I Will Be a Hero
Author's Note: This story is based on an experience that Admiral Nelson allegedly had when in his teens, after being invalided home from the East Indies with what was almost certainly malaria. During the voyage…
Tag: British Isles
Ladies and Gents: An Encounter with the Inklings
I’ve been keeper of the Bird and Baby since the last tender sold the grounds to the university. I was a spry young fellow then, eager to get myself established in the world, so when…
Real, Solid, and Unbending: The Life and Legacy of Sir John Moore
Sir John Moore first leapt out of the pages of British history for me when my friend, Graham Wright, who lives not far from Moore's birthplace in Glasgow, Scotland, bid me look him up…
Bringing Sight to the Blind: A Movie Review of "Amazing Grace"
Year: 2006 Length: 117 minutes Genre: Biography/Drama Film Rating: PG (for mild language and intense thematic elements) Cast: Ioan Gruffudd (William Wilberforce), Romola Garai (Barbara Spooner), Benedict Cumberbatch (William Pitt), Michael Gambon (Lord Charles Fox),…
Heart of Oak
Heart of Oak, well-seasoned wood, I can feel your presence My breast has been your hiding place, My fathers’ blood, your sustenance – You are our unity and our continuity Though some may seek to…
At the Sign of the Blue Boar: A Robin Hood Poem
Under the oak tree, long ago, We lived with merry Robin Hood, Who taught us how to bend the bow And live aright in green Sherwood Now let us part the leaves again, And find…
My Country – Right or Wrong?: The Search for True Patriotism
As an American freelance student of British history, I find it intriguing how the true meaning of patriotism has often been lost in the muck and mire of personal interpretation. Throughout history, the…
The Real McCoy: Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin Novels
“The historical novel, as I learnt with some concern after I had written two or three, belongs to a despised genre,”1 wrote Patrick O’Brian. At the heart of his Aubrey-Maturin novels, however, is not adventure…
Our Lady of Britannia
Thou stood on Newgate Arch and graced Pendragon’s shield Cardigan bore thy taper and Walsingham thy seal Humbly we now beseech thee as at thy feet we kneel: Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!…
A Quirkish Contradiction: An Exploration of the British Constitution
On 22nd of July 2013, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and 15 countries of the British Commonwealth) welcomed a new addition to their Royal family. Prince George Louis Alexander will, if…