On History
News, articles & research from the
Institute of Historical Research
Latest posts
Paternosters and Beads: Finding Devotional Objects in the London Customs Accounts
The IHR’s Centre for the History of People, Place and Community has been carrying out some exploratory research on the potential of analysing London’s medieval customs accounts digitally. Detailed, or ‘particular’ customs accounts recorded immense detail about the...
Uncovering Hidden Labour in the Victoria County History (VCH) Archive
In this blog post Adam Chapman (VCH General Editor) and Ruth Slatter (VCH Architectural Editor) explore the VCH Westmorland archive and reflect on how it helps uncover the hidden (and often forgotten) labour of researchers who contributed to the production of early...
Building a Non-State Archive
Activist, social, political, and insurgent movements are non-state actors who lack a state archive. Their networked activities craft a non-state archive, made up of their personal papers, films, and oral histories as well as those of the entities who interacted with...
Spotlight
Teaching BAME History as British History: What does it have to do with Brexit?
How do we define British History on the national curriculum? And what does this have to do with Brexit?
Features & Articles
Elizabethan Witchcraft, Sorcery, and a Very Troubled Marriage
Ahead of their new book 'Star Chamber Matters', Professor K. J. Kesselring (Dalhousie) dives into some of Star Chamber’s most riveting cases including this article on, marriage, ‘male witches’ and a grieving house-wife. An extraordinary court that ruled from the...
IHR Centenary Global Birthday Event: Reflections on History Past, Present and Future
On Thursday 8 July 2021, the IHR celebrated its 100th birthday, with a day of online celebrations taking us from Australia and South East Asia, to Africa and the Middle East, to Europe and North America. What did we learn about history today and in the future? The...
Christmas Under Cromwell: The Hidden Religious Festivals of Interregnum Britain
In this post Dr Rosalind Johnson introduces her chapter in Church and People in Interregnum Britain, published by University of London Press on 23 June. Edited by Dr Fiona McCall, the book provides a comprehensive account of every-day life, society and religion in the...
The IHR’s Reviews in History
The IHR’s Reviews in History publishes weekly commentaries on new books. Our reviews are longer than those in many academic journals and focus on titles published in the last year. ‘Reviews’ will be taking a break during July and the first half of August, but look...
Publications News
Queer Codes: Gay Men in the Civil Service
In this fascinating blog, Dr. James Southern, a writer and researcher for the UK government, provides some startling insight into discriminatory policies which served as the basis of an official bar on gay men working as British diplomats that lasted until 1991. The...
Victoria County History: Outstanding Contribution Awards
We are delighted to introduce Victoria County History Outstanding Contribution Awards, as a small way to recognise and honour exceptional contributions to the VCH, and to express our gratitude.
Town before Gown – Oxford before the University
This is the last in Joe Chick's series of historic town walks using the Victoria County History’s app for mobile devices. ‘A History of English Places’ brings the VCH’s histories together with first edition Ordnance Survey mapping across England. Learn more here. With...
Freedom Seekers in Restoration London
Ahead of the publication of his new book Simon Newman explores the African and South Asian people who sought to escape enslavement in seventeenth-century London. His name was Quamy. His Akan day-name suggests that he came from the region of West Africa that we...
Research & Resources News
BBIH June 2023 update
What’s new in BBIH? The June 2023 update to the Bibliography of British and Irish History adds 2524 new publications. The new update includes books, journal articles, book chapters and edited collections covering all areas of British and Irish history, from 55...
Monarchy in the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) : the invention and reinvention of royal ceremony
Professor Philip Murphy's blog post responds to a new BBIH online reading list of 606 publications focusing on the history of monarchy and coronations in Britain and Ireland from 1485 to the present day. The list specifically covers: Succession, royal, a subcategory...
Medieval Monarchy in the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH)
Dr Emily Ward's blog post responds to an new BBIH online reading list of 375 publications focusing on the history of monarchy and coronations in Britain and Ireland up to 1485. The list specifically covers: Succession, royal, a subcategory of Monarchy (within...
Meet Ewan Lawry, new BBIH section editor for Britain 1914-1960
When I first saw the advertisement for the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) Section Editors, I am ashamed to say that I had not heard of this vital resource. After a Google search and having checked my university library's website, I quickly realised...