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Imbolc - Celia Rees
This is the time of Imbolc, perhaps the least well known of the four great Sabbats or Celtic Festivals that mark the turning points of the year. Traditionally dated to the 1st of February, it falls...
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A Lesser-Known Blitz by Katherine Webb
In May last year a friend of mine, and several hundred of her neighbours, were evacuated from their homes in the northern streets of Bath. The reason: the discovery of a five-hundred pound unexploded...
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Medieval Hunting - by Ann Swinfen
Before I began to write the third book in my Oxford Medieval Mystery series, The Huntsman’s Tale, there was one area of research demanding my attention – what exactly went on at a medieval hunt? Most...
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Several Very Large Fat Bears by Imogen Robertson
Study of a bear by Sawrey Gilpin © The Trustees of the British MuseumI am, like most writers, often asked where I get my ideas from and I always say the research (which is true), but that can seem a...
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Cabinet of Curiosities - the First Dinosaur Fossils by Charlotte Wightwick
For today’s Cabinet of Curiosities we’re heading to the Natural History Museum in London. There are many, many objects there which I could quite happily add to the Cabinet, but I have chosen two small,...
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Scents and Sensibilities: The Not So Smelly Middle Ages? By Catherine Hokin
Setting: one of the most important things for an author to get right. That might be the most obvious statement you read all day and no, you haven't stumbled into a 'how to write' blog but this...
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'THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE', SO DARE WE PROTEST? by Leslie Wilson
Minnesota women's march against Donald Trump. Fibonacci Blue, wikimediaIn 1987, I cut a single strand of the wire fence at Burghfield Royal Ordnance Factory, and was arrested and charged with criminal...
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January competition
To win a copy of Stef Penney's new novel, answer the following question in the Comments section below. Then copy your answer to maryhoffman@maryhoffman.co.uk so that I can contact you for your land...
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RED ALL ABOUT IT: A Bit of a History of Scarlet Cloth by Elizabeth Chadwick
Bellini - portrait of a young man in red, circa 1480 Scarlet cloth has been on my radar for a while. I learned several years ago that it was a fabric name rather than a colour, but that since it was...
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Womens’ Protests in the UK before 1945 by Miranda Miller
Like many of you reading this, I went on the Womens’ March last month. I’m something of a veteran marcher and was reminded of all the other marches I’ve been on; against Vietnam, against Trident...
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A Few Facts and Gems from the Earliest Days of Cinema, by Carol Drinkwater
A page from the original manuscript copy of Alice's Adventures Underground 1864When I was a child, one of the treats of the week was our family outing to the cinema. The...
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London History with Grandchildren by Janie Hampton
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Last week I was tasked with grand-child care during the half-term holiday. Ben, 9, Desdemona, 7, my co-grandparent and I decided to go on a history outing to London. We began at...
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Beneath the Divan: A Family Album by Debra Daley
The oldest, the most historical item that I own is a photograph album that was probably made sometime between 1865 and the 1880s. It’s an object that is significant to me, not only as a family...
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Voices in my Head by Julie Summers
Years ago a friend who teaches creative writing talked to me about voices in books. He reminded me that although I might write my non-fiction in my 'own' voice, it would be read by someone from...
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Aztecs, Vikings, Graves and Mammoths by Mary Hoffman
March can't seem to decide if it's coming in like a lion or a lamb. While it makes up its mind, I want to fill you in a bit on what's happening on The History Girls in the next 31 days.Unusually we...
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What would Jane Austen do? - by Gillian Polack
I have had no telephone for a fortnight. It’s probably a crossed line at an interchange and will take two seconds to fix, but changes in how they do things and how the overarching telecommunications...
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