29/07/2014

Available for over a year

Tom Holland is joined by Dr Hannah Skoda from the University of Oxford and the historian and biographer Dr Kate Williams. Helen Castor joins Des Newell from Oxford Brookes University at the Peacock Gym in Canning Town, East London, to find out more about his work on eighteenth century street-fighting. In the age of the duel, what many might see as random, working-class violence was actually played out under a code of honour and was hugely important in the policing of communities before the formation of the Metropolitan Police Force. We preview one of the big cultural events of the autumn, the British Library's celebration of the rise of Gothic literature. The exhibition is called Terror and Wonder and ties in with the 250th anniversary of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto. But what was it about the 1760's that gave rise to such a powerful and enduring literary genre? Fiona Watson reports from the Scottish Highlands on why one particular district, Lochaber, was so plagued by bandits between the 15th and 18th centuries. She's joined by Professor Allan McInnes from the University of Strathclyde who explains that the social, cultural and economic make-up of this area - as well as its geography made - for prime cattle-rustling territory. 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.