On 16 September 1813, novelist Jane Austen wrote a letter to her sister Cassandra – 216 years later it is to be sold at auction! A surviving Jane Austen letter is a rare object, many letters were destroyed by her family after her death. She is believed to have written approximately 3,000 letters in her lifetime, of which, only around 160 survive and 95 of … Continue reading In the News: Jane Austen Letter to go on Sale
What’s happened this year and what have I not shared with you? I’ve continued my trips to sites of historical interest, although maybe not as many as previous years and have even started a blog post or two! However, earlier this year I took a week off my blog – a nice little break… that was extended to a month – that became 8 months! … Continue reading HistorianRuby’s History Trips: What’s Happened This Year?
It used to be said that every person could say that they knew where they were when they heard the news that US President, John F Kennedy, had been assassinated. Nowadays, they can say the same about when they heard the news that Diana, Princess of Wales had died after a car crash in a Paris underpass. Diana, Princess of Wales was the former wife … Continue reading 31 August 1997: the Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Liverpool, the city that gave us the Liver Birds, The Beatles, Scouse, Ferries ‘Cross the Mersey and you, me, is 812 years old today! Liverpool is forever my home, yet I only lived there for 9 months. I lived in New Brighton (over the water) for 17 years and then in South-West London for another 31 years! However, a trip to Liverpool, a walk along … Continue reading Liverpool: 812 Years Young Today!
The Georgian era began with the death of the last Stuart monarch. Queen Anne died in 1714 without an heir and so the throne passed to 58th in line Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover, who most importantly, was a Protestant. Fifty-seven Catholics were in front of George I in the royal pecking order, but Britain needed a Protestant ruler as the 1701 ‘Act of Settlement’ disqualified … Continue reading Hampton Court Palace: the Georgian Story
I’m delighted to share a guest post from Nabilah Roghey! Nabilah studied alongside me and I follow her historical and cultural adventures on Facebook. I saw that she had been to the British Museum last week and asked if she’d like to share her experience on Historian Ruby. What is manga? Manga is a Japanese art form that has its origins in the Handscrolls of … Continue reading Guest Blog: The Citi Manga Exhibition at the British Museum
You may have noticed that I have been missing in action as of late! After my mammoth Blogmas schedule over Christmas, I didn’t feel like I needed a break, I even went history-hunting in central London and Windsor between Christmas and New Year. However, as I started January with three new posts and one re-jig of a post from last year, the gap between posts … Continue reading HistorianRuby: A Blogging Break
I visited Bath Fashion Museum recently, specifically to see their special exhibition at the Fashion Museum, Royal Women: Public Life, Personal Style that you can read about here. They have many ‘treasures’ in their collection and I have posted a short series sharing with my readership the fashions of previous centuries. In ‘Part One’ I focused on items that the museum displayed from before the nineteenth century, in … Continue reading Fashion Museum: A History of Fashion in 100 Objects – Part Four
There’s an exciting exhibition of Edvard Munch’s work coming to the British Museum this spring and summer! Who hasn’t seen an image of Munch’s The Scream? One of the items on display will be a rare black and white lithograph of the iconic image The Scream and its resonance is clear today as it was when it was first painted. Munch was fascinated by peoples’ … Continue reading In the News: Edvard Munch Exhibition at the British Museum
So what do you do in the hinterland that is the time between Christmas and New Year? You go to a free exhibition, of course! Okay, so it wasn’t completely free, I took a train from Kingston upon Thames to Windsor but it was still cheaper than my ticket into London the day before. I paid to get into Windsor Castle the week of the … Continue reading A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Exhibition at Windsor Castle
On the first of January last year I completed a blog round-up listing my top six posts and least favourite six posts and my conclusions why . . . And I’ve waited patiently for 365 days to do another annual round-up! For much of the year, I feared the posts may end up very similar to each other but in the last couple of months I’ve … Continue reading My Top Six Posts of 2018
On 31 December 1929, Hogmanay, seventy-one children died and more than fifty were injured when young cinema-goers panicked after thick smoke billowed around the darkened auditorium during a children’s matinee performance of The Dude Desperado at the Glen Cinema, Paisley, Scotland. Calls of ‘fire’ prompted terrified children to flee towards the exits. Survivor Sadie Elias said she had chosen the Glen Cinema as it had … Continue reading The Glen Cinema Disaster: 71 Children Dead on Hogmanay 1929, Scotland’s Forgotten Tragedy
Yesterday I had the pleasure of returning to Kensington Palace, London, to see the exhibition of the late Diana, Princess of Wales’ dresses, Diana: Her Fashion Story. You may have read my previous post, Diana: Her Fashion Story – The Kensington Palace Exhibition as I originally visited the exhibition in November 2017. This special exhibition is closing in February and so I was keen to … Continue reading Diana: Her Fashion Story Revisited
The Articles Christmas Cards: Circa 1900 Queen Elizabeth II’s First Christmas Speech Christmas Nostalgia: all I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth Christmas Cards: 1905 – 1910 Hampton Court Palace: Baubles, Gifts and Posh Nosh this Christmas 6 December: the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas A Forces Christmas Card: 1917 King George V: the First Christmas Speech Postcards: Jenny Nyström’s Christmas Art The … Continue reading Blogmas: 21 Days of Christmas History Posts
Regular readers of my blog know that I often draw inspiration from the British Newspaper Archives. This does involve a small subscription, however, you can search and view a permitted three articles for free here. As it is the season of goodwill, I decided to share with you part of a report published on Christmas Day 1840 showing the festive food the poor of London were … Continue reading 25 December 1840, The London Evening Standard: A Report
This blog is a selection of interesting things I've come across during my history research. I have a wide interest in history ranging from Wars of the Roses, country houses, Stuarts, Georgians, Louis XIV, Napoleon and criminals. So expect to see a bit of everything on here, with a focus on little known stories.
Sharing recipes, DIYs and lifestyle tips
The ramblings and obsessions of a longtime Avon lady
The Home Of T-Bird From The Dork Web.
Wellness • Poetry • Life
Adventures in motherhood, fitness, youth hockey & corporate America
Genealogy, Family history, and Whatnot
Piecing together my family history . . .
Stories of immigrants, expatriates and family evolution
Family and local stories and history, favorite books
Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Eats plants
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aka Helene Harrison, Author and Historian
Tonight I Dream. Tomorrow I Do!
Exploring historical thoughts and themes, a bit at a time.
HistorianRuby: An Historian's Miscellany 