History LIVE!

Yesterday I drove to Kelmarsh Hall in Northampton for the History Live! festival, the best weekend of the year! Organised by English Heritage, there are numerous events covering British and international history from the ancient world to the c.20th century. Re-enactors flock from across the world to this festival to take part in battles and demonstrations. During the day, I watched re-enactments of the Battle of Hastings, the Battle of Tewkesbury (the War of the Roses), a demonstration of WW1 tactics and weaponry, a medieval joust an assault on Fort McHenry in the War of 1812, men fighting in the gladiatorial arena, and a D-Day drop with allied soldiers parachuting into the parade ground. A range of fantastic events! The joust was particularly good, as the men go all out - it looks easy but it takes a great deal of skill riding the horses and aiming the lance, as well as you know, not getting smacked in the face. A couple of years ago one of the riders told me his armour cost £15,000 (!) so clearly, it's not just a hobby for these guys.

The weekend is a great example of Public History. It's about engaging people of any age, through visual activities, through fun and education. Each event had a narrator telling the audience what was going on, what weapons were being used and what happened at that time and after. History by the experts, with few compromises. What could be better?

It's incredibly inspiring not only to see the passion of the re-enactors but how much children enjoy the various events. I saw little boys and girls dressed as Romans running after Gladiators, sword and shield in hand, others playing Victorian games or cheering their favourite knight in the joust. I'm really passionate about bringing history to a public audience, particularly children, and English Heritage do it so well.

The best day out of the year.

Adventures in the Deep South

On the 24th July, I will be heading to the Deep South for a month and a half - I begin my journey in Charlotte, North Carolina, and fly out of New Orleans at the end of August. This will be my first trip solo, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the historical sites of Charleston, Savannah, the antebellum trail and of course, New Orleans...I'm taking a travel diary (it's easier to write stuff down rather than typing it on my phone) but I can't wait to experience the culture, the food, and hopefully chat to as many people as possible about the history of the South and what has shaped their consciousness. Slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction - my favourite era in American history changed the nature of that country for ever.

Here's to Summer 2013...

Indian Skywalkers

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/06/30/quebec_mohawks_history_towers_over_new_york.html

This is a really interesting article about the history of the Mohawk people, and how they helped to build the dramatic skyline you see in New York today. Several Mohawk construction workers were on hand to finish the spire on top of the new World Trade Centre, a fitting tribute to their ancestors' role in not only building the original building, but also the first skyscrapers in that beautiful city.

This story caught my eye because I have already written about this subject before. A few years ago, I wrote an app about the skyscrapers of New York and stumbled across this incredible story. Here is what i wrote:

One group of Americans have become particularly associated with building skyscrapers in New York. The Mohawks, an American Indian nation from the Northeast, came to be known as “Indian skywalkers”, a testament to their bravery and skill when building infamous sites such as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler, the Rockefeller Center, the George Washington Bridge and the Henry Hudson Bridge. A large population of the Mohawks, or Caughnawagas, live on the Caughnawaga reservation near Montreal. Generations of Mohawks have worked on skyscrapers since the early 1920’s, often emigrating from their reservation in Canada. Indeed, their efforts have become synonymous with the industrialisation and growth of modern America. In 1886, the Dominion Railroad Company wanted to build a bridge over the St Lawrence River near Montreal, and since it was through Mohawk land, the tribe demanded that the company hired some of their men as construction workers. A company spokesman noted that it “was impossible to keep them off”. Their reputation for ironwork (and excellent balance) grew, and twelve Mohawks were trained and employed by the company. They became known as the “fearless wonders”. Some young men were keen to learn ironwork for a chance to prove their bravery and skill, particularly on construction sites hundreds of meters from the ground. Many left to pursue careers as steelworkers in the cities, and by the 1920’s, most travelled to New York or Chicago. Mohawks often took the most dangerous jobs, including riveting, working in small groups with members of their kin. In the 1950’s, over seven hundred Mohawk families were located in Brooklyn. Ten years later however, improved transport routes between Canada and New York meant that Mohawk ironworkers could commute to the city, and hundreds returned home. After the terrorist attacks in 2001, many Mohawk steelworkers rushed to help survivors, and helped to disassemble what their ancestors had constructed. For many Mohawk tribesmen, steelwork and ironwork has become a tradition. 

Stunning '3D' pictures of WW1 soldiers

This article includes some fascinating images of soldiers during World War 1. The way in which they flicker from side to side makes it easier to imagine standing in trench or supporting that wounded comrade...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357366/The-3D-Stereoscopic-images-World-War-One-Canadians-attic.html

The new currency...

During my lunch break at work today I read that women are not to be included on the new British banknotes.  I am not a "bra-burning feminist" but how irritating! Of course, the new favourite is Winston Churchill.

Apparently, the criteria required is that the historical figure must be dead, not controversial, he or she must have contributed to British society and thus would be a recognisable figure to hundreds of people. How many women have influenced British society, the economy, and the political world? Thousands. Here are just a few I have thought of - Rosalind Franklin, who helped discover DNA; Mary Wollestonecraft, mother of Mary Shelley, was the first female feminist who wrote 'A Vindication of the Rights of Women' in 1792; Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman in Britain to become a doctor; Elizabeth Blackwell, born in England, was the first woman in America to become a doctor (who bravely sheltered African American patients during the violent Draft Riots in New York 1863) - the list is endless!

Most people may not have heard of these women. But few have probably heard of Elizabeth Fry, the famous c19th social reformer who is currently on the £5 banknote. So why not use one of these women? And the issue of controversy? While Churchill is the obvious choice for the Tories, he remains a very controversial figure for his role in the bloody fiasco that was Gallipoli, as well as the nasty negotiations with the miners.

And it does not surprise me there are no black men or women. What about Mary Seacole??!

Hopefully in the not so distant future this will change.

WW1 Plans Unveiled

This week the government unveiled plans to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. The Queen will lead some of the events, including a ceremony at Glasgow Cathedral. Between 1914-1918, nearly ten million soldiers were killed before Armistice Day on 11 November.

Over £10 million is being injected into the arts, including drama and music projects. Trips to WW1 battlefields in France and Belgium are also being planned.

Unsurprisingly, the commemorations are being used for political gains. The Tories are hoping to use the events to raise support for a United Kingdom in the face of debates of Scottish independence.

See some of the plans via this link - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/10108162/First-World-War-centenary-plans-revealed.html

Mary Rose Museum!

The new museum to the Mary Rose in Portsmouth opened last week. Naval history doesn't exactly thrill me but the museum looks fantastic and I can't wait to have a look round. Conservationists have carefully planned the exhibition for years and after 35million pounds of investment, one hopes that this will be one of the best maritime heritage sites in the country. I'm particularly looking forward to learning more about the crew. Forensic scientists worked with bodies found at the site to sketch a picture of what the crew would have looked like. It's fascinating what the scientists have discovered - their positions on the ship and their health at the time of death, for example. 

The Mary Rose sank five hundred years ago, and legend has it, that Henry VIII watched in horror as his favourite ship was destroyed before his eyes. It was rediscovered in the Solent in the 1980s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-22639505

New slave quarters to be preserved near White House

First Lady Michelle Obama has praised the decision to preserve slave quarters near the White House, Washington D.C. Decatur House - a National Trust site - is "vital to national memory" and new funds will help develop the house into a museum and educate children about the legacy of slavery not just in D.C., but in the America as a whole.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/michelle-obama-lauds-preservation-of-dc-slave-quarters-says-its-vital-to-national-memory/2013/05/22/f75d276e-c304-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html

Mapping WW1 sites in the UK - a great Public History project

Next year, the centenary of the start of World War One will be marked in various ways across the country. A fantastic public history project (run by the Council for British Archaeology and English Heritage) aims to map the important WW1 sites on British soil, including ammunition factories, hospitals (like Wrest Park in Bedfordshire) and army camps. (Craiglockhart will also feature, as a hospital in this Scottish area treated soldiers with shell shock including the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.) These sites will be collected in an online database that will be fully accessible to the public throughout 2014-2018. The CBA ran a similar project for World War Two sites, that ended in 2002 (it's a shame this had to 'end', as it would be an excellent resource for schools. Why couldn't this be turned into an online database too?) Quite rightly, historians have said that most people think of WW1 sites as the trenches in France, and this project seeks to challenge this.

This sounds fantastic and I can't wait to see the results!

Slave Cabin to be transported to museum in D.C.

An antebellum slave cabin from South Carolina is being transferred to the new African American museum in Washington D.C. The Edisto Island Historical Society have donated the two-room cabin, and it is a perfect opportunity to "humanise slavery, to personalize the life of the enslaved and frame this story as one that has shaped us all." The cabin is too fragile for visitors to enter it, but curators are working on an exhibit that will allow people to see it from three different levels. The cabin is currently situated on the site of an old cotton plantation that was abandoned during the Civil War; most of the enslaved people escaped to freedom.

As well as the cabin, highlights of the museum will include a Harriet Tubman's shawl, Nat Turner's bible and an aeroplane used by the Tuskegee Airmen. This sounds FANTASTIC.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/antebellum-slave-cabin-in-sc-to-be-restored-for-african-american-history-museum/2013/05/14/6e4458c6-bcbf-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

A Historic Day Out

I haven't written in my blog for a while, and usually I don't write about 'history days out' although it seems like a sensible thing to do. But today reignited that desire to write some stuff about history, because, not only did I have a really good day nerding out, but there is a lot I can write about.

So, on a freakishly cold Easter morning, my family drove to Windsor Castle. I had never been there before, but it was incredible (albeit very expensive). Walking past the 800 year old walls of the castle, watching the Changing of the Guard and marvelling at the silver-gilted doors and windows made me proud to be British. We have a fantastic history, one that should be recognised as having light and dark moments, but it is fascinating to consider our traditions and how long they have been performed. 

British monarchs have lived at Windsor for a thousand years, and I thought it was quite fitting that on the day we visited, the Royal Standard was flying over the tower, a clear sign that the Queen was present. The State Apartments and the Chapel were incredibly beautiful and interesting, though the best part for me was learning about the Order of the Garter and the traditions that came with it. In the chapel, the sigil of the Knights are placed around the choir, with half drawn swords that symbolise their readiness to aid the Queen at the drop of a shiny helmet.

After a F*!fdjf** cold walk around Windsor, we drove to Basildon Park, a National Trust house and garden. I've been to quite a few properties now - the National Trust does irritate the crap out of me sometimes but I love looking around a large house and learning the history of the people who lived upstairs and downstairs. (My ancestors were farmers and servants, so I'm definitely with the downstairs lot.) It was simple and elegant, in the Palladian style (oh lord I sound like a swot. This style was basically popular in the eighteenth century and is very classical, as opposed to the dark and gothic Victorian style a century later). As per usual, the dining room and bedrooms were hugely expensive and spacious, and the house contained traditional rooms such as a shell room (apparently it was cool to collect shells and fossils from all around the world in the 1700s) and an octagonal room to entertain people. That stab of annoyance I find about the NT always rears its head though - the history of the house is not told very effectively. Granted there are a lot of stories to tell, but there was no information about how the house was transformed into an army convalescence hospital during the First World War, and there were few details about the Americans who were stationed there during the Second World War. Despite this, without a doubt, it was the most beautiful house I ever visited, and I can't wait to go back on a warmer day when I can wear one layer instead of twenty five.

Anger at Proposals to Sell Wounded Knee

In 2006, I visited Wounded Knee, South Dakota. It was a grim few hours, as the site is part of the Pineridge Indian Reservation, and home to hundreds of impoverished Native Americans. In 1890, three hundred men, women and children were massacred by General Custer's old regiment, the US 7th Cavalry in what is widely regarded as the last battle in the 'Indian Wars'. Little remains at the Wounded Knee site today, apart from a lone cemetery on top of a small hill. A museum dedicated to the massacre, lies several miles away.

In recent months, there have been several calls to sell the land, much to the anger of the Native Americans on the reservation. The asking price of $3million will never be enough to compensate for the lives lost on that cold, December day in 1890.

But what should the local residents do? The Oglala Sioux tribe, who live on the reservation, are millions of dollars in debt and would have to borrow money to fight off investors. Should they develop the land for tourism, or continue to use the land in memoriam of those that died?

When visiting historic sites, you can sense that something took place there. That feeling is ever present at Wounded Knee, but there is an added weight to it: a heavy realisation that the conflicts of the past are ever present today. Driving through that dusty reservation is not something I am likely to forget. Thousands of Native Americans live in poverty, as a direct result of the government's policies in the nineteenth century. These debates show that in all corners of the world, history is very much alive, and often, it is painful and difficult.