Paul Raymond Revolutionist

Across thousands of years, people have felt they’ve seen ghosts. Attracted to the idea, yet also sceptical, Charles Dickens included ghosts in his novels. Whether he portrayed them as real…

Searching for a South Derbyshire novel, I found Paul Raymond, Revolutionist in the local history section of Swadlincote library. No one I’ve met owns the book. Nor have I seen…

In the wake of the French Revolution, Parliament saw protest as potentially treasonous. The poor could achieve justice through the courts, in theory. Legitimate power lay with government agencies, not…

Farmers work the land we see through a speeding car window. Their homes and barns pass quickly by us, the secrets of their way of life a blur.

No Man’s Heath gained a reputation for fighting. Land disputes shook it in the 1790s. Later it hosted bare knuckle boxing. And people linked it with law breaking. In 1828,…

Fruits of labour nourish us – a nice idea, but does it happen? For John Prior of Leicestershire, his efforts held promise. Modestly ambitious, he found employment that suited his…

Anne Moore told a tall tale. She exaggerated her illness, and clung to her story. At first, this won her few friends. But between 1809 and 1813 her fame grew….