Eyam, Derbyshire

 Most people in England have heard of the village of Eyam in Derbyshire. When the plague struck the village the people heroically quarantined themselves to stop it from spreading and most of them died. Sadly it's probably a myth. The village WAS quarantined but the evidence suggests the authorities imposed the quarantine (a common practice at that time). It also seems the wealthy villagers fled before the quarantine was imposed, leaving the poor to their fate (also a common practice). Over the years it became a romantic legend. But, as with so many such charming stories it probably never happened. This article examines the evidence: https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/04/16/eyam-revisited-lessons-from-a-plague-village

Michaelmas

 An interesting article about Michaelmas customs https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Michaelmas/?fbclid=IwAR27bp7Qp_LbGh5dEln53kokHBOIUlZbYWH4Ov_Wqth7bHJYXCy9vVLGY9U

Female Jesters

Women in comedy have a long history. In the Middle Ages and 16th century, the rich were entertained by jesters. Some jesters were female. The custom of having jesters died out in the 17th century. But the modern circuses began in the late 18th century and by the beginning of the 19th century, they included clowns. By the mid-19th century, there were female clowns. In 1846 a London newspaper mentioned female clowns. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were women comedians in music halls (in music halls a variety of acts would entertain the crowds). Read more in my history of women's jobs.

The Last Witch

 An interesting article about the last person in Britain to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Helen-Duncan-Scotlands-last-witch/?fbclid=IwAR3zkNiA1n_Kwmy1TLVzQcMy4-GInik5gRX_GBDbiUYZn9B_-CE2owIXf9I

Women in the First World War

 I found this interesting article about women in the First World War https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/12-things-you-didnt-know-about-women-in-the-first-world-war?fbclid=IwAR22J75ALSqBO4Z0czORi_skpIVSl0JgmVUahbE5tNWnexH1_ggJYxvBG5Y

Famous Women in History

Seven years ago I made this video about famous women in history. These were all born before the 19th century (there are far too many in modern times to mention them all). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grmTVzb5PCc

Quebec

On September 1759 British General James Wolfe won the battle of Quebec It was a decisive battle in the war with the French in Canada. Sadly Wolfe was killed. https://localhistories.org/a-brief-history-of-canada/

Female Concentration Camp Guards

 This man makes excellent videos about the Second World War and Nazi Germany https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnVCHheKt28

John Dalton

 The great scientist John Dalton was born on 6 September 1766. He is famous for his theory that matter is made up of atoms. He also investigated colour blindness, which was once called daltonism. https://localhistories.org/a-brief-biography-of-john-dalton/