By Tim Lambert His Early Life George Orwell was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He was born Eric Arthur Blair on 25 June 1903 in India. His father was a colonial civil servant and the family was middle class but not particularly well off. However, when Orwell was only a year… Continue reading A Brief Biography of George Orwell
Category: Articles
Tudor Children
By Tim Lambert Tudor Babies Many people born in Tudor Times did not survive childhood. Perhaps 25% of children died before their 5th birthday and as many as 40% died before their 16th birthday. When a child was born it was washed in warm water and then to keep it warm it was rubbed with… Continue reading Tudor Children
The Origin of London Place Names
By Tim Lambert Acton Acton comes from ac tun meaning oak farm or village Barking Barking was Berica ingas, which means Berica’s people Barnet Barnet is derived from the Saxon word baernet, meaning a burned place, from the days when people cleared land for farming by burning trees. Battersea An eg was an island or… Continue reading The Origin of London Place Names
Tudor Theatre
By Tim Lambert In the Middle Ages, plays for ordinary people were often religious. They were based on Bible stories or were meant to teach the people Christian values. The actors were usually amateurs and plays were performed on carts or wagons. They were financed by craftsmen’s guilds. However, in Tudor times theatre became separated… Continue reading Tudor Theatre
Famous British Women
By Tim Lambert There have been many famous women in British history. Below is a list of some of them. Boudicca In 61 AD she led the Iceni tribe of what is now East Anglia in a rebellion against the Romans Berta or Bertha 539-612 In the 6th century AD England was divided into small… Continue reading Famous British Women
A Short History of the Sun
The sun is the center star of our solar system. Its diameter is about 1.39 million kilometers. The sun is so big that the Earth would It would fit inside the sun about 109 times. Its mass is about 330,000 times that of the Earth. The sun is the most important source of energy for… Continue reading A Short History of the Sun
A History of Drayton and Farlington
By Tim Lambert In the 6th century AD, the Saxons landed in Hampshire and they founded a number of villages. One of them was called Dray tun. The Saxon word tun meant farm or settlement and dray meant drag. It is not certain what they dragged. Perhaps boats were dragged onto the shore. Farlington was… Continue reading A History of Drayton and Farlington
A History of Churches in Portsmouth
By Tim Lambert Churches in the Middle Ages Before the town of Portsmouth was founded in about 1180 there were 3 villages on Portsea Island, Fratton, Buckland, and Milton. There has been a church on the site of St Marys in Fratton since the 12th century and probably before. St Marys was probably the parish… Continue reading A History of Churches in Portsmouth
A History of The Hussites
By Tim Lambert Jan Hus was a famous preacher of the Middle Ages. Hus was born in Bohemia (what is now the Czech Republic) in about 1374 and he was educated at the University of Prague. In 1401 he was ordained a priest. Hus was heavily influenced by the English reformer John Wycliffe and he… Continue reading A History of The Hussites
A History of Somerstown, Portsmouth
By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Sharon Court Early Somerstown Somerstown was founded in the early 19th century. Until 1809 Portsmouth consisted of Old Portsmouth and Portsea. Then in 1809 the ‘mineral’ streets (Copper Street, Stone Street, etc.) were built outside the city walls. Jubilee Terrace was built in 1810 and Southsea grew into a middle-class… Continue reading A History of Somerstown, Portsmouth