History Shorts: snippets of local history

Latest in the occasional series of history and archaeology news from the wires... 6 Jan 2026 A new study suggests that migration into England was a continuous process from the end of Roman rule through to the Norman Conquest, rather than a series of short, one-off events. Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge analysed chemical signatures in the tooth enamel of more than 700 individuals buried in England between AD 400 and 1100, alongside ancient DNA from over 300 skeletons. The results show people arriving from a wide range of regions, including Wales and Ireland, north west Europe, the Mediterranean and areas close to the Arctic Circle. The findings indicate steady population movement across the early medieval period, with a notable increase during the seventh and eighth centuries. While male migration was more common, significant female mobility was also identified, particularly in north east England, Kent and Wessex. The study also captured evidence of majo...

Around 6000 pillboxes likely remain in the UK, from maybe 18000-28000 constructed as anti-invasion fixed defence measures during the early years of the Second World War 1 . Two of these, at Portna Lock and Kilrea in County Derry, are physical reminders of how the River Bann valley in Northern Ireland was fortified during the conflict. Invasion was a real fear at this point of the war, especially in the aftermath of the  rapid German advance through France and the British retreat from Dunkirk. Initially concrete and steel were at the heart of the anti-invasion defence in both Northern Ireland and the wider UK. The result in Northern Ireland was a network of fixed positions built to slow any invasion pushing inland from the north coast. The pillbox at Portna Lock outside Kilrea stands near the lock gates on the Lower Bann, positioned to cover a vital point on the river network between Coleraine and Lough Neagh. The structure is a solid concrete design, with a forward-facing firing sl...

In the heart of Randalstown, County Antrim, a remarkable transformation has taken place. The imposing eight-arched railway viaduct, designed by the famed architect Sir Charles Lanyon and built by engineer William Dargan in the 1850s, has been revitalised into a beautiful urban green space. This is an example of an historical structure being reclaimed from its industrial past and potential decay or ruin, to become something positive for current and future communities. The viaduct, spanning the River Maine, carried its last trains in the 1950s, after which the tracks were lifted and a linking bridge over the main road removed. However, community efforts starting in the 1990s breathed new life into the structure, replacing the road bridge and clearing the overgrown viaduct to become a crucial part of a footpath and cycleway linking two ends of the town.  During the 2020s, it has been further transformed into a community garden, offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of da...

In 1907, Ireland’s ‘Crown Jewels’ vanished from a safe in Dublin Castle, four days before they were to be used during a state visit by King Edward VII.  Public domain image of the jewels from the police reward notice More than a century later, the mystery behind their disappearance remains unsolved, at least officially.  Suspicion continues to linger around Francis Shackleton, younger brother of the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton, despite being officially cleared by a commission of enquiry.  Did he pull off a heist under the nose of his colleague, friend and sometime housemate Sir Arthur Vicars? Sir Arthur was the Ulster King of Arms, or senior herald, responsible for the safe-keeping of the jewels and who was disgraced by their disappearance.  But why, more than 110 years later, are we still fascinated by this crime? Simply put, if these treasures still exist today, they would be worth millions.  So, what are the Irish Crown Jewels?  Officially called t...

"Then I found a two faced stone On burial ground, God-eyed, sex-mouthed, its brain A watery wound." — 'January God', by Seamus Heaney. In an apparently ancient cemetery on an island in Lower Lough Erne, county Fermanagh is a historical curiosity. The two-sided Boa Island figure is an enigma, even whether it is pagan Iron Age or early Christian (Caldragh cemetery has been dated to 400-800 AD). It's not really a Janus figure either but two separate figures standing back to back. Is one side male and one side female, as many think? Writing in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy in 1933, the Lady Dorothy Lowry-Corry described and published photographs of the carved stone, which she believed represented male effigies on both sides. In that she disagreed with George Du Noyer who had first officially recorded the figure in a sketch in 1841 (not very accurately, she said). In her photos, the stone is very noticeably askew and partially sunk in the ground. She also...

The Maritime Mile is a heritage trail alongside the River Lagan in Belfast, connecting key sites from the city’s seafaring and shipbuilding past with striking public art and storytelling, culminating in the Titanic Quarter, home to Titanic Belfast and a host of other historic attractions. Another eye-catching feature is the Glass of Thrones trail – a series of stained-glass panels celebrating the fantasy series filmed in nearby Titanic Studios. Here is the Stark Window, with its vivid imagery of direwolves, northern landscapes, tragedy and battle - a dramatic tribute and a popular photo stop. The Stark window with Titanic Belfast in the background Nearby on Donegall Quay, a public space opposite the Custom House blends historic and contemporary Belfast. A red buoy—once used in Belfast Lough— is repurposed here as public art, while the Salmon of Knowledge sculpture (better known as the Big Fish) stands where the hidden Farset River flows into the Lagan, telling the story of Belfas...

Today, just six species of sloth remain, split between two families: two-toed and three-toed. But in prehistoric times, sloths were far more diverse—and some were massive compared to the tree-dwellers we know now. If you’ve been to the Natural History Museum in London, you might have seen the striking replica skeleton* of Megatherium americanum , one of these ancient giants. New research from a team of scientists from the Americas sheds light on how these now-extinct sloths reached such impressive sizes—and why they eventually vanished. Bigger sloths, grounded lives Unlike modern sloths, which live exclusively in trees, the largest prehistoric species were ground-dwellers. Some were tall enough to pull leaves from treetops while standing upright. Megatherium , for example, lived in the grasslands of South America until about 10,000 years ago. Fossil footprints from Argentina suggest it walked on hind legs, using its tail for balance. The scientists analyzed ancient DNA and more th...

T he diaries of 17th century Oxford antiquarian Anthony Wood offer a fascinating glimpse into academic and social life in the university city, with a mixture of history, commentary and anecdotal material.  A new kind of feaver One particularly curious entry caught my eye: Memorandum, Friday, Aug 14 1657, Mrs Read of Ipston departed this life, who three weeks before her death was taken with a fit of vomitting and vomitted a live spider. Her name was Acton before she married. This summer rages a new kind of feaver, especially in the country villages. — Excerpt from The Life and Times of Anthony Wood, Antiquary of Oxford (1632–1695), Described by Himself, Vol. I (1632–1663), collected from his diaries and other papers by Andrew Clark, M.A., Fellow of Lincoln College, published 1891. Concern for illness is a common theme in 17th-century diaries but I will assume the note about a live spider is drawn from local hearsay as opposed to being a symptom of a "new kind of feaver". The I...

As a cycling fan, it was a bit of a thrill once to cycle down the dreaded Arenberg trench, a legendary cobbled segment of the Paris-Roubaix spring classic. That I was on a hired city bike with a front basket was only partly the reason why I mostly cycled on the much safer dirt track alongside the pavé... In this part of the Nord-Pas de Calais we are deep in coal-mining country. The Arenberg trench, Trouée d'Arenberg-Wallers (official name the Drève des Boules d’Hérin), is a 2.3km road that cuts straight through the Arenberg forest on the edge of a large mine. The segment was only introduced to the Paris-Roubaix race in 1968 but has become a permanent fixture - apart from one year when surface damage caused by the collapse of abandoned subterranean mining tunnels was finally deemed bad enough to warrant repair. It's been the site of notable crashes over the years and can make or break a rider's day very easily. I'm glad to report however that our hired bicycles were safe...

It sometimes doesn't feel real: I lived through an actual pandemic, what should be the stuff of history or fiction. I know I'm reflecting from a place of privilege even saying that. Five years ago today the British government announced lockdown restrictions as part of a "huge national effort" to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Many vulnerable people had been effectively under lockdown before then. In the period that followed some didn't feel the need for restrictions or vaccinations.  Was it too late? Was it a step too far? Historians will look back and draw different conclusions. As a society we're still dealing with the aftermath of the virus, the restrictions, the conspiracy theories, the mental health issues, our approach to collective responsibility, the realities of hybrid working - positive for me and many others, not so much for some. We can say the pandemic deepened existing inequalities and exposed vulnerabilities in our health and social care...

A sign in the little village of Corfe Castle in Dorset proclaims that Edward the Martyr, King of Wessex, was treacherously stabbed by his stepmother Elfrida (also Ælfthryth or Alfrida) in AD 978. What evidence is there that the evil stepmother did it? Well, none of course! Edward's reign was short, lasting less than three years before his violent death. Byrhtferth, writing around 1000, is an almost contemporary source. He describes the murder as an act of treachery but does not name Ælfthryth as responsible:  One day towards evening the remarkable and elected king, seeking the consolations of brotherly love, arrived at the house where his beloved brother was living with the dowager queen, as we have said. The magnates and leading men went to meet him, as was only fitting; he [the younger son] remained inside with the dowager queen, his mother. Those magnates had agreed among themselves a wicked plot: they were possessed of so damnable an intention and so murky and diabolical a blin...

It's now associated around the world with Guinness, wearing green, and claiming a bit of Irish ancestry. But the feast day of Saint Patrick, 17 March, should perhaps be a more sombre affair - this after all is considered to be the date of the saint's death.  While 17 March is the accepted date, the actual year varies and could be 461, 492 or 493. Patrick is generally credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century of the Common Era, though he either followed in the footsteps of Palladius or was one and the same as Palladius - the later Annals of Ulster seem to mix the two. Muirchú, writing a hagiography in the late seventh century, tells us that an angel came to St Patrick to tell him about his death, and that he shouldn't make his way to his 'beloved' Armagh to die but go to Saul (near present-day Downpatrick and where he perhaps founded his first church after returning to Ireland on his Christian mission). "Return therefore as I tell you, ...

It caught my eye while driving past on a visit to the area—a tree-topped mound outside Portglenone with a slight but distinct dominance over the surrounding landscape. Given its location near the River Bann, long associated with early settlement in Ireland, I assumed it might be a prehistoric hillfort. But it’s not listed on the Atlas of Hillforts of the UK and Ireland . Still, it seemed the site, officially called Knockanhead (the flat-topped hillock), and known locally as Clement’s Hill , had a story to tell. Historical maps offered bare facts. It was recorded as 102 feet on the Ordnance Survey First Edition (1829–1835), though later editions round it down to 100 feet. PRONI’s historical map viewer however referenced something more intriguing - an entry on the  Sites and Monuments Record of Northern Ireland (SMR )  describing it as an earthwork and a “possible military encampment”. It was just a hint, but a vivid one. The SMR draws from the Ordnance Survey Memoirs , which ...

The early Christian figure known today as St David was canonised and declared patron saint of Wales in the 12th century more than 500 years after his death (supposedly on 1 March 589). Today's St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire stands on the site of a monastic community founded by David in the 6th century. He was an important figure in the region well before canonisation, certainly if the story of a visit to the site by William the Conqueror is true. His canonisation probably helped cement Norman influence in the region. The pope who canonised him, Callixtus, declared St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire as a place of pilgrimage so important that two pilgrimages here were equivalent to one in Rome.  And it effectively remains a place of pilgrimage today, albeit for tourists as well as worshippers. The Shrine of St David was constructed in the 12th century but damaged during the Reformation. The version seen today is a 21st century restoration, featuring icons by artist ...

Or, The brief existence and mysterious demise of Littletown Site of Littletown (Destroyed A.D. 1838). Image: CC-BY NLS It’s clearly marked on OS maps from the 19th and 20th century: Littletown, Destroyed A.D 1838. It sounds dramatic, right? An official record of a noteworthy event. At the very least, something that would warrant a mention in a local newspaper. Well, apparently not. Indeed, evidence of Littletown’s actual existence is scant, never mind its apparently sudden demise.  Location, location, location  The site where Littletown (sometimes Little Town) once stood is in present-day Oxfordshire, though in an area that was part of Berkshire until 1974. Its location is close to the river Thames, on the northern edge of Little Wittenham parish on its boundary with Long Wittenham parish. The nearby pair of wooded hills known as Wittenham Clumps or Sinodun Hills, one of which was the site of an Iron Age hillfort, are a familiar landmark. The wider area has yielded Bronze Age,...

My first encounter with the Tandragee stone idol was with a replica in the Ulster Museum in Belfast. Replica in Ulster Museum (author's photo, all rights reserved) This curious little figure probably caught my eye because of its name, Tandragee being the village best known as the Northern Irish home of Tayto potato crisps. Peering at the figure a little more closely it seemed to be clutching its left arm (so I thought) with what looked like a smile, sitting beside another stone figure of a bear-like animal. I was astonished to discover that the original Tandragee idol wasn’t in another museum but had a much more unlikely home. Beneath a plaque commemorating a late 19th century archbishop of Ireland, worshippers and visitors to St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh can see the Tandragee idol in all its glory sitting on a low stone plinth in a side aisle. The cathedral houses other pre-Christian idols in its crypt (judging by photos on Flickr, these have also been on dis...

Though technically within the boundaries of Oxford city, Iffley retains a distinct village charm and historical significance of its own, most notably through its remarkably well-preserved Norman church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Perched on the east bank of the River Thames (or, Isis in this stretch), Iffley sits safely above the river, approximately two miles downstream of Oxford. The origins of Iffley can be traced back to the chronicles of Abingdon Abbey in the 940s, where it was referred to as Gifteleia. In the Domesday Book in 1086, it was called Givetelei , with "ley" likely deriving from the Saxon term for cleared ground. The name transitioned through Iftele in the 13th century and to Iffley in the 16th century. Evidence of even older settlements is abundant: a sixth-century Saxon brooch found in Iffley is now housed in the British Museum, while nearby Roman pottery sites and Neolithic artifacts hint at a site with a long history. A timeless masterpiece  Dating ...

The Crumlin Road Gaol in north Belfast, built to designs by celebrated architect Sir Charles Lanyon, received its first prisoners (106 in number, marched in procession in chains) in 1846, succeeding Carrickfergus as the new Antrim County Gaol. Directly opposite, also from Lanyon designs, the grander Crumlin Road Courthouse was built at the same time. The new prison initially housed women and children as well as male prisoners. It was divided between four wings (A–D), each three stories high, and each holding different categories of prisoner (remand, sentenced, lifer, long-term prisoner).   These two buildings of course transformed the justice system in Belfast but also the Crumlin Road itself, formerly an area of gentlemen's residences and now an important thoroughfare for a rapidly growing city.  Crumlin Road gaol remained in use until 1996 when the last prisoners were moved out of a now crumbling building. In the intervening years, more than 25,000 prisoners, inclu...