England's Forgotten Past

Product Description A charming, lively and often amusing tour of the overlooked episodes, people and places of English history Who was the first crowned King of England? Who invented the idea of ‘the English’? What was England’s bloodiest battle? Who was the only English Pope? Which English city fell into the sea? Find the answers to these and hundreds of other entertaining questions in this fact-packed guide to England’s forgotten past. Table of Contents 1. Making England English • 2. Lost Landscapes • 3. Royalty Remembered • 4. The Blast of War • 5. Fading Fame • 6. Inner Man and Woman • 7. Believe It or Not • 8. England Abroad Review Glorious, fact-filled stuff for history lovers of all types --Family Tree An enlightening depository of timeless titbits...quirky, amusing, engaging. Five stars --All About History From the Back Cover ?Richard Tames, the well-known popularizer of English history, offers an entertaining exploration of the bits of English history that have been sidelined, lost or somehow overlooked. Written in an engaging, easy-to-read and often humorous style, Tames brings to life the various colourful characters, famous in their day, who have now sunk into obscurity, from St Cuthbert and Nicholas Breakspear (the only English pope) to Octavia Hill and the Marquis of Granby. Tames also covers such diverse areas as sports, lost villages, forgotten war heroes and inventors. Did you know, for example, that Barking was once home to the largest fishing fleet in the world? Or that coffee houses were once known as ‘penny universities’? Peppered with quotes and anecdotes, and arranged into concise sections, this book is ideal for dipping into or reading from cover to cover. About the Author Richard Tames lectures on history at Syracuse University London and is a Blue Badge guide. His twenty books on British history include England’s Forgotten Past.