MARCH 2017

WELCOME

Few images conjure up the desperation of Victorian poverty as much as the dreaded workhouse. The bleakness of life within those walls was chronicled by Charles Dickens, whose novel Oliver Twist highlighted the plight of pauper children trapped within this system. The workhouse was not, however, the fate of all of Britain’s most deprived children in the 19th century. As Lesley Hulonce shows in this month’s cover feature, the authorities tried a range of alternative approaches to li these vulnerable youngsters out of poverty. Turn to page 22 to nd out more.

This year sees the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, one of the pivotal events of European history. It’s a topic we will be returning to on a number of occasions in the following months, but we begin our coverage this issue in an interview with one of the world’s foremost experts on the subject: Eamon Du y. As he explains on page 63, the events of 1517 continue to resonate in modern times, even in uencing the vote to leave the European Union. We are living in times of great upheaval, and amid the huge changes taking place, history itself may be in some peril. New forms of communication, such as social media and email, mean that the records of the present could present signi cant challenges to historians of the future. On page 41, Jane Winters reveals the dangers history faces and o ers her thoughts about what we can do to ensure it remains in rude health in the decades and centuries to come.

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Rob Attar Editor BSME Editor of the Year 2015, Special Interest Brand

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Eamon Duffy The Reformation attacked the fundamental tenets of Catholic Christianity. It drove a great wedge into the unity of Europe and unleashed more than a century of European civil war. P Eamon discusses the Reformation on page 63

Lesley Hulonce When I began researching Victorian paupers, I realised that the lives of impoverished children were very diverse. Not all experienced the neglect and cruelty portrayed by Dickens’ Oliver Twist. P Lesley traces Victorian child paupers’ lives on page 22

Jane Winters Thinking about how to write the history of the 21st century is certainly a challenge. But it has already given me the chance to work with brand new kinds of primary sources. What historian could turn that down? P Jane asks if history can survive the digital age on page 41

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