Britain is one of the last constitutional monarchies in the world, and the king or queen still plays a ceremonial role in the governance of the state. When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, she was bur

Ringed by lofty beech trees and standing alongside the ancient Ridgeway National Trail above the Vale of White Horse near the village of Ashbury, this impressive stone-chambered long barrow is over 5,

“One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb,” goes the old proverb. The meaning is simple: if you are going to be punished for a small crime, you may as well commit the bigger one. In the early

WHAT is the difference between an abbey and a priory? An abbey is a monastery led by an abbot or abbess, while a priory is a monastery headed by a prior or prioress. Typically, monks and nuns living i

I still remember the first time I saw the island. It was the summer of 2008 and I was standing on the shore of neighbouring Walney Island with nature guide and former Mayor of Barrow, John Murphy. We

I enjoyed reading the interesting article by Caitlin Ellis on the rivals for the throne in 1066 (October). In particular, it was fascinating to read about Edgar Ætheling’s claim, which was surely the