By Tim Lambert Early Bradford on Avon Bradford means broad ford. Avon is from Afon, the Celtic word for river. The Celts were the original inhabitants of what is now England, but the Anglo-Saxons invaded Eastern England in the 5th century, and they gradually pushed westwards. Bradford on Avon was first mentioned in the year… Continue reading A History of Bradford on Avon
Author: Tim Lambert
Herbert Rowse Armstrong
By Tim Lambert Herbert Armstrong was the only British solicitor to be hanged for murder. He was born in Devon, England on 13 May 1869. He qualified as a solicitor in 1895 and he moved to the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Herefordshire in 1906. In 1907 he married a woman named Katherine and they… Continue reading Herbert Rowse Armstrong
A History of St Neots
Early St Neots The name St Neots is derived from St Neot, a Cornish hermit who lived in the 9th century. In 974, monks brought his bones to St Neot. They built a priory (a small monastery), called St Neots Priory. A small village grew up by the priory and was named after it. At… Continue reading A History of St Neots
A History of Calne
By Tim Lambert Early Calne Calne is a market town in Winchester. Its name is derived from the Celtic words Col-aun, meaning “meeting of the waters”. Calne was first mentioned in a document about 955. In 978, a council of powerful men called the Witan met in Calne. However, the upper floor of the hall they… Continue reading A History of Calne
A History of Huntingdon
By Tim Lambert Early Huntingdon Huntingdon began as an Anglo-Saxon and Danish settlement. Its name was probably Huntandun, which means the hill (dun) belonging to Hunta. By the 10th century, it was a small town. There has been a church in Huntingdon since 973 but All Saints Church was largely rebuilt in the early 17th… Continue reading A History of Huntingdon
A History of Melksham
By Tim Lambert Early Melksham The town of Melksham in Wiltshire began as a Saxon village. Its name was probably once meolc ham, which means milk settlement. There must have been a dairy farm there. At the time of the Domesday Book, Melksham probably had a population of about 850. By the standards of the… Continue reading A History of Melksham
Weather Related History Facts
By Tim Lambert 15 July is St Swithun’s Day. St Swithun was Bishop of Winchester in the 9th century. He asked to be buried outside the cathedral so people could walk over his grave and raindrops could fall on it. However, on 15 July 971, his body was reburied in the cathedral. According to legend… Continue reading Weather Related History Facts
Learning History Through Storytelling: A Look at Children’s Historical Fiction That Makes the Past Accessible
Alt text: Two children sitting on floor reading book together Image link: https://www.canva.com/photos/MAEbqHoFzrI/ History is often presented to children as a sequence of dates, rulers, and wars. While factual accuracy matters, this approach alone can leave young readers disengaged and disconnected from the human experiences that shaped the past. Children’s historical fiction offers a more… Continue reading Learning History Through Storytelling: A Look at Children’s Historical Fiction That Makes the Past Accessible
A History of Marlborough
By Tim Lambert Early Marlborough Marlborough is a market town in Wiltshire. It began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. We are not sure what its name meant, but ‘borough’ is probably a corruption of ‘beorg’, meaning hill or mound. The ‘marl’ may have come from a man’s name. Maybe it was Mærla’s mound. Or it may… Continue reading A History of Marlborough
The History of How Immigration Shaped the Neighbourhoods of Modern London
If you took a time machine back to the London of the 1940s, you’d find a city that was, frankly, a bit of a grey smudge. The food was boiled until it surrendered, the fashion was strictly “sensible,” and the social scene was about as vibrant as a wet Sunday in a library. Fast forward… Continue reading The History of How Immigration Shaped the Neighbourhoods of Modern London