Tag Archives: halloween

Halloween: Our Childhood Traditions

Posted on October 31, 2022 by readinghistory

It’s the spookiest day of the year! We asked some students and staff to share their favourite Halloween traditions. But first, some Halloween history… ‘The name Halloween itself is simply a contraction of All Hallows Eve.  This derives from the … Continue reading →

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How to Find an Early Modern Witch, by Claire Smith

Posted on October 31, 2021 by readinghistory

If you wanted to find a witch during the early modern period, one of the more notable people you could ask was Matthew Hopkins, self-declared Witchfinder General from 1644-1647. If, in the twenty-first century, you want to find evidence of … Continue reading →

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Magic, Medicine, Miracles: How Reading Abbey Helped to Invent Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2018 by readinghistory

by Professor Anne Lawrence-Mathers On Saturday 27 October, I had the privilege of giving a public lecture for the Friends of Reading Abbey, in the presence of the Mayor of Reading, Councillor Debs Edwards. The event took place in St … Continue reading →

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Toads mean Trouble: Amphibious Assassins in Gerald of Wales’ The Journey through Wales

Posted on October 31, 2016 by readinghistory

by Dr Ruth Salter If you were asked to think of an unassuming British animal, I would hazard a guess that the first creature to come to mind would be something – small, brown, possibly squeaky – like a mouse … Continue reading →

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