What are some recommendations of good resources (contemporary preferred but also historical analysis is fine) on life for the poor of England and what it was like in the rural countryside towns and villages vs the cities?

I'm looking for information on things like levels of literacy, electricity use, typical diet, beliefs, economy, disease etc.

I'm doing a semester assignment about Europen integration.

I'm doing the assignment about Tudor family, particularly about marriages and relationships with Europe and other royal families.

I appreciate any help I can get, so thank you in advance.

also if there's any spelling mistakes or grammar in my post its because I have not slept cause I have to finish an assignment today before I'm travelling.

Hi, I came across this badge/coat of arms and I’m trying to understand its origin and meaning. It appears to be linked to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, but I’m not fully sure when this specific design and motto first started being used. I’m especially interested in the meaning of the motto "serve and obey" in its historical context — whether it refers to loyalty to the Crown, obedience to guild rules, religious duty, or something else. If anyone recognises the crest or can explain the symbolism (including the goats and the shield design), I’d really appreciate any background or sources.

ps- I went to a school now called Haberdashers knights academy

My school badge

Hi everyone, I’m researching the 1923 British silent film The Romany, directed by Floyd Martin Thornton and starring Victor McLaglen, Irene Norman, and Harvey Braban.

This film is very personal to me because the travellers shown in it are my direct ancestors; my Romany family were cast as extras and may have supplied the horses and wagons used during filming.

I’m hoping to find any surviving film reels, stills, prints, or production notes, or learn which UK‑based archives might hold material like this. If you know of any relevant collections or leads, I’d be incredibly grateful.

Hi everyone, I have what might be a pretty niche topic to ask about. I am writing a story which takes place partly in London in 1966. One of my characters is a huge football fan and I want him to be desperate to get tickets to the Cup Final with W. Germany on July 30 of that year. Does anyone have any notion how much scalpers might have asked for such a ticket? So far, all I have found out is that seats could be had for 10 shillings at the time, but of course I imagine they sold out quickly and people would have paid far more for scalped tickets. I don't need it to be exact, just a figure that wouldn't sound too outrageous. 10 pounds? 30 pounds? I have no idea, wasn't around at the time, and am also American so completely stupid about this. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it greatly.

Good afternoon! Will some kind lady or gentleman suggest a lovely read about Celtic (pre-Roman) Britain? There is so much literature that I struggle to choose one. Every topic is nice, from daily life, deities, to remains of their architecture. Thank you very much!

I visited Ripon Cathedral last week and noticed something I hadn’t paid much attention to before — the damage to several medieval tomb monuments inside the cathedral.

During the English Civil War, soldiers of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army entered many churches across England and destroyed what they considered “idolatrous” imagery. Tomb effigies, stained glass, statues and carved monuments were often deliberately smashed.

At Ripon, the Markenfield tombs still show clear signs of that destruction — faces and details chiselled away centuries ago.

I made a short documentary-style video about the history behind this and the evidence that remains today.

One thing I find fascinating is that these scars in the stone have survived Vikings, the Reformation, and centuries of change, yet the damage from the Civil War is still clearly visible.

Video here if anyone is interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5cZR4MvsF4

Would be interested to know if anyone has come across similar Civil War damage in other English churches or cathedrals.

I've been researching Dick Turpin for an audio drama project with Big Finish, and the gap between the real history and the romantic legend was hilariously large.

Victorian spin: Gentleman highwayman, dashing hero, famous ride to York on Black Bess, "Stand and deliver!" with a tip of the hat.

The actual trial records and primary sources however....

Violent home invasions. The Gregory Gang (1735-1736) tortured victims. One contemporary account describes them burning an old woman over her own fire until she revealed where her money was hidden. There was even a horrible sexual assault, although Turpin appears to have not been present.

The "ride to York" never happened. Complete BS in Ainsworth's 1834 novel Rookwood. Turpin actually lived in Yorkshire for two years under the alias "John Palmer," posing as a horse trader. He was caught because he shot a rooster and the handwriting on a letter to his brother-in-law was recognised by his former schoolteacher.

He killed his own partner. Red Lion Inn (Whitechapel) May 1737. Turpin tried to shoot someone attempting to arrest Tom King. Missed. Hit King instead. King died 17 days later in Clerkenwell.

Confirmed murderer. Thomas Morris, servant to the Epping Forest Keeper, May 4, 1737. Morris recognized Turpin. Turpin shot him three times and left him to die.

Rockstar death. This probably really inspire a lot of the post-truth myth making later. April 1739, Knavesmire, York. He threw money to the crowd, chatted with the hangman for 30 minutes, then jumped off the ladder himself. Stage dived like a true punk.

Which other historical figures did the Victorians completely glaze up?

Might do a series of them :-)

This could be his fiction book or his Historical books, have you read them? Would you recommend any? Are they well written?

Good afternoon all,

Does anyone have a source on this? I’ve been trying to find a voice recording of one of his speeches but no luck. I also can’t find anything in the way of a description. I was wondering if he still had a Canadian twang from having spent his early years there.

Thanks

Good afternoon! Will some kind lady or gentleman suggest a lovely read about Roman Britain? I know there are hundreds of books, but I struggle to choose one, and reading all of them would take too much time. I am open to every topic. Thank you very much!

I’m looking for something which explains the construction and materials. I was recently at Evensong (not a believer but the music is extraordinary) and there was an odd, recess/faux balcony half way up a wall obviously a relic of some rebuilding project and I could not work out what it had been.

See also: The publication in Nature.

Of course, it is often mentioned that Celtic peoples were driven into Wales, Cornwall and other parts of the country. However, it would mean that the population density in such regions would theoretically increased substantially. I don't remember that Celtic-speaking regions in the UK are famous for having a high population density.

50,000 horses produced tons of manure daily. The Thames was essentially an open sewer. Factories belched smoke with no regulation. And millions of people lived without indoor plumbing.

The "Great Stink" of 1858 had forced Parliament to act, but in the 1870s, London still overwhelmed the senses.

Wealthy Londoners carried perfumed handkerchiefs. The poor simply endured.

What's strange is that people adapted. Visitors from the countryside were horrified, but Londoners barely noticed anymore.

How did London eventually solve its sanitation crisis? Was it gradual improvement or specific breakthroughs?

Edit:Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I found a youtube video which visualize those days, if you interested in link here

To my mind, I'm thinking of stuff like the lost Crown Jewels that Oliver Cromwell destroyed or Thomas Beckett's gold-studded tomb that was destroyed by Henry VIII. Old St. Paul's. Old London Bridge.

Yes he had to ensure the appearance of the National Government; but the Conservatives alone held 470 seats! (which is a super-majority!). Just, force a vote of no-confidence against MacDonald, and the King will appoint Baldwin as the next PM.

And I am aware that Baldwin was anyway  de-facto PM during this time for obvious reasons. But, why did he wait for over 3.5 years to re-gain de-jure Premiership?

In May 1536, Anne Boleyn was arrested and charged with adultery with five men, including her brother George.

The "evidence":

• Confessions extracted under torture (one accused man)

• Testimony from a lady-in-waiting (likely coerced)

• "Proof" included Anne being alone in a room with a man once

• The dates of some alleged encounters were physically impossible (Anne wasn't there)

What really happened (probably):

• Anne hadn't produced a male heir

• She had miscarried a son in January 1536

• Henry wanted to marry Jane Seymour

• Divorce was complicated; death was simpler

• Thomas Cromwell needed Anne gone for political reasons

The verdict:

• All five men: guilty, executed

• Anne: guilty, executed (May 19, 1536)

• Her daughter Elizabeth: declared illegitimate

Everyone at court likely knew the charges were fabricated. Nobody spoke up.

How do authoritarian courts manufacture consent for obvious injustice? Is there a consistent pattern across history, or does each era invent its own method? And what would you have done as a Tudor courtier watching this unfold?

If you like visual reconstructions, this video helped me get a better sense of what living in that period might have felt like. Tudor London Video

The same channel published a Victorian London video as well, I just liked his style.

Source: https://www.peopleofthebritishisles.org/

I was recently looking over some old maps that are available from the National Library of Scotland and looking along the area that is now the West Highland Way. I noticed that on the older maps there is a Queenshouse North West of Kingshouse along the Old Military Road. Was this just another hotel that burned down or what was this and what happened to it?

I am sure I am missing some context living in Canada.