Here for the History

When you find a coin down the back of the sofa, have you ever wondered where it came from? Do you know your farthings from your pennies? Your guineas from your pounds?

From ancient Lydia and Roman Britain to the founding of the Royal Mint and Decimalisation Day — Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson tell the story of how Brits started using coins and banknotes.

Key Sources:

Economica, Victoria Bateman.

Britain’s First Coins, Chris Rudd.

The Big Reset: War on Gold and the Financial Endgame, Willem Middelkoop.

Royal Mint Museum website.

Bank of England website.

British people have terrible teeth. That’s the stereotype - but is it true? And what’s the story behind it?

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton explore how Brits got a reputation for bad teeth thanks to our love of sugar, and we see how British and American teeth took wildly different paths after the Second World War.

Key Sources:

June Thomas - Journalist.

The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth - Decoder Ring podcast.

Drills, Dentures and Dentistry: An Oral History - BBC Four.

Dr Irwin Smigel - The Times.

Austin Powers bites back: a cross sectional comparison of US and English national oral health surveys - British Medical Journal.

Have you ever stopped to think about the technological marvel that is the modern toilet?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson chart a course from a Roman fort in Northumberland via Victorian London to a council flat in 20th century Glasgow. All to find out - when did we get flushing loos? And what happened to all that waste? Does it surprise you how recently these things became the norm? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to hit like, hype and subscribe if you’re Here for the History.

Key Sources

Conversations with Dr Stephen Halliday and Lee Jackson

Do you ever feel like work is taking over your life? Well, society didn’t always place so much value on work ethic.

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton uncover the surprising history behind our modern obsession with hard work.

First, medieval marriage reforms transformed people’s relationship with work. Then, monastic orders and the Protestant Reformation framed hard work as sacred. Finally, the industrial revolution kickstarted our modern fixation on productivity.

Key Sources:

The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous - Prof Joseph Henrich.

Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism - E. P. Thompson.

Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work - Richard Donkin.

The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism - Prof Richard Sennett.

Slavery, Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution - Prof Maxine Berg & Prof Pat Hudson.

For centuries leaving the house without a hat would be like leaving the house without your phone or keys - you simply wouldn’t do it. But these days, headwear is an optional add on - a fashion choice, a weather protector, or found on the head of a wedding guest.

Alice and Ben look under the brim of history to find out what on earth happened to the ubiquity of the hat?

We’ll cover a parent’s desperate tactic to keep a son out of trouble, there are highwaymen, practical jokes, and a British supermodel.

Key Sources: The Cultural, Social, and Ideological Role of the Hat in Early Modern England - Professor Bernard Capp Dress for Deference and Dissent: Hats and the decline of Hat Honour - Professor Penelope J. Corfield Hats - Fiona Clark

Dogs are man’s best friend - but has it always been that way?

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton look into how humans and dogs first got acquainted, we’ll hear about the tough lives of medieval dogs, and we’ll reveal how the Victorians forged our modern relationship with our canine friends.

This episode contains a brief description of cruelty to animals. Listener discretion is advised.

Key sources:

Collared: How We Made the Modern Dog - Professor Chris Pearson.

Man and the natural world: Changing attitudes in England 1500-1800 - Sir Keith Thomas.

The Hardworking Dogs of Medieval Europe - Livia Gershon.

Dog, Natural Histories - BBC Radio 4.

It was the vicar that did it! In the billiards room! With a candlestick!

To many fans of a murder mystery, this is perhaps a familiar sounding phrase from a classic “whodunit”. But just how did this endlessly popular genre come to be?

Alice and Ben leaf back through the pages of history to uncover just where “whodunits” came from, who invented them, and how they’ve endured centuries of changing tastes.

They will discuss multiple lines of inquiry; from our historical appetite for the gruesome and thrilling; to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Agatha Christie; and even the impact of the World Wars.

Key Sources: Agatha Christie: A Very Short Introduction - Professor Gill Plain The TV Crime Drama - Professor Sue Turnbull Forever England: Femininity, Literature, and Conservatism Between the Wars - Alison Light Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen - BBC / Lucy Worsley Caught in the Web of Words: Whodunit - Ken Liss

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton explore how Renaissance books on courtly conduct inspired an era of civility.

They untangle the 18th century age of politeness, and we’ll find out how the Victorians shaped the way we behave today.

But are manners getting worse?

Key Sources:

Sorry! The English and Their Manners - Henry Hitchings. In Pursuit of Civility: Manners and Civilization in Early Modern England - Keith Thomas. Thomas Hoby’s translation of Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier - Mary Partridge, The Historical Journal. The Duel in Early Modern England - Markku Peltonen. In Our Time, Politeness - BBC Radio 4.

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson dig through the folds of time to understand how Tartan became so woven into Scottish history.

Just how did the material become so intrinsically linked to the nation’s image?

It’s a winding and dramatic story. There’s an exiled prince, a romantic writer, a pair of charismatic brothers and a young queen. It’s a tale of ancient tradition, war and fakery.

Key Sources:

Tartan: The Highland Habit - Professor Hugh Cheape. National Museums Scotland. West Highland Museum.

How did the pub become so central to British culture?

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton reveal how women ran medieval alehouses, how the Reformation led to a golden age of boozers, and how competition from gin produced the iconic Victorian pub.

Key Sources:

Dr Paul Jennings - The Local: A History of the English Pub. Dr James Wright. Dr Peter Clark. Dr Mark Hailwood - Alehouses and Good Fellowship in Early Modern England.

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson delve into the history of the Union Jack - the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It’s one of the most recognisable British icons, but just why does it look the way it does? What’s the story behind the pattern?

We’ll get into the saintly foundations, the Stuarts, and of course the age old question - where on the flag is Wales?

Key Sources:

The Union Jack: The Story of the British Flag - Professor Nick Groom

Modern buildings are ugly - that’s what opinion polls suggest - but if it’s true, what’s the story behind it?

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton see how a Swiss architect turned the British establishment against traditional architecture, and how his followers rebuilt British cities in the hope of improving society.

For some, modern architecture is a crime against the public realm. For others, it’s iconic. Alice and Ben explore the debate over the decades.

Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel.

Key Sources:

A Short History of British Architecture: From Stonehenge to The Shard, Simon Jenkins The Modern British City 1945-2000, Otto Saumarez-Smith

Have you ever wondered why we get Saturday and Sundays off each week? Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson try to figure out who invented the weekend. We got Sunday, then Saturday afternoon.. Then finally the full two days - but how? We’ll be taking a look at the Medieval period, we’ll introduce you to an important clerk from the Industrial Revolution, and finally a few familiar names will round out the story. Key Sources Professor Nicholas Orme Dr Ilaria Bultrighini Brad Beaven BBC Who Do You Think You Are?: Series 13: Sir Ian McKellen

From royal coronations to criminal trials, the suit is men’s go-to uniform. But why?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson reveal the suit’s origins in the court of Charles II, how the original dandy Beau Brummell shaped men’s style to this day, and how sporty Victorians forged the modern suit.

But with the rise of working from home, are the suit’s days numbered?

Key sources: The Suit: Form, Function and Style, Christopher Breward Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s Men of Fashion, BBC Radio 4 A Stitch in Time, BBC FOUR This 19th-century London dandy caused a style revolution, National Geographic, 2019 Suitably Dressed, The Economist, 2010

For decades Brits have enjoyed package holidays in sunnier climes of Spain, in resort towns like Benidorm. But why is that? Where did the package holiday itself come from? Was it one person who invented it?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson unpack the stories which have all contributed to the success of the package holiday.

We’ll start our journey off in Victorian Britain, with a layover to visit a North London entrepreneur, before reaching our final destination of Franco-era Spain.

Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel.

Key Sources:

Thomas Cook: The Holiday-maker by Jill Hamilton A World Away: The British Package Holiday Boom, 1950-1974 by Michael John Law The New Elizabethans: Vladimir Raitz Witness History: The beginning of Benidorm

There’s a well known stereotype that Brits don’t show their emotions. George Gershwin even composed a song about the famous ‘Stiff Upper Lip’.

This week Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson delve into the history of emotions and ask where the British stiff upper lip came from.

We’ll hear how the French Revolution turned Brits against emotion, how the Victorians made repression a virtue, and why everything changed after World War II.

Key Sources Ian Hislop’s Stiff Upper Lip: An Emotional History of Britain, BBC Two Weeping Britannia: Portrait of a Nation in Tears, Prof Thomas Dixon History of Emotions Blog, Queen Mary Centre for the History of the Emotions Prof Julie-Marie Strange

To the frustration of many, a lot of women’s clothes don’t have pockets. But why on Earth is that the case? Especially when men’s clothing seems to be full of pockets.

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson track the tumultuous and muddy history of women’s pockets. From capacious beginnings, through many fashion changes, to suffragette campaigning and societal expectations.

Alice and Ben unpick the surprising moments of pocket history that have contributed to the inconsistency of these sewn-in marvels today.

KEY SOURCES: Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close by Hannah Carlson The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives by Arianne Fennetaux and Barbara Burman

Why are Brits so obsessed with football?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson explore the origins of football, how the game transformed from a gentleman’s hobby to the people’s game, and then how it became the most popular cultural phenomenon in the world.

Key sources: The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football - David Goldblatt The Association Game: A History of British Football - Matthew Taylor

Why do our spellings not match our pronunciations? Why are so many words just really weird?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take us on a whistle stop tour of some of the key moments that forged the English Language as we know it today.

We’ll be looking at Germanic and French invasions, the impact of a period of history called the Great Vowel Shift and Caxton’s first printing press, our ever-increasing vocabulary and, of course, the dictionaries that go with it.

Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel.

Key Sources: The English Language: A Historical Introduction - Professor Joan Beal and Dr Philip Shaw The Adventure of the English - Melvynn Bragg

Is British cooking a crime against food? Or is this a foreign plot to do down Britain? Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton investigate the history behind Britain’s culinary reputation. They explore how British aristocrats turned towards French food from the 1600s, while Britain’s peasant cuisine was crushed by the industrial revolution and land enclosures. Finally, they examine the enduring legacy of World War Two rationing. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel. Key Sources: English Food: A People’s History - Diane Purkiss Much Ado About Cooking - Sam Bilton Cooking & Dining in the Victorian Country House - Peter Brears Beef and Liberty - Ben Rogers The English Table: Our Food Through the Ages - Jill Norman