The real Little Dorrit: Charles Dickens and the debtors' prison

FromThe National Archives Podcast Series

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The real Little Dorrit: Charles Dickens and the debtors' prison

FromThe National Archives Podcast Series

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Length:

48 minutes

Released:

Nov 28, 2008

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

David Thomas examines the reality behind Charles Dickens' fiction - what were Victorian debtors' prisons really like and how accurate was Dickens' portrayal of them?

Released:

Nov 28, 2008

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Listen to talks, discussions, lectures and other events presented by The National Archives of the United Kingdom.

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A bag of secrets: Dr. Tracey Sowerby of Pembroke College, Oxford, introduces listeners to the records of Tudor government held at The National Archives. She examines records of Parliament, delves into the murky treason trials of Henry VIII's regime and even demonstrates h by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Sahib, the British soldier in India, 1750 - 1914: Well-known military historian Professor Richard Holmes examines Indian soldiering in peace and war.  He addresses the experience of ordinary soldiers, why they joined up, how they got to India and what they made of it when they arrived. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Creating a legacy from your family history: A panel discussion that took place at The National Archives Caribbean Family History Day. The contributors were Colin Jackson CBE, Jackie Osei-Tutu (producer of Colin Jackson's Who Do You Think You Are?), Patrick Vernon (Director of Every Generation Media by The National Archives Podcast Series
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'In deadly hate?' Richard III and the War of the Roses: The conflict for the crown in the 15th century has created many of English history's most vivid characters and thanks to Shakespeare, we have one of our greatest villains in the shape of Richard III. This talk looks at the key sources for this period of c by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Losing Orton in the archives: The tangled history of the papers of the playwright Joe Orton is unwoven by Dr Matt Cook. Here he reveals the extraordinary sources that survive on the writer's life, and the perhaps even more extraordinary ones that remain stubbornly missing. Warning: th by The National Archives Podcast Series
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The road to Jamestown - part 1: Sean Cunningham talks about how and why English sailors and the English Crown turned their attention to the New World of America in the 16th century. This talk explores how piracy, greed, religion and warfare became the foundations of Elizabethan att by The National Archives Podcast Series
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The problem of the poor: faith, science and poverty in 19th century Britain: Dr. John Shaw discusses Victorian attitudes to the poor and how they developed over the 19th century. As the Church tried to decide whether charity was the solution or part of the problem, Victorian science afraid of 'degeneration' in Britain began to sug by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Going, going, almost gone: the vanishing face of the traditional English pub: The pub has undergone enormous changes in the past 40 years. This talk examines what remains of unaltered pubs and what this tells us about their social history. Geoff Brandwood is an architectural historian, co-author of English Heritage's recent book, L by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Was the Cromwellian Protectorate a military dictatorship?: Professor Barry Coward, President of the Historical Association and the Cromwell Association discusses the nature of the republican government of Britain's most controversial head of state. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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In the name of God, Amen: wills for family history: Whether your ancestors owned large swathes of land in the north of England or came from a more humble background in the West Country, the chances are that somewhere along the line some of them will have left wills. In this talk, Dave Annal looks at how to by The National Archives Podcast Series
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The making of the Stalinist state 1928-1941 - part 1: Dr Jane McDermid puts Joseph Stalin's Russia under the microscope from the first of the Five-Year Plans to the outbreak of the Second World War. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Colin Jackson: my journey into the past: As part of The National Archives Caribbean Family History Day, Colin Jackson CBE, world record hurdler, discusses the experience of tracing his family history. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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The creation of the Iraqi state: 1914 to 1974: A lecture by Dr Charles Tripp, Reader in Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, to mark the launch of Thomson Learning's online edition of his selection of files on the history of Iraq. Dr Tripp, author of the Cambridge Hi by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Star Chamber stories: using records of the early modern equity courts: The National Archives holds a vast collection of Chancery Court and other equity legal records from the early modern courts of Star Chamber and Requests. In this talk Sean Cunningham introduces the records created by the courts, and offers advice on how t by The National Archives Podcast Series
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The dichotomies of drink: Presented by Philippa Glanville, Senior Research Fellow at the V&A Museum. The event was held at The National Archives to accompany our temporary on-site exhibition, which she curated, entitled, Drink: the History of Alcohol 1690-1920. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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What at first was plunder: tracing records of excisemen: James Cronan examines sources for tracing excisemen, including staff lists and joining papers, and will use case studies such as Thomas Paine. He will also consider the role of an excise officer and how the excise service developed. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Inventions in 18th century Britain: Maxine Berg, Professor of History at the Eighteenth Century Centre, University of Warwick, explores the inventions and the making and buying of goods in 18th century Britain. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Tracing births and deaths at sea: Ships carrying our ancestors to faraway places often arrived with more, or less, passengers than they they set out with.  In this talk Dr Christopher Watts examines the vast range of records, both at The National Archives and elsewhere, that help us by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Modern sources for immigration - part 2: The second part of Roger Kershaw's talk looks at key immigration sources at The National Archives such as inwards passenger lists, certificates of arrival and alien registration cards. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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From Magna Carta to the parliamentary state: the Fine Rolls of King Henry III 1216-1272: Professor David Carpenter talks about this unique resource preserved at The National Archives and how the records are being made accessible on the web. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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King John and Magna Carta: History has portrayed King John as a tyrannical monarch whose arbitrary conduct forced his barons into rebellion and the eventual restriction of his powers in the iconic charter of liberties, Magna Carta. Using original sources held at The National Archiv by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Sources for First World War army ancestry: Mark Dunton focuses on the prime sources at The National Archives for documenting First World War army service, covering both the officers and other ranks of the British Army. by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Britain and the challenge of Fascism: saving Europe at a cost: How did Britons weigh up the decision to go to war in the 1930s and did things turn out as they expected? Professor David Stephenson from the London School of Economics and Political Science explains how the British Government and the British public respo by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Medieval criminals and the law: An introduction to the formidable collection of documents that relate to the law and criminals during the medieval period using case studies.  James Ross provides practical tips on how to access the collections, as well as shedding some light on one by The National Archives Podcast Series
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Closing the last day: death, memory and landholding in the Inquisitions Post-Mortem, 1216 - 1660: Sean Cunningham tells us how the Inquisitions Post-Mortem (IPMs) or inquests taken after the death of people who were tenants of The Crown reveal a great deal about land use, local customs, and how communal memory had an important social function for our by The National Archives Podcast Series
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The real Little Dorrit: Charles Dickens and the debtors' prison

The real Little Dorrit: Charles Dickens and the debtors' prison

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from The National Archives Podcast Series