British Social History

This is the second part of the article about W.T. Stead.

Oct 31, 2005 - Viola Ashford

In 1885 all of England was shocked by a series of articles written by the famous journalist, W.T. Stead, exposing the extent of child prostitution.

Sep 30, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This is a review of the book, Capitalist Nigger, by Chika Onyeani.

Sep 9, 2005 - Viola Ashford

Did Richard III murder the little Princes?

Aug 30, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This is a summary of the history of the English music hall.

Jul 29, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This concerns some of the second generation of Romantic poets, namely Byron and Shelley.

Jun 30, 2005 - Viola Ashford

A review of Deborah Cannon's Writing Bestsellers

May 29, 2005 - Viola Ashford

An article about the history of tea in England.

Apr 29, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns the rise of the coffee house in England.

Mar 29, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This is a review of Dawn Whitmore's course: Catch the Wave: Become an E-Publisher

Feb 8, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This is about the Bayeux Tapestry which tells the story of the Norman invasion of England.

Jan 28, 2005 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns the Christmas Truce of WW1.

Dec 28, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This article is about the glamorous London Season in the nineteenth century.

Nov 30, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This is about the cruel treatment of chimney sweeps in Victorian times.

Oct 28, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns Almack's, an exclusive club in the Regency era.

Sep 25, 2004 - Viola Ashford

A review of the programme 'Regency House Party'.

Aug 25, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns that horrific institution, the English workhouse.

Jul 21, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This article describes the great MacDonald clan and their feud with the Campbell's.

Jun 30, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This is a short article about Viking culture.

May 26, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns 'Lawrence of Arabia' and Iraq.

Apr 30, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This is an article about Maria Fitzherbert, George IV's secret wife.

Mar 29, 2004 - Viola Ashford

The last part of my series about Nelson and Emma.

Feb 9, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This is the second part of my series about the great Lord Nelson and the love of his life, the beautiful Emma Hamilton.

Jan 26, 2004 - Viola Ashford

This is the story of the passionate love affair of Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton.

Dec 29, 2003 - Viola Ashford

Harriette Wilson, a beautiful English courtesan, lived a very interesting life.

Nov 28, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This is about the Iron Duke, the hero of Waterloo.

Oct 30, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns the glittering bohemians of the Bloomsbury set.

Oct 14, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This article is a review of the BBC series 'Cambridge Spies'.

Jul 31, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This article is about the great legal document, the Magna Carta.

Jun 30, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This is the last of my articles about Henry VIII's fascinating wives. Katherine Parr probably had the happiest life of all of them, but even her life had a sad end.

Jun 7, 2003 - Viola Ashford

Churchill between the Wars.

May 30, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This is the first part of the story of Winston Churchill.

Apr 3, 2003 - Viola Ashford

Eleanor of Aquitaine was a very powerful and interesting medieval Queen. This article tells you about her life.

Jan 30, 2003 - Viola Ashford

This is the tragic tale of the fifth wife, Katherine Howard.

Dec 30, 2002 - Viola Ashford

Continuing my series about Henry's six wives, this is the story of Anne of Cleves.

Nov 1, 2002 - Viola Ashford

This article tells the story of the Knights Templars.

Oct 1, 2002 - Viola Ashford

Jane Seymour was the most loved wife of Henry VIII. Although she sadly died very young, she gave Henry and the country their much longed-for Prince.

Jul 30, 2002 - Viola Ashford

Charlotte Gray will charm you and keep you riveted to your seat. An exciting movie about an SOS agent who becomes involved with the French Resistance, and a moving love story, this film is well worth seeing.

Jun 14, 2002 - Viola Ashford

This is the story of Anne Boleyn before she became Queen.

May 25, 2002 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns the Peasant's Revolt against King Richard II.

Apr 30, 2002 - Viola Ashford

Catherine of Aragon, although often considered humble and put-upon, fought for her rights and never gave in, although treated abominably. This is about her sad life.

Mar 31, 2002 - Viola Ashford

King Edward VIII made a painful decision - to give up his throne for the woman he loved. This article concerns the background to his decision.

Feb 28, 2002 - Viola Ashford

This is the first part of a series about King Edward VIII

Jan 31, 2002 - Viola Ashford

Queen Matilda, a strong and dominating woman, spent many years asserting her right to the English throne. This is her story.

Dec 14, 2001 - Viola Ashford

The Blitz was a dreadful time for Britain, especially in London. However, as the bombs rained down, day after day, night after night, the people remained determined to keep going. They never gave up, and, eventually, the Germans turned their attention, disastrously, to Russia. The courage of the British people when severely tested is worth remembering, especially in these troubled times.

Nov 15, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This is a special article written for the terrorism event. Certain opinions about the dreadful attacks on America annoyed me, and this is an argument against them.

Oct 20, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This is the third part of my series on the SOE. It is the story of how these brave men and women greatly assisted Operation Overlord by their resistance to the Germans.

Oct 12, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This is the second part of a series on the SOE.

Sep 4, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This article begins a series about the men and women of the SOE in World War Two. It concentrates on France.

Aug 7, 2001 - Viola Ashford

A description of the life of the lady of the castle.

Jul 2, 2001 - Viola Ashford

What was life like in a medieval castle? Why were they built? My article attempts to answer these questions.

Jun 2, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This article is about the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

May 1, 2001 - Viola Ashford

If the Stewarts had regained the English throne, the country's history would have been very different. This is the story of the Rising of the '45, in which Bonnie Prince Charlie came close to regaining the Kingdom.

Apr 2, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This is the first of a two-part series about the Jacobites. The legendary rebellion of the 'Forty-five' deserves an article of its own so I'll cover it next month.

Mar 2, 2001 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns Lord Erskine, the great Scottish advocate.

Feb 2, 2001 - Viola Ashford

What was Christmas like in medieval times? Did any of our customs originate then?

Dec 7, 2000 - Viola Ashford

Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated on November 5. Why did he intend to blow up Parliament? How did he get caught? This article answers these questions.

Oct 30, 2000 - Viola Ashford

What exactly was a knight? How were they trained? What did they do? This article deals with these topics.

Oct 1, 2000 - Viola Ashford

Did King Arthur exist? I find the legendary King Arthur more interesting, than any real one, but this is a fasinating question.

Sep 20, 2000 - Viola Ashford

Consuelo Vanderbilt was one of the beautiful and wealthy American women who married English noblemen in the late nineteenth century. More community minded than most, she devoted much of her time to 'good causes'.

Jul 1, 2000 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns the women who fought for the vote.

Jun 1, 2000 - Viola Ashford

My article this month is about Caroline Norton who changed English law so that married women had more rights over their children and their income.

May 3, 2000 - Viola Ashford

This article concerns the origins and customs of Easter, such as hot cross buns, eggs, and games.

Apr 1, 2000 - Viola Ashford

This is a book review of High Society by Venetia Murray.

Mar 1, 2000 - Viola Ashford

This article is for the Valentine's Day Event and is about Kate Greenaway, the famous children's book illustrator.

Feb 1, 2000 - Viola Ashford

This article tells how Christmas was abolished during the English Civil War.

Dec 30, 1999 - Viola Ashford

The article this month is for the Fin-de-Seicle event. I am interested in the fashions of the time.

Dec 6, 1999 - Viola Ashford

I am writing film reviews regularly now for a monthly magazine and have fallen a bit behind in my historical research. A film review seemed the best option this month!

Nov 1, 1999 - Viola Ashford

This is Part Two of my article concerning the real story behind 'The Winslow Boy'.

Oct 1, 1999 - Viola Ashford

I am joining the September event with an article about that endlessly fascinating family the Mitfords.

Aug 22, 1999 - Viola Ashford

The new film version of Terrence Rattigan's elegantly written play 'The Winslow Boy' is well worth seeing. This article tells the story of the real Winslow boy, George Archer-Shee.

Aug 2, 1999 - Viola Ashford

This month I am joining our 18th century event with my article on John Nash, the brilliant Regency architect.

Jul 1, 1999 - Viola Ashford

This month my article concerns the plight of women who worked in sweated industries in Edwardian times.

Jun 1, 1999 - Viola Ashford

Today is May 1, traditionally a joyous and festive day to celebrate the coming of spring. This article explains the origins of May Day.

May 1, 1999 - Viola Ashford

This article is about servants in the Edwardian era - the work they were required to do, and attitudes towards them, especially those of the aristocracy.

Apr 28, 1999 - Viola Ashford

This article is about the English aristocracy in the Edwardian era - the foundation of their power, their education and how they lived.

Mar 15, 1999 - Viola Ashford