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Dr Alun Withey

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‘Smock-Faced’ and ‘Imperbicke: The Shame of Beardlessness’ This week I had the wonderful message from WordPress that my blog has now had more than 500,000...
3 weeks ago
1

‘Smock-Faced’ and ‘Imperbicke: The Shame of Beardlessness’

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

3 weeks ago
This week I had the wonderful message from WordPress that my blog has now had more than 500,000 views, from over 120 countries. When I started the blog more than a decade ago I had no expectation that anyone would read the posts, so thank you to everyone for your support. As you...
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Jolted and Jumbled: Riding in a Sedan Chair in the 18th Century If there is one form of transport that perhaps typifies the 18th century more than any other, it is...
19th Aug 2025
27

Jolted and Jumbled: Riding in a Sedan Chair in the 18th Century

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

19th Aug 2025
If there is one form of transport that perhaps typifies the 18th century more than any other, it is a sedan chair.  Recently I have been doing some work on stage coaches, and the experience of what it was actually like to travel in one. This is already turning up some interesting...
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To Tip or Not To Tip: A Victorian Traveller’s Perspective Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how...
6th Jan 2025
95

To Tip or Not To Tip: A Victorian Traveller’s Perspective

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

6th Jan 2025
Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how much/whether to tip rumble on, but they are not new. Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers were complaining about the amount of unwanted or unexpected extras they had to pay...
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News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok – @dralun7 Yes, it’s true – I’ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still...
12th Dec 2024
113

News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok – @dralun7

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

12th Dec 2024
Yes, it’s true – I’ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still only setting things up, so please be patient with the extremely cheesy and clunky vids as I try to work out what I’m doing! I’ve only got a couple of videos up at the moment too, …...
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Victorian Swappers! Adverts for exchange in the 19th century. Victorians were inveterate 'swappers' (NB: this might not be what you think!). Newspapers and...
1st Nov 2024
80

Victorian Swappers! Adverts for exchange in the 19th century.

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

1st Nov 2024
Victorians were inveterate 'swappers' (NB: this might not be what you think!). Newspapers and journals were full of ads for objects sought and to be exchanged. These offer a fascinating insight into what was considered desirable, the value of objects, and the processes of...
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Should I Stay or Should I go?: Encouraging travel in the early modern period. Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind…and what’s left of the...
11th Jun 2024
99

Should I Stay or Should I go?: Encouraging travel in the early modern period.

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

11th Jun 2024
Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind…and what’s left of the spirit!  A good holiday is generally viewed as a tonic, and holiday company advertisements extol the virtues of ‘getting away’, encountering new places, people and cultures and (if...
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Creams, Clothes and Cases: The material culture of pre-modern travel. I am currently on study leave, getting on with research for my new project on the history of travel...
1st Feb 2024
93

Creams, Clothes and Cases: The material culture of pre-modern travel.

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

1st Feb 2024
I am currently on study leave, getting on with research for my new project on the history of travel preparations. One thing that I’m particularly interested in is the material culture of travel, and what sorts of things were available for travellers as they got ready for their...
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Medicine on the Move: Early Modern Travel and Remedies As my new project on the history of travel, health risk and preparation begins to get underway, one...
8th Sep 2023
80

Medicine on the Move: Early Modern Travel and Remedies

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

8th Sep 2023
As my new project on the history of travel, health risk and preparation begins to get underway, one of the things that I am thinking about is the place of travel within early modern medical remedy culture. What kinds of conditions could befall travellers? What did early modern...
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The Health Risks of Travel in Early-Modern Britain As I start to make some progress on my new research project on travel, health and risk I am turning...
17th Feb 2023
81

The Health Risks of Travel in Early-Modern Britain

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

17th Feb 2023
As I start to make some progress on my new research project on travel, health and risk I am turning my attention to the sorts of things that early modern travellers were fearful of. As a bit of a nervous traveller myself, it’s quite comforting to know that there is actually a...
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Packing the Essentials!: Preparing to Travel in the 18th Century. Now that Covid restrictions have finally been lifted, and summer is at least theoretically here –...
8th Jun 2022
91

Packing the Essentials!: Preparing to Travel in the 18th Century.

from Dr Alun Withey [alt+shift+b] in history

8th Jun 2022
Now that Covid restrictions have finally been lifted, and summer is at least theoretically here – it’s raining outside as I write! – many people are returning to travel and undertaking the holidays that have had to be postponed over the past couple of years. The pandemic aside,...
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