In this post, co-editors Stewart Beale, Andrew Hopper and Ann Hughes introduce their new volume in the Royal Historical Society’s Camden Series: 'The Household Accounts of Robert and Katherine Greville, Lord and Lady Brooke, at Holborn and Warwick, 1640–1649' (December 2024). Robert Greville, 2nd Lord Brooke, was a prominent figure among the aristocratic opposition to Charles I, a religious radical and intellectual who emerged as a successful popular leader in the early months of the English Civil War. This volume publishes the richly detailed household accounts kept for Brooke and then for his widow, Katherine, on an annual basis between 1640 and 1649. These texts make an illuminating source for Brooke’s capacious intellectual, religious, and political networks, and for his mobilisation of popular support for Parliament in 1642.

Last week UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, released its end of cycle data for the 2024 applications round to UK higher education. This release provides information on numbers of applications, offers and accepted applicants for degree subjects, including History. This post highlights selected data for accepted applications in History, in 2024, and for annual cycles since 2019. Trends for the past five years are provided for accepted applicants, with refinement to consider accepted applications by students' age, gender and place of residence. UCAS figures for applications and offers to study History, 2019-2024, are also included for context at the end of the post.

On 11 December 2024, the steering group for REF2029 published its final Open Access policy relating to research outputs submitted for assessment. The policy follows an initial set of proposals and an accompanying consultation phase over the summer. REF's assessment of the consultation was also published on 11 December. This post offers a brief summary of key responses to the consultation; decisions drawn from these; and the resulting terms and extent of the Open Access policy for REF2029. The post closes with a note on REF plans to broaden the Open Access mandate for future assessment exercises, and what form work to this end might take. This summary is primarily intended for historians but we hope will also be of use to others publishing in the arts, humanities and social sciences.