In 1740, Samuel Richardson published Pamela, a novel purporting to be the letters of a young woman. In 1748, he followed this up with Clarissa, written on the same principle.
Richardson’s subjects were fake. But the activity he showed them engaging in was very real. The creation of reliable and regular postal services after the English Civil War led to an explosion in letter writing, especially for women. Through letters they could build and maintain relationships, share opinions on society or politics and reflect on life. Just as we do through messaging platforms or social media today. Indeed the intimacy and information contained within those letters could even provoke questions on how those letters  should be handled after death.
Collections of those letters which do survive provide historians with a remarkable insight into the lives of people - and particularly women - within this period.
Guest
Dr Natasha Simonova is a writer and academic specialising in English literature in the long 18th century. She is currently working on a book called The Grey Ladies: The Secret Lives of 18th-Century Women.
Cats present
Cecilia, Penny (Guest kitty)
Useful links
Natasha’s website: https://natashasimonova.com
Publishing 18th Century Women’s Manuscript letters (conference talk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BM0rCa4JUo&t=15895s
Pamela by Samuel Richardson: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6124

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In 1975, three young men sat in a grotty flat in West London decided to launch a games company. Over the next few years, they would find themselves at the centre of the growing revolution in roleplay, and then miniature gaming. Today, we’re going to talk about the history of Games Workshop and the universe it launched: Warhammer

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Lythe and listin

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Ask most people to describe a pirate and their ship, and they’ll likely conjure up an image of an eye-patch-wearing man commanding a huge ship. An image that, in most cases, could not be farther from the truth.

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The 16th Century saw a two way exchange of objects, ideas and people between Europe and the Americas to a far greater extent than is often understood.

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The discovery of Radium in 1898 opened up new frontiers of science and medicine. But the sheer difference between the behaviour of radium and every element that had been discovered before, led to wild claims about its properties.

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The period of the Second Temple was a time of cultural change for Jewish communities, including in how they regarded concepts such as magic and demons. But evidence for what that meant on the ground was limited until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946, and the wealth of scholarship that followed.

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Jesus in flowing robes. Mary, his mother, in a veil. Mary Magdalene in red with loose flowing hair. Even the disciples in short tunics bare-headed. All these, and more, are part of the standard iconography of Christianity.

Yet both here, and with Roman or Greco-Roman people in this period in general, many of our ideas about daily dress and styling are wrong.

Today, we’re going to dig into what everyday dress was like in ancient Judea and beyond, busting some myths while also showing that, in many ways, people then saw fashion no differently from how we do today.

Guest

Cats present

Useful links

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The withdrawal of Rome from Britain in the 4th Century wasn’t quick. The slow decline created an environment in which small kingdoms and communities emerged as independent, or semi-independent states. Today, we’re going to explore those lost kingdoms of Great Britain.

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Between 1936 and 1939, Nazi Germany operated the thirds largest whaling fleet in the world. Its giant processing ships roamed the Antarctic, almost driving the Blue Whale to extinction. All to make one vital product: margarine.

Nazi Germany was not the only nation to take up whaling on an industrial scale. In the 1930s, Great Britain and Germany bought almost 85% of all whale oil in the world. The Nazi obsession with national self-sufficiency led to them becoming one of the top whaling nations in just a few short years. It also created a Nazi strategic obsession with antarctica that continues to fuel conspiracy theories today.

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Host: Gareth Edwards

More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host

To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters

Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member.

Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypalMerchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/allOur WW1 Podcast: https://listen.not-so-quiet.com/Our WW2 Podcast: https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.comBattle Guide YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT

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General Enquiries: [email protected]

Credits:

- Host: Gareth Edwards

- Editing : Hunter Christensen

- Production: Linus Klaßen

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