Latest Posts

  • BOOK LAUNCH: INTELLIGENCE AND PROPAGANDA IN THE COLD WAR

    Dr Linda Risso November 13, 2014, 5.pm in Humanities 301, University of Reading Dr Risso’s book offers the first account of the foundation, organisation and activities of the NATO Information Service (NATIS) during the Cold War. During the Cold War,… Continue reading

  • Who Was the First White Knight?

    By Dr. Anne Mathers-Lawrence   In this season of remembrance for those who fought and died in wars and battles, it is worth commemorating Whiteknights’ very own White Knight – the first on record. He was John of Earley, who… Continue reading

  • The Windsor Witches

    by Professor Helen Parish Swarms of witches, devilish magic, and dramatic trials: Professor Helen Parish reveals the telling history of the witches of Windsor in our fantastic new video, giving you a taste of history at the University of Reading   Watch if… Continue reading

  • The post-Reformation history of Hallowmass

    By Professor Helen Parish Earlier this week, my colleague Anne Mathers-Lawrence posted a blog with the provocative title Who Invented Hallowe’en? It is a fantastic overview of the medieval origins of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, and a… Continue reading

  • Who Invented Halloween?

    Professor Anne Lawrence-Mathers Was Halloween a medieval festival? The origins of Halloween have often been traced back to the middle ages, and the usual ‘early witness’ is Bede. His The Reckoning of Time, an extremely influential book on the calculation… Continue reading

    Who Invented Halloween?

  • Black History Month: October 2014

    by Dr Emily West The authority known as the ‘Greater London Council’ introduced Black History Month (BHM) to the UK in October 1987 with the intention of promoting greater racial tolerance and understanding in the city. The initiative was soon… Continue reading

  • Interdisciplinary workshop to mark the appointment of Professor Richard Hoyle as Director of the Victoria County History

    Interdisciplinary workshop to mark the appointment of Professor Richard Hoyle as Director of the Victoria County History Wednesday 22nd October 2014 Henley Business School, University of Reading Whiteknights Campus, Room G04 1pm – 5pm   1pm:     Lunch & Welcome… Continue reading

  • Stenton Lecture 2014 Peter Hennessy, ‘Writing the history of one’s own time’

    By Linda Risso and David Stack We often imagine historians working in dusty and messy archives, surrounded by aged books, rolls, spider webs and the occasional mouse in the corner. Sometime, we picture them retrieving some old object from a… Continue reading

  • THE ORIGINS OF THE STENTON LECTURE

    The Stenton Lecture, an annual lecture by an eminent historian, is hosted by the Department every year in late November. It is a prestigious event and the highlight in the Department’s seminar series. But who was Stenton? And why is this… Continue reading

  • The inaugural BrANCH and HOTCUS conference: “BrATCUS” 2014

    This September, the University of Reading was fortunate to host the British Association of Nineteenth Century Historians (BrANCH) and the Historians of the Twentieth Century United States (HOTCUS) in the first conference shared by both organisations. The collaboration provided attendees… Continue reading