The British History Group was formed in November 2018. We have subsequently come together every month, although we do have a break every August and there was a gap during the first Covid-19 Lockdown. We have now grown to 8 members and continue to meet in the Broadway Hotel Bar come rain or shine, to discuss a British historical topic over a convivial drink or two!
Moving ahead, we have decided to widen our remit to include European history. However, having studied over 60 books about Britain over the last 7 years, now seems an appropriate time to list 10 that really stood out. The list below was written by Jon; they are his opinions only and are not necessarily those of the whole group or other individual members.
- The Greatest Knight (Thomas Asbridge). This tells the story of William the Marshall who rose from being a minor Knight to national Regent during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It marries both political and biographical history and is a wonderful tale of someone who made a real difference. Well worth reading!
- Common People (Alison Light). Most histories are about Kings and nobles, and tell the stories of battles and conflict. Not so this book, which recounts the history of Ms Light’s family over the last 250 or so years. There are some wonderful tales that really describe what ordinary people’s lives were actually like. Highly recommended!
- The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery (Paul Kennedy). We now turn from the story of one family to high-level international geopolitical history. Kennedy describes the intersection of economics, national strategies, and geopolitics, and how they impacted on British naval power between the 15th century to the 1980s. Eye-opening and masterful!
- Samuel Pepys (Claire Tomalin). Ms Tomalin is a sensitive and compassionate biographer who tells the story of a deeply flawed and yet successful man. Today he would probably be cancelled (he was a serial abuser of women), but he was also complex, social, and hard-working. Do we have the right to judge our predecessors? Read it and see what you think!
- Who Dares Wins (Dominic Sandbrook). This book covers Mrs Thatcher’s first administration in the early 1980s. Although one really needs to read his prior two books of the 1970s to gain a full understanding of what was happening, it is nonetheless a fantastic recounting of a contentious and difficult period. Sandbrook is a fabulous writer!
- The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy (David Cannadine). If we had been alive 200 years ago, our rulers would have been landed aristocracy. This is clearly not the case today (or not much!) and this book recounts how that change happened and how it came about without an armed revolution. This is a super book!
- The Winter King (Thomas Penn). This book vividly tells the story of Henry VII, the first of the Tudor Monarchs, and a man who liked nothing more than to pore over his account books of an evening. I think he was an exceptional monarch who was far more successful than his son. Read it to see if you agree!
- The Norman Conquest (Marc Morris). How was a well administered and governed state of over 1 million people conquered by a relatively small band of Soldiers? What difference did the conquest make to ordinary people’s lives? Were the noble Saxons forced off their land by mercenary Normans? Read this book to answer these and more questions!
- English Society in the 18th Century (Roy Porter). This fantastic book describes what life was like in all its dimensions during a period of national and economic growth. It could be hard, especially for the rural poor, but there were also opportunities and fortunes to be made. Life just seems colourful and dynamic at this time, and it’s brought across brilliantly!
- Britain after Rome (Robin Fleming). The further back we study, the less we know, and yet the more interesting it is. This is a great attempt to explain the fall of the Roman Empire in England, and what happens afterwards. It is very much an archaeological and ‘long history’ approach, but well worth reading!
There are numerous others that I could mention. Britain BC (Francis Pryor) is good on the development of agriculture and land organisation between 4000-2000BC. Modern Ireland (Roy Foster) is a dispassionate telling of Irish history. The Great War and Modern Memory (Paul Fussell) wonderfully recounts the story of the first world war poets. The Making of the English Working Class (EP Thompson) is the definitive book on this subject. Read She-Wolves (Helen Castor) to learn about the lives of several high-ranking medieval women. A Great and Terrible King (Marc Morris, again) is a superb history of Edward I. If you’re interested in the development of female education, then read Bluestockings (Jane Robinson). I also liked The Kings and Queens of Scotland (Richard Oram), Singled Out (Valerie Nicholson), Aelfred’s Britain (Max Adams), William II (John Gillingham), Britons (Linda Colley), and many more!
What I hope comes across is how blessed we are to have such a diverse spread of excellence and scholarship. We have very much enjoyed our meetings so far and are looking forward to the next years!
Jon Marsh
January 2026
