22/07/2014

Available for over a year

Helen Castor is joined by Professor Mark Stoyle from the University of Southampton and Dr Hugh Doherty from the University of East Anglia. Tom Holland is in Spain at the World Championships of the International Medieval Combat Federation in Belmonte where fifteenth century combat is acted out under the blistering sun - but how accurate is this display and what does it tell us about knights of old? We explore another iconic historic figure, the cavalier - and, in particular, Sir Thomas Lunsford, the so-called 'cannibal cavalier'. Did he 'snack' on body parts as the propaganda of the day might have us believe or had the Roundheads fallen for a Royalist joke? We cross to Dublin to hear from Professor James Kelly about new work that shows just how many 'unwanted' children might have been kidnapped or trafficked. Professor Kelly believes that this little explored topic might well reveal thousands of individuals who were either transported to America or 'used' by street beggars or petty criminals. Contact the programme by emailing [email protected] - or write to Making History, BBC Radio 4, PO Box 3096. Brighton BN1 1PL. Producer: Nick Patrick A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.