15th Century… Maid Marian in Victorian Penny Dreadfuls: A Proto-Feminist? 20 May 201621 May 2016 A paper read at the Women in Print Conference, Chetham's Library, Manchester 20 May 2016 Header image scanned from my personal copy of J. H. Stocqueler's Maid Marian the Forest…
11th Century… The Legend of Robin Hood 4 May 20164 May 2016 A Forthcoming Public Talk to be delivered at Pontefract Castle, Sunday 8 May 2016 Introduction The Renaissance poet Michael Drayton authored a monumental work entitled Poly-Olbion which was published in…
17th century… The Newgate Calendar 24 Mar 201624 Mar 2016 People in the eighteenth century believed that they were living in a crime-ridden society. In addition to Capt. Alexander Smith’s and Capt. Charles Johnson’s criminal biographies, the Proceedings of the…
17th century… Charles Johnson’s ‘Lives of the Highwaymen’ (1734) 14 Feb 20164 Sep 2016 There is no reference in any historical archives to a Captain named Charles Johnson. The name is most likely a pseudonym for a writer whose identity is now lost to…
15th Century… Rogues in Early Modern England 25 Jan 20164 Sep 2016 Information for this post was taken principally from Steve Mentz’ and Craig Dionne’s introduction to an edited collection of essays in the book Rogues and Early Modern English Culture (Michigan:…
16th Century… Sir John Falstaff, the Notorious Highwayman 8 Jan 2016 So committed to historical accuracy were Alexander Smith and Charles Johnson that in their respective History of the Lives and Robberies of the Most Noted Highwaymen (1714) and Lives and…
