Local Histories

By Tim Lambert Viking Society Upper-class Vikings were called Jarls (from which we derive our word, Earl). Below them was a class of farmers and craftsmen called Karls. At the bottom of the heap was a class of slaves called thralls. Slavery was common in the world at that time. It was accepted as an… Continue reading Life in Viking Times

By Tim Lambert Society In The Middle Ages Under the feudal system, introduced by the Normans society was like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid was the king. Below him were the barons or tenants-in-chief. The king granted them land and in return, they had to provide so many soldiers to fight for… Continue reading Life in the Middle Ages

By Tim Lambert Tudor Society In 16th century England, most of the population lived in small villages and made their living from farming. However, towns grew larger and more important. During the 16th century trade and industry grew rapidly and England became a more and more commercial country. Mining of coal, tin, and lead flourished.… Continue reading Life in the 16th Century

By Tim Lambert ENGLISH SOCIETY IN THE 17th CENTURY During the 17th century, the population of England and Wales grew steadily. It was about 4 million in 1600, and it grew to about 5 1/2 million by 1700. During the 17th century, England became steadily richer. Trade and commerce grew and grew. By the late… Continue reading Life in the 17th Century

By Tim Lambert Society in 18th Century Britain In the late 18th century, the Industrial Revolution began to transform life in Britain. Until then, most people lived in the countryside and made their living from farming. By the mid 19th century, most people in Britain lived in towns and made their living from mining or… Continue reading Life in England in the 18th Century

By Tim Lambert Society in the 19th Century During the 19th century, life was transformed by the Industrial Revolution. At first, it caused many problems but in the late 19th century life became more comfortable for ordinary people. Meanwhile, Britain became the world’s first urban society. By 1851 more than half the population lived in… Continue reading Life in the 19th Century

By Tim Lambert There were two sides to the 20th century. On the one hand, there were severe recessions in the early 1930s and in the 1980s and 1990s. There were also two terrible world wars. On the other hand, there was a vast improvement in the standard of living of ordinary people. Life expectancy… Continue reading Life in the 20th Century

By Tim Lambert Society in 1930s Britain The 1930s are remembered for mass unemployment. However, there was already mass unemployment in the 1920s in Britain. For most of the decade, it hovered between 10% and 12%. Then, in the early 1930s, the economy was struck by depression. By the start of 1933 unemployment in Britain… Continue reading Life In Britain in the 1930s

By Tim Lambert When the Second World War began on 3 September 1939 it was feared that the Germans would bomb British cities causing great loss of life. So children from British cities were evacuated to the countryside. Altogether 827,000 schoolchildren with 103,000 teachers and helpers left the big cities. Furthermore, 524,000 children below school… Continue reading Life in Britain During the Second World War

By Tim Lambert British Society in the 21st Century In the 21st century, people in Britain enjoyed a higher standard of living than ever before in history. In 1998 only 27% of the population had a mobile phone. By 2008 79% of the population did. By 2018 the figure had risen to 95%. In 2001… Continue reading Life in the 21st Century