The West Indies is home to a large and vibrant South Asian population descended from indentured labourers who worked the plantations after the abolition of slavery. The arrival of the first, from Bengal in 1838, is recorded in the journal of a young doctor who accompanied them, as Brigid Wells describes.
David Powell establishes a clear path through the historiographical maze
R. E. Foster examines the reputation and political stature of a three-times prime minister.
Sex, scandals and celebrity were all part of a blame and shame culture that existed in the 18th century, one that often fed off the misfortune of women at the hands of men. Prostitutes, courtesans and ladies with injured reputations took up the pen in retaliation.
Richard Cavendish recounts the birth of a great warship, on July 23rd, 1759.
Thomas Paine inspired and witnessed the revolutions that gave birth to the United States and destroyed the French monarchy. A genuinely global figure, he anticipated modern ideas on human rights, atheism and rationalism.
Richard Cavendish records how Germany sank its own navy in the aftermath of the First World War, on 21 June 1919.
Following her execution by firing squad in Belgium in 1915, Edith Cavell's body was eventually brought back from Brussels to England on May 15th, 1919.
The Lord Protector stood down on May 25th, 1659.
Wendy Moore catches a rare glimpse of a medical collection that includes tonsil guillotines and implements for trepanning.
