In 1660, judges couldn't agree on which regnal year to use in the indictment against the regicides, as the crime of killing Charles I occurred on the last regnal day of Charles I's reign but also the first of Charles II's. So they just went with "30 Jan 1649" [from Sir John Kelyng's Reports]

In 1660, judges couldn't agree on which regnal year to use in the indictment against the regicides, as the crime of killing Charles I occurred on the last regnal day of Charles I's reign but also the first of Charles II's. So they just went with "30 Jan 1649" [from Sir John Kelyng's Reports]

welcomed back from my maternity leave by my article appearing in advanced access for HWJ! open access an’ all. it’s about what we learn about the early modern state if we think about arrests as a performance, and draws on four years’ worth of practice-as-research. academic.oup.com/hwj/advance-...

Look, Statutes of the Realm is nice and all, but let's be honest, this illuminated 15th Century statute book is nicer. TNA E 164/10

Goslings by Gosling (2026)

I submitted this last week. The first time I've written about praemunire properly since 2018*, eek. Let's hope the reviewers are kind. *Don't worry, no one else has taken up the praemunire mantle since then

Today we've launched our digitised Probate Registers and Bishops' Transcripts collections onto Ancestry. Together that's 16 million records covering 1389-1858 - these can be accessed via a subscription to Ancestry or for free here at the Borthwick! www.ancestry.co.uk/search/colle...

Anyone for SIXTEEN MILLION new records to search on Ancestry? Including for the first time ever, all of the wills from the Court of York, 1389-1858? Not just the indexes this time, but also new images of the Registers themselves?

King of bling Charles II flashing a bit of leg on this illuminated King's Bench Plea Roll title rotulet. Saucy. TNA KB 27/1880/2

Pop Leo asked if he should put on gloves to turn pages in the gorgeous Renaissance Bible and the librarian explained why it’s better to do so with bare hands. Glorious reaction. Every rare books librarian & archivist feeling very seen, I gather. www.instagram.com/reel/DUcpEBY... #BookHistory

In particular, I draw your attention to the life course tracing session I run, including an ask-me-anything session at the end! Bookings for that one are here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/practical-...

Look, Statutes of the Realm is nice and all, but let's be honest, this illuminated 15th Century statute book is nicer. TNA E 164/10

Nothing to see here, just the original enrolled act that made Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England (26 Hen VIII, c. 1). TNA C 65/143

Nothing to see here, just the original enrolled act that made Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England (26 Hen VIII, c. 1). TNA C 65/143

King of bling Charles II flashing a bit of leg on this illuminated King's Bench Plea Roll title rotulet. Saucy. TNA KB 27/1880/2

Another gem from the King's Bench affidavits in KB 1. This deponent, charged with being the father of a child, agreed to pay the mother money "rather than expose himself and his character to the world". [TNA KB 1/3/3/4]

To be fair, I've seen worse. #ExtremeCataloguing

This is cool. Attached to these depositions for a case between two clerks is a schedule of all the marriages, baptisms, and burials performed by the defendant clerk in St John Clerkenwell between 1771 and 1773. TNA E 134/15Geo3/Trin4 discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6...

🚨FIXED TERM ARCHIVE JOB KLAXON🚨 We are looking for an experienced archivist to develop and implement a scoping project to re-catalogue and make available the York Archdiocesan Archive (6 months full time, or 12 months part time). Full details at the link: jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/proj...

Goslings by Gosling (2026)

"Murder by a hand unknown" is giving me real Agatha Christie vibes. This coroner's inquisition predates Christie by a good century, though. [TNA KB 13/8]

What was a bear worth in Elizabethan England? Well, thanks to a deed held at The National Archives [TNA C 146/8581], we at least know a few specifics, like Nan, the old she bear, valued at 30s in 1590. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-...

Medieval Markets & Fairs in England & Wales: remember the excellent dataset published back in 2003? I've given it a snazzy new interface, incorporating various updates which were made following publication. Separately, I'm working on extending it to 1846... ihr-digital.github.io/markets-and-...

Look, it's (very) niche, but "warning of praemunire" is pretty funny* when you consider praemunire means "to forewarn". So "warning to forewarn" *funny to one person, me

British Crime Historians Symposium 2026 - Call for Abstracts legalhistorymiscellany.com/british-crim...

It's #InternationalWomensDay. For over 60,000 cases featuring a single female plaintiff in the litigation records at The National Archives, just search for the code "SFP". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q...

A great little 1777 King's Bench case. The defendants were accused of boiling "great quantities of soap lees, whale oil, and caput mortuum of aqua fortis", causing "unwholesome smokes, stenches, and smells" and corrupting and infecting the air. [TNA KB 28/304]

Who was smuggling in 18th century Britain? My refreshed database for prosecutions for smuggling in England and Wales c. 1721-1732 is live with over 4,000 entries. From naval officers to farmers, smuggling was big business. #twitterstorians #earlymod #history www.davidchansmith.net/smugglingdat...

"The discoverie thereof is not a little wonderfull". Understatement of the year by the Lord Chancellor here, describing the thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot [House of Lords Journal, 1606 YHL 1/PO/JO/1/7]

Publication of my short #PenguinMonarchs book on Henry VII on #WorldBookDay is wonderful. Enjoy the early #Tudor conspiracies, tragedies & @jodyhewgill.bsky.social‘s amazing cover painting. Thanks to the team @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social

It's World Book Day, so here's an update on the praemunire book. Still not written it. Check back next year for more exciting updates.

Not strictly a legal record, this Star Chamber diet book nevertheless informs us how the Privy Council sitting judicially in the Star Chamber ran the court. Or, at least, tells us the vast amount they ate and drank on a particular day [TNA E 407/55]

Want to feel ancient? You can search Find Case Law by emoji. What a brave new world [Find Case Law search for "😄"] caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/search?query...

My mission to fill The National Archives website with niche legal records continues. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-...

Lady Jane Grey's trial occurred so early in Mary I's reign that a Great Seal for Mary hadn't yet been made. As such, the trial records use Edward VI's seal instead. [TNA KB 8/23]

One of the best parts of the day job is putting on document displays. Today, I got to show off this gorgeous 15th-century illuminated statute book [TNA E 164/10] #LegalRecords

Oh Henry VIII, no matter how much you proclaim it, you can't ever take away Catherine of Aragon's style. Have you not seen Six? She's a queen. [From Tudor Royal Proclamations]

Still writing about praemunire. Only going to *slightly* miss the end of Feb deadline. Turns out I have a lot to say on the topic.

Great opportunity to be involved in something new at The National Archives, based in my department but collaborating across the organisation and the wider archive sector. Regional Loans Programme Coordinator: www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cg...

“And what would you like to do when you’re older?” New post asks how people became playwrights in Tudor England before the word even existed. Can you write a play a month? (Feat. cautionary tales on overcommitment and misdirected theatricality…) open.substack.com/pub/shakespe...

That's the thing about buses...

Always remember to belt and buckle your plea roll, otherwise who knows what evil might be unleashed. TNA CP 40/2641 [Common Pleas Easter 1654] discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3...

Being cited in a US Supreme Court amicus brief was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card, yet here we are. (Solely because I wrote about Star Chamber process in an edited collection, but I'll take the win!)

We strive to make our primary source collections as easy to explore as possible. This is why our skilled editorial team ensure that our collections are tagged comprehensively! Learn about our tags and search filters at britishonlinearchives.com/posts/catego....

We’re delighted to share that A History of the British Museum Library, 1753–1973 by P. R. Harris is now digitised and freely available to all interested in the history of the Museum and librarianship. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/vvx

Nobody ever expects them, but the Spanish Inquisition turn up a couple of times in the Court of Requests catalogue [TNA REQ 2] discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_a...

To be fair, I've seen worse. #ExtremeCataloguing

Evidence of cross-actions, be still my beating heart! A list of fees for appearances in the Courts of King's Bench, Guildhall, and Requests in 1589-90. TNA REQ 2/369/115

Another gem from the King's Bench affidavits in KB 1. This deponent, charged with being the father of a child, agreed to pay the mother money "rather than expose himself and his character to the world". [TNA KB 1/3/3/4]

Learn more about the discovery process behind our current exhibition, Love Letters. From structured research to serendipitous finds — three specialists and a volunteer share the thrill of uncovering heartfelt emotions centuries later: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-...