Ruth Butler
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ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Ruth Butler
@ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
250 followers 370 following 160 posts
Day job in heritage education & public engagement with #archives + volunteer roles focusing on #history & #heritage inc Salisbury Cathedral, #SarumChronicle & City Livery. Views my own.
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ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
OK, I'm biased, but you really should head over to the History Centre in Chippenham for the latest free #authortalk Discover the stories & experiences of Black American soldiers during #WWII
heritagewshc.bsky.social Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre @heritagewshc.bsky.social · 18d
Don't forget to book your free place for our meet-the-author event with historian Dr Kate Werran on Wednesday 23 at the History Centre.
🎟️To book your place email [email protected]
🕡Doors open 6.30pm

#history #WW2
Poster for a free event with historian and author Dr Kate Werran about her latest book Black Yanks: defending Leroy Henry in D-Day Britain. Book your free place by email archives@wiltshire.gov.uk Doors open at 6.30pm Poster includes a photo of Dr Werran and details about her career as a journalist, documentary maker, social historian and author.
September 18, 2026 at 10:38 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
🎉 About time... #maps #geography #geopolitics UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale
Togo-sponsored resolution called to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland
www.theguardian.com
September 5, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Join us for our Heritage Open Days when you can meet the experts & explore the History Centre.
🗓️ 16 & 17 Sept.
🎫 Free tours, drop-in sessions & history walk.
#history #archives #heritage #archaeology

www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-e...
The extraordinary everyday @ Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
Explore the archives. Meet the experts. Dive into a world of history at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre.
www.heritageopendays.org.uk
August 14, 2026 at 6:58 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
A fascinating read from both an historical and #AI perspective.
#history #historians
sophiemhistory.bsky.social Dr Sophie Michell @sophiemhistory.bsky.social · Aug 14
As promised, a blog that talks about human error, children (not) being transported and why AI can't do what historians do

(because it can't think)

sophiemhistory.substack.com/p/historians...
Historians and AI
Sources, methodology, and lies
sophiemhistory.substack.com
August 14, 2026 at 6:48 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
More a dog person but have a beautiful cat sculpture & many #cat friends. So happy #internationalcatday
#caturday
#dachshunds #dachshund
August 8, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
lrylandepton.bsky.social
Looking for something to do over the summer? My co-curated exhibition on #JohnAubrey runs until 19 September @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social, Wilts.
www.chippenham.gov.uk/exhibition-w...
July 29, 2026 at 9:43 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Satellite imagery so important in assessing damage to archaeological sites where access restricted by conflict. So too are #archives which often have fantastic collections of #historic #photographs recording archaeological sites. Visit @heritagewshc.bsky.social for C19/20th photos of #MiddleEast
roopikarisam.bsky.social Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · Jul 24
Really interesting work from my colleague Jesse Casana, using satellite imagery to assess damage to Syrian archaeological sites from the civil war home.dartmouth.edu/news/2026/07...
Study Shows Extent of Damage to Historic Sites in Syria | Dartmouth
home.dartmouth.edu
July 24, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
hsmurphy.bsky.social
Please share! A rare PhD studentship @kingshistory.bsky.social *fully* funded by @slaveryinwar.bsky.social to work with myself and Maeve Ryan, supported by a broader community of experts in Caribbean history, transatlantic slavery, and the history of war. www.kcl.ac.uk/study/fundin... 🗃️
AHRC Studentship: Slavery and the Seven Years’ War within and across the Caribbean Archipelago | King's College London
The Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War (CRSW) is pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded AHRC doctoral studentship, to be jointly supervised across History and War Studies
www.kcl.ac.uk
July 24, 2026 at 10:59 AM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Not a great photo, but this parent #crow had mouths to feed. I was waiting to put air in tyres & watched as this #corvid paced back & forth at the exit to a busy car wash. Eventually timed it so they could dunk dry crusts in a pool of water to feed offspring. Obviously a tried & tested routine.
Large black bird - crow - with dry sandwich crusts in beak waiting near a car wash exit to dunk crusts in water before feeding nearby offspring.
July 20, 2026 at 8:22 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Fascinating podcast. Found myself cheering out loud as @roopikarisam.bsky.social championed #archives & #libraries (as well as community organisations & #education systems) as key to building a data & #AI literate world.

#AILiteracy #dataliteracy
July 12, 2026 at 7:54 AM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Read the @financialtimes.com article accompanying the post from @catherinefletcher.info Fascinating, concerning, if not alarming. Are #AI companies really *throwing a lifeline* to #museums & #galleries?
catherinefletcher.info Catherine Fletcher @catherinefletcher.info · Jul 12
not so much throwing museums a lifeline as massively exaggerating the biases in the sources, if the cited case at Leighton House is anything to go by
AI companies are throwing museums a lifeline. What do they want in return?
Touted as a way to engage visitors and boost funding, new tools are triggering concerns around trust and ethics
www.ft.com
July 12, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
rgs.org
This #WorkExperienceMonth, discover the wide range of geographical careers out there for Year 11-12 students to explore by watching our free Choose Geography careers talks! 💼

🔗 Learn more about the skills that real geography professionals use in their roles: https://ow.ly/Mct150Zl2EF
July 7, 2026 at 11:30 AM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Woke to the usual dawn chorus & later enjoyed the extended song of a wren + chatter of goldfinches, blackbirds & jackdaws with whom we share our neighbourhood. Then heard insistent chirp of sparrows & watched as parents fed their offspring in my #insect friendly #messygarden.

#birdsong #nature
Three sparrows on a fence with dense greenery behind. Baby sparrow on the left with adult feeding another baby sparrow on the the right. Adult sparrow feeding its offspring on a garden fence with dense foliage behind. Another baby sparrow sitting on the fence to the right. Three sparrows on a garden fence - a baby with parent on the left. Another baby sparrow on the right. Two baby sparrows perched on a garden fence waiting for their parents to return with food.
July 4, 2026 at 10:25 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
It's #workexperience season with students discovering the world of working with #archives & #localstudies collections. Had fun digging out docs relating to #4thJuly + US presidents nos 4 & 6.

#history #heritagejobs
heritagewshc.bsky.social Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre @heritagewshc.bsky.social · Jul 4
Week 3 of 5 of our #workexperience programme hosting Y10s & 12s from local schools. #Archives looked at this week inc 2 passports signed by James Madison & John Quincy Adams before they became respectively the 4th & 6th presidents of the United States.

#4thJuly #ExploreYourArchive
A single page document, partly printed, partly handwritten, that is a passport for a British-born merchant who took American citizenship and which is signed by James Madison who later became the 4th president of the United States Close up of James Madison's signature. A single page document that is a passport signed by John Quincy Adams when American ambassador in London & later 6th president of the United States. The document includes an image of the American eagle at the top of the late, plus a red wax seal near Adam's signature. Close up of John Quincy Adams' signature
July 4, 2026 at 5:39 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Just started listening to new podcast series on #history of US inspired by Neil MacGregor's *A History of the World in 100 Objects*. Not a copy/rehash. Definitely quirky. Not thought about importance of thread angle of a screw, or it's impact on #WWII.

#history

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
A History of the United States in 100 Objects - 100 Objects #1: The Century Safe - BBC Sounds
A locked iron safe, sealed for 100 years. What objects did Americans choose to remember?
www.bbc.co.uk
July 4, 2026 at 5:31 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Visitors all gone @salisburycathedral.bsky.social ahead of this afternoon's ordination service. A moment of quiet & stillness. Congrats to all those priested today in this most beautiful of #medieval cathedrals.

#history #heritage
Altar in foreground in the Trinity Chapel at the east end of Salisbury Cathedral looking west towards the west window. Highly decorative vaulted ceiling in the 16th century Bishop Audley chantry chapel at Salisbury Cathedral, including ceiling boss which includes pomegranates - the symbol of Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII first wife. Photo taken from the main altar at the spire crossing at Salisbury Cathedral looking towards the west window. Altar has a polished glass top reflecting the nave's vaulted ceiling.
June 27, 2026 at 7:54 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Made a brief visit to @thelondonarchives.bsky.social today & delighted to encounter a secondary #school visit to the #archives + another school group on the tube alighting at Leicester Square. So great to see animated & excited kids on school outings.
#schooltrips #heritage #culture #education
June 11, 2026 at 6:47 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
At a loose end today? Why not head to @heritagewshc.bsky.social for a free talk about the fascinating life & times of John Aubrey - Wiltshire-born writer, antiquarian & scientist

#history #localhistory #Chippenham
June 5, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Still time to book your place on a journey through the amazing world of Wiltshire-born scientist, writer & antiquarian #JohnAubrey with historian & author @lrylandepton.bsky.social Saturday, 6 June at 2pm.
👉Reserve your place by email - [email protected]
🎟️Tickets £10, payable on the day.
Poster advertising a talk about scientist, antiquarian and writer John Aubrey at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre on June 6 at 2pm. Tickets £10 payable on the day. Reserve your ticket by emailing archives@wiltshire.gov.uk Image of the book cover to a new edition of John Aubrey's Natural History. The image is a watercolour of a large tree in the right foreground with a house on the left surrounded by more trees and vegetation.
May 29, 2026 at 5:07 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Only on near-London suburban routes - if you think the new electric Arterio rolling stock is an improvement. Not so sure after checking out the train specs. But what of the rest of the non-electrified #SouthWesternRailway network? When will we see investment & improvements?
@theguardian.com
May 25, 2026 at 8:52 AM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Fascinating. Add this to my check list of things to look out for in our #archive & #map collections @heritagewshc.bsky.social (when I have a spare moment!)

#exploreyourarchives #geography #history #archives
rgs.org Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) @rgs.org · May 25
Why did place names on a map of Canada matter to geographers in London?

In the 1880s, a new railroad connected eastern Canada to British Columbia. As the railway expanded, Indigenous place names were added to official maps - including this 1886 map - which became a point of contention at the RGS.
May 25, 2026 at 8:11 AM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Popped into my #messygarden & chose to look skywards... Beautiful evening with wispy, high cirrus clouds & a partial #circumzenithalarc Along with a crescent moon & soaring seagull!

#clouds #cloudscape #bluesky #stormhour
Blue sky with high, wispy cirrus clouds and a partial circumzenithal arc - a rainbow like feature resulting from light from the setting sun refracted by ice crystals in the clouds. Photo of Blue sky with white, wispy cirrus clouds plus a seagull & crescent moon.
May 21, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
lrylandepton.bsky.social
I am so proud to have co-curated this exhibition for @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social with the incredible @anecdotalksb.bsky.social Discover John Aubrey as you’ve never seen him before!!
chippenhammuseum.bsky.social Chippenham Museum @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social · May 17
🚨 COMING SOON - Wiltshire & The World: John Aubrey & The Quest for Knowledge

📅 Sat 13 Jun - Sat 19 Sep
🕒 Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm
🎟️ Free entry

© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
May 17, 2026 at 8:42 PM
ruthdotbutler.bsky.social
Really looking forward to this talk. Reserve your tickets now to hear @lrylandepton.bsky.social Aubrey talk. And then head to @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social from 13 June for the Aubrey exhibition co-curated by Louise, contributing editor @vch-home.bsky.social @wiltshistory.bsky.social
heritagewshc.bsky.social Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre @heritagewshc.bsky.social · May 21
Join us 6th June, 2pm when Dr Louise Ryland-Epton @lrylandepton.bsky.social takes us on a journey through the amazing world of Wiltshire-born scientist, writer & antiquarian John Aubrey.
👉Reserve your place by email - [email protected]
🎟️Tickets £10, payable on the day.

#science #history
Poster advertising a talk by Dr Louise Ryland-Epton on the life and work of John Aubrey, scientist, writer and antiquarian. Email archives@wiltshire.gov.uk to reserve your tickets. Price £10, payable on the day. The poster includes a portrait of Aubrey and the cover of Aubrey's Natural History which has been edited by Dr Ryland-Epton. Engraving of a head and shoulders portrait of John Aubrey. Shows him with long flowing hair, wearing a jacket and lace bands - a 17th century style of tie - with a sash.
May 21, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Ruth Butler
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Check out our recent blogs including this from the Moulton #archive which includes notes & sketches by Alex Moulton on Germany's devastating V1 flying bomb known as the doodlebug. The collection also includes an official diagram of the weapon market SECRET.
#WWII

wshc.org.uk/doodling-the...
Doodling the Doodlebug - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
The personal papers of engineer Alex Moulton reveal he was involved, tangentially at least, with early investigations into the V-1.
wshc.org.uk
May 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM