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Breaking News: Wellington defeats Napoleon at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo on 18th June, 1815, is a key date in British history. But how was it reported at the time? As you'd expect, not impartially...
Read nowBreaking News: Wellington defeats Napoleon at WaterlooLevel: 1 Introductory
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After Waterloo: What happened next?
After the collapse of Napoleon's army two hundred years ago, what happened next? We catch up with the news from July 3rd, 1815
Read nowAfter Waterloo: What happened next?Level: 1 Introductory
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Did Waterloo prevent a fresh Anglo-American war?
Believing Bonaparte to be resurgent in France, some Americans pushed President Madison to reignite the recently quelled hostilities of the 1812 War. Waterloo defeated these hopes as soundly as it defeated Napoleon's - at least in the view of the British as captured by The Morning Post.
Read nowDid Waterloo prevent a fresh Anglo-American war?Level: 1 Introductory
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London's 1818 public health crisis
200 years ago today, the Morning Post shared a report into a health crisis gripping London - and how public health solutions offered a way out of the mess.
Read nowLondon's 1818 public health crisisLevel: 1 Introductory
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Match report: England v Scotland, 1872
The first international football match took place between England & Scotland in Glasgow, on November 30th 1872. Here's how it went.
Read nowMatch report: England v Scotland, 1872Level: 1 Introductory
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Match report: The first England v Wales rugby international
The first England v Wales rugby match took place on Saturday 19th February, 1881. This match report suggests that Wales' skills on the pitch had yet to show themselves.
Read nowMatch report: The first England v Wales rugby internationalLevel: 1 Introductory
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Gladstone and the Liberal Party
In 1868, as the Liberals in the Commons reunited and the influence of Palmerston and Wallace became history, the man who untied the factions was the obvious choice to lead the first modern version of The Liberal Party.
Read nowGladstone and the Liberal Party -
Building the first Thames sewer system
The original Thames sewer system became a pressing need following the clean-up of London streets. But even the stench of the river overpowering the Houses of Parliament couldn't persuade the Board of Works to speed up the building process. This editorial from The Morning Chronicle of 20th July, 1859 explores why the fight against cholera had turned the river putrid, and called for faster action.
Read nowBuilding the first Thames sewer systemLevel: 1 Introductory
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Queen Victoria on the Chartists
Queen Victoria and her advisors were alive to the possibility that some Chartists might try to attack her. These extracts from her personal journal show, during the years of Chartist activity, the risk was never far from her mind.
Read nowQueen Victoria on the ChartistsLevel: 1 Introductory
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Tory Trades Unionism: 19th Century Style
The Conservatives have announced plans for their own Trades Union movement, hoping to steal support from a traditionally left-leaning grouping. It has echoes of the late 19th Century...
Read nowTory Trades Unionism: 19th Century Style -
Meetings with a polite Opium Eater: Charles Knight on Thomas De Quincey
The publisher Charles Knight recorded his meetings with Thomas De Quincey in his autobiography, Passages of a Working Life during Half a Century. He tells of a shy, but smart, man.
Read nowMeetings with a polite Opium Eater: Charles Knight on Thomas De QuinceyLevel: 2 Intermediate
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What were Victorian pauper's graves like?
An account of a tragedy in a London graveyard gives an insight into the way the poor were buried in 19th Century England.
Read nowWhat were Victorian pauper's graves like?Level: 1 Introductory
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A Victorian Christmas: Christmas Day In The Workhouse
For its December 25th, 1840 edition, the Morning Chronicle polled workhouse managers to discover what the poor of London could expect for their Christmas Day. The following is an extract of their report.
Read nowA Victorian Christmas: Christmas Day In The WorkhouseLevel: 1 Introductory
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A Victorian Christmas: Charles Darwin in New Zealand
In 1835, Charles Darwin had what he hoped would be his last Christmas before returning to Britiain.
Read nowA Victorian Christmas: Charles Darwin in New ZealandLevel: 1 Introductory
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A Victorian Christmas: Victoria's Christmas
Victoria spends Christmas 1837 with a "merry" Lord Melbourne.
Read nowA Victorian Christmas: Victoria's ChristmasLevel: 1 Introductory
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A Victorian Christmas: Thackeray goes to the pantomime
In this extract from Roundabout Papers, William Makepeace Thackeray describes a festive entertainment which takes liberties with history. Not that Thackeray is above taking a few liberties of his own...
Read nowA Victorian Christmas: Thackeray goes to the pantomimeLevel: 1 Introductory
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A Victorian Christmas: Christmas in Dreamthorp
The essayist and poet Alexander Smith's Dreamthorp is a collection of essays he wrote in the countryside. This extract, titled Christmas, is anchored in the December of 1862, and includes some personal views which are very much of their time.
Read nowA Victorian Christmas: Christmas in DreamthorpLevel: 1 Introductory
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How did Newcastle celebrate the 200th anniversary of Shakespeare?
The 400th anniversary of Shakespeare is being well marked around the nation, and around the globe (and the Globe). But how was the 200th anniversary marked?
Read nowHow did Newcastle celebrate the 200th anniversary of Shakespeare?Level: 1 Introductory
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Queen Victoria on William Shakespeare
What did the Queen of England think of the Bard of Avon? We dip into her diaries to find out...
Read nowQueen Victoria on William ShakespeareLevel: 1 Introductory
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A modest liking for Liverpool
In the 1880s, W D Howell lived in England, recording his impressions of the places he visited. In this extract from Seven English Cities, his Atlantic crossing ends in the docks of the Mersey.
Read nowA modest liking for Liverpool -
A day at Doncaster - and an hour out of Durham
The lure of the races proves overwhelming - as does the splendour of Durham.
Read nowA day at Doncaster - and an hour out of DurhamLevel: 1 Introductory
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Two Yorkish episodes
A visit to the site of a Civil War battle - and a hanging tale of a murder.
Read nowTwo Yorkish episodesLevel: 1 Introductory
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Nine days' wonder in York
William has much admiration for the Minster - but the joy of York is to be harshly curtailed...
Read nowNine days' wonder in YorkLevel: 1 Introductory
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In smokiest Sheffield
William arrives in Sheffield - finding a city struggling environmentally and economically.
Read nowIn smokiest SheffieldLevel: 1 Introductory
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Some merits of Manchester
In Manchester, William is struck by the city's dignity - and woollen socks.
Read nowSome merits of ManchesterLevel: 1 Introductory
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Florence Nightingale on what makes a good nurse
In the 1881 letter to trainee nurses at St Thomas' Hospital, Florence Nightingale outlines what she believes makes a good nurse - a woman without "womanly weaknesses".
Read nowFlorence Nightingale on what makes a good nurseLevel: 1 Introductory
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A 19th century autopsy unmasks a poisoner
14 physicians gather at a graveside to untangle a tale of American settlers, poison, weak alibis, murder and suicide.
Read nowA 19th century autopsy unmasks a poisonerLevel: 1 Introductory
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The outgoing Prime Minister and his replacement: Gladstone makes way for Rosebery
As Downing Street changes hands again, we dip into the archives to find out what happened in 1894 when ill-health forced William Gladstone to quit in favour of his foreign secretary Lord Rosebery. This extract originally appeared in The Northern Echo.
Read nowThe outgoing Prime Minister and his replacement: Gladstone makes way for RoseberyLevel: 1 Introductory
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Death on the tracks: A 19th century train crash
An 1853 inquest takes evidence about a fatal train crash at New Cross.
Read nowDeath on the tracks: A 19th century train crashLevel: 1 Introductory
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Building the London Underground
In 1853, Parliament gave permission for the world's first underground railway. It promised a short, cheap burst of luxury travel - and to run the buses out of business.
Read nowBuilding the London UndergroundLevel: 1 Introductory
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Swept away: Brighton's Chain Pier collapses during a storm
A winter storm in 1896 battered Brighton's first pier, finishing off the already condemned structure. But newer attractions also took a hammering.
Read nowSwept away: Brighton's Chain Pier collapses during a stormLevel: 1 Introductory
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Milton Keynes rallies in support of the Corn Laws
On January 23rd, Milton Keynes celebrates 50 years as a new town. But the history of the villages which came together to form the heart of modern Milton Keynes reaches back far further - as this report of a meeting against the Anti Corn Law League in 1844 shows.
Read nowMilton Keynes rallies in support of the Corn LawsLevel: 1 Introductory
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It's 1892, and the future's bright for gas lighting
The new electric lighting will never be more than a luxury product, stockholders in the Gas Light & Coke Company are reassured at the company's 1892 meeting.
Read nowIt's 1892, and the future's bright for gas lightingLevel: 1 Introductory
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The Lords against the gunboats: When the House of Lords took on Lord Palmerston
In 1850, The House of Lords gathered to condemn the British Government's use of a blockade to force reparations from Greece. Their intervention wasn't warmly received, as this extract from the Portsmouth Telegraph shows.
Read nowThe Lords against the gunboats: When the House of Lords took on Lord PalmerstonLevel: 1 Introductory
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Election days: 1868 - Herring and mutton
Why did Liberals wave herring in the streets on polling day in 1868?
Read nowElection days: 1868 - Herring and muttonLevel: 1 Introductory
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Contemporary accounts of the 19th Century
Updated Thursday, 1st October 2015
Drawn from a range of sources - including diaries, newspaper reports, biography and more - a range of voices from the 19th Century.
This page was published over five years ago. Please be aware that due to the passage of time, the information provided on this page may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate, and any views or opinions expressed may no longer be relevant. Some technical elements such as audio-visual and interactive media may no longer work. For more detail, see our Archive and Deletion Policy.
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