The Nature of History

D K Broster, Jeoffrey Farnol, John Buchan, very good on strange parts of Scottish history.

Reading historical novels certainly helped me with my understanding. I think my first was the Scarlet Pimpernel, followed by Children of the New Forest. Jean Plaidy was good and also Georgette Heyer (for different reasons). The 19thC novelists cover a wide range of topics. Currently I think that Hilary Mantel is an excellent read.

How much history you learnt at school, as with everything other subject, depends on how much you enjoyed and were interested in the subject.

Learning, even at school age, is not just what teachers teach us in school hours, it is how that leads out into our life outside school.

I loved history from day one, so as well as absorbing it at school, it influenced my choice of out-of-school reading. I loved reading historical novels. (then, not now) I noticed history around me - that the local library was in the Manor House that was once owned by a major banking family, there was a major historic site 2 or 3 miles away, which I would wander off and visit, almost weekly in school holidays (entry was free then). I reached a stage of chatting to the curators.

As a result I left school with abiding interest and very wide knowledge of history. I cannot say the same of my knowledge of maths or physics, or French, where a friend who loved the language was trying to read French literature in the original at 15, where I scrambled through O level, and then left the subject.

Couldn’t agree more. You put it beautifully!

Dinahmo

The history curriculum taught when I was at school depended upon which exam board was used by the school.

For O Level history we studied 19th English and European from 1832 to the beginning of the WW1.

For A level history we had 3 papers - 18thC - British, European and the French Revolution. For some reason the latter always fascinated me - maybe it was the people involved.

I live in what is now known (officially) as Aquitaine and the Dordogne River is not far away. This region is of great interest to me because of the 100 Years War. Whenever we take friends to the ancient towns and villages along the river I imagine the English and French firing their cannons across the river at each other.

For O Level history we studied 19th English and European from 1832 to the beginning of the WW1

Yours started where mine left off, we took the Cambridge Board. I read a lot of Jean Plaidy novels too, much more interesting 😀
I didn't take it at 'A' level but have found it more interesting since I left school.

Understanding why they left lead you to the historical aspects- and the reasons, context, the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Poverty and/or slavery rather than just 'curiosity or adventure'.

For most people in the USA, tracing back their roots far far away is a passion which I totally understand. So many of my relatives left to seek a new life in the USA and OZ, from the 1830s. My dad's older brother and sister in the late 1920s - and all became very successful in their own way. Many generations down the line (5 of my dad's brother and sister)- still in touch and visiting both ways. Same in OZ and Tasmania, South Africa, and beyond.

What an interesting, philosophical thread. I don’t have much to add here, but history is being made everyday, somewhere in the world and you and I are not part of it.

It might, eventually, affect our lives, and maybe not. We are more likely to be a part of history making in our community, state or country.

Unless you are a Nobel scientist, inventor, politician, astronaut, etc.

I agree with many posters here that historical categories are numerous indeed and many levels within, and could include things that human hands haven’t even “touched”, like climate events. Historic in scope.

Let’s not forget “Family” history too - those stories of crazy Uncle Joe or what the Twins did… those tales go down from generation to generation. Heh, heh 😏

A mere speck of dust in the universe.
USA Gundy

‘Food bank’

Turned tv off on the Friday and turned to watch 6 pm news on by Monday ….. they were still going on and in about this debacle! I instead spent my time that weekend volunteering at a good bank ….where ‘his’ people go to feed their families, even though most are working!!!

History is important. I remember during the brexit campaign, people sharing memes saying that we didn't need to import anything before we joined the EU, well be OK without it. But we did import so many things, during the war we needed rationing as we (amongst other reasons) were not so easily able to get stuff from overseas. People forgot what a pain it was traveling before we joined, and how we couldn't bring back vast quantities of goods, etc, people then complaing when things went back to how it used to be.
We need to be aware of the lessons of history so we do not repeat them

I studied general history for O level and although it didn’t progress beyond the 19th century it certainly was not just about monarchs and battles. I studied economic history for A level, which led to my interest in social history - the history of the common man, far more interesting and relatable than monarchs. My particular interest is in the medieval and Tudor periods.
It will delight republicans to know that in England and Wales land is still held under a feudal system. The monarch owns all land and freeholders hold it from him/her free from the obligations and restraints which would have attached to ownership centuries ago.

Everything is or becomes history. It’s as simple as that. If we didn’t possess memory we wouldn’t have any history. It’s the one subject that looks backwards and forwards along the path of knowledge and human development.

The history curriculum taught when I was at school depended upon which exam board was used by the school.

For O Level history we studied 19th English and European from 1832 to the beginning of the WW1.

For A level history we had 3 papers - 18thC - British, European and the French Revolution. For some reason the latter always fascinated me - maybe it was the people involved.

I live in what is now known (officially) as Aquitaine and the Dordogne River is not far away. This region is of great interest to me because of the 100 Years War. Whenever we take friends to the ancient towns and villages along the river I imagine the English and French firing their cannons across the river at each other.

Fleurpepper

Thinking back, there is very little I know that can be linked to my school education! I began to love 'learning' when I stopped school! Still do.

Yes that’s me as well.

Thinking back, there is very little I know that can be linked to my school education! I began to love 'learning' when I stopped school! Still do.

I was very lucky to have an excellent history teacher in the 6th Form- but sadly he was struck very young with multiple sclerosis and we missed lots and lots of lessons.

My fascination with history however has nothing to do with school, or even Uni, although part of my Degree was on Settlement and town development, and the reasons why specific areas were chosen. Everything I know I have learnt by personal study and research throughout life. Same for a lot of other things. Recently our amazing family genealogy has led me to try to understand the roots of slavery and colonisation, and Apartheid, because it is very close to OH's family. And Huguenots, present on all sides of our family in so many regions of the world. And also by moving around, and finding out about the social, industrial, etc, local history of those places- and begin to see links, even across borders.

When you begin to link 'history' to real life, strongly connected to your roots, it all becomes so much more real and holds you by the heart and guts.

You’ve all got very good memories. I haven’t a clue what I learned, when all I know is that I know it. Mind you I have always read a huge amount of history and academic books. I can remember when quite young I used to borrow Trevelyan’s (he was Cornish, like me) books from the library in particular Tudor history, and taught myself a huge amount looking back, although it was largely kings, queens and politics. It was only later that I found a fascination with ordinary peoples lives.

O level was the Industrial Revolution and 19th century.
I didn’t take A level history.

I later (in my young adulthood) read the same period from a left wing perspective - balance is informative I think.

anna7

Somewhat off topic but I've never heard of the three field system. I've just googled it now. How lucky some of you were to go to good schools. I went to three different schools between the ages of 11 and 16 and the last school especially was dreadful in spite of being a grammar school. I can't remember what history was taught in the first school but the second was Tudor England and the third school was the first World War. I managed somehow to scrape an o level in history because I liked the subject . I think it must have been wonderful to receive a good education from schools that actually tried to help students . Not my experience.

I learnt about the feudal system at primary school. We also learnt about the slave trade triangle, Beowulf, the Romans and Sutton Hoo before going to secondary school.

Glorianny

Norah

Callistemon21 Crop rotation is a useful system still practised today (even in our vegetable garden!)

Indeed.

Crops are still rotated, strengthens the soil. People still work the land, just not as serfs, paid labor, no cottage involved, typically.

The tied cottage existed well into the 20th century. My aunt and family lived in one because her husband was an agricultural labourer. The first one I remember had no running water and the loo was an earth closet at the end of the garden. When he changed jobs they had to move. They eventually lived in a council house.

Yes.

That is why I said "typically no more cottages".

Some still exist, for a few workers. Rules/regulations as to the rental sums.

NanaDana

Much more interested in social history than in Kings, Queens, battles etc. It's how society has developed which is of most interest to me, with the emphasis very much on everyday life. However, it saddens me when I reflect that the human race seems condemned never to learn the lessons of what has gone before, and to just keep recycling the mistakes.

Our lives are ruled by politicians, who are just an ambitious as previous monarchies, they also never learned from history. We are very lucky on this island we have not been invaded for 1000yrs, other nations on all continents are not as fortunate. Even Europe is not as secure as we thought and Ukraine could yet escalate into a wider conflict.

Much more interested in social history than in Kings, Queens, battles etc. It's how society has developed which is of most interest to me, with the emphasis very much on everyday life. However, it saddens me when I reflect that the human race seems condemned never to learn the lessons of what has gone before, and to just keep recycling the mistakes.

not how it was in the old days though. There was NO mutuality, only enforced duty, your work and your life.

My parents were tenants on a traditional estate, and you do give deference to the landlord, my brother still does today. As other tenants retired he has been able to take over their land, as well as buy other land nearby.

The landlord has other city interests as well as property in the village and is a business associate only, it’s not a question of bowing and scraping it’s like the military, you respect the higher ranks, if it’s not mutually beneficial it doesn’t work.

Tied cottages still exist today not just in many service jobs still provide accommodation with the job, anything with livestock involved, herdsmen and shepherds still have cottages.
They have regulated rents, fairly low, and may have to be vacated if employment ends or retirement.