Good morning, and I hope your teachers are enjoying your summer off.  Tony is continuing his walks across England.  Today, he is walking in the “most rebellious corner of England.”  The year is 1685 and the Duke of Monmouth is attempting to overthrow the British monarchy.  It had been 25 years since the restoration and James II ascended the throne.  The problem was that he was Catholic and so Tony explores this little-known rebellion in English History. The run time for this episode is 47:34.  The episode is called England’s Last Battle: The West Country.

Today’s walk will show the beauty of the Western country while exploring its place in English history.  Chares II had been restored to the throne and should have secured a stable future.  However, his marriage did not produce any children and so the succession passed to his Catholic Brother James II.  This would touch off a period of conflict.  James Duke of Monmouth the illegitimate son of Charles II arrived in England and tried to seize the throne. 

Tony will climb Golden Cap the highest point in Dorset and then make his way to Charmouth. He continues to Lyme Regis where the Duke of Monmouth landed.  He moves further inland and learns how the coast changed at Axmouth.  Tony will make his way inland and visit rebel camps.  He continues to Somerset and learns about the leadership in the area.  Tony follows the footsteps of the Duke of Monmouth and goes to Taunton.  Then he ends his walk at the sight of the battle for England’s future.  During this walk, Tony uncovers the underlying issues of Charles II’s reign that would have led to the Monmouth Rebellion.

Tony meets with Professor Justin Champion to talk about the issues with the reign of King Charles II.  Although the culture believed there was still a hierarchy, people were reluctant to accept an absolute monarch because it was associated with Catholicism.  Charles II believed himself to be an absolute monarch.  It was thought that Catholicism would destroy England.  After Charles II’s death, things began to come ahead.  Tony makes his way to Lyme Regis and meets with Anna Keay, who is working on the Duke of Monmouth’s biography.  He learns more about the Duke of Monmouth.

The Duke of Monmouth would arrive at Lyme Regis with the idea of overthrowing the Catholic James II.  However, the forces were pathetically small.  How he could imagine overthrowing his uncle?  Lyme Regis was curious about this visitor and when they realized who he was the gathered crowd was enthusiastic.  Eventually, word of the Duke of Monmouth’s arrival spread throughout the countryside.  How would the rest of the country react to his arrival? 

Day two starts and Tony continues to follow the Duke of Monmouth and his bid to topple his uncle.  He heads inland to Colyton and continues to head inland following the Duke of Monmouth’s footsteps.  Colyton was known as the most rebellious town in the region.  Tony is joined by Billy Bragg, who was a singer and who has sympathies for the Monmouth Rebellion.  Colyton produced 105 rebels who gave up their livelihoods to follow Monmouth.  These men were advocates for a stripped-down form of worship.  They did not believe in hierarchy and wanted to get more out of life.  They believed that the monarch should uphold the will of the people. 

The King declared the Duke of Monmouth a traitor and a bounty was put on his head.  No matter, he continued to move inland.  The Duke was gathering popular support.  The Duke of Monmouth would have been met by the local militias.  Would he have to fight or would these militias join his cause?  So would the Duke of Monmouth Rebellion be successful?  What else does Tony learn about the Duke of Monmouth?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

I had to giggle throughout this episode with Tony’s description of the Duke of Monmouth.  He seemed really amused.  The good thing about this series is that you get some of the hidden stories from history and Tony spends time teasing those details out.  You wonder what would have happened if the Duke of Monmouth had won?  I would highly recommend showing this episode to a history classroom.

Hello!  Welcome to this blog and I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer.  Tony continues his walks across Britain in Walking Through History.  Today, Tony is walking around Pembrokeshire and learns about the Norman Conquest.  The run time for this episode is 46:51.  It is called the Normal Conquest of Pembrokeshire.

Tony Robinson takes a look at the Norman Conquest and uncovers its hidden history.  The conquest of the Pembrokeshire coast was long and fiercely fought.  Today, it is home to miles of coastal walking. The Normans would transform the Welsh coastline into an English Coastline through the building of castles, churches, and St. David’s Cathedral.  Castles would play an important role in both defense and as a means of inheritance.

Pembrokeshire is known for its spectacular landscape and beautiful walks.  It was home to the Welsh and boasted a kingdom that would have caught the eye of the Normans.  Unlike the Battle of Hastings, the conquest of Pembrokeshire was long and difficult.  The Welsh fought back hard.  Once the Normans conquered this area it would become known as “Little England.”

Tony begins his walk at St. David’s Cathedral and follows a trail along the Pembrokeshire Cliffs.  Eventually, Tony walks along the fortified border that the Normans created to keep the Welsh in check.  He follows the river on day three and learns how a Welsh princess seduced the Welsh and Normans alike.  He would eventually learn about the culture of Norman Pembrokeshire.

Tony begins his walk touring St. Davids, it is Britain’s smallest city and home to a grand cathedral.  William the Conqueror made a pilgrimage the St. Davids, with a large army.  However, this was not an invasion but a diplomatic endeavor.  William the Conqueror was meeting a new Welsh King.  These two men would have been eyeballing each other up.  Eventually, the two managed to make a deal respecting the borders between the two kingdoms.  Tony then makes his way up the Pembrokeshire coastal pathway.  The views are very inspiring in this section.  Tony talks about the Norman impact on this land.  Gerald of Wales was the grandson of the Welsh King and he wrote about Wales and its people.  They were a proud people who shared a common language and traditions.  They were also good fighters and had a history of repelling invaders.  The Welsh would have been seen as barbarians by the Normans.

William the Conqueror eventually made his way back to England, however, he had seen Wales.  Wales was a land that was going to be worth exploiting.  While William and Conqueror and the Welsh King were on their thrones there would be peace between the people.  However, things would change when William the Conqueror died.  The Norman Barons were looking for more land and William Rufus would let these barons have their way.  The Normans would invade Wales.

Tony flash forwards to twelve years into the future and the Normans were marching on Wales.  The peace between England and Wales has ended.  It was 1093, and a band of Barons were marching on Wales.  The Welsh King was determined to defend his lands from these invaders, however, he lost the battle and was killed.  However, the Welsh would regroup and fight back against these Norman invaders.  Tony makes his way to the borderlands between England and Wales.  It was here that Normans would put their mark on the landscape.  Tony tries to find a castle, does he manages to find a castle in a tangle of grass and forest.  Does Tony go into Time Team mode?  What else does Tony learn about the Norman invasion of Wales?  Where else does Tony go to learn about these invasions?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

Once 1066 and Hastings happened, I thought all of England was conquered.  I never really looked at the years since the conquest.  Eventually, Wales would be conquered in the years after Hastings.  I wish this episode was divided into chapters like several other episodes in this series.  Tony was really upbeat in this episode and was enjoying what he was learning.  I would consider showing this for a history classroom and now I am going to put this on my list for a geography class.

Good morning!  Tony Robinson in his walk today will learn about the downfall of the Bad King John.  The run time for this episode is 47:12. The episode is called The Ruin of King John: the Peak District and was part of the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta.

Sir Tony Robinson explores the downfall of Bad King John.  He was the enemy of Robin Hood.  He was tyrannical and unpopular.  He was forced to accept the Magna Carta, which would limit the power of kings.  The people opposed King John because of the high taxes and the loss of land. 

Tony will begin in the Peak District National Park and then make his way to Sherwood Forest.  In the 13th Century, both landscapes would have hosted King John.  Eventually, he would turn these areas into a stronghold when the people turned against him.  One day he starts at Sutton on Trent.  He will then make his way to Laxton Castle before going to the ruins at Rufford Abbey.  King John’s quest for cash would make him many enemies.

On day two, he will make his way through Sherwood Forest and follow Robin Hood’s trail.  He will head on to Bolsover Castle (will Lucy Worsley make an appearance in this episode) and then hop on the M1 to make his way to the Robin Hood Inn.  On day Three, he will stop at Chatsworth House, learn about how England was on the verge of civil war, and make his way to Monsal Head.  Tony will end his walk at where the Magna Carta was issued.

Who was King John?  He was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Nobody expected him to become king.  Tony talks about the comparisons between Richard the Lionheart and King John and how both men came down to history.  Tony tours Nottingham Castle, a favorite hangout of King John and the Sheriff of Nottingham.  It was the one place in England he could feel at home. 

Tony walks to where it is rumored that King John performed a horrible act.  He meets with a historian who believes that King John was a better king than what history made him out to be.  Tony is skeptical but the records seem to hint that he was an energetic king.  He visits a castle that King John would have conquered.  It had been owned by a woman named Maud and he took the castle away from her.  The forest was a good source of income for the king and he was always short of money.  A lackey took over and he raised the taxes on the people.  King John started to document everything about what was going on.  He was a relentless traveler and he was always on the lookout for money.

King Richard’s crusades left England bankrupt among other problems.  King John’s armies would be undermanned.  Eventually, John would lose control of Normandy which would have shattered him.  He would be determined to win Normandy back from France, and that would require money.  Tony makes his way to Ruthford Abbey.  It was built by monks and he eventually fined the monks to raise money for his war.  Eventually, King John would conflict with Pope Innocent III, and this was a Pope, John should not have messed with.  The pope would put England under an interdict.   People could not be buried during this time.  How would King John try to get the Pope to end the interdict?  What about Robin Hood?  How does this folk legend fit in with the story of Bad King John?  Where else does Tony’s walk take him?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Hey, it is another episode that was divided up into chapters.  It is rather annoying that Absolute History did not carry this through the whole series.  That said, this was the best documentary I had seen on King John.  Sir Tony does a good job of presenting both sides of King John to give a more balanced view of this historical figure.  This would be at the top of my list to show to a history classroom and would be good for research purposes too.

Hello teachers!  I hope that you are doing well with this vacation time and getting refreshed.  Tony is now heading to Cornwall and the Cornish coast to learn about smuggling.  The run time for this episode is 47:03. This episode is called Smuggler’s Cornwall.

The Cornish coast is rugged with secretive harbors, beaches, and secluded coves.  These were places that were ideal for smuggling.  Smuggling involved everyone in the community until it was ended.  In the 18Th Century, smuggling was a big business in Cornwall.  Half of the brandy drunk in Britain was smuggled in from Cornwall.  Smuggling threatened the national economy. Tony begins his smuggler’s route in Portwrinkle along the coast past Seaton and finally ends the day in Looe.  He begins Day two in Talland to Polperror.  Day Three is in Polruan and a bay.  From Fowey, he catches a boat and learns about the Napoleonic wars and how there was a crackdown on smuggling.  Ends his walk in Falmouth.

Portwrinkle is a tiny fishing building and it is where Tony begins.  A massive crime wave hit this village.  The residents of Portwrinkle depended on pilchards, a fish otherwise known as big sardines.  However, the fishermen faced ruin when massive taxes threatened them with ruin.  Fishermen needed salt to preserve the fish to be sent to the Mediterranean, and salt was heavily taxed.  In France, salt was cheap and the stage was set for smuggling.  Tony talks with a local whose uncle was involved with smuggling.  The taxes were raised because of the American Revolution and Great Britain was on the edge of bankruptcy. 

Eventually Tony makes his way to Looe and he is getting overheated.  He points out rocks that are known as “brandies” because that was where the smugglers hid their goods.  Tony meets up with Sam Willis and now I am going to have to find another Sam Willis documentary.  Sam talks about the financial crunch that Great Britain was facing.  The Government would have hired revenue men to make sure the taxes were paid for contraband goods.  However, because of the landscape and coves, it became impossible for the revenue men to get those goods taxed.  Eventually, Tony continues on his way and talks about how people turned to smuggling to survive and make serious money.

Tony and the rain arrive in Looe and he meets with a former customs officer.  They talk about how a smuggling run would work.  There were massive amounts of goods that were transported and sneaked into Britain.  Smuggling and the pictures it evoked have been incorporated into our modern language.  “Bootlegger,” “coast is clear” and “above board,” all had their roots in smuggling.  He ends the day in Talland.  Tony will learn about who was involved in smuggling.

On day two, he makes his way to Polperro the home of one of the biggest smuggling rings in Britain.  The government had been replaced as a result of the loss of the American Revolution.  William Pitt, at twenty-four years old, was named Prime Minister.  He cut the tax on tea and tea smuggling dried up, tea sales tripled and government revenues went up.  However, events in Europe would change his plans for financial reforms.  It was in Polperro where smuggling was changed into big business.  Who was behind this change?  It took decades but it was finally revealed that a man named Zephaniah Job was behind the change.  He was the smuggler’s banker but then he eventually took over.  Tony meets with a local who now looks after the books.  Money flowed through Polperro and was invested in the smuggling operations.  What else does Tony learn about the smuggling and Cornwall?  Where else does this walk take Tony?  How would smuggling come to an end?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more about Smuggling in Cornwall.

This was a delightful episode about smuggling and the Cornish coast.  There has been plenty of fiction written about smuggling, however, Tony talks about how everyone participated in smuggling.  It was crazy to think that it fueled a lot of the economy.  Tony really enjoyed learning about smuggling.  I would still want to put this series on my list of documentaries to show to a classroom.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening and I hope you folks are enjoying the summer off so far.  I’m going to keep working through Walking Through History with Tony Robinson.  The run time for this episode is 47:10.  The episode is called North Norfolk.  The link is found here.

Today, Tony is going to be exploring the history of North Norfolk.  It is an area known for its ancient pathways, lost industries, and historical monuments.  During the Victorian Times, the royals visited the area frequently and it soon became a popular and trendy area.  However, it was the influence of powerful landowners that helped maintain Norfolk’s rural roots. 

Tony will begin his walk at the Sandringham Estate, the Queen’s private residence in Norfolk.  He moves north and goes to a seaside resort.  He crosses ancient farming land and ends in the largest farming estate of Holkham.  He continues to travel east along the coast and visits a Victorian nature reserve.  He ends his walk in Cromer by steam power.  Cromer was where the battle for the heart and soul of Norfolk took place.

His first stop is Sandringham House.  Queen Victoria was looking for an estate for her son the future King Edward VII.  When it went on sale, she bought it.  Tony meets with Kate Williams to talk about Sandringham House.  Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were strong advocates of country air and being out in the country.  However, Edward was a bit of a playboy and had a reputation among the ladies so his mistresses would come to Sandringham with their husbands for country parties.  By being in Norfolk, Edward made the place a tourist destination.  Royal spotting was a pastime in North Norfolk.

After the house, Tony goes on a walk through the estate.  The land is open to the public now, but in Edward’s time, it was closed so he could follow his other great passion shooting.  However, to have his life at Sandringham, a railway was built to this area.  Tony’s next stop is a train station that was treated as a private royal train station.  The train station has been resorted even though the train tracks have been removed.  

Tony follows the old railway line and travels across a bog.  Eventually, Tony makes his way to the sea.  The Victorians loved sea bathing and the sea was thought to have curative properties.  It was said that the sea could cure corns and cancer.  One entrepreneur had a vision to create a new style of coastal resort.  He took his idea from the Norfolk landscape itself.  However, it would take a railway to make this coastal resort work.  Others would move forward with their own ideas about creating a coastal resort.  Day one concludes and Tony makes his way through Brancaster on day two.  He explores farming in Norfolk and how the land enclosures impacted farming. 

Tony makes his way to Burnham Thorne and learns about Horatio Nelson, one of the local heroes from North Norfolk.  After this detour into British Naval History, Tony continues his walk.  He eventually makes his way to a place that is still held in common, meaning anyone can come by and use it.  He walks his way to Holkham Hall, the largest farming estate in Great Britain.  How did it become so big?  What else does Tony learn about North Norfolk?  How did it keep its rural charm even with royal patronage?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

I am very surprised that this episode of Walking Through History was divided into chapters for easy breakdown and easy viewing.  I really appreciate it, but I wish Absolute History would be consistent with dividing documentaries up into chapters across all their documentaries.  It is starting to get annoying at this point because sometimes you just want to show a clip to a class and not the full documentary.  That said, the British Railway section really should have been broken down further because Tony had moved on in his walk to a different area.  Anyway I enjoyed this Tony’s walk, the sites were something to see and the stories he told were very well done.  I would put this on my list of potentials to show to a history classroom.

Good morning, now Tony is going to look at the roots of the Industrial Age in Britain.  Tony goes on a forty-mile walk through the Peak District and the Derwent Valley.  The run time for this episode is 47:29.  The episode is called The Birth of Industry and he is going to encounter incredible landscapes.  You can find the link for the documentary here.

Tony begins in Bakewell and takes in what remains of the beginnings of industrial Britain.  He follows the river and learns about the power of water and travels through the mill towns.  He stops at Cromford and follows the local canal.  Eventually, he makes his way to Belger.  Tony finishes his journey at Derby, a great railroad city.  The Industrial Revolution changed the way people lived and was a huge leap forward for mankind.  It began with a simple concept: mass production, something that carries on to the present day.

Bakewell used to be a farming community, so Tony wanted to learn about the community before the Industrial Revolution.  However, things were beginning to change for its residents.  Tony begins his walk with a snack: a Bakewell Pudding.  He learns the difference between a Bakewell Tart and a Bakewell pudding.  After grabbing his snack, Tony heads on up to Ashford in the Water and meets a local farmer.  This local farmer and his family have been farming for generations since the Medieval Times.  Tony meets Tom Brocklehurst, he is a fifth-generation sheep herder.  Tom remembers bringing the sheep to the sheep wash bridge.  Every year, the sheep would be brought to the bridge to be washed.  Sheep were washed to get a better price for the wool.  Everyone in the village brought the sheep out for a bath.  Tony is appreciative of this visit.

Leaving Ashford, Tony takes in the landscape before him.  Before the Industrial Revolution, the more land you owned, the more you could make money.  This area also had lead which was mined.  Lead came behind wool in dominating the British Economy.  Lead was used for almost everything and Tony takes in the ruins of a Victorian lead processing factory.  Lead was big business in Great Britain for a time.  After learning about lead and lead mining Tony continues on his way.  He takes in the sight of Hadden Hall and talks about how the Hall is rented out to generate more money.  Day one ends and on Day Two Tony is going to look for why the Industrial Revolution began in the Derwent Valley.

Tony walks along the Why River and learns about how water power impacted the Industrial Revolution.  He visits Cordwell Mill.  It is still used today as a flour mill.  It continues to harness water power.  At one point it was a sawmill.  Tony goes into a place that people rarely see, the place where the water comes into power the mill.  The river powers all four floors of the mill.

Eventually cotton was starting to replace wool as the choice for clothing.  If someone could come up with a way to weave cotton on a massive scale, they could make a fortune.  Tony makes his way up the High Tor and takes in the landscape before him.  After taking in the scenery, he makes his way to the next village and visits a historic cotton mill.  He meets Bob Faithorn and learns about the genius behind the mill.  Eventually, he invented a spinning machine to spin multiple spools of thread.  He built a large mill and he also built housing for his workers.  The houses had gardens and pig sties.  Tony turns in for the night on Day 2.  What else does Tony learn about this village?  What else does he learn about the Industrial Revolution in the Peaks?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

Oh wow, the scenery was particularly spectacular on this walk. There were plenty of hills, valleys, and forested areas.  I enjoyed Brian Blessed participation in this documentary, but it would have been cool to see Timothy West too because I know he enjoys canals.  This would be a very good episode for a history class about the Industrial Revolution because Tony tells a good story about the start of the Industrial Revolution.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending you are reading this and enjoying your summer.  Tony continues his walks throughout Great Britain, learning about its history.  This time, Tony is going to embark on a 45-mile walk.  He is going to learn about the history of Britain’s Stone Age in Wiltshire.  The run day for the episode is 47:06 and it is called The Path to Stonehenge.

Tony will begin his walk in Windmill Hill and then he makes his way to Avebury Circle.  He continues and visits Silbury Hill.  Eventually, he ends up in East Kennet.  He climbs Milk Hill.  Then he travels along the River Avon and ends his journey at Stonehenge.

Wiltshire was an open grassland in the Stone Age, unlike the rest of Britain.  Great Britain would have been heavily forested apart from this area in Wiltshire.  Eventually Tony makes his way off of Windmill Hill.  He visits Avebury and visits the famous Avebury circle.  He meets Josh Pollard to learn about the great Stone Age monuments.  Avebury henge is the biggest henge in all of Europe.  In fact, the modern village sits practically inside it.  Tony walks along these massive stones and talks about the first pioneers of archeology: William Stukeley.  Stukeley was friends with Isaac Newton and told the story of the apple falling from the tree.  Stukeley was the first person to write about Avebury, even though he was led to some fanciful conclusions.

Tony continues in the rain on his walk just not on the ancient route.  The ancient route is now covered with a highway.  Eventually, he makes it to a site where druids held their ritual.  It is here that Tony meets up with Ronald Hutton.  He talks about who built these places and it was Stukeley who concluded that these monuments were built by the Stone Age people.  Stukeley had the works of Julius Caesar to help him make his determination.  However, the monuments were built one thousand years earlier.  Stukeley thought that the Stone Monuments were built by the druids and he created the image of the druids that continues on to this day.  Day one concludes and Tony will continue on his walk.

Day two begins with Tony viewing some visible proof of who built these Stone Age monuments.  Tony is definitely in his element and in Time Team mode to learn about who built these monuments.  He finds these hints at Silbury Hill.  It was a manmade hill and it was a hill of myths and legends.  Tony meets Jim Leary who led the last excavation of this hill.  He concluded that people just came by with dirt to dump on the pile.  The hill was constructed bit by bit over one hundred years.  Why was it built?  The mystery still remains.  Still, Tony enjoys the story of how ordinary people came together with their little bowls to make this hill.

Tony walks on and makes his way to a giant tomb.  About sixty years ago, it had thousands of British people fascinated.  An excavation of this site was shown on a television program called Buried Treasure.  Who knew that archeology could make for fascinating television?  Anyway, Tony makes his way into the tomb and talks with David Dawson about the site and the people who were buried in the tomb.  After learning about the dead, Tony continues on his way.  He makes his way through a field of large sarsen stones.  He eventually meets a very familiar person in this field.  It is a person who knows this area like the back of his hand.  What else does Tony learn about the Stone Age people?  To learn about how the people got these stones to Stonehenge continue to watch the rest of this episode.

Yes, I love the fact that Ronald Hutton made an appearance in the episode!  Yay, Phil Harding also makes an appearance too.  It was nice to see both Tony and Phil together again, we need something with Phil and Tony together again.  This walk was very interesting and I enjoyed the different sites he walked to learning about the Stone Age.  This continues to be a good series and one I would recommend showing to a history class as well as a geography class.

Good morning and summer continues.  I hope that you are enjoying this time off.  Tony’s walk continues on.  Today, Tony is in the Lake District and learning about the Romans in Britain.  The run time for this episode is 47:12 and the episode is called Rome in the Lakes.  The link is here.

It had been thirty years since the Romans invaded Britain and now, they looked to conquer the Lake District region in Britain.  It was one of the toughest landscapes that the Romans ever encountered.  The Lake District National Park attracts thousands of visitors.  Now Tony takes on the challenge of the Lake District.  Tony begins this challenging walk at Penrith and a nearby castle.  He heads to Ullswater and travels on a Roman road.  Then he goes through mineral mineral-rich valley.  He concludes day two at Ambleside.  He continues along the way and heads towards the Irish Sea learning more about the Roman invasion of the Lake District.  He ends his journey in Ravenglass, a Roman fort that connected the Lake District to the rest of the Roman Empire.

Penrith is a tourist hub and it is where Tony begins his journey.  He looks for hints of the Roman presence in this tourist center.  He finds it at Brougham Castle.  Its ruins are from the 13th Century, however, there is a hint as to its Roman origins.  Tony finds the remains of a Roman gravestone in the castle.  He learns about one of the local tribes and its Queen who tried to make deals with the Romans.  Tony then makes his way to a henge.  These Henges would have confirmed to the Romans that the population was barbarians.

He continues his walk and talks about the hill tribes of the Lake District and how they came into conflict with the Romans.  He takes in the sight of an Iron Age fort and he looks at a map that shows the Roman road.  This road is still used by hikers and Tony talks with Iian Gray about the Roman road and what it takes to repair the road.  This road was a masterpiece of planning and execution in the Roman world.  When Tony planned his walk he thought that the Romans were crazy to build a road in the area and as he walks it he now realizes that the Romans made a good decision.  Day one with some spectacular views.

Day two begins with a ferry ride.  The Lake District drew tourists over the years and a ferry service was required.  The people were drawn to the area because of a local son, Poet William Wordsworth.  Eventually, Tony gets off the ferry and continues to explore the Roman impact on Great Britain.  After the Romans conquered Britain, they would have turned their attention to exploding the local resources.  Lead would have been one of those resources.  Tony tours a former lead mine.  After this tour, Tony walks six miles to another stop along his Roman tour.  He then makes his way to Ambleside.

Beatrix Potter lived in the Lake District.  Romans would have brought the rabbits that would have inspired her stories.  Ambleside was a hub for the Romans as well.  Tony meets with an old friend (Sadly, not Phil) and tours the ruins of a Roman fort.  However, the Romans would eventually pull back because there were other needs for the empire.  Troopers were slowly removed from Britain and so they would have to win over the locals to keep the peace in the Roman Empire.  How did the Romans manage to keep the peace in Britain during this time?  What else does Tony learn about the Romans in the Lake District?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

The landscape was gorgeous that Tony was walking through.  I could not help but feel sorry for Tony’s calves as he made his way down those hills.  Something when wonky with YouTube and the screen shrunk so it was not the full screen.  It did not ruin the experience though.  Tony continues to show his interest in the subject.  Even with the wonkiness towards the end, I would still consider showing this to a history classroom and a geography classroom.

Good morning, Tony continues his walking tour around Britain.  This time he is taking in the sights of the Scottish Highlands.  The run time for this episode is 47:41.  The episode is called Battle in the Glens.

In the early 18th Century, the Scottish Highlands were the site of a bloody rebellion against the Crown.  The Highlanders wanted a different monarch and they nearly succeeded.  What makes these Scottish Highlands a breeding ground for rebellion?

Tony begins in a region opposite the Isle of Skye in an area called Shiel Bridge.  A group of Spanish troops landed here.  They would be under the command of the Scottish Highlanders.  The Scottish Clan Chiefs were planning to replace the English monarch with the son of the former king.  They were known as the Jacobites.  They wanted to replace King George I with James, the son of the Old Pretender.  Eventually, they would meet and the Jacobites would be defeated.
In this episode, Tony has a four-day hike scheduled.  From Shiel Bridge, Tony will head south to Glen Undalain.  After Glen Udalain, Tony heads west to Glen Beag to learn about one of the oldest dwellings.  After taking in this dwelling, Tony heads north to Glenelg.  He then sets sail on Loch Alsh to the Kyle of Iochaish.  He finishes at Eilean Donan Castle where the Spanish troops landed.  Then concludes at the Glen Sheil battle site.

Tony is faced with one of the more challenging routes he has had.  He is looking back in the past when he takes these walks.  He discusses how the clan chiefs were a powerful force in Scotland and wants to learn more about the clan system.  Day one for Tony will be an eleven-mile walk to his hotel.  People would have lived in the valley where Tony walks for centuries.  However, the population would have been small because there weather was harsh and there was no good land for cultivating.  It is here that he meets Alistar Moffett, who is an expert in Scottish Clans.  Tony learns more about the history of the clans and the clan system.  After this discussion, Tony continues on his walk and points out to features in the landscape named for people.

Eventually, Tony makes his way to a broch and learns about the Scottish brochs.  He talks with Noell Fojut, an expert in brochs.  He talks about the people who lived in the brochs and how they were built.  It would have been a challenging life.  I have a sense that Tony is in his Time Team mode when he and Noell talk about the brochs.  I found it interesting that Noell discussed how in Scotland, it was the King of the Scots, someone who had a relationship with the people he ruled.  Eventually Tony reaches his hotel for the night.

On day two, Tony takes off to learn more about the Stewart Kings.  He begins with the story how William and Mary took over the English throne, overthrowing James II, a Catholic King.  Parliament also banned James II’s son from becoming King because he was Catholic.  Eventually, the English crown passed to a German Protestant George I.  However the Scottish clans rallied around the Old Pretender to put a Stewart back on the throne.  The French secretly backed these Scottish clans, however, they were defeated.  Eventually leading members of the rebellion fled to France.

King George I and his government built barracks that could hold over 200 soldiers in a local village.  Tony talks with Victoria Henshaw about the barracks and why the barracks were built.  After exploring these barracks, Tony will take to the sea to continue his journey in learning about the Jacobite rebellion.  What else does Tony learn along way?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

I found it very ironic that Spanish Troops did manage to land in England, only to help a Scottish man become the English King.  Tony really seemed in his element when he explored the Broch.  Over all this was a very different look at the Jacobite rebellions.  I would consider putting this on my list of documentaries to show to a classroom.  I would also use this for research purposes.

Good morning!  It is summer and everyone is out and about traveling.  I am going to continue with Walking Through History with Tony Robinson until I run out of episodes.  Tony has another series called Ancient Tracks that I will start when I run out of Walking Through History.  This time, Tony is traveling through Northumbria to learn more about St. Cuthbert.  The episode is called the Dark Age of Northumbria.  The run time for this episode is 46:56.

St. Cuthbert and a group of radical Irish monks made their way to Northumbria.  They were intent on spreading Christianity into this pagan kingdom.  How did he do it?  Tony looks to find out on a four-day walk called St. Cuthbert’s Way.  He will begin at the Melrose Abbey and Durham Cathedral.  Then he heads south and then to a little village.  From this village, he will walk across Northumberland National Park.  He will end in Bamburgh and Lindisfarne.

Tony walks to the site of the original Melrose Abbey, it was where St. Cuthbert began his career.  Melrose means a bare peninsula and it would have been perfect for the site of an abbey.  It was a site that was protective from the world around the monks.  They would have gone out into pagan lands to preach and then retreated to this peninsula to find refuge.  Tony meets David Petts, an archeologist.  Tony learns more about the life of St. Cuthbert.

Tony continues on his walk and heads up into the hills.  The Dark Age is a mysterious part of history, and Tony is looking forward to learning more about this period from the ground level.  As he makes his way up the hills, Tony talks about how paganism spread through Britain.  Tony finds this part of the walk a challenge because is doing it in the rain.  A lovely house diverts Tony.  Walter Scott visited the house and was inspired by the landscape.  Tony gets a salmon fishing lesson.  He learns about how the River was used for transportation.  He tells the fisherman the story of the Eagle and the salmon.

After this fishing excursion, Tony heads up a hill to take in what is known as “Scott’s View.”  It was rumored to be Sir Walter Scott’s favorite view along Cuthbert’s Way.  Tony then heads down to his hotel and day one closes.

Day two starts.  Tony will stop in Maxton and continue east to learn about the paganism in this area.  He first meets Christopher Bowels, who is an American very interested in Northumberland history.  Tony just sounds so funny when he mentions that Christopher is an American.  Northumberland was heavily pagan, so why would this group of Irish monks come over to convert the population?  It begins with King Oswald who converted to Christianity.  He wanted to unify his kingdom under one religion.  Christopher talks Tony to a holy well. 

He makes his way to an abandoned church and looks at the churchyard.  It has not served as a local church since the 19th Century.  Why is this church here? Was there a reason why this church was built here?  He talks with a local archeologist and she talks about pagans worshiped at the same spot.  She talks about how worshippers came here for centuries and she points to a grave that hints that the site was a place for worship over the centuries.  Tony continues his walk in search of St. Cuthbert.  What does he learn along the way?  Where else does his walk take him?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Even though it was very foggy at the start of the episode, the scenery still was beautiful.  It was good when the weather cleared and the views were very lovely.  This was one where I was hoping for an appearance from, I do not know Stewart Ainsworth.  Phil Harding?  Since Tony was going through Northumberland, I almost wished for an appearance from the Duke of Northumberland.  Anyway, now that I got that off my chest, I still enjoyed this episode.  Tony continues his fantastic narration style and his genuine interest in what he is learning.  I would put this on my list for both a history class and a geography class.