Stories written by

Jessica Gregory

How hostilities between the US and Britain affected the whale oil trade in the 19th century

Whales provided lubricant for machinery during the industrial revolution, fuel for lamps and their baleen was used in items such as corsets and umbrellas.

Jessica Gregory
· Jul 13, 2022 · 01:30 pm
19th century letters reveal the mood in Britain when inflation reached the highest levels in history

The incredible rise was fuelled by 20 years of Napoleonic Wars and a demand spike provoked by the industrial revolution.

Jessica Gregory
· Jul 02, 2022 · 09:30 pm
A succession of bad wheat harvests caused a bread crisis in Britain in 1795

A number of bread riots broke out as hungry people vented their ire.

Jessica Gregory
· May 08, 2022 · 09:30 pm

‘Take three pints of milk, stir in some gold’: Advice for the ill from 17th-century England

The manuscripts mention fascinating potions for everything ranging from fever to the plague.

Jessica Gregory
· Feb 29, 2020 · 01:30 pm