The reluctance to differentiate between indentured servitude and perpetual chattel slavery in these contexts gives succour to ahistorical types, such as neo-Nazis, 9/11 Truthers and White Nationalists. Their propaganda includes a conspiracy theory claiming that historians avoid calling indentured servants ‘slaves’ for political reasons. They protest that historians are not to be trusted and that … Read more
Bewley re-entered the diplomatic service in 1929 with a successful tenure as Free State representative to the Holy See. He was transferred to Berlin in 1933 as the Nazis came to power. When presenting his credentials, he addressed President von Hindenburg without mentioning the king, a break in protocol as he was still representing a … Read more
Sylvia Pankhurst was, by any standards, a rebel. Born in Manchester in 1882, she was the daughter of Emmeline and sister of Christabel and Adel. Like them, she was an active and headline-grabbing participant in the struggle for women’s suffrage in early twentieth-century Britain. For example, in just one six-month period in 1914 she was … Read more
George Wardell was born in Toronto in 1840 to a landed family with connections in Canada, Britain and Ireland. He came from a family with a rich military tradition, following in the footsteps of his father, Major William Wardell, a veteran of several wars, and his grandfather, Lt.-Col. Wardell. George Wardell’s journey to Isandlwana began … Read more
In November 1836, fifteen-year-old Jenny Verner, whose family had been involved in setting up the Orange Order, eloped to Chester with the 21-year-old son of a Presbyterian minister, John Mitchel. They were caught by Jenny’s father, Captain James Verner, but on 3 February 1837 John and Jenny were married in Drumcree Church of Ireland church. … Read more