BrumafriendThe Curious Case of the Christmas CutpurseOn Christmas Day 1611, John Selman tried to swindle a man. In public. On Royal Property. It went about as well as you might expect.Dec 25, 2022Dec 25, 2022
BrumafriendYes, Trans People Existed in the Middle AgesPutting a popular, pervasive, and imprecise myth to bed.Aug 13, 20212Aug 13, 20212
BrumafriendHow a 17th-Century Female Pickpocket Defied Gender NormsThe antics and exploits of Merry Mary Frith.Jul 17, 2021Jul 17, 2021
BrumafriendWhen Will England Pardon Its Witches?Between 1566 and 1700, around 500 people were executed in England for the crime of witchcraft. To this day, the convictions stand.Jun 26, 2021Jun 26, 2021
BrumafriendDid Climate Change Cause the Witch Hunts?The deadly witch trials in early modern Europe may have been caused by the weather, of all things.Apr 14, 2021Apr 14, 2021
BrumafriendWhy Didn’t Elizabeth I Marry?Despite her reputation as the ‘Virgin Queen’, Elizabeth I had many suitors. So why didn’t she marry?Feb 11, 2021Feb 11, 2021
BrumafriendThe Islands That Never WereMapmaking has long been plagued by ‘Phantom Islands’: Islands which were said to have existed but have since been proven imaginary.Dec 29, 2020Dec 29, 2020
BrumafriendThe Man Who Killed the Duke of Buckingham392 years ago, John Felton was executed for a crime which shocked England and laid the way for the English Civil War.Nov 29, 2020Nov 29, 2020
BrumafriendThe Terrifying Tudor Tale About Talking CatsWilliam Baldwin’s novel ‘Beware the Cat’ (1561) is more than an absurd story about talking cats.Nov 28, 2020Nov 28, 2020
BrumafriendHenry VIII’s Closest FriendThe story of Sir Anthony Denny; or, How a man in charge of Henry VIII’s toilet became his most trusted ally.Aug 4, 2020Aug 4, 2020
