Most people on the history side of Instagram have probably heard of The Historians Magazine and its sister, The Little Historians Magazine. Recently I asked my instagram followers to send in their questions for the Magazines’ founder, Rosie Maggs. Your questions were amazing as always and, after a few weeks of preparation, I am happy to finally be able to share Rosie’s answers with you all!
1. What got you interested in history?
I suppose I’ve always loved history as my Dad is also a bit of a history lover- but that’s the cliche answer! I suppose there were a few moments that built upon my love for history – I remember clearly in Year 2 (around 6/7 years old) we studied the Romans and I really enjoyed it, I remember getting my parents to buy me a book on the subject so I could read more. I also remember when I was in Year 6 (around 10/11 years old) we were studying the Second World War and I loved quizzing my Nan all about the war and was very excited when I got to bring in her ration book and a few other bits of her own WW2 memorabilia to school for show and tell!
2. What is your favourite historical site?
Tough one! One of my favourites I visited recently was Stirling Castle in Scotland, it was super interesting and the guided tour they were running was so fascinating and engaging- highly recommend a visit!
3. Did you study history at university?
Yes and no!
I did my undergraduate degree in Film Production, during school I was always split between Media Studies and history – and studying Henry VIII’s foreign policy for A Level history swayed me towards the media side of things (as I found that particular topic so boring and it did put me off studying history for a bit!)
But after graduating I did a Masters in European History at Birkbeck University which I absolutely loved! I did my dissertation on female criminals in London 1900-1913 and used the Old Bailey court records.
4. What is the historians magazine?
The Historians Magazine is a magazine I founded to help historians get their work published. We publish six editions a year & it’s packed full of lots of different history topics. We also have a kids version called The Little Historians Magazine which is for 7-12 year olds. (TAP HERE to write for the Historians Magazine!)
5. What made you want to start a history magazine?
I wanted to start a history magazine because when I was studying for my masters degree, I felt like there was nowhere you could publish your work unless you were doing a PhD or were an established historian. I wanted to create opportunities for others who were probably in the same position as me.
I also love design and had trained myself to use InDesign at my marketing job, so I felt like starting a magazine rather than a blog was a more fun idea!
I started the kids magazine because I think it’s so important to educate the younger generation and get them interested in history as I truly believe knowledge of the past is one of the most important things you can learn. I want to show it’s not boring!
6. Is the magazine your full time job?
No unfortunately the magazine is not my full time job. We actually currently don’t make any money from the magazines and everyone who works on it including myself is a volunteer! I actually work in marketing for History Hit for my ‘real life’ job, which is super fun and I really enjoy.
7. What opportunities have you had since beginning the Historians Magazine?
I’ve had so many amazing opportunities since starting The Historians Magazine, from attending history festivals as press to interviewing top historians – it’s been amazing! I’ve also had the opportunity to make lots of friends and feel like I’m (hopefully) making a difference for up and coming historians.
8. How many people work on the magazine?
There are about 18 people working on the magazine and that ranges from writing to editing. Everyone who works on the magazine is a volunteer and I’m very, very grateful to everyone who is a part of it.
9. What is your favourite era in history?
My favourite era in history is the interwar period. I find it absolutely fascinating and have been reading a lot of books about people and events in that era- my aim is to start writing about it a bit more when I have some time!
10. If you could travel to any historical event, what would it be and why?
Tough question! There are so many events I would love to see in history – like attending a ball with some of the Bright Young Things in the 1920s or seeing Hadrians wall being built! But I guess if I had to narrow it down, I’d like to go back to 1816, and join Marry Shelley, Lord Byron and co at Lake Geneva and witness the start of the story of Frankenstein, as famously Mary came up with the idea as part of a competition between them to write the best horror story. I just think it would be incredible to be surrounded by that group of people and also see Mary’s genius at work.
11. What is your favourite historical fact?
Do you know what, I’ve said this fact to a few people recently and they thought it was fascinating- basically in the 18th Century Turkeys in the UK were actually reared in Norfolk and had to be walked down from Norfolk to London for sale for Christmas. Apparently somewhere between 150,000 to 200,000 turkeys were being walked to London from Norfolk each year. The journey usually took around three months! They also had little leather boots for the Turkeys to protect their feet. It’s quite morbid really, them all marching to their death… but I think it’s a good story.
12. What advice would you give to aspiring historians?
If you want to be a historian start working on what you enjoy. If you want to be a writer, write articles and publish them on a blog or on Instagram, and once you’re confident send them to publications! If you want to be a presenter, start posting on TikTok or YouTube – you don’t need fancy equipment or to even travel to heritage sites, you can create videos from your bedroom!
We live in an age where you can publish your own content, whenever you want, so use this to your advantage and put yourself out there- you never know until you try. Okay you might not gain millions of followers, but that is okay, you’re making a portfolio of what you’re good at which you can use to showcase to employers and people you want to work with. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing, if I hadn’t decide to just go for it!
Also make friends with people, I’ve found most people in history are very friendly and helpful and you never know how someone could help you out in the future, or how you could help them achieve their goals! Most of my successes have come from making friends with people who want to make amazing history projects work.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Rosie for agreeing to take part in today’s guest Q&A. Don’t forget to follow Rosie on instagram. You can also TAP HERE to subscribe to The Historians Magazine
©️ Queen.Victoria.Roses 2024
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