Voyager of History

There have always been underhand tactics in the arena of war. During the American Civil War, there was the invention of coal torpedoes, which were exploding pieces of fake coal. These were invented by a Dublin born man, Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay. His invention went on to have a revival during the Second World War. How … Continue reading Exploding Coal: An Invention by American Civil War Spies →

March is Women’s History Month, so it felt apt to share the story of Emma Soyer, nee Jones. Her husband, Alexis Soyer, was the most famous chef in early Victorian Britain. He is an interesting figure himself and I would recommend researching him yourself if you are interested. However, this post will focus on his wife, Emma, a proficient artist who was a child prodigy. Sadly, her artistic talents…

March is Women’s History Month and to celebrate, I am delighted to welcome a new guest blogger and a very different kind of post on Women’s History. Melissa Chim is a historian, librarian, and author based in NY. She holds a BA in History from Rutgers University, an MA in History from Queen Mary, the University of London, and an MLIS from St. John’s University. She regularly blogs about history a…

I would like to thank Netgalley, the author, Cheryl W. Thompson, and Kensington Publishers for a review copy of this fascinating book. When I saw this book advertised on Netgalley, I was immediately intrigued. It’s no secret what Segregated America was like in the mid-twentieth century, but despite knowing that the armed forces were also segregated, I didn’t know anything about the first African …

First of all, I would like to thank Jo Romero for sending me a lovely gift copy of her second book. I have known Jo for a long time now as we started history blogging at the same time and also have a keen interest in very similar historical themes, such as the Wars of the Roses and the Georgian period. Please do check her blog out at Love British History. The Tudors is not really a period I tend …

I am so pleased to welcome back Jo Romero, a friend and follow history blogger. You can view her previous posts on a riot, dog and the George Hotel in Reading here, and Reading During the Wars of the Roses here. Her debut book, Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses, was published in 2024. I was lucky enough to feature an interview with her about that book here. It is also a privilege to welcom…

I came across the story of Clara Grant and her charitable efforts in the poverty stricken communities of London’s East End by accident. I was researching something else and her name cropped up. As tends to happen, I fell down a research rabbit hole wanting to find out more about her. I very quickly found her empathy and passion for helping poor children and their families moving. I hope that you …

Welcome to the first post of 2026! Can’t quite believe it’s 2026, but here we are. In my round up post of 2025, I said that the first post would be on Clara Grant, a woman who gave out bundles of gifts to the poor children of the East End of London. However, between Christmas and New Year, I watched a programme on the wonderful Christmas markets in Cologne, which are the largest in the world. In …

I’ve been doing these top history reads since 2021 as a helpful guide to some gift ideas for the history lovers in your life. They have proved fairly popular so here we are with the 2025 edition. I really can’t quite believe it’s that time of year again! Anyway, the list is the usual mix of different periods, as well as a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, so hopefully there’s something for ever…

My favourite American president is Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt. Not only because as legend has it, he is the reason we have teddy bears, but because I feel he was a genuine man who wanted the best for his people but also was a man of action to get things done. Like most people my age, I also fell in love with Robin Williams portrayal of him in the Night at the Museum films. However, until recently…

For this guest post, I am delighted to welcome my friend and colleague, Neil Bettridge. Neil was Project Archivist at the Derbyshire Record Office. I have welcomed Neil before on the blog. He has written a two-part series on the life of Eric Liddell, of Chariots of Fire fame. You can read those here and here. He also … Continue reading Elgar’s Nimrod and Remembrance Services: a Guest Post by Neil…

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in slave autobiographies, particularly with men such as Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography published in 1789, or the later Frederick Douglass writing about life under American slavery, who’s narrative was published in 1845. However, Mary Prince, the first woman to have her slavery story published, entitled The History … Continue reading Mary Prin…

After a recent visit to a few Battle of Britain themed museums, I came across The Little Penguin Bookshop by Joanna Toye in a local charity shop. The blurb suggested that the twin brother of the main character, Carrie, was a World War Two pilot, on top of Carrie setting up a small Penguin bookshop … Continue reading Book Review of The Little Penguin Bookshop and A New Chapter at the Little Pengui…

I am very blessed that this is the third book of Mark Lee Gardner’s, the second on request of the author himself, that I have reviewed. It honestly means the world to me that I was allowed a preview review copy for this review. I am very grateful to Netgalley and Dutton publishers for allowing … Continue reading Book Review of Brothers of the Gun by Mark Lee Gardner →

Before I start this post on the interesting topic of Georgian era jewellery, I was kindly commissioned by Antique Ring Boutique of London to write this post. For more information about them and to see their current stock of antique jewellery, not just Georgian, please look at their website here. For many regular readers, you … Continue reading Georgian Era Jewellery →

We all have periods of history that we prefer over others. Until this year, I would have said my cut off point for my historical interests would have been World War One. To me, most things after that are too modern. However, that has changed thanks to a holiday earlier in the year to Kent. … Continue reading Battle of Britain Themed Experiences at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum and RAF Museum …

In this modern age, the eating of meat has become a bit of a hot topic in terms of vegetarianism, veganism and even in terms of climate change. The Georgians had no such discussions. Instead, the eating of beef was hugely connected to patriotism and the concept of British manliness. Those ideas are concepts I … Continue reading The Sublime Society of Beefsteaks →

I tried to read another historical fiction book by Carol McGrath and whilst I finished it, didn’t entirely enjoy it. Luckily, some of her other novels were, understandably, advertised in the back. One of them grabbed me, Mistress Cromwell, a story about Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas Cromwell of Wolf Hall fame. After being engrossed … Continue reading Book Review of Mistress Cromwell by Carol McGr…

You may recognise the name Ralph Sadler from Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, or the subsequent BBC adaptation, where Sadler was played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster. After the latest series, The Mirror and the Light aired last year, I was intrigued to find out what happened to Ralph Sadler, the only supporter of Thomas Cromwell who tried … Continue reading Sir Ralph Sadler →

This book tells the story of the late Georgian satirical print industry. As a Georgian lover, I was kindly given this as a Christmas present and was very keen to get into it. Whether you have heard of the names of Thomas Rowlandson, James Gillray and Isaac Cruickshank, or not, this is a thoroughly enjoyable … Continue reading Book Review of Uproar by Alice Loxton →