Myths That Shaped Our History: From Magna Carta to the Battle of Britain

by Simon Webb

All nations and peoples have a body of legendary tales and semi-historical episodes which explain who they are and help to define their place in the world. The British are no exception and in this book Simon Webb explores some of the most well-known episodes from British history; stories which tell the British about themselves and the country in which they live.Examining these events in detail reveals something rather surprising. In every case, the historical facts are greatly at variance with what most British people think that they know about such things as the Battle of Waterloo, Magna Carta, the suffragettes and so on. Indeed, in many cases the reality is precisely the opposite of what is commonly believed. For example, the Battle of Waterloo was not a victory for the British army, Magna Carta did not set out any rights for ordinary people and the suffragettes delayed, rather than hastened, the granting of votes for women.This book shows that much of what the British believe about their history has been either grossly distorted or is just plain wrong; revealing some of the misconceptions which are held about famous incidents from the nations past. In each case, the truth is far richer and infinitely more interesting than the version learned by schoolchildren. These myths, for that is what they essentially are, reveal as much about the way that the British people like to see themselves now as they do about what happened in the past.

Genres: History

168 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2018

Reviews

[Diana Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

I couldn’t put this book down. Well researched and skilfully written, it showed the facts behind the myths of history in a compelling and interesting way. Highly recommended!

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book which explores ten episodes from British history and shows that they may not have been quite what they seem. Some of them I was already familiar with - I knew for instance that the Magna Carta was mainly designed to protect the interests of the Barons, indeed I thought that was well known, at least to anyone who has read 1066 And All That (“except the common people”). Likewise that favourable winds had a lot to do with why the Spanish Armada was defeated. But Some I did not know about - that Florence Nightingale’s efforts did not in fact lead to a drop in the death rate in her hospital in the Crimea for instance. Nor was I aware of the extent of the terrorist activities of the Suffragettes, nor how many riots there were in the Edwardian era. A fascinating read.

[Darjeeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to provide some surprisingly useful insights on why Brexit happened. The stories we tell about ourselves have so much power over us.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what I was expecting upon reading this book but in actuality after completion I was presented mostly with a reality check. A clear and unadulterated message that events have been glorified and life has always been shit. I really enjoyed each well researched event and how it spun the hidden agenda or rational reasoning behind these big events in British history. Thanks Simon Webb for opening my eyes a little more.

[HKhopeful · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of sympathy for the views expressed in this book and found it an interesting read overall. The author makes some great points about the myths we tell ourselves as a nation and provides a lot of insight into various historical questions. Some of the information included was genuinely new to me and it was interesting to critically re-examine the past and how it's been framed and taught.

However, I felt the author occasionally went too far in his eagerness to debunk particular arguments. For example, while discussing the Suffragist/Suffragette split, he says things like:

"In the first few years of the new [20th] century, it was plainly obvious to even the most diehard male reactionary that women were perfectly able to cope with both intellectual challenges and professional careers, every bit as well as any man."

Given that there are still diehard male reactionaries a century later who still don't think women can do those things as well as a man can, that's a very confident and sweeping (and almost certainly incorrect) statement, and it undermines an interesting argument about the Suffragettes' contribution to women's suffrage.

One final niggle: considering that the first chapter is all about the myths associated with Magna Carta, it's a pity nobody thought to double-check the spelling of habeas corpus - it's written as "habeus" in the first half of the chapter and "habeas" in the second...

[Ken Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

[25 May 2018] This book is relatively unique in its premise - that some of our best known and our best loved stories from British History may not be based on historical fact or at least have been used for other covert political purposes. It covers some classics - the Magna Carta, The Spanish Armada, and Florence Nightingale, etc. It is relatively short at 152 pages and is written in a relaxed conversational style. It is interesting throughout and engaging. However it is inconsistent as some of his theories hold together better than others and you feel, that you are at times, perilously close to an alternative agenda. Lets take Florence Nightingale - the lady with the lamp that revolutionised Nursing and the care of the sick. Well not according to Webb who believes her understanding of disease transmission cost hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers their lives. He is very harsh on her as her knowledge of infection was entirely consistent with the knowledge of the time and her organisation, care and compassion transformed what was a living hell into a place of hope. Yes - she was middle-class and well connected, but she forced the British Government to radically improve the care of wonder soldiers, made nursing a respectable profession and opened up opportunities for women.

Some other examples such the First World War seemed to push accepted wisdom to breaking point - all without reference or much critical analysis. He suggests that the Battle of the Somme was not the disaster that we know it 'the Lions led by Donkeys theory'. According to Webb it was a strategic highpoint that actually shortened the war. It makes for hard reading that the Somme is described as 'a great strategic victory, masterminded by Haig' (p131) - The same Somme where 460,000 British men were killed or seriously injured and where 72,000 young men have no known grave. The language here was ill-advised and inappropriate. Here references were sadly lacking and this degree of challenge requires a much better set of reference - so we can check for ourselves the credibility of it and decide whether we agree or not with him.

The last chapter about the Battle of Britain starts well, but in my opinion slides into a rant about Brexit which is entirely misplaced here. He outlines that many of our Battle of Britain pilots were from the Empire and our allies; then goes onto say - that the British started bombing Germany first (as if that justified the action). All of which may have elements of fact in them, but it isn't clear what he is getting at. He however starts 'ranting' towards the end about people wanting to become 'once again an island nation' and that 'we had flirted with being a part of the continent for forty years'. He postulates that we voted leave because of a 'fear of swarthy invaders ... from the east supposedly marching towards the channel prompting over 17m people to vote to sever links with the rest of Europe' (p146). This blurring of Europe and the European Union (EU) identifies him as a Remainer. However in this sort of book, his political thoughts are entirely out of place and disrespectful to all his readers.

The last point for me was his 'conspiracy theory' slant on it all. Surely myths are created, developed, held, valued and shared for a reason. A reason that may be very important to individual people and to the cultures and countries they come form? Myths are supposed to be NOT based on facts. None of this is explored in any detail. It is short enough to be tolerated with all its faults.

So in summary - an interesting book based on a unique premise with, on the whole, some good arguments. However it suffers major weaknesses such as (1) the complete absence of referencing, (2) the highly selective selection of evidence, (3) the lack of critical analysis (4) the lack of balance about the value of belief and myth and finally (5) insulting his readers by using a history book to propagate his own politics.

[Steven Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

More proof reading required!

An decent enough book but could have done with more proof reading. Phrases are repeated virtually word for word just a few sentences after first appearing, and this happens many times over the course of the book. The writing as a whole has a whiff of the amateur about it despite a decent bibliography. Not a great advert for Pen and Sword books. I certainly wouldn't buy any more after this.

[Gary Loewy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really nothing new here...

I suppose if you don't know your British history this might be of interest, but the author has been...in my view unkind, and, to many of the periods covered in the book.They tend only to give you a brief overview of what really happened.
If you really want to know the real stories, I suggest read the books covering the period, not this book!

[Aeslinn Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be refreshingly frank, if at times a little harsh with the facts. As a citizen of a country colonised by England, British history has shaped my worldviews in some way, and so it was good to read about the myths that spur certain mindsets on. And I had no idea about most of these truths! Overall an enjoyable read.

[Richard Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively, iconoclastic look at the myths the British tell themselves. These are important because, as the author intimates, these were used to devastating effect by the idiots who voted for Brexit and the scoundrels who fooled them. The very phrase 'Led By Donkeys' is used by one of the groups campaigning to reveal the lies told by the Leave campaign. I knew most of these myths and the historical reality they covered up but the chapter on the Suffragettes was an eye opener.

[Samuel McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very eye-opening

I never had the slightest idea of most of these facts before I read the book. It's shocking how much of history is based on myth.

[Studvet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and informative.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The WWI info really got me because it is surprising that the backlash change started in 1960's. Suffragettes, Wellington at Waterloo also were eye-opening as well. So much accepted info just gets compressed as time goes by and the details get lost to the gist and those details can change the whole concept. Most of the other stuff is either known or completely new areas of knowledge.

[Triona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work, a fun and easy (yet factual and serious) read, and the sources being at the back of the book reassure the reader that this really is true