Search results

A 500-year-old artefact is one of the earliest depictions of a mythical figure from medieval Europe, an expert has claimed. Metal detectorists found the spoon handle with an engraving of "Wild Man" near Woodbridge in Suffolk. A leading historian has hailed the discovery as a "rare find". Some...

There should be an EU-wide ban on high-powered semi-automatic weapons, the British prime minister will urge in the wake of the Paris attacks. David Cameron will suggest measures to counter the illegal firearms trade at this week's European Council. He will call for "greater co-operation"...

You have probably heard of Alfred the Great - noble leader of the kingdom of Wessex and defeater of the Vikings - but how about Ceolwulf II of Mercia? More than 200 pieces of Viking silver including coins, ingots and jewellery discovered in buried in a field in Oxfordshire are shedding...

Two days after Carlisle United staff began the clear up of flooded Brunton Park, staff have made their most bizarre discovery yet - three Koi carp swimming in the goalmouth. Groundsman Dave Mitchell was helping repair the damage caused by Storm Desmond, which began on 4...

The result of the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union will be announced in Manchester, the Electoral Commission says. The city will host the count collation system designed to keep track of all the votes cast across the UK and Gibraltar after the close of polls. The...

On 7 April 1739, highwayman Dick Turpin’s life was snuffed out at the end of the rope – but his legend was only beginning... The extraordinary legend of highwayman Dick Turpin On 7 April 1739, Dick Turpin’s life was snuffed out at the end of the rope – but his legend was only beginning...

The remains of a huge medieval castle that may have rivalled the Tower of London has been discovered under the basketball court of an abandoned prison. Archaeologists unearthed the enormous 'tower keep', which is thought to date back to 1110, while they were investigating the site in...

A 'lost' Union Flag flown at the Battle of Trafalgar and said to be worth £250,000 has been unearthed by a descendant of a sailor who won it as part of a bet. The giant flag, that is peppered with holes from musket balls and splinter fragments, is one of just three from the famous 1805...

A competition to design a new £4million footbridge linking the Cornish castle thought to be King Arthur's birthplace with the mainland has been launched. Six designs for the 285ft (87m) high structure at Tintagel Castle have been unveiled, which will help reconnect the castle's divided...

Heavy rain and flooding have caused water to tumble down the most famous cliff in the Yorkshire Dales for "the first time in living memory". Water flowed over the top of the white limestone rocks of Malham Cove on Sunday, briefly making it England's highest unbroken waterfall. It may be...

Just three weeks after the gruesome terrorist attacks that took the lives of 130 people and injured 351, Britain has joined France's campaign to bombard the nest of thieves, butchers, slavers and rapists that is the Islamic State (Isil) in Syria. It is a decision that has touched our hearts...

The army has been called out to evacuate homes after Storm Desmond caused severe flooding in parts of the UK. It was sent in to Cumbria and the Scottish Borders, where hundreds of homes are under water and nearly 50 severe flood warnings remain. The floods minister said the storm had "broken...

We are living through great moments in history. For the first time since 1945 Britain, Russia and America are ­united in fighting a common enemy. At the Yalta conference in the Crimea, which met to divvy up the postwar world, the Big Three were Winston Churchill, America’s Franklin D Roosevelt...

Why lefties, liberals and warmists are like a different species... Lefties, liberals and warmists behave like a different species They are capable of emotion, but only when it suits their predetermined agenda of things that matter...

A Stoke City FC flag is due to be blasted into orbit later, in a supply ship destined for the International Space Station. Lifelong Potters fan Andrew Rushton persuaded British astronaut Tim Peake to pack the emblem. The Orbital Resupply Services Flight is due to leave Florida at 17:55 local...

We know, or think we know, quite a lot about Robin Hood – the heroic archer in English folklore who supposedly robbed the rich and gave to the poor – but hard facts about him are decidedly thin on the ground. Here, historian David Baldwin busts some of the most popular myths surrounding the...

The skeleton of a young Viking woman found in an intact timber coffin has gone on display for the first time. The skeleton was unearthed during a large-scale excavation of the Swinegate area of York in 1990. The York Archaeological Trust (YAT) said more than 100 burial sites were discovered...

David Cameron is making the case for air strikes against IS in Syria, saying the aim is to "keep the British people safe" from terror attacks. He faced calls to apologise for reportedly saying opponents of action were "terrorist sympathisers". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the comment...

To kick off its Myths and Legends Week on History Extra, Eugene Byrne explores the tales of eight of Britain’s most famous mythical figures… 8 British mythical figures...

Chelsea have submitted a planning application to rebuild Stamford Bridge into a 60,000-seat stadium. The Premier League champions have consulted over the redevelopment of their west London home, which currently has a capacity of 41,600. And a statement on the club's official website on...