Tim Hitchcock

@timhitchcock.bsky.social

4.4K followers 3.5K following 390 posts

Historian of 18th century London; Professor Emeritus of Digital History at the University of Sussex. Just coughing in the ink to the end of time.

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Economics 31%

History 24%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Karin Wulf

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 1d

Really pleased to see that Helen Esfandiary's excellent talk last week to @long18thsem.bsky.social is now available on the @ihrlibrary.bsky.social website: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

‘Such a silly fellow I fear his making some mistake’: The convergence of medical and maternal approaches to domestic childcare in Georgian England

British History in the Long 18th Century Seminar Session

www.history.ac.uk

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Oregon 🕎🎲 @oregonthedm.bsky.social · 3d

Part 218 of 200 in historically interesting things to inspire your ttrpg dnd

Ceramic hedgehog dated to the Neolithic period found at the Hamin archaeological site near Shebotu Town in Inner Mongolia, China

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Tim Hitchcock

Internet Archive @archive.org · 5d

The Wayback Machine, openlibrary.org, and some other archive.org functions are offline because some network gear has failed.

We apologize and are working on it. More as it happens.

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 6d

Helen Esfandiary giving a great paper on elite maternal authority over the care of children in the context of the professional medical market place in the 18th c. @long18thsem.bsky.social @ihrlibrary.bsky.social

A woman standing at a podium delivering a lecture. A power point is on the right

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Tim Hitchcock

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 6d

Just a reminder that if you're attending our seminar in person rather than online this evening, we're in the Institute of Education rather than at the IHR (which is closed for Founders' Day). All welcome! #Skystorians

‘Such a silly fellow I fear his making some mistake’: The convergence of medical and maternal approaches to domestic childcare in Georgian England

www.history.ac.uk

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Tim Hitchcock

Prof. Elaine Chalus @profelainechalus.bsky.social · 7d

Research Fellow x2 (109856-1125)
University of Warwick - #History - #skystorians 🗃️ www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK288/r...

Research Fellow x2 (109856-1125) at University of Warwick

An academic position as a Research Fellow x2 (109856-1125) is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job opportunities.

www.jobs.ac.uk

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell , and 32 more Diane Coyle, Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Dorothy Bishop, Stephen P. Jenkins, Ruth Mace, Steve Peers, Melissa Terras, Dave O’Brien, Tom Shakespeare, Stuart Elden, Martin Paul Eve, Joan E. Taylor, Charles West, Lyn Robinson, Lesley A. Hall, Roger Luckhurst, Rebecca Sear, Lucy Munro, Kris Inwood, Elaine Treharne, Felicity Callard, Caroline T. Schroeder, Margot C. Finn, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Tim Hitchcock, Michael H. Whitworth, Jonathan Tummons, Larry W. Hunter, Toni Haastrup, Kathleen Kennedy, Carmen M. Mangion, Adrian Streete, Jennifer Thomson, Lorna Hughes

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 7d

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...

The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?

The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity

www.cityam.com

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Sharon Howard @sharonhoward.bsky.social · 10d

It's sobering to reflect on how much work and how many people have been involved in creating those datasets. Here's MOLA's *long* write-up of the creation of the LLP map data (and that was in part enhancing data previously laboriously made by Patrick Mannix): www.locatinglondon.org/about/mappin...

Locating London's Past

Map data on historic maps of London

www.locatinglondon.org

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Tim Hitchcock

Sharon Howard @sharonhoward.bsky.social · 11d

I thought I would mark the occasion by making an interactive dashboard of the London Lives Westminster Coroners Inquests. sharonhoward.github.io/mindseye_of/...

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

ΜΑΝΟΣ ΤΡΑΧΙΑΣ™ @trahias.bsky.social · 11d

Ellen Thesleff
(Finnish, 1869 - 1954)
"Echo"
1891
61 x 43.5 cm.
#art #painting #painters #BlueSkyArt

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

ΜΑΝΟΣ ΤΡΑΧΙΑΣ™ @trahias.bsky.social · 11d

Isaac Levitan (Russian, 1860-1900)
"Moonlit Night, Highroad," 1897-98
Oil on canvas
32.62 x 34.62 in
The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
#art #painting #painters #BlueSkyArt

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 12d

Please note that for this session only, we are at a different venue - Room 828, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 12d

Very much looking forward to Helen Esfandiary's talk next week on medical and maternal approaches to domestic childcare in Georgian England. All welcome either in person or online @long18thsem.bsky.social @ihrlibrary.bsky.social But please register www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

‘Such a silly fellow I fear his making some mistake’: The convergence of medical and maternal approaches to domestic childcare in Georgian England

www.history.ac.uk

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Oregon 🕎🎲 @oregonthedm.bsky.social · 12d

Long ago on the hell site I made long list of historically interesting things to use in dnd ttrpgs and I'll start dragging them over here starting with

2000 years-old sapphire ring presumably belonged to Roman emperor Caligula, depicting his fourth wife Caesonia.

Blue stone surrounding a gold metal core

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve, David Underdown

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 13d

Applications for the Caird Fellowships at Royal Museums Greenwich are now open - www.rmg.co.uk/collections/... It looks like a great opportunity to work on a fantastic collection and collaborate with some brilliant staff.

Fellowships at Royal Museums Greenwich

Apply for funding to support research at Royal Museums Greenwich through our Caird Research Fellowships

www.rmg.co.uk

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Dr. Peter Paul Rubens @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social · 14d

Stunning portrait of a woman in a plumed blue hat from 1740 by William Hogarth, who was born on this day in 1697. Totally love this one.

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Jane Winters @jfwinters.bsky.social · 16d

You hear so much negativity about the NHS, but we had such a wonderful social worker who pulled out all the stops to let my dad go home with proper support. And on the weekend too.

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Richard Morris @ahistoryinart.bsky.social · 17d

Claude Francis Barry’s paintings of WW1 are amongst the most accomplished of his works, with his images of searchlights across London being the most evocative - here (1918) he used small concentrated dots of colour to create an atmospheric haze of light.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Tim Hitchcock

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18d

The Worshipful Company of Curriers essay prize on London for early career scholars, in association with The London Journal Trust and the Institute of Historical Research.

The author of the winning submission will receive £1,000, and publication, subject to peer review, in The London Journal.

Curriers' Essay Prize | The London Journal

The author of the winning submission will receive £1,000, and publication, subject to peer review, in The London Journal. Other promising entries may also be considered for publication.

www.thelondonjournal.org

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 18d

I see what you mean.

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 19d

The crime ridden hell-hole that is London on a Thursday afternoon.

a scene eith autumn foilage in the foreground and a cloudy sky lit with dunlight above.

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 19d

I wonder if anyone on here can help? Attached is a section from a 1706 volume, with shorthand annotations that look like Brachygraphy to me. The assumption has to be that they represent the biblical passages in the nearby text, but I can't make the shorthand agree with the texts being referenced.

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

Sharon Howard @sharonhoward.bsky.social · 20d

Apart from all the bells and whistles on the site itself, some users may like to know that the London Lives bibliography has been Zoterified (so it's searchable etc): www.zotero.org/groups/45875...

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

shoebob.bsky.social @shoebob.bsky.social · 20d

Our thanks to the whole team which produced the updated London Lives--Jamie McLaughlin (software engineer), Sharon Howard (data manager), and Mary Clayton (proofreader). And to the funder, the Univ of Sheffield Alumni, who recognised the value of keeping major websites up to date.

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 20d

/5 There are already hundreds of 'lives' written up on the basis of information collected into 'Life Archives' from the site. Have a look at the life of Sophie Pringle for instance. www.londonlives.org/about/pringl...

London Lives

www.londonlives.org

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 20d

/4 The site still gives users access to 240,000 pages of manuscript and printed sources for London history, reflecting the lives of working Londoners, including people like parish orphan Charlotte Dionis.

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 20d

/3 We have also fully redesigned the 'browse by' functions to make navigation a lot more intuitive.

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 20d

/2 Among the new features is a Macroscope visualisation that displays the context for all results.

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve, Charles West, Kris Inwood , and 7 more Martin Paul Eve, Charles West, Kris Inwood, Margot C. Finn, Aileen Fyfe, David Underdown, Katrina Navickas, Elizabeth Ewan, Karin Wulf, Renaud Morieux

Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 20d

Really pleased to announce the launch of the all-new, all-dancing, London Lives website - www.londonlives.org It has been thoroughly re-engineered to facilitate more types of search, and redesigned for phones and tablets. The team very much hopes peope like it. 1/

London Lives

www.londonlives.org

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock, Holly Hassel

Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 21d

Very proud to have worked on this statement of the Modern Language Association with @annamillsoer.bsky.social and other colleagues on the MLA’s task force on AI in Research and Teaching. It is a direct call for faculty input into Ed Tech decision-making, especially AI: www.mla.org/Resources/Ad... 🧵

Screenshots of the following text:

Statement on Educational Technologies and AI Agents
The following statement of endorsement was drafted by the MLA Task Force on AI in Research and Teaching. The Executive Council approved it as an MLA statement in October 2025.
Software, specifically learning management systems (LMSs), is as important to teaching and learning as physical classrooms and facilities. The recent and hasty integration of generative AI features into those systems is already redefining student and instructor relationships, evaluative standards, and instructional outcomes—with no compelling evidence that any of it is for the better. At the same time, so-called agentic browsers are becoming widely available to the public. These offer AI “agents” that can navigate LMSs and complete assignments without any student involvement. All of this is unfolding at a time when contractual arrangements between institutions and commercial vendors often lack transparency, with worrisome implications for data collection and student privacy.

Screenshots of the following text:

The Modern Language Association therefore unequivocally
1. Advocates for full faculty and instructional involvement, including faculty of languages, literatures, and the humanities, at all levels of decision-making in the selection, procurement, and responsible implementation of instructional technology systems and software, including those incorporating AI.  The instructional mission cannot be fulfilled in the absence of faculty expertise, and this expertise extends not only to the “content” of the curriculum but also to the infrastructures and environments—virtual and otherwise—in which learning happens. 
2. Calls upon law- and policymakers, LMS vendors, and companies offering agent-based AI browsers to cooperate in order to prevent misuse and to ensure that academic institutions have the ability and option to block agentic AI when needed.  Without dedicated outside cooperation from lawmakers and technology providers, academic institutions may not have the technical capacity to do so on their own.
If we do not act, we risk seeing the development of a fully automated loop in which assignments are generated by AI with the support of a learning management system, AI-generated content is submitted by an agentic AI on behalf of the student, and AI-driven metrics evaluate the work on behalf of the instructor.

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