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Alasdair McNeill

@cheeseandpeople.bsky.social
944 followers 582 following 604 posts

CHASE-funded PhD candidate at Birkbeck, University of London. Researching women in the early modern English cheese trade. Was once a cheesemaker.

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Reposted by Alasdair McNeill
mush @goblinbox.com · 09/10/2026
please enjoy looking at 200 pounds of artisan gouda in the press 🧀🦠 #cheese
a cheese press in a creamery full of hoops of cheese
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Presumably the Free Speech Union will be running an angry campaign against Anthropic's new policy. Will it contravene the new legal duties protecting the freedom of speech of students, academics and external speakers in English university settings? And is Claude a snowflake?
bbc.co.uk
Anthropic bans users from being 'cruel' to its AI systems
The firm said users can no longer engage in "sustained and needless" abusive behaviour towards the tech.
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Urban History @urbanhistory.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
📣 Call for papers! Next year's @urbanhistorygroup.bsky.social conference will be on the theme of Pleasure and the City Submit your abstracts by 22 February 2027 Conference details: 🗓️ 2-3 September 2027 📍 @ljmuhistory.bsky.social, Liverpool 🔗 urbanhistorygroup.wordpress.com/call-for-pap...
Grainy screenshot of an arch with blue lettering reading Pleasure Island. Some buildings in the background, a small number of individuals walking in the foreground.
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The Delicious Legacy Podcast @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wha...
atlasobscura.com
Why Italy Fell Out of Love With Cilantro
Coriander went from ancient staple to persona non grata.
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IHR Society, Culture & Belief, 1500-1800 @ihrscb.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Just a reminder – if you are a PhD student or know a PhD student who would like to give a talk at our seminar Lightning Talks on 12 November, do encourage them to get in touch!
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Social History Society @socialhistsoc.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
📣The Joint BME Small Grants Scheme is open for applications! ❓A scheme to support research, events and activities undertaken by BME historians or focused on the histories of BME people ⏰Deadline: 4 December 2026 👉To find out more and apply, click here: socialhistory.org.uk/funding/bme-...
socialhistory.org.uk
Joint BME Small Grants
The Social History Society administers a Small Grants Fund to support research, events and activities undertaken by BME historians or focused on the histories of BME people The scheme was launched …
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've changed my email signature, so I guess it's official: I'm now Professor of History at @bbkhistorical.bsky.social. How did I celebrate? Obviously by buying myself a 1743 deposition, 1713 apprenticeship indenture, 1779 receipt and 1651 petition off ebay. Aren't they pretty?
Photograph of a manuscript petition (1651) and receipt (1779)Photograph of a manuscript apprenticeship indenture (1713) and deposition (1743)
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Braverman blathering on about who can be English, Farage starting his me-me-me tour of the country telling audiences he’ll fix the country in 100 days or they’ll all sack themselves… apart from him… and Yusuf fanboying that racist thug who got refused bail… A moron festival. Come on, UK. Enough now.
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
There's still a few spaces left for this talk tonight in-person (IHR Wolfson Room NB02, Basement) and unlimited space online! To join online, email me directly and I'll send you the zoom link.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Burnham speech: An astonishing moment of radicalism and commitment iandunt.substack.com/p/burnham-sp...
iandunt.substack.com
Burnham speech: An astonishing moment of radicalism and commitment
It’s easy to be cynical, but it would be false. Something extraordinary is happening here.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There was a chance here to look more grown up and it is entirely unsurprising that Badenoch did not take it.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This mindset is the least we deserve from a leader. Of course it has to be turned into action. But this kind of ambition and love for the country, this kind of personal but positive vision is what takes people with you. How feeble-minded Farage and Badenoch seem. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Photo of Burnham waving to the audience in front of HOPE AGAIN backdrop Burnham was not going to die wondering. He knew he might be delivering one of the longest suicide notes in history, but he did it anyway. Because he couldn't not do it. Better to go down remaining true to his principles than being slowly airbrushed out of history like the previous six prime ministers. Failures all. Andy was prepared to burn through all his political capital right there in Liverpool, right then. Not just for his own legacy but for a country he wanted to rebuild. It was the only way he could look himself in the mirror.
Honour his parents.
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How-to History @howtohistory.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Mulberries, by Joe Saunders. Perhaps the most notable chapter in the history of the British mulberry relates to King James VI & I who sought to establish a home-grown silk industry to rival that of Italy and France. how-to-history.com/2026/09/30/m...
how-to-history.com
Mulberries
Joe Saunders Mulberries are wonderful trees bearing lovely fruit. Despite their distinctiveness these trees ‘are often overlooked and even at the height of their fruit season they can remain unnoti…
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Burnham made Farage seem “angry, thin-skinned… absurd. What we witnessed today was a masterclass in political communication which makes Farage look like an amateur” Finally. The confidence that comes with emotional intelligence. It could make all the difference. iandunt.substack.com/p/burnham-sp...
iandunt.substack.com
Burnham speech: An astonishing moment of radicalism and commitment
It’s easy to be cynical, but it would be false. Something extraordinary is happening here.
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Rob Palk @robpalk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Amazing contrast to Starmer's buttoned up style as Burnham delivers his speech stripped to the waist and covered in peanut butter, repeatedly diving into the audience
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👻 🎃 🦇 Boola Lughosti's Dad 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇵🇸 @belalugosisdad.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Personally if I were the UK government and major figures within the government of our closest military ally were publicly speculating about a potential "bomb plot" that was not only sub judice but actively under investigation, I'd be getting my Ambassador to tell them to shut their fucking mouths.
theguardian.com
Rubio says foreign actor was ‘clearly’ behind suspected RAF Fairford plot
US secretary of state, who offered no evidence for claims, also says many people ‘disturbed’ that five suspects released on bail
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It was somewhat delayed, but we've now got a booking link for Rosamund Oates's talk on deafness on Thursday! Sign up here: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
history.ac.uk
Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England
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John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I will always remember fondly the student who finished an essay with the line "In conclusion, the early modern period marked a massive shit in European history."
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Ned Palmer @cheesetastingco.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This week's ever so slightly delayed Substack is.... rebrand.ly/MeetTheMakers
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Catherine Clarke @cathamclarke.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Here's the proper social media card from Waterstones. Join me and the brilliant @willtullett.bsky.social on Monday 12 October at Gower Street! We'll be in conversation over our new #books and surprising ways into #history - through smell and time machine poems... www.waterstones.com/events/new-w...
https://www.waterstones.com/events/new-ways-into-history-from-smells-to-sonnets-with-will-tullett-and-catherine-clarke/london-gower-street
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Will Tullett @willtullett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Come one, come all! It's going to be a wonderful event!
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Catherine Clarke @cathamclarke.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
#Dorset friends! On Saturday 3 October I'll be at the King's Arms Hotel, #Dorchester, as the guest of the brilliant Teasel & Skylark bookshop. I'll be sharing stories and behind-the-scenes insights from A History of England in 25 Poems. Come and join us! www.teaselandskylark.com/events/a-his...
teaselandskylark.com
A History of England in 25 Poems with Writer and Historian, Catherine Clarke — Teasel & Skylark
What if you could use a poem to time travel into England’s past? Catherine Clarke’s new history book tells the history of England in a brilliant new way
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IHR Society, Culture & Belief, 1500-1800 @ihrscb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Our first event of term is on Thursday 1 October at 5.30 pm! @rosamundoates.bsky.social will be speaking on ‘Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England’! Watch this space: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/... full programme will be up soon and you'll be able to sign up for in-person or online!
history.ac.uk
Society, Culture & Belief, 1500-1800
Supported by Mark Storey and Carey Karmel
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Eamonn-Forde @eamonn-forde.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Oh, Viz.
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Man who migrated to another country to avoid taxes says Britain's problem is migration and taxes that he doesn't pay. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Jim Ratcliffe: UK is ‘on the slide’ from days when it had world’s ‘greatest empire’
Co-owner of Manchester United says Britain is in decline because of high taxes and immigration
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Man who supported Brexit then fucked off to Monaco to avoid contributing a penny of his £15 billion fortune to public services makes the mistake of thinking anyone gives a shit what he thinks.
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Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal @emwjournal.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Our fall 2026 issue is out! Featuring three articles, a forum on women and mobility, an online edition review, an exhibition review, and 25 book reviews www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/emw/2026...
Cover of the journal with an engraving of a woman doing lacework
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As former Labour minister Tom Watson joins Palantir, please read this devastating exposé by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social & @lucasamin.bsky.social of how the company, with Peter Mandelson's help, wormed its way into the UK government to sell its dire & dangerous products. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Peter Geoghegan and Lucas Amin · ‘This looks absolutely rubbish’: Palantir and the NHS
A decade ago Palantir was largely unknown in the UK. It now holds public contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Perhaps it's time to listen to reason, values and evidence?
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
British Academy President: UK higher education crisis risks irreversible damage
As course closures, shrinking provision and widening regional inequalities threaten the future of UK higher education and research, President of the British Academy, Susan J Smith calls for an immedia...
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 17/09/2026
Lady in Blue by Tschabalala Self takes pride of place on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth this month. A powerful symbol of optimism for London.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
There is literally no pressure group small or mad enough that the government won't indulge them if they oppose immigration.
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Peter Sturgeon @prsturgeon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
In the midst of the Macklemore/Sheeran media storm, remember the Proclaimers say stupid shit too. 🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I’m not sure why a village that has shown itself to be composed almost entirely of idiots qualifies for a breaking news alert.
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Ned Palmer @cheesetastingco.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
answering teh important questions... rebrand.ly/AskACheesemo...
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 15/09/2026
All supporting acts withdraw from Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore
theguardian.com
All supporting acts withdraw from Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore
Three openers and live band for Sheeran’s tour depart after removal of Macklemore over ‘free Palestine’ comments All four supporting acts for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opening act Macklemore, as backlash grows to his removal from the tour over onstage comments in support of Palestine. Finneas, the singer who was scheduled to open for Sheeran on six South American dates in November, withdrew from the tour on Tuesday afternoon, hours after Sheeran posted his own lengthy statement to Instagram explaining pressure from venue owners to remove Macklemore for pro-Palestine comments made during two shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. Continue reading...
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I have an announcement.
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IHR Society, Culture & Belief, 1500-1800 @ihrscb.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We're on the lookout for some PhD students who would like to give a Lightning Talk at our seminar on 12 November! Open to early modernists working on any geography, talks are 3-5 minutes! Get in touch via BlueSky or email tmt29@cam.ac.uk with a short summary of PhD and bio by 12 October! ✨🥳
Poster on Lightning talks:

PhD Lightning Talks: Society, Culture, and Belief Seminar, 1500-1800, Institute of Historical Research. Deadline: 12 October, Event: Thursday 12 November, 5.30 pm

The Society, Culture, and Belief Seminar is inviting applications for lightning talks from PhD students on their research. We ask that these talks be 3-5 minutes. This is a fantastic opportunity to talk through your research with a broader audience of fellow students and more seasoned academics, as well as test out some ideas in a comfortable and welcoming environment. The talks will be followed by a brief Q&A session.

The seminar was founded in 1979, hosting papers on themes ranging from witchcraft and piracy to early modern medicine and urban religious practices. We look to create an open and welcoming atmosphere and are always excited to hear a broad range of papers and geographies.

The event will take place on Thursday 12 November 2026, from 5.30 pm onwards. For those presenting in-person, we typically continue the conversation after the seminar over drinks or dinner. We’re open to applications from students working on any geographical region between 1500-1800. 

If you would like to participate, please email: tmt29@cam.ac.uk by 12 October 2026 with a 300-word thesis summary and a brief bio. If you would like to attend the seminar, do keep an eye out on our webpage (very soon to be updated with our events for this term) or you can always follow us on Bluesky @ihrscb.bsky.social. We tend to meet on Thursdays during term time at 5.30 pm — all are welcome!
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Alona Ferber @aloner.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"Compulsory lentils" This has made my day
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Ned Palmer @cheesetastingco.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
In case you missed it: rebrand.ly/TheFolkloreo...
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Oct 1st, Save the date! Rosamund Oates will be talking about ‘Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England' at @ihrscb.bsky.social in-person @ihr.bsky.social & online. #EarlyModern 🗃️ Booking details will soon be on: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/ihr-seminars/society-culture-belief-1500-1800
Rosamund Oates (Manchester Metropolitan University)
‘Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England’

1 October 2026, in-person and online
Society, Culture and Belief, 1500-1800, at the Institute of Historical Research, London

Rosamund Oates shares previously untold stories of deaf men, women and children, showing how their experiences reveal contemporary beliefs about disability and humanity in early modern England.  Drawing on archival sources, she will explore how far deaf people were integrated into their communities, and show how Catholic and Protestant churches adapted to include sign language users from the medieval period onwards.  Lastly, she will explore the influence that deaf signers had on the broader culture of the period, showing their impact on artists, scientists and philosophers, including Christopher Wren and John Locke.

Venue and booking details will be available soon on our webpage:
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/ihr-seminars/society-culture-belief-1500-1800
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Simon Gosden @simongosden.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A philanthropic gift is a new hospital ward, it’s a CAT scanner, it’s a new library, it’s a school swimming pool it’s not funding fascism.
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AFC Wimbledon @afcwimbledon1889.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Three points. Great goal. Clean sheet. Best fans in the world. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Dons! 💛💙
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Tanita Tikaram @tanitatikaram.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
What I love about Western democracy is you can bung a political party £ 36 million earned from criminal activity & most media will continue to point at asylum seekers & migrant care workers with families as the barbarians at the gate we need to defend ourselves from 🙄.
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Nov 12th - PhD Lighting Talks at @ihrscb.bsky.social! A chance to introduce your PhD project in 3-5 minutes on any aspect of society, culture or belief, 1500-1800. Organised by @teaphaine.bsky.social and @annajpravdica.bsky.social. Email abstract to tmt29@cam.ac.uk by Oct 12th. #EarlyModern 🗃️
If you would like to attend the seminar, do keep an eye out on our webpage (very soon to be updated with our events for this term) or you can always follow us on Bluesky @ihrscb.bsky.social. We tend to meet on Thursdays during term time at 5.30 pm — all are welcome!

PhD Lightning Talks
Deadline: 12 October, Event: 12 November

The Society, Culture, and Belief Seminar is inviting applications for lightning talks from PhD students on their research. We ask that these talks be 3-5 minutes. This is a fantastic opportunity to talk through your research with a broader audience of fellow students and more seasoned academics, as well as test out some ideas in a comfortable and welcoming environment. The talks will be followed by a brief Q&A session.The event will take place on Thursday, 12 November, 2026, from 5.30 pm onwards. For those presenting in person, we typically continue the conversation after the seminar over drinks or dinner. We’re open to applications from students working on any geographical region between 1500-1800.If you would like to participate, please email: tmt29@cam.ac.uk by 12 October 2026 with a 300-word thesis summary and a brief bio.

Society, Culture & Belief, 1500 – 1800
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If you feel like donating to the RNLI, here’s a link. I just have. Their minimum donation is £2: I think it might be nice for them to receive a lot of donations this week, even if they’re mostly very modest. Just so they know a lot of people out here appreciate their work. rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 09/09/2026
AI companies: This technology we’re developing is dangerous and might destroy humanity and we don’t know how to stop it Other people: So we should strictly regulate it, create legislative guard rails, and monitor its development? AI companies: lol no the opposite of all that & give us more money
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Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 08/09/2026
Two things: one, no, it won't, because cancer isn't one disease with a single cure that's just waiting to be found, and two, why is the economics editor writing about tech, and indeed health research, when he clearly knows fuck all about either subject? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
AI will cure cancer in our lifetime, claims boss of UK chip giant
Arm Holding's chief executive Rene Haas says artificial intelligence will find a solution to the disease.
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Ned Palmer @cheesetastingco.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
In case you missed it, here is my latest Substack on the magical pairing of cheese and beer: rebrand.ly/CheeseAndBeer
rebrand.ly
The Magic of Cheese and Beer
...and the pairing of both....
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Did the metropolitan suburbs have a distinctive 'petitioning culture' due to the their social and administrative growing pains in the 17th century? 🗃️ *New* addition from Aaron Columbus to the #EarlyModern #PowerOfPetitioning annotated bibliography: muse.jhu.edu/pub/62/artic...
Screenshot of the first page of an article by Aaron Columbus called 'Place, Petitioning, and Welfare in Seventeenth-Century Suburban London'.

Abstract: Petitioning was a feature of everyday life in the suburbs of seventeenth-century London, where rapid urban growth, migration, poverty, plague, and overlapping jurisdictions shaped petitioning practices. This article argues that the metropolitan environment influenced how petitioners constructed claims to welfare, justice, and protection, producing a petitioning culture that differed from that in rural and provincial England. Drawing on petitions submitted to parish vestries and quarter sessions, it demonstrates how suburban Londoners mobilised experiences of poverty, disease, settlement, and belonging to negotiate with multiple authorities. By examining petitioning through the lens of place, this article shows how the social and administrative complexities of suburban London fostered petitioning as an everyday political practice through which welfare, authority, and belonging were negotiated.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Of the 661 people it took to create this toothbrush: 'Was there nothing else, looking at all the burning world, that these brilliant and highly trained minds could have done?' Scorching, with Socrates.
ft.com
What would Socrates have done with the new Dyson toothbrush?
No one needs two and a half million photographs of their back molars
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