The Saxons had to arrive in Britain from somewhere. Legend says they were led by Hengist and Horsa, but can this be proven? (Hans Dahl / Public Domain)

Hengist and Horsa: Arthurian Myth or Saxon Reality?

For most people, the history of England begins with the Norman Conquest in 1066. The line of kings is generally traced to William I, the first Norman king who invaded across the channel and defeated the Saxons under Harold Godwinson, as famously depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. This is certainly a convenient way to do

Jack Ketch became famous not for his skill as a headsman, but for his brutal lack of it (Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse / Public Domain)

Interested in the Killing: Jack Ketch’s Infamous Trade

There is a reason that, in the public image of the medieval executioner they are almost always envisaged wearing a hooded mask. Execution was a bloody trade, and for many it came with an amount of social ostracising: better to remain anonymous then be known as a butcher. In point of fact this was not

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