The Great Sheffield Flood took place on 11 March 1864, resulting in the loss of 238 lives. The tragedy occurred when the newly-built Dale Dyke Dam at the Bradfield Reservoir collapsed (it was being filled for the first time), thus releasing over 700 million gallons of water down the Loxley Valley and into the centre of Sheffield. So to mark the day, here is a report of the disaster that appeared in ‘The Manchester Times’ of Saturday 12 March 1864. Manchester …
One of our favourite moments from the recent WDYTYA? Live show, was when the image of an ancestor suddenly appeared at the top of the search results page. A lady called Marion asked us if we could do a search on the BNA for her gg-grandfather, James Clarke. So we entered ‘james clarke’ into the Phrase Search box on the Advanced Search page and, ‘Eureka!, there was a sketch (from ‘The Graphic’ newspaper of 1888)of Marion’s gg-grandfather sitting at the …
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To celebrate ‘Mothering Sunday’, we thought we’d post this newspaper article from 1936, which describes the origins, history and customs of the day. …
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Newspaper report from 1858 about Reverend Francis Gastrell being sent into exile by the good folk of Stratford-upon-Avon As our curiosity was aroused by this BBC news article about Reverend Francis Gastrell demolishing Shakespeare’s house in 1759, we thought we’d do a quick search for this tale in the Archive. Our search was fruitful, as we found this newspaper report (published in 1858) that describes how Gastrell’s ‘cultural vandalism’ resulted in him being ‘sent to Coventry’ by the good folk …
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We love all the stories (and photos) in the Archive about the suffragette movement. Here is a 1913 photo of Mrs ‘General’ Drummond and Miss Kenney planning a ‘militant campaign’. Interestingly and revealingly, many of the photos have ‘has since been arrested’ in the caption. Also included below is a photo of Mrs Despard addressing a crowd in Trafalgar Square – again, the caption mentions that she is now in prison. The third photo shows the deputation (a collective noun …
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To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’ve posted below three newspaper stories (from 1929) which contain reviews and thoughts on Virginia Woolf’s classic essay, “A Room of One’s Own”. Hull Daily Mail – Tuesday 26 November 1929 Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH …
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The painter and sculptor, Sir Edwin Landseer, was born in London on 7 March 1802. Landseer is best known for his sculptures of lions that guard and adorn Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square To celebrate the day, we’ve posted below a newspaper story which reports on the installation and unveiling of the lions in Trafalgar Square in 1867. …
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The Operas of Verdi The year 2013 is the bi-centenary of Verdi’s birth in 1813. He wrote a great number of operas. The celebrations this year reminds me of an early memory in operatic appreciation, when I attended a performance of Verdi’s Luisa Miller performed at Chelsea Town Hall, in the mid-1960s. I was struck by the power and inventiveness of Verdi, in his varied use of composition to supplement the drama. I have remained appreciative ever since, now preferring …
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On 6 March 1836, the Battle of the Alamo ended, following a 12-day battle between the Texan rebels and President General Santa Anna’s Mexican army. The battle resulted in the death of all the Texian defenders. To mark the day, we’ve posted below two newspaper stories from May 1836 that report on the end of the famous battle. The first tells us about the battle. A second article promoted the cause of Texas. Discover more about the Battle of …
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Saving Seamen’s Lives (part 2). Samuel Plimsoll – Blog #8 by Edmund King If you have ever stood during a gale, upon a cliff top anywhere round the coast of Britain, your thoughts inevitably turn to those out at sea. Many ships were driven ashore during storms, unable to combat the elements. The development of lighthouses round the coast of Britain in the 19th century greatly reduced the risks of ship running aground. But what of man-made indifference to the lives …