Blog

We aim to publish short pieces on a wide range of topics relating to different aspects of Leicestershire and Rutland’s past. If you have an interest or research project that you would like to share through the blog or an idea for one to explore further, please contact us at website@lahs.org.uk.

Sunday 21 April 2024

675 years ago, this weekend: a field headland at the Kilby parish boundary

LAHS Treasurer Simon Atkins assesses what features in the landscape can tell us about the past, through an analysis of maps and LIDAR images, combined with what is still visible today.

Sunday 14 April 2024

The persistence of patronage and the composition of the Anglican Clergy in the Archdeaconry of Leicester, c.1850-1903

LAHS Member Dave Fogg Postles considers the continuing influence of patronage, reviewing both who owned the rights to put forward clergy for appointment to vicarages and providing examples demonstrating what this meant in practice as to who might then be appointed.

Sunday 7 April 2024

Snakes with glass eyes and other distractions…

LAHS Newsletter and Reviews Editor, Cynthia Brown illustrates the power of sometimes allowing yourself to be driven by simple curiosity and a more random approach when considering local history research.

Monday 1 April 2024

Leicestershire and Rutland’s Holy Wells

LAHS Member Bob Trubshaw takes a fresh look at some of the area's Holy Wells, exploring both their roots and the folklore surrounding them.

Sunday 24 March 2024

The Iron Age Landscape of the Salt Way

LAHS member Stuart Evans considers the Salt Way, an ancient route running from Donington in Lincolnshire across to Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire and through a review of the archaeological evidence, discusses its possible Iron Age origins.

Sunday 17 March 2024

A house at 93 Main Street, Lyddington, Rutland - A history of ownership and occupation over 400 years

LAHS Member Trevor Harrington shares a portion of his house history, exploring how even in the 18th Century, life could still be shaped by the manorial system, discussing in particular the "Borough English" custom of land inheritance and the stark consequences it could and did have for women.

Sunday 10 March 2024

The Bean-Bellies of Leicestershire – an Eco-History of a Name

LAHS Trustee and Committee Member, Elizabeth Tingle explores the now forgotten importance of the humble bean as a widespread staple food crop in Leicestershire across the centuries.

Sunday 3 March 2024

Why do three adjacent villages have rare C17th fonts?

LAHS Member Bob Trubshaw examines three local examples of rare baptismal fonts found in the villages of Bottesford, Orston and Muston, exploring their links to Archbishop Laud's counter-reformation of the mid 17th Century.

Sunday 25 February 2024

Luddism and Chartism and the part played by Leicestershire Women

LAHS member Steve Marquis looks at the often overlooked role played by Leicestershire women in these important 19th Century political working class movements.

Sunday 18 February 2024

A Polish homeopath in Leicester

LAHS Newsletter and Reviews Editor, Cynthia Brown tells the intriguing story of Severin Wielobycki, a 19th century Polish homeopath who lived and worked in Leicester during the 1860s.

Sunday 11 February 2024

The Smeeton Westerby Beaker burial revisited

Almost 50 years ago, an ancient Beaker burial was found on Smeeton Hill in south Leicestershire. LAHS Vice-President, Dr Patrick Clay takes a fresh look at how far our understanding of late Neolithic/ early Bronze Age Leicestershire has come since then.

Friday 9 February 2024