Hello!

Hello and welcome to All Things History – brought to you by HistFest.

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to subscribe to the newsletter. Starting something new is always a little daunting, but it has been wonderful to see just how many people on this platform have an appetite for history.

Because this is the first post, it’s going to be rather atypical, so I hope you can bear with me. I thought it might be polite to start by introducing myself and All Things History, before asking you a question.

My name is Rebecca Rideal, and I am the founder of HistFest – one of the UK’s leading history festivals. The festival began life in 2018 and has evolved into an important marker in the social calendar for all those interested in history. Special standalone events take place throughout the year, but the main festival takes place each April at the British Library in London. In fact, I can exclusively reveal to you that the next festival will take place from 13^th to 14^th of April 2024. So, please do put that in your diary!

A photo from HistFest 2023. Journalist Shafi Musaddique introduces historian Sir Antony Beevor and broadcaster Clive Myrie. © HistFest Ltd.

We’ve been incredibly lucky over the years to host many leading lights in the field of history, along with creatives who have been inspired by the events of the past to create works of fiction. There are far too many individuals to name, but one of the defining features of the festival is that it really does explore all kinds of history – from Ancient Persia and Agatha Christie to the Russian Revolution and Bollywood. All Things History is designed to be an extension of HistFest, and also a platform in its own right.

Here, we’ll explore history in many ways – from new research and findings, to interviews with leading historians, articles about history in the media, behind-the-scenes peeks at upcoming events and courses, and posts looking at fascinating historical incidents, characters, battles, crimes, and inventions. My own specialisms are the early modern period and the history of true crime, so some of that might bleed (pardon the pun) into the content. But All Things History has been created to be a vibrant community, united in a desire to better understand many different periods and places from the past - from the year dot to the noughties (I’m still coming to terms with the fact that the 2000s are historical) and everything in-between.

This week, we launched a brand new online course exploring women from the medieval period with Dr Janina Ramirez. In the spirit of that theme, I thought I’d highlight a fascinating new discovery, which was announced just a few days ago. Wessex Archaeology, in the UK, have discovered an ‘Anglo-Saxon burial site’, dating from the 6th and 7th centuries AD. For readers in the UK, it featured in BBC’s Digging for Britain this week. According to reports, the site is focused on an earlier Bronze Age ring ditch and holds the remains of over 20 individuals. One skeleton is that of a teenage girl who was buried with a small child. Researchers plan to do DNA analysis on the bones to see what else they can tell us. Alongside the individuals, they have also unearthed grave goods, such as knives, beads and pendants (see picture below).

Gold pendant with garnet centre © Wessex Archaeology

Back to business. Because this is our launch day, you’ll receive another post shortly after this, and paid subscribers will get more still tomorrow.

Question Time…

Now, I promised you a question. What do you find most interesting about history? Do you have a favourite historical figure, time period, or place? If so, please do share in the comments below. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Thank you again for coming along for the ride!

Rebecca