www.bl.uk/timeline
Timelines: sources from history
Teachers’ orientation guide
Introduction to the interactive
This new interactive allows students to explore British Library collection items
chronologically from medieval times to the present day. The timeline includes a diverse
combination of texts: those that allow glimpses of everyday life (handbills, posters,
letters, diaries), remnants of political events (charters, speeches, campaign leaflets),
and the writings of some of our best known historical and literary figures.
Highlights include:

handwritten documents by great figures in history including Henry VIII, Elizabeth
I, Mozart, Beethoven, Wordsworth, Florence Nightingale and Dickens

original records of major events from the Black Death and the Great Fire to the
French Revolution and the abolition of the slave trade

The first printed book of the western world, the first cookery manuscript, the first
English bible and the first postage stamp

posters, advertisements and illustrations documenting everything from public
executions and magic shows to plague cures and séances

campaigns of activists such as Abolitionists, Chartists, Communists and CND
marchers

maps of cities and military strategies

original patents including those for the Spinning Jenny, the bicycle and the
machine gun.

Items exploring cultural diversity in Britain: including books, articles, ephemera
and sound recordings about Equiano, Ira Aldridge, Mary Seacole, Samuel
Coleridge Taylor, Yiddish theatre, Immigration from India, Windrush, Paul
Robeson, Wing Yip and Claudia Roden.
Copyright © The British Library Board
1 This is not a comprehensive view of history; instead it’s a selection of diverse texts
which tell a variety of fascinating key stories about British and international history.
Users will be able to compare various theme-based timelines: ‘everyday life’, ‘literature,
art and entertainment’, ‘politics, power and rebellion’, ‘sacred texts’ and ‘medicine,
science and technology’. This allows for fascinating comparisons to be made between
various aspects of social, cultural and political life both within time periods, across time
and against key events. Scanning through the centuries students will get a sense of the
way printed matter has changed aesthetically over time. Alternatively, you might
encourage students to look at specific subjects such as the role of women, poverty or
printing.
This guide provides teachers with background notes and suggested questions to use the
interactive in the classroom and supply students with the tools to develop independent
historical enquiry and creative thinking skills.
The timeline starts in 1215 and continues to the present day, however, the resource
sheets contained in this pack focus on historical sources from the 13th century to the
early 20th century. Additional sources will be added to the timeline as more of the
collections are made available online.
General aims of orientation guide
These resources can be used by teachers with students from KS2 through to AS/A2 and
are aimed at helping students:

Develop research skills

Develop the skills to formulate questions for historical enquiry

Develop independent enquiry

Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources

Identify and investigate different historical sources

Develop the skills to decode and interpret historical sources

Develop the ability analyse and evaluate different historical sources

Develop their chronological understanding

Develop visual literacy skills

Make connections to students existing knowledge
Copyright © The British Library Board
2 Content of orientation guide
There are 10 different resource sheets divided into different two areas contained in this
orientation guide.


Section 1 explores ideas within a specific periodMiddle Ages
Pages 6-7
Tudors
Pages 8-9
Civil War and Restoration England
Pages 10-11
Georgians
Pages 12-13
Victorians
Pages 14-15
Section 2 encourages comparisons within a thematic idea across time periodsThe changing role and status of women
Pages 16-17
Medicine
Pages 18-19
Pastimes and entertainments
Pages 20-21
The causes and consequences of poverty
Pages 22-23
Printing
Pages 24-25
Each resource sheet contains a list of suggested questions and ideas of exploring the
sources and are not specifically graded to each Key Stage. They would therefore need to
be adapted to students’ level and ability. The purpose of the resource sheets is to
provide a springboard into generating research ideas and lines of historical enquiry.
The sources can either be downloaded or printed directly from the timeline. You can also
create your own timeline of favourites from the timeline using the ‘My Favourites’
section. Your personal timelines can be printed with images and the introductory text to
each source.
Although each resource has a set of questions relating to that particular period or theme,
it is recommended that students create their own questions to help them investigate,
understand and evaluate the sources.
Create a set of questions with your students before you start
Questions for generating historical enquiry follow the idea of ‘form, function and
meaning’. Here are some suggestions:
Copyright © The British Library Board
3 
What type of source is it? Is it text, image or audio? (An example of ‘form’ i.e. is
it illuminated manuscript, printed book, newspaper, cartoon, pamphlet,
newspaper, diary, letter, speech, photograph, law)

What is the source about? (An example of ‘meaning’ or context)

Why was it written and who was the intended audience? (And example of
function’ or purpose)
Other questions to develop students thinking:

What message is the author trying to convey?

Who is the author of the source or is it anonymous? Is it important to know?

What is the tone of the source?

What point of view or perspective was he/she writing or speaking from? What is
his/her bias?

What language is it written in?

Does the source present a factual account or does it present an interpretation of
the events it is referring to?

When was it written or made? Is it a primary or secondary source?

What do we know about what else was happening at the time the source was
created?

How reliable is the source as a piece of historical evidence?
Also consider:

The diversity and nature of the collections of British Library

What is included in the British Library and why?

What is not included?
Copyright © The British Library Board
4 Curriculum links
These resources can support the National Curriculum for History in a number of ways,
primarily focussing on the skills to assess historical sources. More specifically at each
Key Stage these resources can link to the following:

KS2 pupils 1 :
o
Essential knowledge: ’how the present has been shaped by the past,
through developing a sense of chronology, exploring change and
continuity over time, and understanding why and where things happened’
o
Key skills: ‘undertake investigations and enquiries, using various methods,
media and sources; compare, interpret and analyse different types of
evidence from a range of sources; consider, respond and debate alternate
viewpoints’

KS3 pupils 2 :
o
Key concepts: chronology; change and continuity; interpretation
o
Key processes: historical enquiry; using evidence; communicating about
the past
o
Range and content (British History): political power from the Middle Ages
to the 20th Century; how lives , beliefs, ideas and attitudes of people in
Britain have changed over time
o
Curriculum opportunities: exploring shared identity and culture; Using
ICT; using museums

KS4/KS5 students:
o
History enquiry; critical and historical research skills
Cross-curricular links to English literature, English language, Art, Geography, Citizenship
and Religious Education reinforce the context and importance of learning history.
1
New Primary Curriculum (England) on ‘Historical, geographical and social understanding’ (www.dscf.gov.uk/newprimarycurriculum) (Correct as of January 2010) 2
Secondary History Curriculum (England) (http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key‐stages‐3‐and‐
4/subjects/history/index.aspx) (Correct as of January 2010) Copyright © The British Library Board
5 Section 1: Time period
Middle Ages
The medieval period spans a period in English history from the 5th to the 16th centuries.
The period embraces artistic endeavours in architecture, illuminated manuscripts, poetry
and music. Daily life and routine is determined through feudal and religious obligations.
For the peasants, who make up the majority of the population, life is harsh and
determined by the seasons and by the necessities of survival. Devastating events such
as the Black Death begin to bring about social change, and political events such as the
Peasants’ Revolt bring hope. The historical sources referred to in this resource primarily
focus on 13th - 15th centuries.
General aims of this resource
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Some of the key political events of the period

Agents of social change in the period

Literature and the arts of the period

An understanding of everyday medieval life
Students should be encouraged to search the timeline themselves to investigate different
subjects and to take advantage of the ability to compare politics with culture and
everyday life.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Magna Carta (1215)

A Medieval Death (1225)

Medieval illuminator (1240)

Medieval Bestiary (1250)

Medieval world map (1265)

Expulsion of the Jews (1290)

The medieval Church (1300)

Lord at Supper (1325)

Harrowing in the Luttrell Psalter (c.1325-1335)

The Last Judgement (1330-1340)

Black Death Chronicle (1348)

Peasants’ revolt c.1460-80 (1381)
Copyright © The British Library Board
6 
First English Cookery book (1390)

Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ (c.1400)

Illegal English bible (1400)

Medieval woman poet (1410)

Medicinal plants (1425)

Chess playing (1430)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

What was Magna Carta? Who was it written and witnessed by and what did it
propose? What language was it written in?

Who held most power England in the medieval period – King, Church, landowners?
How was this power expressed, and what was the effect on the general population?

What do these sources tell us about the lives of the wealthy and those of the poor?
How reliable are the sources?

How was medieval society structured? What institutions were important?

What was the Black Death? What was the impact of the Black Death on the
population of Europe in towns and the countryside? What was the impact on the
peasantry?

What was life like for medieval peasants? What types of jobs did they have to do?

Look at the source for the Peasants’ Revolt. Why do you think the Revolt happened?

Where are the pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales going? Why are the stories so
important in the history of English culture?

How are social and political changes reflected in the literature and the arts from 13th
century to 14th century? Is there any way of telling from the sources?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas and find other examples. Encourage the
students to formulate questions of their own, and to find sources with which to compare
and contrast.
More information
Explore the ‘Medieval Realms’ section of the British Library website:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/medieval/medievalrealms.html
Copyright © The British Library Board
7 Tudors
The Tudors ruled England from 1485 until 1603 and the death of Elizabeth I.
During a
span of just over 100 years, there was religious upheaval, increasing political isolation
from the rest of Europe, circumnavigation of the globe by an English sailor and the first
settlers in the New World. Henry VIII introduced the first Act of Royal Supremacy in
1534 and laid the foundations for a different style of monarch from his medieval
predecessors. The Elizabethan age in particular is celebrated for its literary, musical and
artistic brilliance. It was also a time in which the use of the royal image was used as a
central motif and influence. The historical sources used in this resource primarily focus
on Henry VIII (1509-1547) and Elizabeth I (1558-1603).
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Political and religious changes in Britain under the Tudors

Changes in the Tudor age on the image of monarchy

An understanding of the uses of royal propaganda on society

An impression of cultural life at this time
Students should be encouraged to search the timeline themselves to investigate different
subjects and to take advantage of the ability to compare politics with culture and
everyday life.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Henry’s VIII Coronation Notes (1509)

Dissolution of the monasteries (c.1539)

Great Bible (c.1538-1540)

Vesalius's anatomy lessons (1543)

Copernicus (1543)

Elizabeth’s Map (1558)

The First National Lottery (1567)

Elizabeth I in a golden chariot (1570)

Handwritten recipe (1570)

Elizabethan dress codes (1577)

Recipe for pancakes and puddings (1585)

Spanish Armada speech (1588)

Elizabethan Thieves (1592)
Copyright © The British Library Board
8 
The Globe Theatre (1616)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

In what way are Henry VIII and Elizabeth I visually depicted in the sources?

What sense can we get of them from the written sources?

Why was it important for the Tudor monarchs to appear powerful and to reinforce
their claim to the throne?

What symbols of royal power are visually depicted in the sources? Look for coats of
arms and other Tudor symbols, such as the rose.

How can we tell from the sources that the Tudor monarchs were very powerful?

According to Elizabeth’s map of 1558 which countries did she rule? How can we tell?
Why are coastlines of Scotland and Ireland in a different colour to England and
Wales? What was the purpose of this map?

What was the Dissolution of the Monasteries? What events led up the Act of 1536?

Why did Henry VIII support/sponsor the Great Bible?

Why did Elizabeth bring in strict dress codes for people to respect during her reign?
What does it tell us about the social structure at this time? Why was it important for
everyone to know their place? How easy do you think it would have been for these
laws to be enforced?

Look at Elizabeth’s map. Whose coat of arms has been scratched out? Why was
England at war with Spain by the late 16th century? Who was King of Spain and how
can we tell from ‘Elizabeth’s map’? What were the causes of the disagreement?
What was the outcome?

Why did Elizabeth establish a national lottery? How does it compare to the lottery
today?

What do the sources tell us about everyday life in Tudor times?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas and find other examples. Encourage the
students to formulate questions of their own, and to find sources with which to compare
and contrast.
More information
Explore more about Tudor England
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/
Copyright © The British Library Board
9 Civil War and Restoration England
The Stuart dynasty under James I (James VI of Scotland) succeeded the Tudors after
Elizabeth I died in 1603 without marrying and producing an heir. Charles I’s (16251649) belief in the ‘divine right of kings’, his involvement in unsuccessful wars, fiscal
expenditure and religious beliefs led to the outbreak of Civil War and his execution in
1649. The Commonwealth and subsequent Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell fail to secure
a lasting system of government and the monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles
II. After the Restoration, theatres were re-opened, generating a witty, flippant and
bawdy tradition of so-called ‘Restoration comedies’. One of the most significant events
of the early Restoration period was the Great Fire of London (1666). Charles II took
charge of the fire-fighting operation. And the fire is believed to have helped stop the
plague which had raged through the country killing thousands.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Key political events of the period

Responses to the execution of Charles I

The impact of the Fire of London

An understanding of the arts of the period
Students should be encouraged to search the timeline themselves to investigate different
subjects and to take advantage of the ability to compare politics with culture and
everyday life.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

The Agreement of the People (1644)

Execution of Charles I (1649)

Early A-Z of London (1650)

Oliver Cromwell as the Devil (1660)

A cure for the plague (1665)

London Gazette –Fire of London (1666)

Wren’s plans (1666)

Theatrical figures

Dictionary of criminal slang (1674)

Games and pastimes (1674)
(1673)
Copyright © The British Library Board
10 Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

Look at the picture of the execution of Charles I. What does the image tell us about
the events leading up to the execution and the reaction of the people?

Look at the picture of Oliver Cromwell. It was created after his death in 1658. What
does it tell you about people’s reaction to Oliver Cromwell’s protectorate?

What happened during the Fire of London? How can we tell from the sources?

What was Christopher Wren’s vision of for the rebuilding of the City of London? What
was he trying to achieve? How did it compare to what had gone before?

As a new monarch, why do you think it was important for Charles to be seen to be
support the plans for the rebuilding of London?

Look at the source on ‘Theatrical figures’? What kind of characters appeared in the
plays and skits created during the Restoration period? What do you think these plays
may have been like?

What kind of pastimes and entertainments were permitted during the Commonwealth
and Protectorate? Why was it important for Charles II to re-open the theatres?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas and find other examples. Encourage the
students to formulate questions of their own, and to find sources with which to compare
and contrast.
More information
Explore the ‘Making of the UK’ section of the British Library website:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/uk/makingoftheuk.html
Copyright © The British Library Board
11 Georgians
This period was one of significant social change: international trading networks, the rise
of material culture, the rise and abolition of chattel slavery, the beginnings of the
Industrial Revolution, the growth of cities and the intellectual challenges of the
Enlightenment. At the end of the period, there was a Revolution in France sending
shockwaves throughout the world. Major figures in English literature, such as Blake and
Wordsworth were influenced by this changing world.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Key political events of the period

The impact of early industrialisation on different manufacturing processes

Poverty and society in Georgian Britain

The intellectual movement called the Enlightenment and its wider impact
Students should be encouraged to search the timeline themselves to investigate different
subjects and to take advantage of the ability to compare politics with culture and
everyday life.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

East India Company's sales catalogue (1704)

Queen’s Royal Cookery (1709)

Cabinet of curiosities (1710)

Sugar in Britain (1715)

Bartholomew Fair (1721)

Textile production (1733)

Gin addiction (1751)

Henry Fielding's enquiry into crime (1751)

Johnson’s dictionary (1755)

'The British Giant' (1761)

Factories (1770)

Guidebook to London prostitutes (1773)

Captain Cook’s Journal (1775)

Storming of the Bastille (1780)

Map of the Gordon Riots (1780)

First British advert for curry powder (1784)
Copyright © The British Library Board
12 
Minutes for the Committee for Abolition of Slavery (1787)

Poverty: rules, orders, and regulations (1791)

Thomas Paine's Rights of Man (1791)

Wollstonecraft's Rights of Woman (1792)

William Blake's Notebook (1794)

Wordsworth - I wandered lonely as a cloud (1807)

Shopping for fabric (1809)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

How do the sources illustrate the changes in textile production in the period? From
the images, who is carrying out the work? Do you think this changed at all over the
period?

What evidence is there in the sources for overseas trade and exploration? What
would have been the impact of this expansion on the British Empire overseas and
back in the British Isles? What opportunities would have been created?

How did industrialisation and the French Revolution influence life in Britain? Look at
the work of Worsdworth and Blake. How was their work influenced by the changing
times? How about Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft?

What does the word ‘Enlightenment’ literally mean? It was used to describe a
philosophical movement of intellectual, cultural and scientific thinking which
promoted reasoning. Which of the sources can be seen as evidence of the
Enlightenment philosophy?

Why was poverty such a concern to people in Georgian England? Why did rules,
orders and regulations need to be introduced? What would have been the concern of
the authorities?

What do the sources tell you about everyday urban life in this period?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas and find other examples. Encourage the
students to formulate questions of their own, and to find sources with which to compare
and contrast.
More information
Explore the ‘Georgians’ section of the British Library website:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/georgians/georgianhome.html
Copyright © The British Library Board
13 Victorians
The reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) is remembered as the period that brought
industrialisation, urbanisation, the beginnings of social and educational reform and mass
entertainment. In these 64 years Britain saw the introduction of the penny post,
photography, mass transportation, tourism and the telephone. The Great Exhibition
showed off new fangled products from around the world, and attracted audiences of
millions. As the middle classes expanded, so did the number of magazines and etiquette
books. But the majority of people lived in abject poverty, suffered terrible work
conditions and miserable housing. Among those reacting to these horrors were Henry
Mayhew, Charles Dickens, Frederick Engels and Karl Marx.
Overseas, the monarchy and Government were responsible for the governance of a vast
British Empire, encompassing a diversity of people, languages and cultures.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Key political events of the period

Social changes in Queen Victoria’s reign

Changes in working practices wrought by the Industrial Revolution

The impact of political and social change on culture and the arts
Students should be encouraged to search the timeline themselves to investigate different
subjects and to take advantage of the ability to compare politics with culture and
everyday life.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Invention of photography (1830s)

Dickens, Oliver Twist (1837)

Coal mining. (1842)

Engels on factory conditions (1844)

The Railways (1845)

Communist Manifesto (1848)

The Great Exhibition (1851)

Poverty and the workhouse (1860)

Victorian women's fashion (1860)

City slums (1868)

Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861)
Copyright © The British Library Board
14 
‘Freakshow’ posters (1870s)

Street Sellers (1876)

The textile industry (1880)

Jack the Ripper murders (1888)

Match Girls Strike (1888)

Factory accidents (1898)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

What evidence is there for 19th century industrialisation in cities? What would have
been the impact on cities? What would have been the impact on the countryside?

What were the main industries?

What do you think conditions were like in factories? What evidence is there in the
sources?

Who worked in the factories and coal mines?

What do you think would have been the impact of mass migration into towns and
cities?

What evidence is there for increasing concerns with poverty and its impact on the
welfare on the poor of Victorian Britain?

What would have been the impact of the expansion of railways on different types of
people? For example, in the countryside, in the cities, factory owners, businessmen
and travel companies?

What was the purpose of the Great Exhibition? Where was it held? What did it aim
to celebrate? What benefits did it bring to Britain? What was its legacy?

What was the impact of inventions such as photography and the telephone on
Victorian culture and society? What would our lives be like today without these
inventions?

What do the sources tell you about everyday life and popular culture in this period?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas and find other examples. Encourage the
students to formulate questions of their own, and to find sources with which to compare
and contrast.
More information
Explore ‘Victorians’ section on the British Library website:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/victorians/victorianhome.html
Copyright © The British Library Board
15 Section 2: Thematic ideas explored chronologically
The changing role and status of women
Although most historical study focuses on the changing roles and status of women in the
last 100 years, there is plenty of evidence in the sources in the timelines of independent
and powerful women throughout history. Inspiration and comparisons can be drawn
from personalities as diverse as Christabel Pankhurst and the medieval women poet,
Christine de Pisan.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Some important female role models throughout history

Different roles and responsibilities woman have assumed over time

Different attitudes to woman’s right over time

How women have asserted their rights over time

Impact of emancipation and early proponents of recognition of women’s role in
society
Students should also be encouraged to make comparisons with the present day.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Women in power – Cistercian nuns (c. 1290)

Medieval woman poet (c.1410)

Speech by Elizabeth I (1588)

Guidebook to London prostitutes (1775)

Wollstonecraft’s Rights of Woman (1792)

Jane Austen, Persuasion (1816)

Match Girls Strike (1888)

Christabel Pankhurst speech (1908)

WWII: women in factories (1939 – 1945)

Women's liberation magazine (1970)
Copyright © The British Library Board
16 Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

What roles and responsibilities do women have now?

How has the role of women changed over time?

Has it changed more significantly in the past 100 years, than in the previous
centuries? How and why?

What key events in history have marked the changed or had an impact on this
change?

What types of jobs did women do in the past? What other responsibilities did they
have?

How dangerous were women’s jobs? Why were they asked to do these jobs?

What was the difference between opportunities for women of different classes?

Who are your role models today? How do they compare to women from the past?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas and find other examples. Encourage the
students to formulate questions of their own, and to find sources with which to compare
and contrast.
Copyright © The British Library Board
17 Medicine
In Western Europe, in the Middle Ages, medical treatment could be obtained from
monasteries, which usually had a hospital attached, or knowledge of herbs and natural
remedies was passed down through members of local communities. Knowledge of
Roman and Greek scientific texts was largely unknown until the foundation of a medical
college in Salerno, Italy, in the 11th century. Schools of medicine which opened in the
medieval period in the rapidly expanding universities of Western Europe included Arabic
texts by 11th century scholars such as Ibn Sina (Avicenna). Over time, medical practice
developed along scientific and empirical lines of enquiry which contributed to anatomy
and surgery although an understanding of disease control and infection only became
understood much later.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

Changes in attitudes to the medical profession

Changes in diagnosis

Changes in surgery and the understanding of anatomy

Changes in attitudes to disease and infection
Students should also be encouraged to make comparisons with the present day.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Medicine: examining urine. Shelfmark: Harley 3140 f. 32v (c. 1300)

Medieval surgical procedures. Shelfmark: Sloane 1977 f.2 (c.1300)

Vesalius’s anatomy lessons. (1543)

Surgeon’s tools. Shelfmark: c.123.e.9 (1617)

General system of surgery. Shelfmark: 549m19 (1743)

Diary of a Nightingale nurse. (1896)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

How do we diagnose illnesses today? How does this compare to methods which were
used in the past? Are there any methods used in the past which we use today?
Copyright © The British Library Board
18 
How do we treat illnesses today? How does this compare in the past? Are there any
methods used in the past which we still use today?

How has the practice of medicine changed over time? Why and how? What has
caused these changes? Is there any link to changes in society that these could be
connected with?

What was important about the study of anatomy in the 16th century? How did this
contribute to the understanding of medicine, diagnosing and treating patients?

From the evidence in the sources, what has other factors have influenced the
understanding of surgery and surgical techniques?

What were people’s attitudes to disease and infection control in the past? What is
our attitude now?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas, to find other examples and encourage
the students to formulate questions of their own devising.
Copyright © The British Library Board
19 Pastimes and entertainments
How to spend one’s free or leisure time was as much of a priority in the medieval period
as it is today. Some of the sources in the timeline demonstrate that games such as
chess and going to the theatre are as popular today as they were in the past. However,
some sources show that 21st century taste in entertainment has changed substantially
from the past. Indeed, some popular entertainments such as the ‘freak shows’ of the
Victorian period would appear to us today as distasteful, cruel and humiliating.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and to develop their
knowledge of:

Popular pastimes and entertainments throughout history

Changes in taste over time

What has caused changes in tastes
Students should also be encouraged to make comparisons with the present day.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Medieval Bestiary (1250)

Decorated initial with musicians (1260)

Lord at Supper (1325)

Chess playing (1430)

Courtly love (1490)

Minstrels at a feast (1520)

The Globe Theatre (1616)

Advert for London Rhinoceros (1664)

Theatrical figures

Games and pastimes (1674)

Queen’s Royal Cookery (1709)

Cabinet of curiosities (1710)

Bartholomew Fair (1721)

Gin addiction (1751)

'The British Giant' (1761)

Ranelagh pleasure gardens (1770)

First British advert for curry powder (1784)

First hot air balloon in England (1784)

Georgian theatre (1790)
(1673)
Copyright © The British Library Board
20 
Oliver Twist (1830)

Popular entertainments (1844)

‘Freakshow’ posters (1870s)

Poster for Living Mermaid (1889)

Jack the Ripper murders (1889)

Illusionists and conjurers (1878)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

Identify which pastimes and entertainments we still take part in and enjoy today?
Why were they as popular in the past and they are in the 21st century?

How have pastimes and leisure pursuits changed over time? What political and social
changes have made it possible for people, in general, to enjoy more leisure time?

What types of popular entertainments have declined in favour or become obsolete?
What could be the reasons for this decline? Is reality television the modern day
equivalent of some of these types of entertainments?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas, to find other examples and encourage
the students to formulate questions of their own devising.
Copyright © The British Library Board
21 Causes and consequences of poverty
British society, before the Industrial Revolution, was largely an agricultural society,
dominated by wealthy landowners in the countryside, and a burgeoning middle class in
the cities. The latter was able to take advantage of new mercantile opportunities, initially
in Europe in the 13th century and then further afield via the British Empire. The slums
created in towns and cities as a result of the Industrial Revolution highlighted the
deepening gaps in society and the need for a reform of the welfare system and provision
for the poor. Poverty and deprivation created problems in society which have been well
documented in historical sources.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

The causes of poverty in the past

The impact of poverty on people in the past

The consequences of poverty and deprivation on society

Attitudes to poverty and social conditions of the poor in the past

The changes in provision of social welfare over time
Students should also be encouraged to make comparisons with the present day.
Suggested sources (listed chronologically)

Laws of the Forest. (1225)

Black Death Chronicle (1348)

Peasants’ revolt c.1460-80 (1381)

Chopping wood. (c.1520-1525)

The Great Lottery. (1567)

Elizabethan Thieves (1592)

A cure for the plague (1665)

Dictionary of criminal slang (1674)

Gin addiction (1751)

Execution of a 12 year old boy (1829)

Engels on factory conditions (1844)

Communist Manifesto (1848)

Match Girls Strike (1888)

NHS established (1948)
Copyright © The British Library Board
22 Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

Compare the sources and explore the main causes of poverty throughout history?
What has changed in present day British society? What challenges are faced in other
parts of the world?

From the sources, discuss the possible effects that poverty had on people in the
past? Are there any recurring consequences?

What impact does poverty and deprivation have on society? Think about wider
implications from the historical source material.

Have there been any changes in attitudes to the poor over time? How can we tell
from the sources?

What events caused an increased awareness on the plight of the poor?

What events caused an increased awareness on the working conditions of the poor in
factories and coal mines?

What has been the consequence of welfare reform?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas, to find other examples and encourage
the students to formulate questions of their own devising.
Copyright © The British Library Board
23 The impact of printing
When Johann Gutenberg introduced the printing press in 1450 he changed the way in
which written material could be copied, circulated and read. Over time, printers have
developed different ways of using typographic techniques for advertising and marketing.
General aims
This resource aims to introduce students to the following ideas and concepts and to
develop their knowledge of:

The invention and development of western printing

The impact of printing on mass production and distribution of written matter

The idea of printing for purpose

The typography and graphic design to create an impact
Students should also be encouraged to make comparisons with the present day.
Suggested questions to use as a starting point

Johann Gutenberg’s Bible (1455)

King James Bible (1611)

Johnson’s Dictionary (1755)

The first British advert for curry powder (1784)

Circus poster (1887)

Oscar Wilde on trial (1895)
Suggested questions to use as a starting point
Explore the selection of sources suggested above, try and determine the type of source,
its purpose and meaning. Consider the following questions by looking at the sources and
encouraging students to draw on their own knowledge:

What types of printed source historical material are available for us to study?

Discuss the impact of printing on the creation of material for mass circulation using
the examples of playbills, pamphlets, newspapers and notices.

Discuss the impact of printing on literacy?

What was the impact of printing on the standardisation of spelling and language?

What happens once something is printed? How does this compare to something
which is handwritten?

How was printed material used in the past to quickly disseminate information? What
kind of information would people have wanted to share?
Copyright © The British Library Board
24 
How far did the use of printed material in the past assist in raising awareness of
different political and social campaigns?

How do modern advertisers try to attract attention using print media? How does this
compare to the past?

How far does the purpose of something which is printed affect the way in which
something is designed?
Further activity
Explore the timeline to investigate these ideas, to find other examples and encourage
the students to formulate questions of their own devising.
Copyright © The British Library Board
25