On History
News, articles & research from the
Institute of Historical Research
Latest posts
New from the Victoria County History of Essex: ‘Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century’
The latest publication from the Victoria County History of Essex is now available. Join us for two launch events marking publication of Andrew Senter’s ‘Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century’.
Historians and BBIH — an adventure in 10 episodes. No 1: Bede
Let's take 10 famous historical historians -- one each week -- and see what they can achieve with the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH). The Bibliography is a record of more than 600,000 publications relating to Britain, Ireland and the British world....
Fake News and Forgery during the English Revolution
by William White In recent years, concerns about the use of disinformation in politics have become increasingly widespread on both sides of the Atlantic. ‘Post-truth’ was the Oxford Dictionaries’ ‘Word of the Year’ for 2016, in the immediate aftermath of the...
Spotlight
On writing ‘Mother: An Unconventional History’
What is ‘unconventional history’? Feminist and historians Sarah Knott considers the intersection of form and function in her new book, ‘Mother. An Unconventional History’.
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Understanding the Gough Map: an application of physics, chemistry and history
Catherine Delano-Smith, IHR Senior Research Fellow, outlines her new Leverhulme-funded research project to study the medieval Gough Map, with the help of physical scientists and 3D specialists.
Can a short life be a good life? Brevity in historical biography
What’s the value of writing a brief life? How does biographical brevity contribute to historical knowledge? Philip Carter recently considered these questions at ‘Flash Histories’, a conference on all things concise.
Women and Peace: Pat Arrowsmith and Greenham Common
What is the nature of the relationship between feminism and peace activism? Amy Todd explores the case of the Greenham Common Peace Camp in the 1980s.
Women and Peace: Helen Crawfurd
The second of a three part series in which Amy Todd shares the biographies and stories of women in peace activism.
Publications News
New from the Victoria County History of Essex: ‘Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century’
The latest publication from the Victoria County History of Essex is now available. Join us for two launch events marking publication of Andrew Senter’s ‘Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century’.
Fake News and Forgery during the English Revolution
by William White In recent years, concerns about the use of disinformation in politics have become increasingly widespread on both sides of the Atlantic. ‘Post-truth’ was the Oxford Dictionaries’ ‘Word of the Year’ for 2016, in the immediate aftermath of the...
New from the Victoria County History of Oxfordshire: Wychwood Forest and Environs
The latest volume in the Oxfordshire series of the Victoria County History (VCH) just been published by Boydell and Brewer is the 19th in the set describing this large and varied county.
Kin support and the English poor: evidence from Lancashire, c.1620–1710
How important were kinship ties in the support of the English poor? In this post Jonathan Healey introduces his new article published in Historical Research.
Research & Resources News
Historians and BBIH — an adventure in 10 episodes. No 1: Bede
Let's take 10 famous historical historians -- one each week -- and see what they can achieve with the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH). The Bibliography is a record of more than 600,000 publications relating to Britain, Ireland and the British world....
Mapping 2750 furniture makers on Layers of London
The British and Irish Furniture Makers Online (BIFMO) is a record of 70,000 historical craftspeople. We’re now combining BIFMO data with another IHR project, Layers of London, to map London furniture makers online.
‘It may hereby please you to understand’: early modern petitions on British History Online
How did ordinary people complain or appeal to their social superiors in early modern England? ‘The Power of Petitioning’ is a research project exploring this question. Its first set of findings have now been added to British History Online.
London is Calling
The Bibliography of British and Irish History now offers easy access to information on more than 1,250 PhD theses on metropolitan history. London is calling.