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British History

Experts believe the Neolithic dog is the first canine to undergo forensic facial reconstruction

Thanks to Facial Reconstruction, You Can Now Look Into the Eyes of a Neolithic Dog

The collie-sized canine was buried in a cavernous tomb on Scotland’s Orkney Islands around 2,500 B.C.

New Research

Computer Analysis Says ‘Beowulf’ Is the Work of a Single Author

Academics have argued about the origins of the Old English epic for two centuries

Adam Smith and William Shakespeare

How the Invisible Hand of William Shakespeare Influenced Adam Smith

Born more than 150 years apart, the two British luminaries each encountered rough receptions for their radical ideas

Artist's depiction of "Henry," a teenaged sailor on the Mary Rose.

Cool Finds

DNA Shows Ethnically Diverse Crew Sailed Henry VIII’s Flagship

The research on the skeletons found near the wreck suggests there were sailors and marines on board who came from North Africa and the Mediterranean

New Research

Stonehenge Pig Roasts Drew People From All Over Neolithic Britain

Isotopic analysis of pig bones in feasting sites near the monument show people were traveling as far as Scotland with their own pigs

Virginia Woolf (pictured above), Margaret Kennedy, Rebecca West, Stella Benson and Hilaire Belloc are amongst the writers who answered the survey

Literary Confessions Penned by Virginia Woolf, Margaret Kennedy Unearthed

10 prominent English writers answered a 39-question survey detailing their opinions of literary predecessors and peers

Illustrated Police News periodical detailing the murders

New Book Chronicles the Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Victims

Contrary to popular belief, the five women were not all prostitutes, but rather individuals down on their luck

The bluestone quarry at Carn Goedog.

New Research

Secrets of Stonehenge Found in Quarries 180 Miles Away

Archaeologists believe the builders popped out “ready-made” bluestones at a quarry in Wales and dragged them overland to Salisbury

Author Charles Dickens (1812-1870) pictured with his wife, Catherine Dickens (1815-1879), and two of their daughters, seated in a horsedrawn carriage, circa 1850.

Trove of Letters Reveal Charles Dickens Tried to Lock His Wife Away in an Asylum

Catherine’s side of the breakup tale comes back with vengeance thanks to new analysis of 98 previously unseen missives

The three-seater was unearthed from the banks of the River Fleet between the late 1980s and early 1990s

12th-Century Toilet Flush With New Lease on Life

The three-holed oak plank seat likely served a tenement building owned by a capmaker and his wife

Antique dealer Ian Coulson purchased the bed, then advertised as a Victorian era frame, for £2,200 in 2010.

Cool Finds

Henry VII’s Marriage Bed May Have Spent 15 Years in a British Hotel’s Honeymoon Suite

Some experts say the ornately carved oak bed was commissioned for the wedding of the first Tudor king and his queen, Elizabeth of York

Gary Brannan, archivist, and Professor Sarah Rees Jones examine one of the archbishops' registers.

A Medieval Nun Wanted to Escape Her Convent—so She Faked Her Death

This story and others have come to light during a project to translate and digitize a series of texts about archbishops in York, England

Cool Finds

Drone Captures Thousands of Years of Archaeology on Remote Scottish Islands

A drone survey of Canna and Sanday Islands collected 420 million data points, creating what may be the most detailed 3-D map of islands yet

Charred residue containing evidence of beer making.

Cool Finds

Oldest Evidence of British Beer Found in Highway Dig

Charred residues show cracked grain and starch molecules likely used as part of a beer brewing session in 400 B.C.

The chart was hidden amongst a trove of rolled-up papers in the school's chemistry building

Cool Finds

Periodic Table Found During Routine Cleaning at Scottish University May Be World’s Oldest

The chart, believed to date to 1885, was unearthed from storage room in the chemistry building at the University of St. Andrews

Why Were Two Victorian Chess Pieces Hidden in a Barn?

They may have been intended to protect the property’s human and animal inhabitants from evil spirits

Cromwell is a divisive figure alternately remembered as a heroic leader and a ruthless war criminal

Why British Lawmakers Are Fighting Over a Bust of Oliver Cromwell

It started in the fall of 2017

Founded in 1975, the space boasts a collection of some 7,000 books, 1,500 periodicals, and reams of pamphlets and assorted ephemera

London’s Feminist Library Lives

A successful crowdfunding campaign saved the institution from closure and is financing its move to a new space

On January 19, Borthwick Castle will host a six-course medieval banquet complemented by talks from local historians

How to Enjoy a Medieval Feast at Borthwick Castle, Former Refuge of Mary, Queen of Scots

The special event is timed to coincide with the U.K. release of the Stuart queen’s latest biopic

Heavily Abridged ‘Slave Bible’ Removed Passages That Might Encourage Uprisings

The rare artifact is the focus of a new exhibition at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

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