On this day, 25 August 1835, readers of The Sun newspaper in New York opened their papers to an extraordinary claim: life had been discovered on the Moon. It was the beginning of what became known as The Great Moon Hoax. The newspaper claimed that celebrated British astronomer Sir John Hersch

WORDS FROM THE PAST COCKALORUM An old word for a small, self-important person who thinks they’re far more important than they really are. Basically… 5% importance, 95% confidence. 😂 We need this word back. #TheLastAbbey #WordsFromThePast #Cockalorum #ForgottenWords #Weir

THEY ACTUALLY SAID THAT “If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent Texas and live in Hell.” — General Philip Sheridan, 1866 🔥 Imagine insulting an entire state so badly that Hell was the better option. #TheLastAbbey #TheyActuallySaidThat #PhilipSheridan #HistoryHumour #WeirdH

STRAIGHT TO THE STOCKS! “Why did the medieval baker get arrested? He was caught loafing around.” 🍞 No trial needed. Fetch the constable. #TheLastAbbey #StraightToTheStocks #HistoryHumour #MedievalHumour #BadJokes

In 1077, one of Europe’s most powerful rulers was reduced to standing outside a castle in the depths of winter, seeking forgiveness from the Pope. Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV was locked in a bitter struggle with Pope Gregory VII over who held the greater authority: emperor or Church. The dispute

On 19 August 1612, three women stood accused of witchcraft at the Lancashire Assizes — but this trial would end very differently from many others during England’s infamous witch-hunting era. Jane Southworth, Jennet Bierley and Ellen Bierley became known as the Samlesbury Witches. Their chief acc

THEY ACTUALLY SAID THAT “I am sorry, gentlemen, for being such a time a-dying.” — King Charles II, 1685 Apparently even on his deathbed, Charles II was worried he was keeping everyone waiting. Imagine apologising for taking too long to die. 👑 #TheyActuallySaidThat #CharlesII #RoyalHi

Today our Northumberland Wheel landed on Anick — and yes, that’s Anick near Hexham, not Alnwick! Today it might look like a small and peaceful Northumberland settlement, but travel back several centuries and Anick was a very different place. Its story stretches deep into the Middle Ages. O

Long before Northumberland became known for its castles and border wars, part of the county belonged to one of the most famous organisations in medieval history – the Knights Templar. Near the village of Hartburn lies the forgotten site of Temple Thornton. Today, little remains to reveal its ext

The Northumberland Wheel has been spun again… and our next two places have been chosen completely at random. 🎡🏰 With hundreds of Northumberland towns, villages and tiny settlements on the wheel, I genuinely never know where we’re heading next — and that’s exactly the point of this series. Some p

The wheel has spoken… and this week The Last Abbey is heading into some very strange corners of history. 🎡🏰 Seven spins. Seven completely different journeys into the past. ⚔️ Monday — Legendary Crime We begin with a crime that became more than just a crime. Somewhere in history is a case so

Dunstanburgh Castle was built in the early 1300s by Thomas of Lancaster — one of the most powerful and dangerous nobles in England. But Dunstanburgh was never just a castle. Built on the isolated Northumberland coast, far from royal control, the fortress became a symbol of resistance during g

or more than 3,000 years, the ancient Egyptians carved their language into temples, tombs and monuments. Pharaohs rose and fell, dynasties disappeared, foreign powers conquered Egypt — yet the hieroglyphs endured. Then, on 24 August AD 394, someone carved an inscription on the island of Philae i