Dog dung used to make books look good!
The worst job in Victorian London was that of Pure Finder – somebody who went round collecting dog dung for a living
2019
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Victorian slang for beginners!
If you would like to talk like a Victorian Londoner is a Charles Dickens novel then read this
Top five weird saints in the Catholic church
Many Catholic saints died in weird ways as Tony McMahon discovers on the Beardy History blog
Homosexuality and the abuse of psychology
Psychology is a relatively news science and in its first decades was very hostile to homosexuality as Tony McMahon discovers
2019 – a busy year for me on history TV programmes!
Tony McMahon calls himself the bearded historian and appears on history TV programmes making the subject fun and accessible to global audiences
Muslim Spain – heaven or hell for Jews and Christians?
Life for Christians and Jews in Muslim controlled Spain has often been portrayed as one of joyful tolerance but that may not be true, according to a new book
Gruesome body of a saint on display!
The dismembered body of Saint John Southworth can be seen displayed in Westminster Cathedral in London – a victim of the Cromwellian persecution of Catholics
Why I prefer Roundheads to Royalists
As BBC Four broadcasts a new series on King Charles I, Tony McMahon asks whether we should side with Roundheads or Royalists
Victorian movies from the 19th century!
The idea of Victorian movies may seem weird – people in the 19th century able to watch films – and yet it actually happened! We’ve grown up with TV and film so the idea of living in a world were there are no recorded motion pictures would seem bizarre – even more so with our…
Lies told about Women in History!
Powerful women in history have been subject to lies and myths like Lucrezia Borgia accused of being a serial poisoner with no evidence