The discovery of King Richard III’s remains has had a strange effect on the world of historical research. Because mtDNA results identified the remains found in Leicester as King Richard III, suddenly ...

L ady Hester Stanhope, granddaughter of William Pitt the elder, eldest daughter of Charles Stanhope, the 3 rd Earl Stanhope and niece of William Pitt the younger, was born into money and would become ...

Over the last few decades the word “racist” has become almost synonymous with Enid Blyton’s name. Accusations of sexism and classism have also persisted, along with the BBC’s recent desperate campaign ...

Elizabeth of York was the product of a love match. Her parents King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville had a long and happy marriage and Princess Elizabeth would be raised in a loving environment with ...

…that with my soul I love thy daughter and do intend to make her Queen of England. That Richard III intended to marry his brother’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, is a rumour that we can date back to ...

Shylock has been residing in a corner of my mind for about four years now, ever since I first studied The Merchant of Venice. I’d like to say ‘quietly’, but he’s not always quiet. I think about him ...

var·let /ˈvärlət/ 1. A man or boy acting as a menial servant 2. A knight’s page 3. A rascal, rogue, vagrant or scallywag. An unprincipled person. Middle English, from Old French, variant of valet or ...

The release of The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey last December renewed speculation about whether or not director Peter Jackson was going to take on the project of filming The Silmarillion. It seems ...

Oh Rascal Children Of Gaza Oh rascal children of Gaza, You who constantly disturbed me with your screams under my window, You who filled every morning with rush and chaos, You who broke my vase and ...

Sophie Peirce-Evans, later known as Mary, Lady Heath, was born on November 10th 1896, in Knockaderry, Co Limerick, Ireland. From somewhat humble origins and following a traumatic childhood, Sophie ...

In 2004, following the request of colleagues in Belgium, I discovered the mtDNA sequence of King Richard III and his siblings. 1 Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only in the all-female line. In that ...

The Gyptians of Philip Pullman’s ‘Brytain’ and the wider world were introduced in the first episode of His Dark Materials by way of a newly-seen coming-of-age ceremony. The community came together to ...