1817… How Robert Southey avoided getting “Cancelled” 27 Aug 202027 Aug 2020 By Stephen Basdeo The following is an adaptation of some of the material in my book The Life and Legend of a Rebel Leader: Wat Tyler (2018). You’re an up-and-coming…
19th Century… Walter Scott Rules in a Case of Wrongful Dismissal in 1812 22 Aug 2020 By Stephen Basdeo I came across a fascinating little book in a shop today, from 1918, titled Sir Walter Scott as Judge, transcribed and edited by John Chisholm. Chisholm was…
19th Century… A Murder-Suicide in Stephen Basdeo’s Victorian Ancestors: The Case of George Leedham (1871) 15 Aug 2020 By Stephen Basdeo I have been doing a lot of work this past year tracing my ancestors and discovering their history. Imagine how delighted (wrong word, perhaps!) I was when…
18th century… The Fine Art of Murder 24 Jul 202024 Jul 2020 Stephen Basdeo This website usually deals with the 'fun' side of crime history by discussing mobsters, outlaws, and highwaymen. Yet not all portrayals of crime and criminals were wild and…
19th Century… A Victorian “Commonplace Book” 11 Jul 2020 By Stephen Basdeo I recently got hold of a “Commonplace Book” which dates from 1859. Commonplace books have been a feature of home life since at least the 1600s. Most…
19th Century… The Man in the Moon 9 Jul 2020 By Stephen Basdeo I once heard it said (in a book somewhere, tho’ I’ve never the time nor the inclination to look up the reference), that if you’re a politician…
