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.·6 min read·Dec 25, 2022----
BrumafriendYes, Trans People Existed in the Middle AgesPutting a popular, pervasive, and imprecise myth to bed.·5 min read·Aug 13, 2021--2--2
BrumafriendHow a 17th-Century Female Pickpocket Defied Gender NormsThe antics and exploits of Merry Mary Frith.·4 min read·Jul 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.·5 min read·Jun 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.·4 min read·Apr 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?·5 min read·Feb 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.·4 min read·Dec 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.·4 min read·Nov 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.·10 min read·Nov 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.·4 min read·Aug 4, 2020----
