by David West | Jun 2, 2026 | News
The Gordon Riots began on the 2nd of June 1780. The Gordon Riots were among the most destructive episodes of civil disorder in British history. Erupting in London, the riots began as a mass protest against Catholic emancipation but rapidly descended into days of...
by David West | Jun 1, 2026 | News
Robert Cecil was born on the 1st of June 1563. Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563–1612) was one of the most skilled and calculating statesmen of late Tudor and early Stuart England. The younger son of the formidable chief minister William Cecil, 1st Baron...
by David West | May 31, 2026 | News
On the 31st of May, 455 CE, Emperor Petronius Maximus was stoned to death by an angry mob whilst trying to flee Rome. Petronius Maximus was Western Roman Emperor for a brief and ill-fated reign in the spring of 455 AD. Though he ruled for little more than two months,...
by David West | May 30, 2026 | News
Claire and I both had our second shingles vaccinations this week. Both of us have felt as if we’ve been punched hard in the arm. Thankfully it is beginning to feel a little better. At least we shouldn’t get shingles, which I understand can be very unpleasant. Symptoms...
by David West | May 30, 2026 | News
On the 30th of May, 1574, Henry III became King of France. Henry III of France (1551–1589) was one of the most enigmatic and controversial monarchs of the late Valois dynasty. His reign unfolded during the darkest years of the French Wars of Religion, a prolonged and...
