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  1. Blackleaf

    Archbishop of Canterbury: Islamic State is Herod of today

    Christianity faces "elimination" in the Middle East, the region where it began, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned in his Christmas Day sermon. The Most Reverend Justin Welby said so-called Islamic State is "igniting a trail of fear, violence, hatred and determined oppression". He also...
  2. Blackleaf

    NHS Choir beat Justin Bieber to prestigious UK Christmas Number 1

    A choir of nurses, doctors and other NHS staff have beaten Justin Bieber and X Factor winner Louisa Johnson to the UK's prestigious Christmas number one spot. The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir's song A Bridge Over You topped the chart ahead of Bieber's Love Yourself. The choir overtook...
  3. Blackleaf

    Roman skeletons found at new Army barracks

    Workers preparing the ground for a new £250 million Army barracks have discovered at least 11 Roman skeletons and a rare coin dating back nearly 2,000 years. Artefacts found with the bones included a coin of the emperor Valens, who reigned between 364 and 378AD. Archaeologists were...
  4. Blackleaf

    Six people injured after Audi careers into Costa Coffee packed with shoppers

    Six people have been injured - some seriously - in a shocking Christmas Eve crash after an Audi car drove into a Costa Coffee shop this morning. Police, ambulance and fire services rushed to the scene in Westerham, Kent, following the incident at about 10.30am in the high street area of...
  5. Blackleaf

    Mashing up the world of Charles Dickens

    We've all seen many TV adaptations of Charles Dickens' greatest novels over the years, such as A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, The Old Curiosity Shop and A Tale of Two Cities. So it's about time there was a Dickens series on TV with a twist. And now that twist has arrived in the form of...
  6. Blackleaf

    Archaeologists believe Thames gold hoard may have come from Tudor hat

    A gust of wind blowing up the Thames half a millennium ago may have been responsible for the creation of a small hoard of gold that has been dug out of the muddy banks of the river. Archaeologists believe that the cache – made up of tiny fragments of Tudor gold – may have come from a single...
  7. Blackleaf

    Tudor timeline: 10 momentous dates

    It was one of the most transformative periods in English history, but which dates in the Tudor calendar had the greatest impact? Historian Lauren Mackay maps out the top 10… Tudor timeline: 10 momentous dates...
  8. Blackleaf

    Britain's earliest gun flints found on tiny island

    The earliest gun flints discovered in Britain were among finds made during 15 years of archaeological excavations on a small Hebridean island. The flints were manufactured on Dùn Èistean, an island stronghold of Clan Morrison at Ness on the northern tip of Lewis in the Western Isles...
  9. Blackleaf

    Shifting sand dunes reveal large Bronze Age settlement

    Shifting sands have revealed a significant complex of Bronze Age buildings in Orkney. Archaeologists made the discovery at Tresness in Sanday while on a walk in poor weather. The remains of 14 houses and stone tools, including knives, have been described as "one of the biggest complexes of...
  10. Blackleaf

    Five surprising Tudor facts

    Popularised by the likes of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the Tudors are one of England’s most famous dynasties. Here, writing for History Extra, Dr Nicola Clark reveals five unusual facts about the Tudor rulers and the royal court… 5 surprising Tudor facts Popularised by the likes of Henry...
  11. Blackleaf

    The Queen's Christmas speech is set to be the most overtly Christian yet

    The Queen is set to deliver her most Christian message yet in her Christmas speech, after a year of Isil jihadist attacks. Sources say the monarch will use her traditional annual speech to reflect on her personal faith as well as her belief in the continuing role of Christianity at the centre...
  12. Blackleaf

    Greeting cards from British troops during WWI give glimpse of life on the front line

    A set of Christmas cards sent by British soldiers during the Great War show what life was like at this time of the year on the front line. The cards, which depict servicemen in battle or during downtime in the trenches, were sent by members of the forces to their loved ones who remained...
  13. Blackleaf

    Queen and Prince Philip head to Sandringham for Christmas on passenger train

    She spent yesterday catching up with distant relatives at her annual pre-Christmas lunch. But now the Queen has left the bustling London crowds behind and headed to her country estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, for the festive season. The 89-year-old monarch was spotted boarding the 10.44am...
  14. Blackleaf

    Kate Middleton takes over from Prince Philip as patron of the RAF Air Cadets

    The Duchess of Cambridge has become the patron of the RAF Air Cadets - a role she has taken on from her grandfather-in-law the Duke of Edinburgh. During an audience at Buckingham Palace, Philip relinquished his role as Honorary Air Commodore-in-Chief, bringing to an end his 63-year...
  15. Blackleaf

    The gruesome remains of prehistoric murder victims uncovered in Europe's bogs

    Since the 19th Century, remarkably preserved remains of prehistoric people have been found, often by people cutting peat for fuel, in the peat bogs of northern Europe - the remains of individuals like Old Croghan Man and Clonycavan Man in Ireland, Lindow Man in Britain and Tollund Man in...
  16. Blackleaf

    9 places associated with the Prayer Book Rebellion

    The Prayer Book Rebellion, which took place in south-western England during 1549, saw thousands unite against the changes to traditional forms of worship imposed by the government of the boy-king, Edward VI. Charlotte Hodgman talks to Professor Mark Stoyle about nine places connected...
  17. Blackleaf

    Football fan travels 10,000 miles to watch game - only to discover it is postponed

    An Australian fan of English League One football club Southend United travelled all the way from Brisbane, Queensland to Bradford, West Yorkshire to watch them play - only to find the game against Bradford City had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. "We were told as the coach pulled up...
  18. Blackleaf

    1,000 tonne piece of new submarine is transported through town

    An enormous cylindrical piece of a nuclear submarine has been successfully driven through the streets of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria to an indoor shipping complex. The massive piece of machinery, weighing over 1,000 tonnes, is the heaviest to be moved to date by technology and defence giant...
  19. Blackleaf

    Tim Peake about to become first British astronaut on ISS

    The rocket that will carry UK astronaut Tim Peake into orbit has arrived at the launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. At 01:00 GMT (07:00 local time), the Soyuz launcher was rolled out on its flat-bed transporter for the 2km train journey to the pad. The train took almost two hours to reach the...
  20. Blackleaf

    Euro 2016

    There is to be a "Battle of Britain" at Euro 2016. The draw for the tournament took place in Paris yesterday - and England and Wales were drawn together in Group B. It will be the first time that two of the UK Home Nations have faced each other at a major finals since England played Scotland at...