England

Most of us have a very clear idea of what an Irish American is and have an overview of the community's journey from the Famine to the White House. The Irish community in Britain is a different and far more complicated story, however. And…

Timothy Murphy was born in 1751 in Delaware, Pennsylvania, the son of Donegal parents. Thomas and Mary Murphy left their Tirconnell home just months before Timothy was born. The Ireland they left was racked by penal laws, land agitation,…

Alfred Daniel Wintle (known throughout most of his life as “AD”) was born in Ukraine in 1897. His father John was an English diplomat who was posted there along with his wife Teresa, Wintle’s mother. The family spent some time in Romania…

Strawberries and Cream; the quintessential British summer treat. With Wimbledon on our screens for the next two weeks, it seems appropriate to delve into the history of this charming tradition which is so intertwined with this extraordinary…

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (originally titled Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus) is often considered to be the first science fiction novel and is a landmark of gothic fiction. First published anonymously in 1818 when Mary Shelley was…

Samuel Morland was born in 1625 in Berkshire, the same year that Charles I ascended to the throne of England. His father was a parish rector. Young Samuel was smart enough to attend Cambridge University in 1644, but his father was too poor…

England has had many monarchs - some lionized and almost deified, some derided as weak, or bad, or mad. Arguments over these kings rage still today - the verdict on Richard III, for example, has yet to be settled. But few have raised such…

Jeanne de Clisson was born in the French town of Belleville-sur-Vie in 1300. She was the one of the de Belleville family, who had ruled in the area for hundreds of years. In fact, she wound up being the last of the de Belleville family, as…

Christopher Marlowe, known to most as Kit, was born in Canterbury in early 1564. His father was a shoemaker, but young Kit’s intelligence was evident enough at an early age that his father sought a scholarship for him at the King’s School…

The future Queen Isabella of England was born in France some time in 1295, as best we can tell. As the only daughter after three sons, she didn't really account for much in her father’s scheme of things. Her father was Philip IV, King of…