Episode 8: Painting a Nation

After a short mid-season break, Paul and Miranda return with a timely exploration of 17th-century diaries. This was the century in which the habit of keeping daily personal reflections became widespread - perhaps because, for some devout Protestants, diaries replaced the confessional as a medium in which to confide their innermost thoughts. Greater literacy also contributed to the diary boom.  Miranda and Paul revisit the wonderfully revealing diaries of genre superstars Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, whose entries often juxtaposed the dramatic with the mundane. They also explore some lesser-known exponents of the art, such as Celia Fiennes, who visited every county in England on horseback and kept a daily record of her journeys for posterity. All human life is here - while some diarists laid bare the progress of the century's many conflicts, others used their diaries as a place to log recipes.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music is by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.

31 Jan 202425min

After James II was deposed and replaced by the Protestant William and Mary in 1688, he began a military campaign in Ireland, from where he hoped to launch a bid to regain his crown. But the Jacobite armies were defeated, ending James's hopes and starting a period of Protestant domination in Ireland.  Historian Pádraig Lenihan of the University of Galway has uncovered a fascinating account of the Williamite Wars in Ireland - the Poema de Hibernia, an epic poem written in Latin by an anonymous Jacobite who was imprisoned after the defeat. Pádraig joins Paul and Miranda to discuss the 17th-century conflict in Ireland, and to describe how he rescued this crucial primary source from archival obscurity. The Poema de Hibernia: a Jacobite Latin Epic on the Williamite Wars, edited by Pádraig Lenihan and Keith Sidwell, is published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.

3 Jan 202429min

Paul and Miranda reflect on one the most remarkable episodes of 17th-century history - Oliver Cromwell's decision to overturn the 360-year-old exclusion of Jews from England.  Despite opposition from some in the merchant class, and a persistent level of antisemitism among the public, Cromwell put his personal authority on the line to ensure that Jews would once again be free to live, work and worship in England. But what lay behind Cromwell's decision? And how did he overcome the many barriers to achieving his goal? '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.

13 Dec 202324min

Gareth Russell's latest book charts the 500-year history of Hampton Court Palace near London, best known for its place in the high melodrama of Henry VIII and his wives. Yet as Gareth reveals to Miranda and Paul, the part of the book he most enjoyed writing was not Tudor turmoil, but the extraordinary role Hampton Court played in 17th-century political, religious and cultural life. Music to the ears of our presenters, who are determined to draw this crucial period out of the historical shadows.  Over the Stuart century, as Gareth tells us, Hampton Court was by turns renovated, neglected, mothballed and saved from sale. It hosted religious scholars and royal mistresses. Within its walls, Shakespeare performed his plays and a prisoner king plotted his escape. And perhaps surprisingly, the leader who showed the most affection for Hampton Court was not a royal, but Oliver Cromwell.  Gareth Russell's 'The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of Royal History at Hampton Court' is published by William Collins.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.

29 Nov 202342min

From Shakespeare's plays to courtly fashions after the Glorious Revolution, facial hair - or the lack of it - was a key cultural signifier in 17th-century Europe, and is now a topic attracting an impressive body of scholarship. As Miranda and Paul reveal in this episode, sporting a beard or moustache in mid-century England could suggest royalist sympathies, while clean-shaven chins often indicated Puritan leanings. Yet fashions came and went, influenced by bewhiskered tastes in Paris or Madrid. And as the century progressed, men's attitudes to facial hair were complicated by the increasingly widespread use of wigs.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.

7 Nov 202325min

Great storytelling meets historical rigour in Season Two of the podcast that brings the 17th century vividly to life.  The Levellers were among the most influential and misunderstood political movements of the 17th century, key figures in the events that led to Charles I's trial and execution. John Lilburne, Richard Overton, Thomas Rainsborough and others shaped a democratic republican vision, only to be marginalised - some might say betrayed - by Oliver Cromwell during the Interregnum.  Paul and Miranda are joined by writer and activist John Rees, author of an acclaimed study of the Levellers. He charts the brief but significant life of this fascinating grassroots movement, and argues that their legacy is as relevant today as it was in the years after the Civil Wars.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn. To suggest episode topics for Season 2, leave a message on our website: www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that. Or use Twitter to contact @_paullay or @MirandaMalins

17 Okt 202352min

Miranda and Paul launch Season 2 with a myth-busting profile of King James VI and I, a fascinating and much-misunderstood monarch whose reign was packed with drama, intrigue and excess. Their guest is Steven Veerapen, author of a new biography of James. Steven's book. 'The Wisest Fool: the Lavish Life of James VI and I' (Birlinn), reassesses James's early life in Scotland, explores his bisexuality, and paints a vivid picture of his extravagant court in London -  "simultaneously the most colourful and the most wasteful in English history," as Steven tells us. Yet there was more to James than drunken banquets and complicated romantic liaisons. He judiciously avoided becoming entangled in Europe's wars, showed impressive tact in his handling of religious tensions, and left behind a stable realm - though as Paul and Miranda remind us, that stability was quickly undermined by his son, Charles I. '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn. To suggest episode topics for Season 2, leave a message on our website: www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that. Or use Twitter to contact @_paullay or @MirandaMalins

3 Okt 202345min

They're back! Paul Lay and Miranda Malins return with a second season of the podcast that captures the drama and complexity of a pivotal age in British, European and global history.  The 17th century is often overshadowed in popular culture by the Tudor period that came before it. Yet this was an age whose constitutional crises, identity politics and propaganda resonate with us today unlike any other. And it was a century of great upheavals and memorable characters - providing Miranda and Paul with a rich supply of stories that entertain and enlighten.  Among their stories in Season 2, they will explore the Levellers' legacy, try to make sense of the 30 Years War and give us fresh perspectives from Ireland, Europe and the wider world.  Episode 1, recalling the extravagant reign of King James VI and I, is available from 3 October.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn. All episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 are available on our website: www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that. Listeners can use X (formerly known as Twitter) to contact @_paullay or @MirandaMalins

26 Sep 20232min