? The Enquiry Room

History on Trial

Real primary sources. Real historical mysteries. You examine the evidence and give your verdict.

🎓 Ages 11–16
📜 Real historical documents
🏠 Home education friendly
🖥️ Works offline
⚖️ KS3 history curriculum
How it works

Three steps. One verdict.

Each case file follows the same structure — rigorous enough to challenge, clear enough to work independently.

1
🖼️
Examine the portrait
Click the hotspots on a real historical portrait. Learn to read clothing, expression and context as historical evidence.
2
📜
Read the document
Explore a real primary source — a letter, despatch or court record. Tap phrases to unpack meaning. File evidence as you go.
3
⚖️
Give your verdict
Weigh the evidence from all four perspectives. Write a structured argument. Download or share it with a teacher or parent.
Case files

Open a case

Each case is built around real historical documents and genuine historical debate. There is no single right answer — only better and worse arguments.

Free taster
The Execution of Anne Boleyn
England, 1536

Anne Boleyn has been arrested, tried and executed in just 17 days. The charges are serious — but some of the dates are impossible. Four perspectives. One truth.

Tudor 4 perspectives 45–60 min
▸ Open this case file — free
Coming soon
The Peterloo Massacre
Manchester, 1819

Eighteen people died when cavalry charged a peaceful crowd of 60,000. Who gave the order — and was it murder, a mistake, or justified force?

Victorian 4 perspectives 45–60 min
Coming soon
The Murder of Thomas Becket
Canterbury, 1170

Four knights. One archbishop. And a king who may — or may not — have ordered the killing. Did Henry II murder his closest friend?

Medieval 4 perspectives 45–60 min
Full access
Lifetime access — one payment
The Enquiry Room — Full Library

One payment. All current cases, plus every new case added in future. No subscription. No renewal.

  • All current case files, unlocked immediately
  • Every future case included at no extra cost
  • Works offline — download and keep forever
  • Suitable for KS3 home education and school homework
  • PEEL writing frame and downloadable verdict included
£12.99
one-off payment
Buy now →
About The Enquiry Room

Most history resources for young people treat primary sources as decoration. The Enquiry Room was built to change that. Every case is built around real documents — letters, despatches, eyewitness accounts — handled the way a historian would handle them. The questions are designed the way a teacher would design them.

Qualified secondary history teacher Qualified archivist All sources public domain