A 17th-century ring found beside Loch Lomond…

Yes, 17th century, in spite of this headline elsewhere, it is this to which I am drawing your attention. The headline says the ring is 15th-century, which I suppose it might be, if it was 200 years old when it was lost, but examination seems to confirm that it is 250 years old, and therefore of…

The ten worst Britons in history?

This is a very entertaining and well-illustrated 2006 article, choosing one arch-villain for each century from the eleventh to the twentieth. The all-male list includes just one King but two Archbishops of Canterbury. So what do you think?

A surprising parallel?

Late last year, the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi (Free Saudi Liberals) was sentenced on appeal to ten years imprisonment and a thousand lashes for two offences: apostacy (apparently changing his religion, which is generally a capital offence in KSA) and “undermining the regime and officials” (essentially sedition). He had previously been sentenced to seven years…