Latest Posts
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Long Read: Our Outreach Roundup – Summer 2025
The past few months have been busy for both staff and PhD students in the department. This summer, we played host to students who visited campus to take part in various activities. On June 10th, the department hosted Andover College… Continue reading
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Finding History in the Humble: A Medieval Pewter Chalice
Our MA student, Maebh Springbett, examines a medieval pewter chalice held in the collection of Reading Museum. In the centre of a dusty cave lit by dancing flames, the knight sits waiting. He is flanked by a grand display of… Continue reading
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Our River Thames
Our friend Mark Stevens, the County Archivist at the Royal Berkshire Archives, introduces their new exhibition that opened on Monday 9th June. The Thames may, at first sight, look uncontrolled. And it can be. In 1519, it was considered to… Continue reading
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‘Bells, Flags – and Bathing Costumes – in Big Procession’: British Street Parties
PhD student Fiona Lane shares some of her own research in the aftermath of the VE80 celebrations, focusing on very different types of street parties: those hosted by rent strikers in the 1930s. ‘It will be like Coronation Day again!’,… Continue reading
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Conclave
Professor Rebecca Rist, Professor of Medieval History, explains how the College of Cardinals will elect a new Pope. Pope Francis I – his Legacy Pope Francis has been in office since 2013. He chose the pontifical name ‘Francis’ after the… Continue reading
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Women in Our History: Sarah Ann Blenkinsopp
Our PhD student, Fiona Lane, shares what she has learned about the woman who rasied her grandfather Jack. Sarah Blenkinsopp’s (1857-1937) story starts, for me, with the tragic death of my grandfather’s parents. It is very unlikely that Sarah would… Continue reading
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Women in Our History: Lady Elisabeth Erskine
Our PhD student, Robin Harragin Hussey, shares what she knows about her grandmother. Elisabeth (1907-2004) was my grandmother. Elisabeth had a large influence on her church, Christian Science, by bringing many Kenyans into membership. Our family values are deeply Christian… Continue reading
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Women in Our History: Madeline Ethel Lancaster
Our final-year student, Hannah Grimshaw, shares what she has learned about her great-grandmother. Madeline Lancaster (née Styles), known often as Madge, was my great-grandma on my father’s side of the family. She was my grandma’s mother. Although Madeline died long… Continue reading
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Women in our History
For Women’s History Month this year, we wanted to focus on the women in our lives – ordinary women who have made significant contributions in their own way. To start us off, Abbie Tibbott writes about her own experiences tracing… Continue reading
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Things to Do (and Maybe Not to Do) for Valentines Day
This Valentine’s Day, we revisit some romantic – and spiteful – traditions from the past. DO: Be romantic and create a love token Love tokens in the Victorian era were synonymous with emotion. Generally, a love token was a round… Continue reading
READING HISTORY 