Author: Doing History in Public

  • 23. Cleaning teeth through the ages

    23. Cleaning teeth through the ages

    By Emily Redican-Bradford (efr27@cam.ac.uk) The first ‘toothbrush’ is thought to have been invented in China in the 1400s, when bristles from the necks of pigs were fixed onto bone or bamboo handles.[1] Before that, twigs were chewed on or split to form brushes and different flavours were used for freshening breath. The ‘modern toothbrush’ was…

  • 24. The Stanwick Church Crucifixion

    24. The Stanwick Church Crucifixion

    By Eleanor Warren (@elmwarren) I was shown this sculpture by the local key-holder on a visit to Stanwick Church in 2014.[1] It was a surprise and a joy to see this sculpted stone, which was not on display but languishing in a cupboard in the church vestry. The stone is the head of an early…

  • 22. Miss Merrifield’s Cricket Bat

    22. Miss Merrifield’s Cricket Bat

    By Georgia Oman In May 1876, Margaret Merrifield wrote a letter home to her mother from Newnham College, Cambridge, where she had arrived as a student the year before. The College itself had only been founded a few years earlier, in 1871, with five students living in a rented house in Regent Street, Cambridge. In…

  • 21. Gifts from The Queen, the End of a Diplomatic Career

    21. Gifts from The Queen, the End of a Diplomatic Career

    By Harry J. Mace (@harryjmace) The British Embassy in Stockholm, 1956: Jane Holliday was considering her resignation from the Diplomatic Service. Precipitated by her anger at the treatment of women and a burgeoning romantic relationship with a senior diplomat, Holliday felt it was time to work elsewhere. Having spent some time in Sweden as a…

  • From the Jarrow Crusade to the Brexit Blues: historical protests and expressions of direct action

    From the Jarrow Crusade to the Brexit Blues: historical protests and expressions of direct action

    By Aoife O’Leary McNeice (@aolmcn) Petitions, marches and referendums have been in the news a lot lately, manifestations of frustration from people who do not feel represented by those in power, and so undertake direct action in an attempt to gain leverage, produce change, or simply quell an increasing feeling of powerlessness. I am of course referencing…