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  1. Blackleaf

    Skeleton of a 16th century pirate executed for his crimes discovered under school

    A skeleton discovered in a school playground could be that of a pirate, according to archaeologists. City of Edinburgh Council workers found the remains at the city's oldest primary school while carrying out survey work to build an extension. Victoria Primary School is close to Newhaven's...
  2. Blackleaf

    The EU worth £3,000 to each British family? Fantasy - and just the start of the lies

    It seems that Cameron has pencilled in this June for the referendum in which the British people will decide whether or not Britain is to leave the EU. Cue a barrage of pro-EU lies, fantasies and propaganda to try and ensure the British people make the "right" decision on referendum day...
  3. Blackleaf

    Historic castle near Queen's estate left teetering due to floods

    The Queen's neighbour in Balmoral has had to leave his historic 450-year-old castle as it is threatened by rising flood waters. John Seton Howard Gordon, whose 11,687-acre Abergeldie estate is enclosed by the royal residence of Balmoral on three sides, had to flee the castle as it was...
  4. Blackleaf

    Ascension Island to become marine reserve

    The British government is to create a marine reserve almost as big as the UK in the Atlantic waters of Ascension Island, which is part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Just over half of the protected area will be closed to fishing. The...
  5. Blackleaf

    Long-lost Roman roads discovered on flood maps

    Aerial flood maps of Britain are revealing more than just at-risk regions - they have also led to the discovery of several Roman roads. Amateur archaeologists have been able to use the flood-mapping technology to trace the paths of Roman roads which have remained buried under the land for some...
  6. Blackleaf

    Twiggy, Beatles and World Cup: 50 years on, why it was glorious to be a Brit in 1966

    Today, it has become a fabled age — a time of pretty girls in mini-skirts driving zippy Mini cars, of Michael Caine being happily promiscuous as Alfie at the cinema, of Ready, Steady, Go starting the weekend on TV, and of British bands dominating the world of popular music. And then...
  7. Blackleaf

    BBC's epic War and Peace starts tomorrow

    Move over Downton Abbey - a new trailer for BBC drama War and Peace promises love, sex, battle and intrigue and is certainly not for the faint hearted with passionate scenes in the bushes. It's been hotly tipped as the must-see drama of 2016, and now the BBC has released the first...
  8. Blackleaf

    Roman p enis carving to go on display in Lincoln

    A Roman carving of a phallus is to go on public display for the first time after being used as a garden ornament for 20 years. The limestone carving was dug up in a garden in the Lincolnshire village of Braceby in 1995. The family that found it have donated it to The Collection museum in...
  9. Blackleaf

    The top 10 military blunders in history

    From ancient times to the present day, battles have been lost to dire weather, insufficient weaponry and bad luck. But what about those for which poor judgment and bad planning are to blame? Here, historian Rupert Matthews explores 10 of the worst military blunders in...
  10. Blackleaf

    Call for England to have its own national anthem

    MPs are to debate and vote on whether England should adopt an official national anthem. The UK anthem, God Save the Queen, is currently used during some sporting events but Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins believes England should have its own. He intends to bring his English National Anthem...
  11. Blackleaf

    New TV drama Beowulf could rival A Game Of Thrones

    A new British drama, one of the most expensive ever made for ITV, could rival A Game Of Thrones. "Beowulf" is based on the epic Anglo-Saxon poem of over 3,000 alliterative lines, the first great work of literature ever written in the English language. It tells the story of Beowulf who comes to...
  12. Blackleaf

    Is there a fortune buried in your back garden?

    According to government figures, 2014 was a bumper year for treasure finds in Britain with 1,008 precious items discovered around the country — the highest since 1996. Norfolk topped the table with 226 items uncovered in 2013 and 2014. It’s why the county has become a huge draw for treasure...
  13. Blackleaf

    Pilgrim completes 'medieval' journey from Southampton to Canterbury

    A former physics teacher has completed a 700-year-old pilgrim's journey using only medieval clothing and equipment. Steven Payne began walking from Southampton's Mayflower Park to Canterbury on 16 December, carrying a goodwill message from the Pope. The 52-year-old slept in his cloak...
  14. Blackleaf

    12 facts about the Stuarts

    They immediately succeeded the Tudors, and reigned over some of the most monumentally changeable times in British history – civil war, rebellion, the beheading of a king, plague outbreaks, a disastrous fire and a successful foreign invasion. Yet the Stuarts remain a largely overlooked...
  15. Blackleaf

    Fossil hunters flock to Jurassic Coast after cliff fall

    A landslide on a Dorset beach has attracted dozens of fossil hunters in search of relics. Some 200 enthusiasts combed the beach in the village of Charmouth, on the fossil-rich Jurassic Coast, collecting scores of ammonite fossils. The majority are said to have picked up ammonites...
  16. Blackleaf

    Colchester Roman 'jigsaw puzzle' bowl repaired for fourth time

    A Roman glass bowl has caused museum staff a headache after having to be put back together four times. The bowl, which was excavated in 1988, had already been reconstructed three times when it was smashed by a skull at Colchester Castle in September. Work is under way to restore the "50 or...
  17. Blackleaf

    Heritage charity marks 1966 and all that

    The 50th anniversary of England's victory in the 1966 World Cup is among dates being commemorated next year by English Heritage. The charity, which runs the London blue plaques scheme, will be erecting a plaque to Bobby Moore, captain of the team which beat West Germany 4-2 in the Final...
  18. Blackleaf

    How the UK could overtake Germany AND Japan to be fourth largest economy

    Britain's economy is powering ahead of our faltering European neighbours, according to forecasts that appear to strengthen the case for a UK exit from the EU. We are predicted to overtake Japan and Germany within 20 years to become the world’s fourth largest economy. In France by contrast, the...
  19. Blackleaf

    How the remains of Anglo-Saxon England can be seen in the most surprising places

    It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian. The country has changed almost unimaginably since then, with waves of migration, war and...
  20. Blackleaf

    Crowds flee in terror as man with machete attacks at least one person in London

    Panicked shoppers fled for their lives after a man armed with a two-foot long machete was spotted running through a packed shopping centre. Families visiting Glades Shopping Centre in Bromley, south east London, screamed as they feared the area was under an ISIS-style terrorist attack...