King Henry II, first Plantaganet King of England - Historic UK
King Henry II. King Henry II was the first Plantaganet King of England, famous for his stormy relationship with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry II seems to struggle to make an impact upon popular history. His reign falls in a century flanked by …
Kings and Queens of England & Britain - Historic UK
EGBERT 827 – 839. Egbert (Ecgherht) was the first monarch to establish a stable and extensive rule over all of Anglo-Saxon England. After returning from exile at the court of Charlemagne in 802, he regained his kingdom of Wessex. Following his conquest of Mercia in 827, he controlled all of England south of the Humber.
The Game of Conkers - Historic UK
The Game of Conkers. In early autumn, the fruits of the horse chestnut tree, known as conkers, begin to fall from the trees. Inside the prickly green casings lie the fruits – brown, shiny, and hard – ready to be collected by children all over Britain for …
Timeline of events in 1918 and the end of World War One
8 Aug. Start of the Battle of Amiens, the opening phase of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, that will ultimately lead to the end of World War I. Allied armoured divisions smash through the once impregnable German trenches. Erich Ludendorff calls it …
British Summer Time - Historic UK
British Summer Time, also known as Daylight Saving Time, was the brainchild of a builder from Kent called William Willett. The story goes that one day on his way back from riding his horse in Petts Wood near his home in the early 1900s, he noticed many of the blinds and curtains in the neighbouring houses were still drawn, even though it was light.
Who was King Arthur and where was Camelot? - Historic UK
Caerleon, South Wales. Both Geoffrey of Monmouth and Chrétien de Troyes place Camelot, Arthur’s chief court and fortress, in Caerleon, South Wales, one of three Roman legionary forts in Britain. Although the name ‘Caerleon’ sounds typically Celtic, it is actually a corruption of the Latin words castrum (fortress) and legio (legion).
The Origins of Fairies - Historic UK
May 20, 2015 · Most of the nature fairies are perhaps descendents of pre-Christian gods and goddesses or are the spirits of trees and streams. Black Annis, a blue-faced hag, haunts the Dane Hills in Leicestershire and Gentle Annie who governs storms in the Scottish lowlands, are perhaps descended from the Celtic goddess Danu, mother of Ireland’s cave fairies.
Timeline of events in 1917 during the First World War - Historic UK
26 June. The first U.S. troops, men of the 1st Division, begin to arrive in France. 27 June. Greece enters the war on the side of the Allies. 2 July. U.S. Brigadier General Pershing makes his first request for an army of 1,000,000 men. 6 July. Aquaba is captured by …
Timeline of the Industrial Revolution - Historic UK
1851-Rural to urban migration results in over half the population of Britain now residing in towns. 1852- The British shipbuilding company Palmer Brothers & Co opens in Jarrow. The same year, the first iron screw collier, the John Bowes is launched. 1860- The first iron warship, HMS Warrior is …
Norman and medieval fashion and clothing - Historic UK
Fashion changed slowly in medieval times. This man and woman (left) still wear the semi-circular shoulder fastening mantles and tunics like those of a century earlier, differing only in being more closely fittedand having long flowing cuffs.Long hair was an Anglo-Saxon fashion borrowed by the Normans, and the woman has hers braided into cloth ...