A fascinating relationship – what influence did Anne Cleves have when she befriended the young Princess Elizabeth, and did her example shape England’s future? Transcript This article is by LeahRead More
Theme: Shedcasts
14th Century Italy with Mike Corradi - Members Only
What world awaited John Hawkwood in 14th century Italy?
37b The English at Drink II - Members Only
The 18th century saw the start of a series of Gin crazes, and the famous English institution of the Pub appears in the 19th century. And we look atRead More
37a The English at Drink I - Members Only
‘Ale doth comfort the heavy and troubled mind’. The story of the English and their drink to the 18th century; a story of nourishment, fellowship and resistance.
Sh 36e BCL Modernity and Beyond - Members Only
The 19th and 20th centuries saw the gradual arrival of universal suffrage and the bogey man – democracy. We look at theories of the British constitution and the once livelyRead More
Sh 36d BCL Enlightenment and Radicalism - Members Only
The 18th century saw a sea change in the attitudes towards constitutional reform. Enlightenment ideas drove a desire to define and systematise; and meanwhile the growth of a desireRead More
Sh 36c BCL Revolutions - Members Only
It all comes back to the 17th century really. At the start, a king who believes in the absolute divine right of kings, who calls parliament as he requires. AtRead More
Sh 36b King in Parliament - Members Only
The 14th to 16th centuries saw the increasingly professionalism of Common law, and the embedding of parliament at the centre of government. Jurists claimed that the people were sovereign, thoughRead More
Sh 36a British Constitution and Law The Early Middle Ages - Members Only
We discuss what a Constitution is; and then go in search of one and the development of justice in English Medieval history, from the Anglo Saxons to Edward IIRead More
Sh 34 John Clare – the Peasant Poet - Members Only
John Clare was for a while a sensation – a poet who gives us access to nature, and also the lives of England’s villagers and society in a time ofRead More
Sh 33 Thomas Gresham - Members Only
Written up as a sort of national patriotic hero by the Victorians, Thomas Gresham was in fact as hard as nails, a deal maker, a money man, a controller. ButRead More
Sh 31f LLASE Going Nuclear - Members Only
As lords intensified their demands, as pressure on land increased the search was on for more productive ways to farm the land. One impact was the introduction of open field systems andRead More
Sh 31e LLASE The Manor - Members Only
From the 9th century, the need of warfare and resulting taxation drove an ever greater bureaucracy. Meantime trade and population both grew, and towns with it. All these produced profoundRead More
Sh 32 Christine de Pisan with Caitlin Chapman - Members Only
Christine de Pizan (1364 – c. 1430) was a prolific and versatile French poet and author. Her diverse writings include numerous poems of courtly love, a biography of Charles V ofRead More
Sh 31d LLASE Warland - Members Only
Away from the Inland estates, the Anglo Saxon peasantry and thegnage often held their lands of ancient right, and the land they held defined their public obligations as well asRead More
Sh 31c Life on the Inland - Members Only
The arrival of resident landowners and the ever present danger of economic disaster would change the way many lived their lives and create the system of serfdom so centralRead More
Sh 31b LLASE Life on the Scir - Members Only
New petty kingdoms and lordships, scirs, began to form around tribal groups and identities, and then to consolidate into Anglo Saxons kingdoms we will begin to recognise. How were thoseRead More
Sh 31a LLASE – Settlers - Members Only
A new series – Life and Landscape in Anglo Saxon England. In this episode, the Anglo Saxon settlement, and early settlements in South Oxfordshire
Sh 30 Hero of the People - Members Only
Robert Kett and the Rebels of Mousehold in Norfolk are part of a proud tradition of English protest
Sh 29 Religious Conflict and Toleration - Members Only
How religious toleration come to the West, and why
Shedcast 28 In Davie’s Shed - Members Only
An interview with Davie McGirr about Sea Shanties. Well, a chat in a shed in which shanties make a brief appearance.
Sh 27 Norfolk and Son - Members Only
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk was a central figure in Henry VIII’s reign – what made him tick? His son, Henry Howard, was one of England’s most important poets, and bit ofRead More
Sh 26 Hans Holbein - Members Only
The life and times of Hans Holbein, who brought Henry VIII's court to life for us
Sh 25b Katharine Howard Tudor Rebel - Members Only
Katharine’s is an unusual story. She raised rebellion against Henry’s agents in South Wales, forced her second husband to divorce her, may well have join the Pilgrimage of Grace, andRead More
25a Elizabeth Grey and the Fair Geraldine - Members Only
A turbulent life and a spot of poetry
Sh 24 Placenames III – Towns - Members Only
How streets get their names
Shedcast 23c Thomas Cromwell Tyranny and Religion - Members Only
Did Cromwell help his master implement a tyranny? Was he a genuine evangelical?
Shedcast 23b Thomas Cromwell Revolution in Government - Members Only
A Revolution in Government? Or an effective minister strengthening the power of his master, the king?
Shedcast 23a Thomas Cromwell Rise and Reputation - Members Only
The extraordinary early life of an extraordinary man - and his reputation across the ages.
Shedcast 22 Let There be Light - Members Only
The liberty to think rather than the duty to believe
Shedcast 21 English Placenames II - Members Only
The place names of England by theme and time
Shedcast 20 Place Names I – Going Somewhere - Members Only
First of 3 episodes about English place names. An Introduction and the origins of Street and Road
Shedcast 19 Who Killed Anne Boleyn? - Members Only
Listen to the arguments, (then listen to Claire's!), vote and be entered for the prize draw
Shedcast 18 Anne Boleyn Through the Ages - Members Only
Anne Boleyn has been represented as proto-feminist and female role model, manipulative renaissance politician, innocent victim of a brutal miscarriage of justice, and many more. This week, Anne’s reputation fromRead More
Shedcast 17 Thomas Wyatt by Steve Cloutier - Members Only
Thomas Wyatt - Courtier, Poet and friend of Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell - and possibly Anne's lover?
Shedcast 16a The Incident at Grafton - Members Only
One story of how Anne Boleyn removed Wolsey from power
Shedcast 16 John Fisher - Members Only
John fisher was a man of courage and integrity, who defied Henry VII to his face
Shedcast 15 Battle for the English Reformation - Members Only
Historians' struggle for the soul of the English Reformation
Shedcast 14 Tudor Poison - Members Only
Poison was viewed by Henry VIII with moral repugnance. And he over-reacted a little in 1531.
Shedcast 13b Thomas More: Chancellor and Martyr - Members Only
Saint, sinner or something more complicated?
Shedcast 13a Thomas More: Early Life - Members Only
More's reputation through the ages and his early life as man of the New Learning and a brilliant lawyer
Shedcast 11b The Tournament: Rise and Fall - Members Only
The tournament grew in sophistication until it was focused around the individual challenge of the Joust. But the fundamentals of warfare and society changed and tournaments lost their relevance.
Shedcast 11a The Medieval Tournament: Beginnings - Members Only
The original melee was preparation for war. And like war, it was fought between two teams, was violent and resulted in death - and was banned by the church.
Shedcast 12 An Oasis Discovered - Members Only
Here’s my story of the church St Bartholomew the Grand and its founder. There are pictures and the text at St Bartholomew the Great
Shedcast 10 Henry VIII’s Beard - Members Only
Henry could well have been a trendsetter in the beard world - though he had a troubled relationship with his facial furniture
Shecast 9b Wolsey: Arbiter of Christendom - Members Only
Wolsey's achievements, his fall from power and death
Shedcast 9a Wolsey: Glorious Peacock - Members Only
Wolsey and the historians, and his rise to power
Shedcast 8b A Sense of England – Consciousness - Members Only
Could England be described by 1500 as a nation? Did the English share a story, language, and territory? Was the political community oriented around the king or nation, or theRead More
Shedcast 8a A Sense of England – Nationalism - Members Only
Concepts and interpretations of Nationalism
Shedcast 7 Some Visitors views of 16th century England - Members Only
Visitors from Italy, Spain and Scotland and their thoughts of England in the 16th century