This 18th-century shell collection, saved from a skip, tells a story of empire, explorers and women’s equality: In the 1980s, a shell collection that included specimens from Captain Cook’s final voyage was accidentally thrown into a skip and believed lost forever. But much to the joy of scientists, last week it was rediscovered safe and …
Cumbrian coal: the 18th-century poem that perfectly encapsulated Whitehaven’s mining culture: Whitehaven, Cumbria, Showing Flatt Hall by Matthias Read (1730-1735). Yale Center for British Art The debates waged over the opening of the Woodhouse Colliery in Whitehaven, Cumbria, have laid bare starkly different views about the steps the UK should take to honour its net …
Bridgerton: the real 18th-century writers who used pseudonyms to stoke controversy: Netflix In the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, London society is set alight thanks to a newsletter penned by an anonymous writer whose sharp pen captures all the pomp, circumstance and gossip of the season. Fans of Bridgerton will recognise this writer, Lady Whistledown, as …
What 18th-century suicide inquests tell us about growing old in Georgian England: Many elderly ended up in workhouses as they were unable to work normal jobs and therefore cover the costs of living. Chronicle/Alamy In 1803, John Braithwaite was a very elderly man. A gentleman farmer, once influential in his community, he was now struggling …
How 18th-century weather diaries shed light on the effects of an Icelandic volcanic eruption on Scotland: Joschenbacher/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA On June 15 1783, Dr John Purcell went outside his house in Edinburgh, looked up at the clouds and wrote in his diary how dark and gloomy the sky was. The dark skies, he reported, continued …