Brookes History Journal
'The poor burn no coals'
The struggle to stay warm in nineteenth century rural England
This article investigates how the rural labouring classes in England kept warm during the nineteenth century. It examines three primary concerns of keeping warm: fuel, shelter, and the money that keeps the roofs over their heads and their fires burning. The primary focus of this article is Dorset, although other areas will be included for contextual purposes
Isaac Purcell December 2024
Featured articles
Environmental "Indifference"?: Synthetic Pesticides in Published Opinion in the United States Before Silent Spring
This article argues against historians who have charged Americans in the 1940s and 1950s of being indifferent to environmental destruction. Instead, this article argues for a more nuanced interpretation of environmental consciousness during the period. The question: What do synthetic pesticides reveal about environmental consciousness in early post-war America (1945-1962) will be answered by exploring the discussions that took place around key events concerning synthetic pesticides and their influence on American environmental consciousness. Through this, the article aims to contrast the concerns of the public with the government and corporate elite to reveal the divisions in America's environmental consciousness in the early post-war period.
Isaac Purcell - February 2025
Archive articles
Race Relations in Britain: What does it mean to be British?
Government, Industry, and Environmental Sacrifice:
A History of Louisiana Oil and the Deepwater Horizon Disaster
This article examines the Deepwater Horizon disaster within a broader historical context of Louisiana's petrochemical sector.
it aims to provide insight into the practices, culture, and environmental consciousness of the Louisiana oil industry and state government in the lead up to the disaster. Ultimately, this article considers if disaster is likely to happen again.