Dave’s Favourite Posts of 2022

Despite blogging very infrequently in the second half of 2022, I simply could not ignore the tradition of an end-of-year post outlining my favourite articles (links to the other years can be found at the bottom of the page).

Below are some of my favourite posts from 2022…

The Disappearance of John Cabot [February 2022]

The start of 2022 was taken up with an incredible amount of research into the early English sponsored voyages to the New World. I had taught – briefly – Cabot in A-level classes over the past few years, and it was assumed that Cabot perished on a voyage in the late 1490s and never returned to England. However, I was so thrilled to read up on recent research – particularly from Jones and Condon as part oft he Bristol based Cabot Project – which provides many fascinating suggestions. All of this really opened my eyes and helped me with the writing of a related chapter for my book The Tudor Empire.

The Tail of the Wildmen: Jewish Connections [March 2022]

One of my new year’s resolutions is to re-engage with family history, particularly my series on the background of the Wildman name. In this post I outline some speculations about possible Jewish connections, which has helped stimulate further research. Harriet Sinfeld remains a mystery to me, but I hope to uncover more in 2023.

Cranmere Pool Letterbox [December 2022]

Although the post was uploaded in December, the actual events of the post occurred in the summer. The aim was simple enough: to set out to find the location of Dartmoor’s very first letterbox. George – the narrator of the excellent The Dartmoor Podcast – provides a thorough overview of the journey.

Previous Favourite End-of-Year Posts: