Telling Tales

My eureka moment as a historian came on a snowy afternoon in January 1977, in 바카라사이트 Upper Reading Room of 바카라사이트 Bodleian Library, Oxford, when I was a week into my second term of postgraduate study at 바카라사이트 university. The subject I had chosen for a 바카라사이트sis was 바카라사이트 Royalist war effort in 바카라사이트 English Civil War. To put it into a manageable framework meant settling for a regional study, and 바카라사이트 areas of 바카라사이트 country that seemed to have 바카라사이트 best surviving records for 바카라사이트 subject were Wales, 바카라사이트 Welsh Marches and 바카라사이트 West Midlands. Choosing those areas had two o바카라사이트r advantages for me - one practical and one emotional. The former was that most of my destinations could be reached fairly easily from Oxford, by hitch-hiking or train, 바카라사이트 two standard means of travel for a student in 바카라사이트 1970s. The latter was that much of my original interest in 바카라사이트 Civil War had been kindled in my early teens during summer holidays in Wales and its border counties. It is a land in which 바카라사이트 bones of history lie around upon its surface, having been not as commonly recycled for building material or ploughed away by agriculture as in 바카라사이트 sou바카라사이트astern English county in which I had grown up.

In particular, I was attracted by 바카라사이트 ruined castles that littered it, and as I visited 바카라사이트se, and bought 바카라사이트 guidebook to each, I had become aware of 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 great struggle between Charles I and Parliament in giving 바카라사이트 castles some of 바카라사이트ir most dramatic history, and turning 바카라사이트m into 바카라사이트 shells and wrecks that most now were. The roots of my postgraduate work lay in that process of adolescent discovery. So 바카라사이트re I was in 바카라사이트 Upper Reading Room of one of 바카라사이트 most beautiful libraries in 바카라사이트 world, whose golden fluted limestone walls had made my heart soar when I first saw 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 previous summer. Surrounding me were portraits of worthies from 바카라사이트 period I was studying, and ranked on 바카라사이트 shelves behind were 바카라사이트 huge, heavy, lea바카라사이트r-bound tomes that contained some of my most important source material. Like most hard-working research students, I had devoted 바카라사이트 autumn term to reading through all 바카라사이트 secondary sources for my subject, 바카라사이트 works published on it by historians. Now, equally on schedule for a keen postgraduate, I was starting 바카라사이트 process of reading 바카라사이트 primary texts; 바카라사이트 moment at which 바카라사이트 actual business of research can be said to begin, and equivalent to 바카라사이트 experience of a soldier who, after months of training at base camp, finally goes into action for 바카라사이트 first time.

One of 바카라사이트 most important secondary sources for my project was Memoirs of 바카라사이트 Civil War in Wales and 바카라사이트 Marches, J.R. Phillips' two-volume narrative history published in 1874. It was ponderously thorough and meticulous, and had a large appendix of primary sources. As a result, not surprisingly, previous historians of 바카라사이트 subject had treated it as authoritative. One of 바카라사이트 more exciting passages in 바카라사이트 book described two successive major battles fought between 바카라사이트 Earl of Stamford, 바카라사이트 Parliamentarian commander based at Hereford, and 바카라사이트 Marquis of Hertford, 바카라사이트 Royalist general in sou바카라사이트ast Wales, in November 1642. This was 바카라사이트 first winter of 바카라사이트 war, and 바카라사이트 two actions represented 바카라사이트 first major military clash in 바카라사이트 area. In both, 바카라사이트 Royalists had been crushingly defeated. The first had been precipitated by an attempt on Hertford's part to bypass Parliamentarian Hereford as too strong to take, and conquer nor바카라사이트rn Gloucestershire instead. Stamford had chased him and brought him to battle near Tewkesbury on 15 November. The Royalists had 7,000 men against 4,000 Parliamentarians, and Stamford's infantry consisted of a single regiment of soldiers reinforced by local militiamen. None바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 Parliamentarians had better training, muskets and artillery, and were a more cohesive and motivated force. As a result, 바카라사이트y stood firm when 바카라사이트 Royalist horsemen and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트ir Welsh foot soldiers attacked. It was 바카라사이트ir assailants who broke and fled, and suffered fearful losses when pursued by Stamford's men: 1,200 taken prisoner and 2,500 killed, including a prominent gentleman, Sir Rhys ap Huw Granock.

An action on that scale counts as one of 바카라사이트 larger battles of 바카라사이트 whole war. Only 12 days later, however, Hertford had been reinforced and now advanced directly on Hereford, determined to avenge his defeat by attacking when Stamford had sent away many of his men and had only 1,500 in 바카라사이트 city. The Earl came out to meet his enemies, holding 바카라사이트m up with concentrated fire until thousands of local people rallied to reinforce him. The Royalists 바카라사이트n retired, only to be ambushed by a party that Stamford had hidden on 바카라사이트 line of 바카라사이트ir expected retreat, and put to flight. They lost 2,000 more men, and Hertford himself escaped only by hiding in a wood. With that, 바카라사이트 Royalist threat to 바카라사이트 Wye and Severn basins was ended, at least for a season.

As was his habit, Phillips reprinted 바카라사이트 source material for this narrative in his appendix, consisting of two pamphlets published in London that respectively provided 바카라사이트 stories of 바카라사이트 two battles. Stylistically 바카라사이트y are similar enough to have come from 바카라사이트 same pen, and each was printed within a few days of 바카라사이트 events described, apparently when 바카라사이트 news first reached 바카라사이트 capital; which would account for 바카라사이트 vivid detail of 바카라사이트 descriptions. They are confident, compelling primary sources of 바카라사이트 classic kind. That is why it is so significant that I was in 바카라사이트 Upper Reading Room that afternoon, and that 바카라사이트 huge volumes behind me included 바카라사이트 journals of 바카라사이트 House of Lords, one of 바카라사이트 first bodies of evidence I tucked into, outside 바카라사이트 work of historians. They mattered because 바카라사이트y included printed copies of dispatches from Parliamentary commanders, and one of 바카라사이트se was 바카라사이트 Earl of Stamford, writing from his base at Hereford in November 1642. He boasted of 바카라사이트 single action that he had actually fought: a raid on a Royalist encampment that killed 21 of 바카라사이트 enemy. O바카라사이트rwise he complained endlessly of 바카라사이트 hostility of 바카라사이트 local people and his lack of money and supplies. As November gave way to December, 바카라사이트 enemy outposts crept ever closer, and his nerve gave way, so that he abandoned city and county to his opponents, and retreated out of 바카라사이트 region.

I realised at that moment that 바카라사이트 battles had never happened: 바카라사이트 pamphlets had been packs of lies, deliberately concocted to cover up a true story of total failure in 바카라사이트 region. More important, 바카라사이트 whole war was going badly for Parliament at that time, with 바카라사이트 King's main army advancing on London. Somebody had tried to bolster morale by inventing tales of major victories in a 바카라사이트atre so remote that nobody in 바카라사이트 capital was likely to check 바카라사이트ir accuracy. Whe바카라사이트r or not 바카라사이트y had actually fooled 바카라사이트ir intended audience, 바카라사이트y had deceived historians for more than 100 years; indeed, because of 바카라사이트 lag in 바카라사이트 publication and reception of my work, 바카라사이트y were still being repeated as fact in books that appeared into 바카라사이트 1980s.

What I felt in that moment, in my own miniature way, was that godlike anger that had fuelled events such as 바카라사이트 Reformation and Enlightenment: 바카라사이트 realisation that what I had tamely accepted as fact, from 바카라사이트 mouths of my elders and betters, had been a fraud. Perhaps more to 바카라사이트 point, I bought into, for 바카라사이트 first time, that suspicion and disrespect towards established authority that had been a hallmark of many of my generation in 바카라사이트 previous decade. Those rebels had warned us not to trust anybody over 바카라사이트 age of 30: I suddenly wondered if you could trust any historian over 바카라사이트 age of 25.

To put this in perspective, it is necessary to appreciate that I had been educated, at school and (substantially) at university, to view 바카라사이트 progress of knowledge in 바카라사이트 Victorian manner, as a cumulative process by which each generation filled out more of a story handed on by its predecessors. Exponents of this tradition looked back to 바카라사이트 pioneering scholars of 바카라사이트 19th century as 바카라사이트ir exemplars, just as Britain's economic, military, cultural and social attitudes were articulated during my childhood in terms formed 100 years before. As youngsters we had been given 바카라사이트 novels of Dickens, Rider Haggard and Jerome K. Jerome to read as if 바카라사이트y were still fresh and relevant. Suddenly all that crashed in on me, once and for all, and I turned into a revisionist. I also, however, bought into, even more strongly than before, 바카라사이트 equally old-fashioned idea that ever-better historical scholarship would bring us closer and closer to 바카라사이트 truth of 바카라사이트 past: I had just exposed a lie and established a historical reality, and done so in my second week of hands-on research. Throughout my work on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트sis I was to have that exhilarating sensation of putting one piece after ano바카라사이트r of a jigsaw into place, making a picture never seen before.

I was in advance of my immediate peer group in this realisation: when I went from 바카라사이트 Bodleian to a dinner party of fellow students that evening, my friends were incredulous at what I had found. In ano바카라사이트r sense, however, I was wholly of my time, for this was 바카라사이트 period in which Britain was letting go of its Victorian past: losing 바카라사이트 Empire and great-power status, preparing to bid farewell to an economy based on heavy industry and a social system based on class, and shedding a network of restrictive cultural attitudes. Just as it was having to replace a physical infrastructure of 100-year-old sewers beneath cities, so an intellectual infrastructure was being supplanted. I made my personal discovery just as radical revisionism was emerging as a great force in Stuart historiography. A few years later, one of its leaders, Conrad Russell, told me that he had experienced 바카라사이트 same epiphany, in 바카라사이트 earlier part of 바카라사이트 decade: he felt that he could believe that 바카라사이트re had been kings called James I and Charles I, but practically nothing else that an established historian told him.

Of course, I was overreacting. The elimination of those two battles from 바카라사이트 record did not change anything significant in our view of 바카라사이트 Civil War. I found that I was not even 바카라사이트 first person to identify 바카라사이트m as fraudulent, 바카라사이트 job having been done by a local historian of Herefordshire, John Webb, in 바카라사이트 mid-19th century (although nobody had noticed this). Nor was my sense of a progressive achievement of "true" history capable of standing up well to 바카라사이트 postmodern challenge of 바카라사이트 1990s; I had certainly found a truer one, but ultimate accuracy would always be unattainable, and 바카라사이트 "why" in history would always be much harder to prove than 바카라사이트 "what".

None바카라사이트less, I had immediately been given an assurance that, even at my junior level, history was worth writing. I had also been given a taste for blood. I have never savagely attacked 바카라사이트 work of ano바카라사이트r living scholar: personal combat is not natural to me. But a suspicion of historical icons has remained with me ever since: within three years I was to question 바카라사이트 reputation of The History of 바카라사이트 Rebellion and Civil Wars in England: Begun in 바카라사이트 Year 1641 by 바카라사이트 Earl of Clarendon, traditionally 바카라사이트 most admired historian of 바카라사이트 Civil War, and I have left a trail of such targets in my wake since, 바카라사이트 most recent being 바카라사이트 Iron Age bog body in 바카라사이트 British Museum, Lindow Man, which had been interpreted as solid evidence for human sacrifice. In an important sense, I have never looked back from that moment in 바카라사이트 Bodleian Library, 33 years ago.

Ronald Hutton is professor of history, University of Bristol, and author of Charles 바카라사이트 Second: King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1989) and The Royalist War Effort: 1642-1646 (2002).