited. Everyone working for Bletchley Park (BP) or in contact with BP had to sign a life-long secrecy act with stiff ...
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What was the role/duties of a "Constable of the Castle" in 1600?
I'm researching a property in Ruthin, North Wales which was originally built for the Constable of the Castle. I'd like to know more about their role. What did they do? Were they gentry? Were they ...
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Why in the 70s and 80s was the United Kingdom called Great Britain in the international naming conventions?
I am not sure whether this is the right group for this question because it is about the recent past. But I didn't find a more suitable forum.
Checking old articles and documents from my country I saw ...
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Has a hereditary peer ever been promoted or demoted to a higher or lower rank?
The hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom consists of dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons. The same is more or less true of the peerages of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Great ...
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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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Did Ramsay Macdonald have a Vietnamese mistress living near Downing Street?
An article from the Guardian
contains this intriguing sentence:
Ramsay MacDonald allegedly had a long relationship with a Vietnamese woman in a house a short walk from Westminster.
However, I cannot ...
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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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Looking to Identify a pin/ badge
I am looking to identify this badge that my grandfather was wearing in this picture I know it’s blurry but never seen it before and don’t know where to start looking for a way to identify it.
He would ...
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What is the royal cypher printed on the UK budget box?
The dispatch box used by the Chancellor of the Exchequer bears a royal cypher for Elizabeth II on it:
This differs from the usual cypher used in that the numerals " II " appear below the ...
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How long has British women royals' solemn ceremonial dress included a sword?
In this photograph:
from the recent funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II in London, England, in the row of attendees nearest to the queen's coffin, three attendees are wearing blue sashes. According ...
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What role did Elizabeth II play in actions of the British Empire during her reign? [closed]
Much of the critical commentary on Elizabeth II's legacy following her death has concerned actions of the British state in its colonies during her reign. An historically significant number of these ...
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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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When in 1885 did Stafford Northcote cease to be Commons leader of the Conservatives?
Northcote was leader in the Commons until 1885. Wikipedia says:
On Benjamin Disraeli's elevation to the House of Lords as Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876, Northcote became Leader of the Conservatives in ...
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Can anyone identify this UK Victorian uniform?
I wondered if anyone could identify this uniform.
I know little about it other than it is a friend's ancestor. It looks late 19th century to me.
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How did British people cope with damp/mould without central heating in the past?
Having read a bit about damp and mould issues in poorly heated homes, I was wondering whether this was an issue for Britain in the past, where few houses have central heating systems. Presumably the ...
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What was the Kanturk Massacre/Thernagree Affray?
I found brief mention of 5 people killed in Kanturk, Ireland in this 22 March 1833 edition of the Brookville Inquirer and wanted to know more, and now that I do, I thought I'd share an interesting ...
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Was Jerome K Jerome Vice President of the Oxford University Labour party?
In his autobiography, My Life and Times (page 102), Jerome said
I was a die-hard Tory at twenty-five... Now I am a Vice-President, I believe, of the Oxford University Labour Party.
He says 'I ...
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What was the "high Commissioner of the Police in Scotland" in 1777?
I was reading old newspapers, and I came across this mention of what I believe to be "high Commissioner of the Police in Scotland". I am sure of all of the words but "high", it ...
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What was Northern Ireland electoral law pre-1972?
I have seen claims that the voting system used in Northern Ireland pre-1972 was discriminatory. In particular, I've seen the claim that voting was allocated per household and not per person; I have ...
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What was the process to join the army in WW2 England?
I'm currently (at the beginning of) researching the process people would go through for joining the British army (including the RAF and navy) during WW2 in England for a story I'm writing.
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Where and why did the colourful houses of Bristol start?
Bristol has a reputation for rows of colourful terraced houses, like those on Clifton Terrace:
Nobody seems to know where and why is started:
Nobody’s entirely sure when or why houses in the ...
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Public acceptance of posthumous beheading of Oliver Cromwell? [closed]
It is quite well documented that Oliver Cromwell's body was exhumed from Westminster Abbey in 1661. The Act of Indemnity, Pardon, and Oblivion was passed on August 29, 1660 and Cromwell's body was ...
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Why did Lord Mountbatten shrink the timeline for the withdrawal of British troops from India?
Britain's exit from India and a peaceful transition of power was supposed to take place gradually over a period of 5 years but it was shrunk to 4 months by Lord Mountbatten. It was his negotiations ...
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What's the date of this army uniform?
I have two photos of man and women. Guessing sweethearts. I’m thinking 1800s, there is writing on the back but I can’t read it.
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Why did the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and Statute of Westminster (1931) only deal with Dominions?
I have been reading about the abdication of Edward VIII. I understand that due to recent changes brought about by the Statute of Westminster, changes to crown succession - including abdication - ...
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What uniform is General Redvers Henry Buller VC GCB GCMG wearing in this colored photo?
Colored studio photograph circa 1900 of General Redvers Henry Buller VC GCB GCMG in uniform with decorations. Is it that of a General in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps? Confirmation or other ...
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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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Which superior officer did Princess Elizabeth II report to during her service as a junior officer in WW2?
Prior to her reign, Queen Elizabeth II served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service of the British Army during World War 2. She held the rank of a junior officer (with a promotion to a Junior Commander ...
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Do the Chadwyck-Healey baronets have a coat of arms?
The Chadwyck-Healey baronets are one of the more obscure British dynasties. The title is extant - at the time of writing, we're on the fifth baronet - but only the first baronet was notable enough to ...
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Who said "If I want the opinion of the middle classes, I'll ask Her Majesty"?
The notion that the British royal family are not necessarily at the apex of British society in terms of good breeding, sophistication or taste, is an old one.
I'm sure that I once read a piece that ...
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Is the former adviser to the prime minister Dominic Cummings related by marriage to Andrew Wakefield? [closed]
Is Dominic Cummings, the British prime minister's former chief adviser, related by marriage to Andrew Wakefield, director of the 2016 film "Vaxxed"?
Dominic Cummings, the former adviser to ...
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Was there a tax advantage for ex-pats to stay out of the UK, even for brief visits?
The question Was there a British tax for British citizens staying abroad in the fifties reminded me of a plot point in the play-within-a-play in Noises Off. The play was written in the 1970's, and the ...
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What was the error in 1790, if any, of the lat. and long. of Greenwich Observatory of 1783?
A YouTube video by Brady Haran, Mapping the Meridians - Objectivity 97, ended in a cliff hanger (the answer not found by Brady, and Keith Moore of The Royal Society). It's with regard to the Anglo-...
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Does anyone know the names of schools in 1870/71 London (potentially near Brixton) where wealthy Americans traveling abroad would enroll their sons?
I am looking for schools in the London area operating in the years 1870/71 at a minimum where Americans traveling at length abroad might have placed their teenage sons to further their education. ...
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Has this rock been engineered by humans and, if so, what was its use?
I found this rock in my garden (Cheshire, UK) and wondered whether it had been fashioned by humans for some use. If so what was it used for and what is its history?
The two largest holes on either ...
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What is this decorative metal object with overlapping squares?
Can anyone identify this object?
Found in a rockpool, exposed at low tide, just East of the entrance to Plymouth Sound, South West UK.
It feels like it's made of metal. There's a square in the centre ...
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Why exactly eight days of mourning for Prince Philip’s death?
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh opted out for his state funeral.
Thus, an 8-day mourning period was issued instead in the United Kingdom.
I can’t figure out why that period was determined exactly in ...
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What's a major 19th Century history of the American Revolution from a British perspective?
I recently read McCaulay's History of England, which he initially projected to cover in detail events up to the reign of Queen Victoria. I was excited to see his take on the American revolution, ...
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Why did life expectancy decline sharply in 16th century England?
I was checking historical life expectancy and found the chart shown below in Roser, Ortiz-Ospina, Ritchie, 2013.
What was the reason for such a dramatic decline in life expectancy in England in the ...
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How confusing was British currency compared to decimal currency circa 1850?
This question quotes Terry Pratchett's claim:
The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.
Is this a fair comparison with its inference that ...
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How likely it is that a nobleman of the eighteenth century would give written instructions to his maids?
This question is about a detail in the biography of one of the greatest scientists who ever lived, Henry Cavendish. The Wikipedia article about him states that
He communicated with his female ...
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Why does the Edwardian era imply king Edward VII? [closed]
Victorian era is easy, because there were one and only Queen Victoria.
But out of eight kings named Edward, why the short reign of Edward VII gave simple name of the era?
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What prevented Southern Rhodesia from acquiring Dominion status?
Southern Rhodesia established responsible government in 1923. The next step, in general, was for a colony to be granted Dominion status (e.g., Newfoundland). What prevented Southern Rhodesia from ...
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