Dispelling the myth that flying the Union Flag upside down is a distress signal.

An introduction to the history of assassins and assassination.

The notion of Viking berserkers has captured the popular imagination but who were they?

Dispelling some myths that Medieval people did not bathe.

Dispelling some myths surrounding the legendary King Arthur.

Challenging some of the common misconceptions about witches.

Orgies…your first thought is so wrong. Now find out why.

Dispelling the myth of the two-finger salute or V-sign originated in the Medieval period.

In the September edition of BBC History magazine Anatoly Liberman, professor at the University of Minnesota and author of An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology, wrote on the origin of the phrase “by hook or by crook”, meaning “to get something done, no matter how”. Although the rhyme’s derivation is far from clear, this has not stopped popular theorising. According to Professor Liberman, some people point to AD 1169, the year King Henry II invaded Ireland. This theory l

Impressment, colloquially known as “ the press” or the “press gang” [1] , was a means by which European navies could forcibly compel men into service during the 17th-century and up to the early 19th-century either to crew their fleets at the outbreak of war or to replace men lost to death or desertion. Essentially no different to conscription employed by the British Army, the Royal Navy’s system began in 1664, although the practice can be traced back to the time of King Edwa

Wrecking Wrecking is the practice of taking valuables from a shipwreck which has foundered or run aground close to shore. Wrecks were frequent in Devon and Cornwall where the rocky coastline, and strong prevailing onshore winds helped scupper many merchant ships and warships. A tradition still exists that, during the 17th- and 18th-centuries, wreckers deliberately decoyed ships on to coasts using tricks, especially false lights, so that they ran aground for easy plundering. W

Upside down Union Flags

In an earlier article we explored the origin of the French dish Chicken à la Marengo which was named, according to a popular myth, after the battle of the same name where the French army of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian army in June 1800. While researching and writing that article we also came across some other familiar things also reputedly named after famous battles. What follows, therefore, is a brief exploration of their origin stories starting with the

On This Day , December 17th , the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia began. Held in honour of the deity Saturnus , as its name implies, the festivities were later extended through to December 23rd. The Origin story With the conclusion of autumn planting, and to coincide with the winter solstice, Saturnus , the god of seed and sowing, was honoured with a festival. In Roman mythology, he was an agricultural deity, identified with the Greek god Kronos , who was said to have

Over the years we have periodically encountered claims that prostitutes in the Roman Iron Age and then later in the Mediæval period wore yellow garments or other yellow markings of some sort as signs of their profession. It seems this stems from the idea that people in the past wished to distinguish sex workers from respectable citizens. It is not entirely clear, however, whether a single colour or symbol was ever used to differentiate social class or social roles throughout

Yet another urban myth re-appeared on social media the other day, one which regularly does the rounds and has done so for many years since about 1937. In essence a series of connections are made to establish that the huge solid rocket boosters used by NASA had to be transported by rail whose rails were set a certain distance apart, a standard width first determined by the ancient Romans. The historical connections espoused are tenuous at best and do not really stand up to cr

The legend Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw [1] originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featuring in popular culture, literature and film. According to legend, customarily set in England during the reign of King Richard I ‘the Lionheart’, Hood was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the story, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returni

What follows was inspired by the tweet on May 25th, 2022 by @HistoryFilmClub shown right . Like many who responded naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and despite directors, producers, costume designers et al. claiming the opposite, most productions with a historical theme are littered with inaccuracies. It would be easy to fall into the role of critics, but we thought there is an opportunity to highlight some of the mor

The Known Knowns Since at least the 16th century, Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, has retained a compelling hold on the British imagination and identity. In reality she is known to us only by a few paragraphs that are found in incomplete classical texts written by her adversaries. The defiant warrior queen, who led such a ferocious revolt that the Romans feared they would lose the province of Britannia, has been celebrated in literature, art and film. Even today, more than 1,9

A recent tweet described Tintagel Castle on the North coast of Cornwall as a ‘medieval fortification’, built in the 13th century, and associated with the legend of ‘King Arthur’. But to call it a ‘fortress’ is probably stretching the definition a tad too far. Looking at the construction and the materials used is more suggestive of a folly than a defensible castle. The walls are clearly built from a local stone, but the mortared slabs used are more akin to bricks than the larg