England

Thomas Barnes and The Times 1817-1841

Reginald Watters offers a profile of one of the founding-father of modern journalism; Thomas Barnes brought tremendous dash and energy to the conduct of his long professional career.

The Texture of the Somme, 1916

Disastrous battle raged on the Somme from July until November, 1916; John Terraine describes how it marked the ‘ruddy grave’ of the German field army.

The Sultan’s Clock-Organ, 1599

Lansing Collins describes how, in honour of a previous gift sent in the other direction, Elizabeth I presented Sultan Mohammed III with an elaborate clock, surmounted by singing birds that shook their wings.

The Rise of Wessex

After the Romans left and the Anglo-Saxons arrived, the south-west of England became the predominant kingdom. William Seymour traces the growth of the Kingdom of Wessex from the early sixth century.

The Ridolfi Plot, 1571

The failure of the Plot, writes Cyril Hamshere, forms a complex story of espionage and counter-espionage; its events caused Elizabeth I to give up all ideas of restoring Mary Queen of Scots to the Scottish throne.