By Tim Lambert Early Shaving At times in history, beards have been fashionable for men, while at other times they were clean-shaven. In Ancient Egypt, men were usually clean-shaven. They used razors made of copper or bronze. Stubble was removed with pumice stones. Both men and women shaved off body hair. Egyptians shaved their hair… Continue reading A History of Shaving
Category: Articles
The Brighton Trunk Murders
By Tim Lambert An Unsolved Trunk Murder in Brighton 1934 An unsolved murder took place in Brighton, England in 1934. A body was found in a trunk but the victim was never identified and the case was never solved. On 17th June 1934, a railway employee named William Vinnicombe noticed a horrid odour coming from… Continue reading The Brighton Trunk Murders
My Pictures of Hay-on-Wye
By Tim Lambert Hay-on-Wye is a small but charming town in Powys, on the border of England and Wales. It’s famous for its many bookshops, but it also has a castle and some nice restaurants. It’s well worth a visit. Nearby is the Welsh town of Brecon. A dragon in Hay-on-Wye Hay Castle A Map… Continue reading My Pictures of Hay-on-Wye
A History of Bradford on Avon
By Tim Lambert Saxon 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
A History of Wakefield
By Tim Lambert Early Wakefield Wakefield in Yorkshire began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. It was probably Waca’s feld, meaning Waca’s area of open land. At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, Wakefield was a tiny village. However, by the 13th century, it had grown into a small market town. It also had annual… Continue reading A History of Wakefield
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
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