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  1. Blackleaf

    The island that switches countries every six months

    Next week, France will hand over 3,000 sq m (9,942 sq ft) of its territory to Spain without a single shot being fired. But in six months' time Spain will voluntarily hand back the land to France. As Chris Bockman reports, it's been that way for more than 350 years. The island that...
  2. Blackleaf

    Stilton cheese rolling cancelled as 'no longer seen as cool'

    An annual cheese rolling event in a village famed for its dairy connections has been cancelled as it is no longer seen as "cool", organisers said. It has taken place for more than 50 years in Stilton, Cambridgeshire, which some claim to be the true home of its namesake cheese. However, the...
  3. Blackleaf

    Blanche Parry's life at the side of Queen Elizabeth I

    Blanche Parry is one of history's most influential Welsh women, yet few know the name and only a handful know her story. From her home on the Welsh marches she joined the Tudor court, nursing the young Princess Elizabeth and becoming a lifelong confidante who lived, breathed and slept alongside...
  4. Blackleaf

    Man photographs ghost of a monk at medieval castle

    A man is adamant that he has photographed a ghost after he spotted something very mysterious in his images of a medieval castle. Jon Wickes, 50, was visiting Eynsford Castle in Kent with his 12-year-old son Harry to help him out with his history homework. However, when returning from the...
  5. Blackleaf

    The ‘experts’ must learn their lesson from Project Fear’s failure

    Unemployment would soar. Trade would collapse. Factories would close, and house prices would be in freefall. Rewind to the spring and summer of 2016, when Project Fear was at its peak, and we were meant to be shivering in the streets by now, flicking through battered copies of ‘The Road’...
  6. Blackleaf

    8 must-visit castles with Tudor connections

    Let's go on a tour of eight castles of England and Wales with significant Tudor links... 8 must-visit castles with Tudor connections The 112-year reign of the Tudors left an indelible mark on modern Britain, says Nathen Amin. Here, the author and historian...
  7. Blackleaf

    British Foreign Secretary is descendant of mummified Basel woman

    Scientists in the Swiss city of Basel have solved a decades-old mystery over the identity of a mummified woman. Their research revealed a surprise: the woman is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother of UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The body was uncovered in 1975...
  8. Blackleaf

    Archaeologists piece together 1,500-year-old Roman mosaic

    A Roman mosaic that lay buried under a city centre for more than 1,500 years has been painstakingly lifted from the ground and preserved for future generations. The mosaic, made up of thousands of small cubes of stone and brick, was unearthed when work began to build a new apartment...
  9. Blackleaf

    Decapitated skull of an Iron Age woman is found in Somerset

    A mysterious skull discovered by a dog walker dates back to the late Iron Age, archaeologists have revealed. The skull, which was found in Langport in Somerset, was reported to the police and analysed. Months of tests revealed that it belonged to a woman aged 45 or older who had suffered...
  10. Blackleaf

    10,000-year-old crayon found in North Yorkshire

    An ochre crayon thought to have been used to draw on animal skins 10,000 years ago has been found by archaeologists. The crayon, which is just 22mm long, was discovered near the site of an ancient lake which is now covered in peat near Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Archaeologists find...
  11. Blackleaf

    Black footballing pioneer Cyrille Regis dies aged 59

    Cyrille Regis, the former West Bromwich Albion and England forward, has died aged 59. He scored 112 goals in 297 appearances for the Baggies before joining Coventry City for £250,000 in 1984. He was a pioneer for black footballers in the game when he played alongside Laurie Cunningham and...
  12. Blackleaf

    Golden eagle lands on woman's windowsill

    A golden eagle caused a flap after landing on the windowsill of a house in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Rebekah Norton, from Ton Pentre, published pictures on Facebook of the huge bird of prey staring through her window. Golden eagle lands on Ton Pentre woman's windowsill 9 January 2018 BBC News...