Debbie Kilroy
Writer at GetHistoryDebbie Kilroy is a writer and historian. Having read history at the University of Birmingham as an undergraduate, where she won the Kenrick Prize, she founded the award-winning ‘Get History’ platform in 2014 with the aim of bringing accessible yet high quality history-telling and debate to a wide audience. Since then, she has completed a Masters in Historical Studies at the University of Oxford, receiving a distinction and the Kellogg College Community Engagement and Impact Award. An Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, her first book, Members Behaving Badly: A History of Britain in 52 Parliamentary Rogues was published by Elliott & Thompson in 2026. Her article for Parliaments, Estates and Representation won the international ICHRPI Emile Lousse prize for the best political essay by an up-and-coming historian.
The Latest from Debbie Kilroy
Anne of Cleves: Stinky and Ugly?
On 9 July 1540, Henry VIII had his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled after just six months of marriage. Following the death of his favourite wife Jane Seymour,and under the advice of Thomas Cromwell, Henry had set about finding a new and desirable bride.
The Rise and Fall of Lady Jane Grey
On 10 July 1553, four days after the death of her cousin Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey became queen of England. It would be short lived: within nine days, she would step down and be placed in the Tower under charges of treason. History has painted Jane as a weak female forced into taking the rightful place of Mary.
The 20 July Bomb Plot
On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg entered the conference room at the Wolf’s Lair in Rastenburg, East Prussia, carrying a briefcase with a primed bomb. Shortly after the start of the meeting, he received an urgent telephone call and excused himself, leaving the briefcase on the floor by Hitler.
Thomas Cromwell: A Tudor Villain?
Thomas Cromwell was the infamous adviser to Henry VIII. Born around 1485, he was executed without trial on 28 July 1540 for heresy and treason. Down through history, he has been viewed as a cynical, Machiavellian upstart, who drove through reform for his own gain.
The Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings is considered to be one of the most important battles of England's history. Often taken as the definitive point when England stopped being Anglo-Saxon and instead became Norman - with all the associated changes in government and culture - it was in fact long-lasting, hard-fought and visceral. And it was by no means a foregone conclusion.
The Stone Age: an Introduction
The Stone Age is the name given for human prehistory (that happened before history, that’s not written down) from the first humans who used tools through to the use of metal. It is called the Stone Age because much of the physical evidence left behind by humans (apart from bones and some monuments) is stone tools.
