St Kilda evacuation and book on female Victorian detectives by Scottish academic shortlisted for Wolfson Prize

The Gravity of Feathers by Andrew Fleming and The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective, by St Andrews University academic Dr Sara Lodge have been shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize - Britain’s most prestigious prize for history writing.

The Gravity of Feathers overturns the long-accepted view the demise of the island of St Kilda was due to the community’s failure to adapt to the modern world.

Dr Lodge’s book meanwhile establishes, for the first time, the extent to which Victorian women – as early as the 1850s – were working in a detective role for the police.

The shortlist of six titles celebrates books which combine excellence in research with readability. The winner, announced in December, will be awarded £50,000. Each of the shortlisted authors win £5,000.

The other shortlisted titles are Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Barraclough, The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor, Multicultural Britain: A People’s History by Kieran Connell, and Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Hannah Durkin.

Previous winners of the award include the popular historians Mary Beard, William Dalrymple and Simon Schama.

Dr Lodge said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be on the Wolfson shortlist. It’s astonishing to think of myself alongside writers who have long been my scholarly heroes and heroines.

“Women’s history has never been more important than it is now when, in many parts of the world, it is under threat of erasure. I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to become a scholarly detective, unearthing the stories of women whose cleverness and courage deserve to be remembered.”

David Cannadine, chair of the Wolfson History Prize judges, said: “The 2025 shortlist highlights the exceptional historians writing today, across a vast range of subject areas. Original, intimate and fascinating, each of the books on this year’s shortlist enrich our understanding of humanity and the past – and in so doing also provide deep insights into the world in which we live.”