The ancient roots of Christmas ghost stories
Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is either, depending on your perspective, the ultimate Christmas ghost story or a complete subversion of the…
The Ministry of Justice is engaged in historical vandalism
This week, the Ministry of Justice launched a consultation on its plan to digitise its vast archive of wills. The…
The anarchy of bonfire night
Bonfire night festivities in Britain today are increasingly highly choreographed events: council-sponsored firework displays mounted by professional companies, sponsored by…
The mystery of the Baltic god in Kent
One of the stranger events of the summer of 2023 is the sudden and unexplained appearance, one night in early…
How the ancient rites of the coronation survived
It is a cliché to say that Britain’s customs were invented by the Victorians. In the case of the coronation,…
Does King Charles’ Green Man make him a pagan?
On 4 April the Royal Household revealed the design for invitations to the Coronation, the work of heraldic artist Andrew…
Is Christmas really a pagan festival?
It’s as much a part of the season now as baubles, tinsel and the Christmas Number One: those articles, blogs…