The London Journal

Abstract In early modern London, violence against religious dissenters took various forms: the pillory, flogging, branding, ear cropping, and executions. These punishments served as a warning not only to the victim but also to the crowds that often gathered in various spaces in London to witness them. Growing opposition to this violence, often ordered by the monarchy, was one of the factors that led to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642. When parliament returned in 1640, control of London was progressively wrested away from those who supported Charles I. Such forms of violence subsequently disappeared from London. Public displays of violence remained, however, in symbolic form, as the executioner’s presence became common in various public spaces. Previously under the monarch’s control, parliament regularly ordered the hangman to publicise its orthodox ‘brand’ by publicly burning the doctrines of various religious and political sects, as part of London’s ‘Further Reformation’.

New article: 'Symbolic Violence and ‘Branding’ in the Puritan Reformation of London, 1634–1660', by Paul Barrett: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.....

Andrew Saint: An Appreciation Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)

Newly published: 'Andrew Saint: An Appreciation', by Joanna Smith and Richard Dennis.

A reminder that we are still look for a joint book reviews editor, covering books on modern London. Could that be you? Let us know! Expressions of interest due by 24 March.

4. Katie Donnington, ‘(In)human Capital: London and the Legacies of Transatlantic Slavery’.

3. Montaz Marché & @jamie-gemmell.bsky.social, ‘From Historical Fiction to Historical Praxis: Researching Long Eighteenth-Century London’s Black Lives’.

2. Sam Waterman & Charlotte Grant, ‘Teaching London’s Past Today: An Experiential Approach to a Global City’.

1. @johannagerwin.bsky.social, ‘The Persistence and Revival of Cockney: Language and Identity in Twenty-First-Century London’.

The London Journal 50th Anniversary Special Issue: London’s Past Today. Volume 50, Issue 1 of The London Journal

Compiling a thread of threads we’ve done on articles from our 50th anniversary special issue, ‘London’s Past Today’. 🧵

The London Journal 50th Anniversary Special Issue: London’s Past Today. Volume 50, Issue 1 of The London Journal

That's all for this evening, but do check out the article and the remainder of the special issue! We'll be back soon with another thread on an article from it, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading. x

Donnington emphasises, in concluding, the importance of this symbolic work, not as a replacement for material and practical action, but in enhancing public awareness of these histories and thus providing a foundation upon which future claims for reparations can be based.

Donnington highlights, however, more positive initiatives in the city's physical realm, including streets in Hackney and Haringey being renamed after important Black residents, though not without some resistance, while Sadiq Khan announced a memorial to the enslaved would replace Milligan's statue.

In the museum and galleries sector, organisations like the Royal Academy and British Museum also sought to address their own legacies through research projects and exhibitions, but these too often evaded thorny questions on issues like restitution of appropriated objects, and lacked longevity.

In the City, both the Bank of England and Lloyds acknowledged their connections to the slave trade, supporting research into these histories that formed the bases of exhibitions on the topic, but also evaded some difficult questions, as well as facing criticism for absent or inadequate reparations.

As Donnington notes, London's association with the history of slavery is less prominent in the public mind than some other port cities, but came to the foreground that year as metropolitan institutions expressing support for racial justice came under scrutiny for their own past links to slavery.

The article begins with the 2020 removal from West India Docks, after protests by BLM activists, of a statue of slave trader Robert Milligan, initially erected in 1813 to commemorate his role in establishing the docks - an episode that highlights the centrality of slavery's legacy in the city.

(In)human Capital: London and the Legacies of Transatlantic Slavery London played a key role in the history of transatlantic slavery: it was an important port in the Atlantic trade, a hub of commercial organisation, a market for slave-produced commodities, and a co...

Time for another 🧵 on one of the articles from our 50th-anniversary special issue, 'London's Past Today'!

The article we're highlighting today is Katie Donnington's '(In)human Capital: London and the Legacies of Transatlantic Slavery'.

The exhibition ended yesterday but delighted by this thoughtful review by The London Journal.

The City in the City: Architecture and Change in London’s Financial District and London’s ‘Big Bang’ Moment and its Architectural Conversations: The Built Environment as a Subject of Public Discourse Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)

New book review: 'The City in the City: Architecture and Change in London’s Financial District and London’s ‘Big Bang’ Moment and its Architectural Conversations: The Built Environment as a Subject of Public Discourse' by Amy Thomas, reviewed by @geraintfranklin.bsky.social.

London in the Second World War Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)

New exhibition review: 'London in the Second World War' at @thelondonarchives.bsky.social, reviewed by Can Yildiz.

I am so glad that I was given a place on @thelondonjournal.bsky.social's ECR publishing workshop today. Not just because the views were wonderful. The session was so supportive, informative & friendly. A brilliant idea! Thank you 🙂
Also nice to see @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social in person.

Great afternoon at the first
@thelondonjournal.bsky.social
early career historians publishing workshop.

Nice afternoon at @thelondonjournal.bsky.social publishing workshop - really helpful and encouraging, thanks to the organisers!

En route to today’s @thelondonjournal.bsky.social event on publishing for ECRs. Looking forward to catching up with @aidannorrie.bsky.social, @jackhanlon.bsky.social, @catgqf.bsky.social, and others.

Interested in joining our wonderful editorial board, as a modern book reviews editor? Do get in touch!

We are looking for a new Joint Book Reviews Editor to join our editorial board. They would cover the period from 1800, working alongside Kirstin Barnard, who covers the medieval/early modern period.

You can check out the full Call for Expressions of Interest here; and please do also share widely.

So excited to share my first article! With huge thanks to @aidannorrie.bsky.social and @kitfrench1348.bsky.social

The London Private Banker: A Social History, 1660–1825 Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)

New book review: 'The London Private Banker: A Social History, 1660–1825' by Perry Gauci, reviewed by Diane Clements.

The Art of Walking in London: Representing the Eighteenth-Century City, 1700–1830. Published in The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present (Ahead of Print, 2026)

New book review: 'The Art of Walking in London: Representing the Eighteenth-Century City, 1700–1830', by Alison Byrne, reviewed by Chris Ewers.

Abstract In late medieval London, concerns about the quality and authenticity of consumer goods converged with growing anti-immigrant sentiment. Using three craft guilds—the Goldsmiths, the Pursers, and the Glaziers—as case studies, this article illustrates how Londoners came to directly link the perceived threats posed by foreigners and false craft work by the end of the fifteenth century. Analysing the rhetoric and regulations of these three varied groups of craftsmen, it provides insight into medieval Londoners’ attitudes towards strangers, as well as the construction of artisan identity, arguing that members of these guilds defined themselves both by their artisanal skill and in opposition to outsiders. They were able to unite and concretise these two facets of their identities by accusing foreigners of false work.

New research article: 'Strangers in the Marketplace: False Work and Foreigners in Late Medieval London', by @bethanyldonovan.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

On Bob Shoemaker’s choice of Valerie Pearl, ‘Change and Stability in Seventeenth-century London’.