Andy Gill
@andyfromwithin.bsky.social
Author, musician, actor and father currently doing MA Naval History. Love to talk about the Royal Navy in the Age of Sail and Exploration, and who was the best Mr. Darcy...Matthew Macfadyen, if you were wondering! 😉
Good golly, for someone who hates how he looks, I think this shot from my latest play is super 😍
May 20, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Good golly, for someone who hates how he looks, I think this shot from my latest play is super 😍
If anyone in Dorset is into AmDram and/or Agatha Christie, I'm starring in 'And Then There Were None' next week. That's me second from right as Captain Lombard, a debonair adventurer...or is he the murderer? I can promise a thrilling evening!
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2607753...
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2607753...
Agatha Christie classic to be staged at Dorset theatre next week
And Then There Were None will be performed at The Tivoli Wimborne Theatre from May 14 to May 16.
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk
May 7, 2026 at 9:44 PM
If anyone in Dorset is into AmDram and/or Agatha Christie, I'm starring in 'And Then There Were None' next week. That's me second from right as Captain Lombard, a debonair adventurer...or is he the murderer? I can promise a thrilling evening!
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2607753...
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2607753...
Spent a very pleasant evening on Thursday touring the facilities at RNLI HQ in Poole. Very impressive. I worked there in 2005 and the place looks as fresh as it did 20 years ago.
March 7, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Spent a very pleasant evening on Thursday touring the facilities at RNLI HQ in Poole. Very impressive. I worked there in 2005 and the place looks as fresh as it did 20 years ago.
My new piano composition is now up on my YouTube channel. A little different from my usual naval history posts, but I'd love it if you could check it out 😊
youtu.be/AOF49naRWQI
youtu.be/AOF49naRWQI
Melancholia | Original piano composition
YouTube video by From Within
youtu.be
February 27, 2026 at 12:42 PM
My new piano composition is now up on my YouTube channel. A little different from my usual naval history posts, but I'd love it if you could check it out 😊
youtu.be/AOF49naRWQI
youtu.be/AOF49naRWQI
The timbers of the Swash Channel wreck, exposed by recent storms, have now been recovered by marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University. It's believed to be a Dutch merchant ship that ran aground in 1631.
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2587763...
#maritimehistory
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2587763...
#maritimehistory
17th Century shipwreck excavated at Studland Beach
A 17th century shipwreck has been excavated by archaeologists and university students on a popular Dorset beach.
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk
February 24, 2026 at 12:36 PM
The timbers of the Swash Channel wreck, exposed by recent storms, have now been recovered by marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University. It's believed to be a Dutch merchant ship that ran aground in 1631.
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2587763...
#maritimehistory
www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2587763...
#maritimehistory
Is there a name for when people argue, "because there's evidence FitzRoy was mentally ill years after the Beagle voyage, it must be the case that he was mentally ill BEFORE it as well"? Is that ex post facto? Appeal to probability? Retroactive? Or just a bad argument?
#navalhistory
#history
#navalhistory
#history
February 17, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Is there a name for when people argue, "because there's evidence FitzRoy was mentally ill years after the Beagle voyage, it must be the case that he was mentally ill BEFORE it as well"? Is that ex post facto? Appeal to probability? Retroactive? Or just a bad argument?
#navalhistory
#history
#navalhistory
#history
The recent storms have dug the timbers of a 17th Century Dutch merchant ship out of the seabed at Studland, Dorset. As it's fairly local, I'm trying to find a gap in my schedule to visit her.
#navalhistory
#maritimehistory
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
#navalhistory
#maritimehistory
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Timbers from 17th Century shipwreck appear on Dorset beach
Experts believe timbers found at Studland Beach form a missing piece of the Swash Channel wreck from 1631.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 5:23 PM
The recent storms have dug the timbers of a 17th Century Dutch merchant ship out of the seabed at Studland, Dorset. As it's fairly local, I'm trying to find a gap in my schedule to visit her.
#navalhistory
#maritimehistory
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
#navalhistory
#maritimehistory
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It bewilders me that respected maritime institutions can post such inaccuracies. Robert FitzRoy never set foot aboard HMS Beagle until appointed to command her in 1828, several months after Stokes died. He did not serve two years under Stokes as meteorologist! E-mail sent 😉
#navalhistory
#Darwin
#navalhistory
#Darwin
February 8, 2026 at 2:50 PM
It bewilders me that respected maritime institutions can post such inaccuracies. Robert FitzRoy never set foot aboard HMS Beagle until appointed to command her in 1828, several months after Stokes died. He did not serve two years under Stokes as meteorologist! E-mail sent 😉
#navalhistory
#Darwin
#navalhistory
#Darwin
One of FitzRoy's letters is transcribed by Stanbury as "troubled spirit and conscience." Reading it myself, he actually wrote "troubled spirit, ycleped conscience."
It turns out ycleped is a Middle English word meaning "named". Illustrates the importance of reading original sources.
#navalhistory
It turns out ycleped is a Middle English word meaning "named". Illustrates the importance of reading original sources.
#navalhistory
February 7, 2026 at 12:42 PM
One of FitzRoy's letters is transcribed by Stanbury as "troubled spirit and conscience." Reading it myself, he actually wrote "troubled spirit, ycleped conscience."
It turns out ycleped is a Middle English word meaning "named". Illustrates the importance of reading original sources.
#navalhistory
It turns out ycleped is a Middle English word meaning "named". Illustrates the importance of reading original sources.
#navalhistory
Visited the UK Hydrographic Office yesterday to read FitzRoy's letters to Beaufort. Definitely worth a visit if you're into surveying expeditions. The staff made me very welcome and dug out lots of extras, FitzRoy's original hand drawn chart of Galapagos being a highlight.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
February 6, 2026 at 7:53 AM
Visited the UK Hydrographic Office yesterday to read FitzRoy's letters to Beaufort. Definitely worth a visit if you're into surveying expeditions. The staff made me very welcome and dug out lots of extras, FitzRoy's original hand drawn chart of Galapagos being a highlight.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
ME: My dissertation is about why Darwin was aboard the Beagle.
AUNT: So you're not questioning the theory of evolution then, which many scientists dispute?
ME: No, I'm doing Naval History...wait, what scientists?
AUNT: Let me send you the book I've been reading...
#navalhistory
AUNT: So you're not questioning the theory of evolution then, which many scientists dispute?
ME: No, I'm doing Naval History...wait, what scientists?
AUNT: Let me send you the book I've been reading...
#navalhistory
January 23, 2026 at 3:34 PM
ME: My dissertation is about why Darwin was aboard the Beagle.
AUNT: So you're not questioning the theory of evolution then, which many scientists dispute?
ME: No, I'm doing Naval History...wait, what scientists?
AUNT: Let me send you the book I've been reading...
#navalhistory
AUNT: So you're not questioning the theory of evolution then, which many scientists dispute?
ME: No, I'm doing Naval History...wait, what scientists?
AUNT: Let me send you the book I've been reading...
#navalhistory
ME: Nelson didn't wear an eye patch.
DAD: How do you know? Were you there?
ME: It doesn't appear in portraits, caricatures or statuary, nor is one mentioned in letters, diaries, newspapers, memoirs, ballads...
DAD: Were. You. There?
ME: No.
MY DAD: So you don't know.
ME: *Sigh*
#navalhistory
DAD: How do you know? Were you there?
ME: It doesn't appear in portraits, caricatures or statuary, nor is one mentioned in letters, diaries, newspapers, memoirs, ballads...
DAD: Were. You. There?
ME: No.
MY DAD: So you don't know.
ME: *Sigh*
#navalhistory
January 15, 2026 at 8:34 PM
ME: Nelson didn't wear an eye patch.
DAD: How do you know? Were you there?
ME: It doesn't appear in portraits, caricatures or statuary, nor is one mentioned in letters, diaries, newspapers, memoirs, ballads...
DAD: Were. You. There?
ME: No.
MY DAD: So you don't know.
ME: *Sigh*
#navalhistory
DAD: How do you know? Were you there?
ME: It doesn't appear in portraits, caricatures or statuary, nor is one mentioned in letters, diaries, newspapers, memoirs, ballads...
DAD: Were. You. There?
ME: No.
MY DAD: So you don't know.
ME: *Sigh*
#navalhistory
OTD in 1831, the weather was perfect for HMS Beagle to depart England and sail into history on her legendary second voyage. Unfortunately, much to Captain FitzRoy's chagrin, the crew were still drunk from the day before, so the opportunity was missed. The result? 134 lashes.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
December 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
OTD in 1831, the weather was perfect for HMS Beagle to depart England and sail into history on her legendary second voyage. Unfortunately, much to Captain FitzRoy's chagrin, the crew were still drunk from the day before, so the opportunity was missed. The result? 134 lashes.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
The current orthodoxy among historians is that FitzRoy invited Darwin aboard the Beagle to be his "companion", and the "naturalist" part was a secondary concern or even a cover story. The evidence for this? None. Speculation presented as fact.
In this thread I debunk this theory 1/12
#navalhistory
In this thread I debunk this theory 1/12
#navalhistory
December 21, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The current orthodoxy among historians is that FitzRoy invited Darwin aboard the Beagle to be his "companion", and the "naturalist" part was a secondary concern or even a cover story. The evidence for this? None. Speculation presented as fact.
In this thread I debunk this theory 1/12
#navalhistory
In this thread I debunk this theory 1/12
#navalhistory
Spent 8 hours in Cambridge transcribing 7000 words from 176 pages of Captain FitzRoy's letters to his sister. They provide a lot of insight into his psychology & whether Darwin really was invited aboard Beagle as a "companion" more than a scientist, but I've not seen them used before.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
December 18, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Spent 8 hours in Cambridge transcribing 7000 words from 176 pages of Captain FitzRoy's letters to his sister. They provide a lot of insight into his psychology & whether Darwin really was invited aboard Beagle as a "companion" more than a scientist, but I've not seen them used before.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
Going to Cambridge on Thursday to read the letters Captain FitzRoy wrote to his sister while in command of HMS Beagle. In his letters to Beaufort, he mentions letters from home causing him stress. While those letters don't survive, perhaps there's a clue in his?
#navalhistory #maritimehistory
#navalhistory #maritimehistory
December 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Going to Cambridge on Thursday to read the letters Captain FitzRoy wrote to his sister while in command of HMS Beagle. In his letters to Beaufort, he mentions letters from home causing him stress. While those letters don't survive, perhaps there's a clue in his?
#navalhistory #maritimehistory
#navalhistory #maritimehistory
Charles Darwin's attitude towards the sea changed dramatically during his time on HMS Beagle. In Feb 1832, he wrote to his father: "I find a ship a very comfortable house, with everything you want, & if it was not for sea-sickness the whole world would be sailors." But four years later, homesick 1/2
November 17, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Charles Darwin's attitude towards the sea changed dramatically during his time on HMS Beagle. In Feb 1832, he wrote to his father: "I find a ship a very comfortable house, with everything you want, & if it was not for sea-sickness the whole world would be sailors." But four years later, homesick 1/2
Reading Cook's journal of his first voyage. So far a Master's mate went down with the anchor, two marines vanished overboard, a sailor drowned, a bosun's mate died of drink, and while the clerk was passed out drunk, someone "cut off a part of both his Ears"!
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
October 14, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Reading Cook's journal of his first voyage. So far a Master's mate went down with the anchor, two marines vanished overboard, a sailor drowned, a bosun's mate died of drink, and while the clerk was passed out drunk, someone "cut off a part of both his Ears"!
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
Think I might have become a little obsessed with my dissertation, tentatively titled, "Stress, Anxiety and Created Communities: the Voyages of Darwin, Huxley and Hooker." It's not even due till September but I'm itching to start writing it. It's all I can think about!
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
October 11, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Think I might have become a little obsessed with my dissertation, tentatively titled, "Stress, Anxiety and Created Communities: the Voyages of Darwin, Huxley and Hooker." It's not even due till September but I'm itching to start writing it. It's all I can think about!
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
Seeking advice. For my dissertation I'm researching the surveying expeditions of the 1820s-50s, but I have cPTSD caused by a direct descendant of one of the key figures. They even share the same name & every time I see it in the sources, I feel sick. Don't know how to make this work.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
October 1, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Seeking advice. For my dissertation I'm researching the surveying expeditions of the 1820s-50s, but I have cPTSD caused by a direct descendant of one of the key figures. They even share the same name & every time I see it in the sources, I feel sick. Don't know how to make this work.
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
Walked into my bedroom to discover the sun, trees and my HMS Victory model painting a pretty picture on the wall 😍
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
September 28, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Walked into my bedroom to discover the sun, trees and my HMS Victory model painting a pretty picture on the wall 😍
#navalhistory
#navalhistory
I'm writing a no-holds-barred book about what it's like to be a male survivor of domestic abuse. It takes the form of questions and answers so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask & I'll try to include/answer them. Thanks 😊 🫂
#domesticabuse #domesticviolence
#domesticabuse #domesticviolence
August 10, 2025 at 8:24 AM
I'm writing a no-holds-barred book about what it's like to be a male survivor of domestic abuse. It takes the form of questions and answers so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask & I'll try to include/answer them. Thanks 😊 🫂
#domesticabuse #domesticviolence
#domesticabuse #domesticviolence
Reposted by Andy Gill
This account is unashamedly francophilic, and has no truck with the Anglo prejudice that the French are obsessed with sex.
The official museum of the French army, on the other hand...
The official museum of the French army, on the other hand...
July 20, 2025 at 9:17 PM
This account is unashamedly francophilic, and has no truck with the Anglo prejudice that the French are obsessed with sex.
The official museum of the French army, on the other hand...
The official museum of the French army, on the other hand...
According to staff, this is a popular place for proposals. Have they even seen the movie!? "I love you most ardently." "You are the last man I could ever be prevailed upon to marry!"
#prideandprejudice
#janeausten
#stourhead
#prideandprejudice
#janeausten
#stourhead
July 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
According to staff, this is a popular place for proposals. Have they even seen the movie!? "I love you most ardently." "You are the last man I could ever be prevailed upon to marry!"
#prideandprejudice
#janeausten
#stourhead
#prideandprejudice
#janeausten
#stourhead
As historians, it is incumbent upon us to alter our arguments in light of new discoveries, even when it adds unwanted complexity to a topic we thought we understood. In that vein, I wish to amend my last thread about the death of Pringle Stokes, first commander of HMS Beagle. #navalhistory 1/9
June 30, 2025 at 4:53 PM
As historians, it is incumbent upon us to alter our arguments in light of new discoveries, even when it adds unwanted complexity to a topic we thought we understood. In that vein, I wish to amend my last thread about the death of Pringle Stokes, first commander of HMS Beagle. #navalhistory 1/9