The beaver, extinct in Wales since the 12th century, is being reintroduced to Machynlleth, Wales. The European beaver was prized for its fur and the medicinal qualities of its glands.

Renovation work for the gift shop at Scotland's historic Stirling Castle has unearthed the castle's 16th century defenses, which were built using the latest techniques around 1540. The defences were demolished during modernization in the 18th century.

The playing fields of Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive Upper School in Neath, Wales must occupy a strategic location since they were the site of not one, but two Roman forts, a 1st century timber structure and a later stone fort.

In 1477 Margery Brews sent the first valentine in the English language to her sweetheart John Paston begining "ryght welebeloued Voluntyne" (right well-beloved Valentine), she promised to be a good wife, adding: "Yf that ye loffe me as Itryste verely that ye do ye will not leffe me" (If you love me, I trust.. you will not leave me).

For thousands of years, experts have debated how the huge stones that constitute Stonehenge were transported from Wales to their current site in southern England. Now engineer Garry Lavin has a new theory: wicker. (photo)

The animal residents of Redwall Abbey are in mourning over the death of their creator, Brian Jacques, who died of a heart attack in Liverpool, England at the age of 71. Jacques wrote 21 novels in the Redwall series.

Roman officials have accepted an offer from Diego Della Valle, founder of Tod's luxury shoe brand, to fund the restoration of the crumbling Colosseum.

Ulf Buntgen, a paleoclimatologist at the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape, believes political history can be read in the trees. He is the co-author of a study which links the "rise and fall of past civilisations and sudden shifts in Europe's climate."

Construction of new viewing stands for the Edinburgh Tattoo at the Castle has revealed a previously unknown boundary wall.

Contractors working on an extension to a church in Jersey, UK, were surprised to discover human remains during excavation. They were doubly surprised to learn that the remains are from Roman residents of the island.

Costumers: The opportunity of a lifetime presents itself on Feruary 12, 2011 when the Royal Shakespeare Company will sell thousands of costumes worn by such theatre luminaries as Ian McKellen and Kenneth Branagh.

The British Red Cross has threatened a Scottish production of the pantomime show 'The Magical Adventures of Robin Hood" for placing a red cross on a nurse's costume.

A "fragment of paper with brown scrawls" discovered recently in a public library in the French city of Nantes was not just trash. It was a coded document written by Leonardo da Vinci. (photo)

Police in Glastonbury, England are looking for vandals who cut the branches from the Holy Thorn, a 2,000-year-old tree said to have been planted by Joseph of Arimathea. (video)

Once part of the Luttrell family estate, the village of Dunster, England could lose its medieval cobbled streets due to injuries caused by the cobbles' poor condition.

"Our state is less strong because money which should navigate and multiply lies dead, converted into vanities,"  said the rulers of Venice, who enforced laws designed to curb the spending habits of the rich. These sumptuary laws are the subject of an article by Sarah Dunant on the BBC News Magazine blog.

Sycamore trees are the culprits in damage done to the historic Roman wall in St. Albans, England. Built in the 3rd century, the wall is what remains of a five metres high and three metres wide wall, circling the city, with a walkway on top. (photo)

Horse archery is a sport appreciated by only a few, but its popularity is gaining strength in England which now holds a national championship.

Teacher Karl James Langford and his students are on a quest: to find the lost medieval village of Whitelands near Porthkerry in Wales.

"The main trouble is getting it through the door," said Nick Barnfield, project conservator with Cliveden Conservation, about the removal of the Berryfield mosaic at Colchester Castle, once the dining room floor of a 2nd century Roman townhouse.

The British Charity Commission has accepted that druids' worship of natural spirits is a religious activity, making it the first pagan practice to be given official recognition as a religion.

An historic, 16th century stone archway on the grounds of Scone Palace in Perthshire was destroyed recently when a van driven by a contractor crashed into it.

Scottish history buffs with time on their hands will want to check out the BBC Scotland's website which features a links list of stories and videos relating to Scottish history.

Ever wish you could fly like a falcon? Now you can, with a little help from technology and the internet. Experts for the BBC have attached tiny cameras to the backs of a Peregrine Falcon and the Goshawk. The resultant video is amazing. (video)

An exceptional gold ring, sporting "four beasts' heads with inlaid blue and yellow glass eyes" will be featured on a new BBC program Digging for Britain, focussing on Bristol, England and Berkeley Castle. (photo)

Archaeologist Harold Mytum believes that a pre-Viking settlement at Port y Candas on the Isle of Man was probably the home of an important leader who could "support the craftsmen who would have worked making tools, weapons and bronze jewellery."

A Saxon-era boat has been discovered during flood defense construction along the River Ant in Norfolk, England.

A complete suit of armor has been found at the Roman fortress of Caerleon in southern Wales. The armor was found on what is believed to be the top floor of a warehouse.

The debate continues among archeologists and linguists over the symbols on over 200 carved stones dating to the time of the Picts in Scotland. Archeologists feel that the carvings are "symbolic markings that communicated information."

Students learning to use geophysical equipment have discovered several large buildings at the Roman fortress of Caerleon in south Wales. Cardiff University's Peter Guest said the find was "totally unexpected."