Viewpoints – Placecloud

Cambridge, United Kingdom. In 1849, Clare College (then Clare Hall) was rocked by a great tragedy. One of its student's, Edward Hayman, had taken his own life. Learn of Edward's story, and of his struggles with 'religious melancholy'.

Cambridge, United Kingdom. In 1849, the reverend of Cottenham, and the Cambridgeshire coroner, had a fierce argument about whether a man of the parish could be given a proper Christian burial. Why? Because he had taken his own life. Learn about beliefs surrounding the burial of suicides in Victorian England.

Carlisle, United Kingdom. In 1793, a young woman in this village, Dinah Harryman, asked for help with her suicidal feelings. Her aunt's response indicates how difficult it could be for friends and family to understand the suicidal. Learn about Dinah's story.

Bury, United Kingdom. In 1826, there were large-scale riots at Helmshore. Half-starving handloom weavers attacked the machines which threatened their livelihoods. Mary Hindle, a local woman, got caught up in this rioting. Learn about her story, and about what eventually drove her to suicide.

London, United Kingdom. In 1780, this pub, The Green Man, was a hubbub of noise and debate. Learn about how pubs could be sites for investigating issues of suicide and sanity.

Cambridge, United Kingdom. In 1839, Charles William Bond died on this street. At the inquest into his death, it was suggested that novel-reading had contributed to his suicidal feelings. Learn about how contemporaries could interpret and rationalise suicidal behaviour.

Byfleet, United Kingdom. Take a tour of the remains of Oatlands Palace, a favourite later residence of Henry VIII, which was demolished in 1650. We will explore the history of this once great palace, which witnessed one of the king's six weddings.

London, United Kingdom. In 1798, a letter was left at the bank of Hyde Park Basin. Why had it been left there? And why did its author want it to be published? Find out about the struggles of John Cook, the butler to the Marquis of Titchfield, who died here.

Oberlangen, Germany. In 1945, the German town of Haren was evacuated to make room for a sizeable population of Polish displaced persons (DPs). Many of them ex-/army members who had fought alongside the British. The entire town was requisitioned and turned into a microcosm of Polish society in the heart of Germany for 3 years before the whole process was reversed.

As the New Atlantic Charter was recently signed to reaffirm Anglo-American commitment to democracy and strengthen trade deals, how was the original Atlantic Charter received and who did it benefit? Held up as a blueprint for the post-war order, the original charter signed in 1941, signalled new international cooperation - but for some, it signalled betrayal as the principles were applied haphazard...

Washington, United States. The United Nations started with the UNRRA. Created in 1943, driven my Anglo-American interests, UNRRA was a champion of post-war peace, stability, and safety. Although largely forgotten today, UNRRA was a revolutionary organisation that aimed to not only relieve hunger and prevent disease, but to rehabiltate people and land to prevent conditions similar to post-1918 from...

Saint-Lô, France. On the West Coast of France in 1945, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) requisitioned buildings in Granville and Jullouville to set up training centres for those who were tasked with helping Europe's Displaced Persons. Becoming an UNRRA worker was, for some, much more than a job but a second chance at a different life. These centres, with a high t...

Shrewsbury, United Kingdom. Little is known about the medieval Welsh poet Gwerful Mechain, but she wrote some absolute bangers, including ‘Cywydd y cedor’, or, to non-Welsh speakers, ‘Poem to the vagina’. In the opening, she says that men have written some great praise poetry about women, but they are incomplete, because they don’t include detailed praise of genitalia. She then gives us a further...

London, United Kingdom. In 1497, Joan Rokker called Joan Sebar a whore on her front doorstep then threw bread at her. How, where, and why did medieval women publicly sexually defame other women?

Kingdom of East Anglia, United Kingdom. It's winter in Suffolk, and you and your friends are bored of sewing. What next? Why, a round of ‘Have Your Desire’, of course! In this quick fire dice game, you roll to reveal your fortune. Spoiler alert: you're probably going to have sex. Further Reading: Nicola McDonald, 'Fragments of Have Your Desire: Brome Women at Play', Medieval Domesticity, ed. Kowal...

London, United Kingdom. If you were sure you had married someone but they didn’t agree, the London consistory court was the place to be. Here, ecclesiastical judges heard contested marriage cases. Disgruntled non-couple couples brought all kinds of evidence: gifts, exchanges of vows, sexual relationships. But for one woman, denying marriage was as simple as admitting that they had made out a coupl...

York, United Kingdom. Impotence was sufficient grounds for annulment, but how to prove that a man experienced erectile disfunction? In 1433, one court asked ‘seven honest women’ to ascertain whether or not the defendant was capable of an erection with that timeless method, a lapdance. Further Reading: Bronach Kane, “Impotence and Virginity in the Late Medieval Ecclesiastical Court of York,” Borthw...

London, United Kingdom. In 1394, a sex worker and a Yorkshireman are arrested in a stable for public sex, and specifically for ‘committing that detestable unmentionable and ignominious vice’, sodomy. The ensuing deposition reveals that Eleanor has been known as John at various times in their life, and has had sex with both men and women. This episode places Eleanor in conversation with other cases...

London, United Kingdom. In an obscure early printed song book that survives only by chance, a woman sings about seeing her lover out with a ‘mistress bastard’. Her reaction? She calls him a fuckboy and goes dancing.

Hereford, United Kingdom. In c.1340, a professional scribe of Shropshire copied down a fun fireside tale. Three women are off on a pilgrimage. On the road, one of them finds ‘a great huge penis, draped about with just its muzzle peeking out’ from behind a hawthorn bush. This episode considers a variety of stories of wandering genitalia, and the problems with picking up a disembodied penis off the...

York, United Kingdom. Joan was forced to enter a nunnery by her parents. In 1318, she faked her own death and ran away to live a life of ‘carnal lust’ in Beverley. We’ve all been there.

London, United Kingdom. Recounts the story of Fireman George Lee who, in 1876, lost his life while attempting to save people from a fire in St John Street, Clerkenwell.

London, United Kingdom. Recounts the story of Charles Edward Emery who tried to save a boy from drowning in the River Thames and lost his own life in the attempt.

London, United Kingdom. Recounts the story of Ellen Donovan, who lost her life in a house fire near Covent Garden while trying to save some children.

London, United Kingdom. On 1st October 1815, John Keats enrolled at Guy's Hospital to undertake his medical training. Though he did well at Guy's, Keats eventually gave up his studies to become a poet. Listen to find out more about Keats's time spent training in the medical profession, including details about some of his more grisly duties.