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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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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Did the British Queen raise young women of humble lineage to serve her?
The House of the Portuguese Queens in the 13th and 14th century could be described more or less as the following:
high social class
- donas or ladies-in-waiting (widows or women married to important ...
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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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Are there any sources of historical land use/land cover data for the United Kingdom and Ireland?
Are there any sources of historical land use/land cover data for the United Kingdom and Ireland? (Not just Northern Ireland) I'm specifically interested in datasets that, for each point/area in the UK/...
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How many instances of the Writs of Assistance were there? Are there any documented instances?
I have been in general frustrated by the lack of easily available documentation surrounding the 1760 Writs of Assistance, and the Writs of Assistance as they appear today in UK legislation, as pointed ...
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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 is the origin of the name of the street Kings Butts in London, and its lack of apostrophes?
I’m mainly interested in why there are no apostrophes in this name. If Butts refers to archery, then why not “King’s Butts” or “Kings’ Butts”? Are apostrophes commonly omitted in historical London ...
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Is there a list of bills in the reign of George III & onwards?
I am researching the history of trackways, canals mines and railways from the reign of George 3rd through to the end of Queen Victoria’s reign. Is there a list of all bills presented to Parliament ...
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Which Soviet submarine was HMS Splendid tracking on 30th March 1982?
In 'Vulcan 607', R. White describes the background of the submarines that headed to the Falkland Islands. For the HMS Splendid, he notes that the submarine, under CO Lane-Nott was engaged in a mission ...
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What happened at Bloody Corner?
Up until today, I was under the impression that there was a battle between the Danes and the locals on Bloody Corner in Northam, Devon UK.
This was possibly the death site of Hubba the Dane.
It was ...
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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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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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Did anybody expect that Edward VIII would abdicate?
King Edward VIII abdicated in December of 1936, less than a year after he ascended in January, to marry divorcee (and still-married) Wallis Simpson.
But before his ascension (i.e. during the reign of ...
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Where from, and in what way, did the first detailed account of the use of self-propelled torpedoes reach the RN and USN?
Three possible candidates seem to exist for the first verified (non-participant) observation of a torpedo boat assault. The options are the Russo-Turkish War, at Caldera Bay, or at Weihaiwei, all of ...
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Did the British Cabinet agree, at first, to send their expeditionary force to Amiens in August 1914?
I was reading War by Timetable by A.J.P. Taylor, in which he presents his interpretation of how the elaborate timetables prepared by various governments as "contingency plans" took on a life of their ...
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Why did public transport in London and Northern Ireland avoid privatisation?
In the 1980s Margret Thatcher embarked upon the privatisation of British industry. Part of this was the sale of previously state owned public transport across the country. However, this did not ...
user17846
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Did wages get paid in pubs?
I recall hearing that in the past in Britain and Ireland, some workers (perhaps miners?) got their weekly wages paid out in the pub, much to the dismay of their wives. I don't remember where I heard ...
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When was corporal punishment last lawfully practised in state schools?
Apparently (wiki) corporal punishment was legal in schools until rather shockingly late. 1986 for English and Welsh state schools, 1998 for private schools, 2000 in all Scottish schools and 2003 in ...
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What is the approximate value of treasure seized by privateers from 1567 to 1720?
What is the approximate value for the treasure seized by Spanish privateers from English ships between 1567 and 1720?
For example, "Attacks by the Anglo-Dutch axis over the period 1567 to 1720 seized ...
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Before 1 July 1997, could British Nationals (Overseas) born in Hong Kong acquire British citizenship?
I'm asking just about people born in HK who were just BN(O), weren't British citizens, and had no other citizenship or nationality.
Is this Reddit comment right?
Andalucia1453. 10 points 14 hours ...
user8309
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Why were Elizabethan English concerned about vagabonds?
I have an assessment soon, and part of my revision is on poverty in Elizabethan England. This includes Explaining why Elizabethans were worried about Vagabonds. I am unsure on this topic, but I have ...
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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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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.
